Parents who worry about the "doss year" may create problems by undermining a valuable programme in front of their children, writes Louise Holden.
The ESRI report on Transition Year - detailed in today's paper - is now sitting on Minister Dempsey's desk, waiting to tell him what he already knows. The 26,000 students who took the "doss year" last year will get more points in the Leaving Cert, will have lower third-level drop-out rates and will make more responsible choices in relation to sex, substance use and health.
The first Transition Year was introduced by Minister for Education Dick Burke in 1973, but the Transition Year Programme (TYP) as we know it is 10 years old this September. Almost three-quarters of all Irish students now take the TYP.
Many parents still have doubts about the value of a break from formal study between State exams. Lack of communication about the objectives of the TYP can leave parents feeling that their sons and daughters have been cut loose for nine months. Taking notes on an episode of Fair City or conducting a neighbourhood survey on fast food can seem like the kind of homework a teacher dreams up when she's had her curriculum confiscated.
Parents who complain about the "doss year" may be fulfilling their own prophesy - devaluing the programme at home gives students license to treat TYP like three terms' worth of Friday afternoons.
The TYP is a success because it has very carefully structured aims and objectives. According to Patsy Sweeney, national coordinator of the Transition Year Support Service, it is the one year out of six where parents can really work in equal partnership with the school to get the best outcomes for their children.
"The locus of learning in Transition Year is shifted. Parents can play an active role in this new type of learning that comes from bouncing ideas off peers and adults, looking to the community and exploring ways of learning beyond the classroom," says Sweeney.
"During Transition Year parents should ensure that students spend a minimum of an hour and a half each day involved in some activity that is valuable to their growth and in the spirit of the TYP. Most schools will provide reading lists and web resources if parents are at a loss."
Parents can follow their instincts in this regard. Transition Year is all about maturity, self-directed learning and independence. A worthwhile activity can be anything from reading a newspaper to preparing a meal or getting involved with a community group. Part-time work does not count, says Sweeney.
"Because students are not given much in the way of assessable homework by the teacher, parents become guardians of home-based activity for much of the year," Sweeney points out. Parents are in a position to assess the quality of their children's home activity during TYP, while they may feel locked out of curriculum-based assignments in the exam years.
Parents can be part of TYP beyond the home too. Many schools hold "Significant Learning Days" where key subjects such as health or home ownership are explored. Parents with expertise in relevant areas can play a meaningful part in the programme.
"Ideally, parents should be included in every step of the TYP," according to Sweeney. "Many schools invite parents to an introductory meeting in third year, an induction session at the beginning of fourth year and maintain contact throughout the year.
Parents have all the objectives of the TYP explained and are asked to sign a 'Contract of Learning' with the school in which they promise to continue the principles of TYP in the home."
So what are the principles of TYP? The key aim is to promote maturity. That maturity feeds into future academic performance by making students more self-directed learners. It smooths the path to employment by developing work-related skills. Most importantly, however, it promotes the personal skills of communication, self-confidence and awareness of the world outside school.
The philosophy behind the TYP is the development of multiple intelligences (see panel). By using varied approaches to learning and by mixing subjects together rather than separating them, students may discover abilities in themselves that would never surface within the academic, subject-by-subject structure of the exam curricula.
The Department of Education is adamant that the Transition Year should not be used as part of a three-year Leaving Cert programme. If it is, a very valuable opportunity is lost. When students are given a year to sample different subjects, work experience placements and multi-disciplinary activities, they are more likely to make intelligent subject choices for their Leaving Certificate, and in turn produce better examination results.
But this is not the only advantage, Sweeney insists. "The TYP student continues to benefit from his experience well into third level, where his opportunity to experience self-directed learning in school aids his transition into college. All the third-level institutions report that students who have completed TYP make more informed course choices and are less likely to drop out," he says.
Anecdotally, Sweeney contends, Transition Year Programe students are better prepared for life. While other students get stuck into another set of exams, TYP students learn about road safety, substance abuse, sexual health, buying a home, interview skills, understanding the media - in short, a starter kit for living.
So don't shake your fist in the general direction of the school when your son's assignment involves watching you watch television. Hold the derisory snort when your daughter's homework is to photograph her granny drinking stout. It's all part of the transition.
