Dunamase College/Coláiste Dhún Másc was recently chosen as one of twenty schools to participate in a training day for the SPOTLITE programme, an initiative developed by St Aidan’s Community School, Tallaght, during the 2022/2023 school year.
On Tuesday 18th November, two Student Council representatives, accompanied by Deputy Principal Clár Mhic Ghearailt and Lead Teacher Siobhán Holland, travelled to Dublin to take part in the training.
SPOTLITE (Student Perspectives On Teaching and Learning In The Educational Space) is an innovative programme designed to strengthen student voice in education.
It provides a meaningful and structured way for students to share their experiences of teaching and learning, ensuring their voice helps shape improvements within the school community.
The programme centres on the idea that students are best placed to express what works well in the classroom and how they learn most effectively. By capturing student perspectives, schools can identify strengths in current practice and highlight areas where further development may be beneficial.
Teachers, in turn, are supported in adapting their approaches to meet the needs of the individual learner.
Dunamase College/Coláiste Dhún Másc Principal, Dympna Kelly believes the initiative supports strongly the school’s ongoing commitment to elevating student voice and the Unlocking Learning Programme, which is run along with the Learner Leaders Committee for parents and students.
“We believe students have the right to express their views, feelings and wishes about the things that matter to them.
They are the ones who truly understand what helps them to learn effectively. We have many initiatives in the school where Students can use their voice, such as the Student Council, Le Chéile Committee but this is one focused entirely on the classroom. ”
By implementing SPOTLITE, Dunamase College/Coláiste Dhún Másc hopes to promote deeper professional conversations between students and teachers and develop recommendations from the students that will benefit the entire school community.
Dympna said that we are “excited to be part of this journey” and we are looking forward to the seeing the impact the programme will bring.
