Leaving Cert Results
Lots in the news today about Leaving Cert Results.
The only pupil to score nine A1s in this year’s Leaving Certificate today put his success down to consistent studying.
Ronan McGovern, from Patrician College in Kildare, said a little bit of work all the way through school helped him score top marks – rather than weeks of stressful cramming.
He studied nine subjects whereas the average student takes on six or perhaps seven, but he insisted it was worthwhile.
“I had a reason for doing each one, it wasn’t for the craic like,” he said.
He said he picked Applied Maths because of the advantage it will give him in the engineering course and German to get a second foreign language.
Peter also studied Leaving Cert French at home.
Fair play to Ronan for achieving what he has, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to state that I believe no little amount of work each week could get you those results if your anyway normal. I’m not saying that Ronan is a freak or a nerd but perhaps he is more intellectually gifted and has has better oppurtunities that other people. Story here.
In relation to what the Minister says that cramming and grinds do not help a person become articulate and confident I would agree with her. What they do though Minister is help you to achieve results that are so very very important in a system that is completely result driven. An examiner correcting a paper that has been completed in 3 hours cannot read into the candidates persona, experience and common sense.
Well done to anyone who did well in the LC and got what they wanted, if you didn’t it most certainly isn’t the end of the world. Go out and celebrate tonight and if you feel like having a drink have one.. have two or three, just know your limits.
God bless the Irish education system and all who have passed through it.
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Is American opinion and culture crowding out all others?
Fair play to Ronan. In my experience doing well has to do with consistent work, cramming, liking your subjects, having support, and aptitude. All those things in no small amount. There’s loads of school kids out there with crap teachers and parents that dont give a shit. Those people arent inclined to do consistent work, and regardless of the presence of any of the other factors won’t do well.
Comment by tim — August 16, 2006 @ 4:28 pm
I might have missed my own point on this one! I have no doubt that Ronan did an immense amount of work to achieve what he has achieved - but some people are better designed to this type of task than others.
Also in the papers today (Indo) the Minister refers to cramming as a terrible trend. I agree with what you say their Tim, no matter of what other presence or push/policy is placed on ‘crammers’ they won’t be inclined to do consistent work.
Comment by jp — August 16, 2006 @ 4:55 pm
The real question here is why we persist with an outdated system of education that privileges one very narrow conception of intelliegence over others.
Comment by James R — August 16, 2006 @ 5:35 pm
9 A1’s eh. What an incredible waste of a childhood.
Well done Ronan. Open the door and see what the world has to offer.
Comment by dodger — August 16, 2006 @ 6:38 pm
This Ronan guy is likely very goal-orientated, which you’d need to be to have the kind of discipline necessary to achieve what he has. But did he do it for the love of knowledge? Part of me wants to say yes, but a bigger part of me is saying no — because that isn’t what the Leaving Cert is about.
I was a pretty good student, but I was hamstrung by a system that gives extra privileges to Irish-speakers and those with an aptitude for maths. If I could have dropped maths and Irish after my Junior Cert, I could have put much more effort into my other subjects (French, in particular) and done better in my Leaving (not that I did badly, mind you, but still).
But in hindsight, it didn’t really matter much in the end as I hated school, knew the system was a sham, and couldn’t wait to get out — I jumped headfirst into university, where the real learning is.
Comment by MacDara — August 16, 2006 @ 8:30 pm
Wherein lies the problem MacDara.. in hindsight you got what you needed to study what you wanted to study in 3rd level and I agree the real learning is at 3rd level. Fact is you don’t need certain subjects to study certain college courses but you still have to do them in the LC. This particular point is actually being highlighted at the moment regarding Maths and the relatively hight levels of failure at ordinary level. - Which a candidate has to pass to get into any third level institute.
This also reminds me of the point that if you fail Irish/English/Maths in LC if you fail your LC. Why? In this day and age… the chances are high that you will not be using Irish particularly, then to a lesser extend Maths and then English, within your new college course unless your chosen course revolves around one of those subjects, but yet you don’t get into your course of interest because you aren’t good at Irish/Maths/English? Of course by knowing and learning/passing these subjects you have gained the cognitive skills to go on and gain further knowledge - but not all courses rely on these core skills, there are many more skills that aren’t being taken into account for.
Yes the points for having to do and pass these subjects are to an extent valid.. the points for not having to pass or do them all are becoming more increasingly valid.
Think I’ll end this rant here as I’m getting increasingly upset by the fact that Ireland just lost 4 nil to Holland at home. I mean WTF… How did our players do in the LC?!??!?!
Comment by jp — August 16, 2006 @ 9:36 pm
well half of em grew up in England so they don’t give a shit.
Comment by dodger — August 16, 2006 @ 9:44 pm
Wherein lies the problem MacDara.. in hindsight you got what you needed to study what you wanted to study in 3rd level and I agree the real learning is at 3rd level. Fact is you don’t need certain subjects to study certain college courses but you still have to do them in the LC. This particular point is actually being highlighted at the moment regarding Maths and the relatively hight levels of failure at ordinary level. - Which a candidate has to pass to get into any third level institute.
I totally agree with you, jp. It was transition year when I realised it was a crock. You’re expected to choose a particular strand of subjects, as the system presumes you know what path you want to take beyond the LC — and yet you have no option to drop those mandatory subjects even if you know you won’t be needing them.
In this respect the A-level system in Britain gives much more scope, and I have a feeling I would have enjoyed the senior cycle a bit more if I could have focused on what really interested me under a similar system. (But A-level students only have to do half the work — which is separate issue.)
Comment by MacDara — August 17, 2006 @ 11:46 am
And by the way, I didn’t actually get the points I needed — I did alright, sure, but I only got my fourth choice on the CAO form. I didn’t get to study what I originally wanted to study until postgraduate level; I was just lucky that I could use what I did eventually do at undergrad level to get there, and I learned a whole lot that I like wouldn’t have otherwise while doing it.
Comment by MacDara — August 17, 2006 @ 11:51 am
The human mind is quite powerfull and therefore I think teachers, although they have a high level of education for their jobs, need more like some sort of psychological training. Also the LCert needs to be restructured to cater for both those who know and do not know what they want to do in third level.
As a graduate computer/electronic engineer I am baffled as to why there isn’t a computer science orientated module somewhere in the second level education.
My experience of the LC is those who are in ideal situations excel or that the advantaged are favored by it. Both Ronan’s parents were educating him long before he entered secondary school maybe even primary school.
Well done all the same.
My rant over.
Comment by Louis — August 17, 2006 @ 8:02 pm
I am baffled as to why there isn’t a computer science orientated module somewhere in the second level education.
Programming should be taught from primary school up as a compulsory subject in tandem with maths. Think of the kind of workers we’d be putting out in 20 years if it started right now.
Comment by danger — August 17, 2006 @ 8:21 pm
I did logo on a BBC Micro in primary school at the age of about 7 or 8. I think I got to type in 1 line of a program or something. I have a vivid memory of my teacher explaining that there was no inbuilt way of filling a screen with a color, so she had written a routine to fill the whole screen with many small colored triangles. Awesome.
Comment by tim — August 17, 2006 @ 8:54 pm
Ya there is nothing about the basics of programming/coding that I couldn’t have learned while in primary school. The only problem I have with that is it woud take a highly skilled teacher to teach it when teachers in my primary school struggled to teach the most basic of maths.
Comment by Louis — August 18, 2006 @ 9:38 am