About CASE
CASE aims to build a culture of good relations amongst children and young people in a school based setting. Delivery is through the provision of direct, sustained, curricular-based contact between children and teachers from all backgrounds.
Through working in partnership, the participating schools will promote community cohesion, enhance educational outcomes for all pupils and provide shared professional development. CASE is open to all schools in the six Border Counties of Ireland and schools in Northern Ireland which are not currently involved in the DSC Signature Project for Shared Education.
This project is supported by the European Union's PEACE Programme, managed by the Special EU Programme Body.
Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) programme
This consists of a suite of short courses covering a range of strategic areas to help develop collaborative working practices and support school improvement.
The provision of a Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) programme for school-based staff is a specific element of the CASE Project. Its aim is to provide teachers and school leaders with a clear learning framework that will enhance the skills, capacity and confidence needed to embed effective practice in Shared Education.
During 2019/20 up to 8 different CASE modules will be delivered each term; all suitable for audiences comprising NI teachers and ROI teachers.
The modules will take place over a 3 day period, 2 days back-to-back with a follow-up day approximately 4 -6 weeks later. As part of each module teachers will jointly undertake a short partnership-based learning exercise designed to enhance collaborative working and encourage professional dialogue. Each module is designed to reflect a blend of research-based theory and practical classroom content.
All teachers in schools involved in the CASE Project are eligible to participate in the TPL programme.
Registration for all courses will be released in early September and further details are available from school principals and CASE Link teachers.
News from around the partnerships
COVID 19 Update
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, it is vital that we continue to follow best practice guidelines, especially physical distancing and practice good hand-washing hygiene. Most of all we can come together to support each other by staying home and staying safe.
If you have a specific query regarding your partnership, please contact your Development Officer for guidance.
We are currently working with our funders to approve a mechanism for signing off on this year’s shared activity and we will send out further information about this in due course.
Please remember we are here to help and support you however we can in relation to your school charting a way through this extremely difficult and challenging time.
Teacher Professional Learning Underway
The 2020 TPL courses commenced on January 13th with ‘Delivering Effective Collaboration and Sharing in Primary Schools’. The first of a series of modules which will be rolled out in different venues until the end of the school year was delivered in Letterkenny by Stranmillis College.
The second programme held was on ‘Understanding and managing diversity within the shared classroom’ run by Queens University Belfast QUB was very thought provoking.
Meanwhile ‘Supporting Shared Education through online Collaboration’ was delivered by Ulster University in Antrim Board Centre.
Here’s what participants are saying about these courses:
“Before the course I would’ve been a bit worried or anxious about teaching diversity to my pupils but the course has given me a good entry point and given me loads of practical ideas for how to start teaching diversity within the shared classroom”
“I wanted to learn ways to open up discussion on how we are different and the course has given us loads of different ideas and practical things to do with the younger children without even having to explain that you are talking about diversity”
‘A really well thought out course. Roger and Esther were amazing and great at explaining things. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to getting started with my children’
‘The course has been very relevant to further my understanding of blended learning. I will also take back to my school knowledge of Office 365 that could benefit other members of staff’
‘The warmth of welcome, personal interaction and clarity of course content put us at ease from the start..great feedback from Julie and Ashlene who brought us their first-hand experience of blended learning….very useful, informative and looking forward to kids getting started’
