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SVP sponsors maths class
20.10.09
by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent
MATHS Week ended last Saturday, but a new initiative
sponsored by St Vincent de Paul aims to help young
people prepare for next year’s Leaving Certificate
Ordinary Level paper.
The local conference of St Vincent de Paul is
sponsoring maths classes, given by Scoil Mhuire
teacher Denis Doherty, in St Mary’s Hall Burt
starting on Thursday 5 November. While students will
pay €7 for the 90 minute sessions, they will be much
more affordable than the €40 per rate for
mathematics grinds.
“We borrowed the idea from a conference in the south
of the county who ran a similar course last year,”
said Eddie Murphy of the Fahan conference of the St
Vincent de Paul. “We know that many students find
mathematics very challenging, and with money being
tight for grinds we’re trying to help students
access additional classes at a very low cost to them
and their families.” |
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Denis Doherty, who has
taught maths for 38 years (“too long,” he quips)
will be helping students prepare for the exams.
“In general, students across the country are
struggling with Leaving Cert maths, and I think it’s
notable that we’re focusing on ordinary rather than
honours level,” he said. “During these classes we’ll
go through the exam papers, give out handouts,
revise and then do exam-based questions.”
The classes are open to students doing the Leaving
Cert regardless of what school they attend. |
An open night will be
held in Burt Hall next Thursday night, 22 October,
starting at 8pm, where students can sign up and
discuss how best to approach the course.
While the class will initially run until Christmas,
Mr Doherty hopes that interest will be sufficient to
keep it running right up until the exams next June.
With his long experience of teaching the subject, Mr
Doherty is well placed to comment on the alarming
decline in national mathematics standards in recent
years.
“The curriculum was changed ten years ago and the
Junior Certificate was made far too easy,” he says.
“The junior cert doesn’t prepare students for the
leaving, even ordinary level. And on the other hand,
the honours leaving cert course is too wide and
difficult.”
“Maths is mostly mental and it’s important that
students learn to think,” he said. “We’ve banned
calculators for first years until Hallowe’en at
least because it helps them think for themselves
rather than punching in a few numbers and seeing
what comes out.”
For more information on the Leaving Cert ordinary
level maths classes contact Eddie Murphy on 086
2245991. |
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