NEELB TV

Ten locally produced educational television programmes for primary school teachers in the north and south of Ireland will be shown by Information TV on Sky Channel 166 or Freesat 406 during November and December.

The programmes, while primarily aimed at teacher development, will also give parents an insight into children’s education in the two jurisdictions. They can be accessed via the web at http://www.neelb.tv/  or http://www.ppds.ie/.

They are the product of a Cross Border Digital Creativity Project which is funded by the Teacher Education section of the Department of Education and Science in the Republic and by the North Eastern Education and Library Board and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland.

Teachers and pupils from ten primary schools and a nursery school in the North East feature in the series. Antrim, Longstone, Mossley, Portrush, Mount St. Michael's, Randalstown Central, St Joseph’s,Dunloy, St Mary’s, Bellaghy, Spires Integrated and Straidbilly Primary Schools and Coleraine’s Kylemore Nursery School are included in the programmes.

"This innovative project aims to provide a media-based platform for the continuous professional development of all teachers," explained Ray Gilbert, head of the Curriculum Advisory and Support Service in the North East. "This platform can potentially provide teachers with useful ideas and materials via satellite or web-based broadcasts on a 24/7 basis. It is also something which should be of interest to parents who want to know what their children are learning in schools here."

"The programmes for teachers were developed by the Curriculum Advisory and Support Service of the North Eastern Education and Library Board in Northern Ireland and by the Primary Professional Development Service in the Republic of Ireland. They include studio discussions illustrated by footage of classroom teaching and documentary style programmes focusing on the development of key educational themes currently relevant to schools. We are grateful to all the schools, teachers and pupils from our own Board area as well as Monaghan and Dundalk who helped make the programmes a reality," he said.

This cross border project is the culmination of a joint collaboration between the North Eastern Education and Library Board and Monaghan Education Centre and has been running for almost three years. The project is coordinated by Jimmy McGeough and Jim McGee from Monaghan Education Centre and Ray Gilbert and Peter Simpson from the North Eastern Board.

The project programmes were coordinated and developed by Marie McLoughlin, former National Co-ordinator of Primary Curriculum Support Programmes, Sean Gallagher and Fiona Rushe of the Republic’s Primary Professional Development Service and Siobháin Mc Killop and Lorna Gardiner, Advisers with the North Eastern Board’s Curriculum Advisory and Support Service.

All ten programmes were made possible using the resources of the "Truck", the North Eastern Board’s Outside Broadcast vehicle. The Truck team of Chris McIntyre, Cedric Beattie, Shay Sweetnam and Ray Hayden were responsible for producing and editing the programmes.

The full schedule of broadcasts is:

Wednesday November 5 at 19:30  – "Cross Border Digital Creativity". Find out how a unique educational partnership in the North and South of Ireland has led to the development of "The Truck," an outside broadcast vehicle dedicated to educational projects.

Thursday  November 6 at 16:00 – "What Good Readers Do". An in-depth look for teachers and parents at a model Literacy lesson within the Revised Primary Curriculum in the Republic of Ireland.

Friday  November 7 at 19:30 – "Turning the Inside Out". Lorna Gardiner, the North Eastern Board’s Early Years adviser, shares her views on why the outdoor environment should be an "integrated part of the classroom" for playing and learning. Pupils from Portrush, Mount St Michael's and Randalstown Central Primary Schools and Kylemore Nursery, Coleraine, take part.

Saturday November 8 at 17:30 – "Maths Out Loud". A detailed look for teachers and parents at a model Maths lesson within the Revised Primary Curriculum in the Republic of Ireland.

Sunday November 9 at 19:30 – "The Ayes Have It". In this programme pupils and teachers at Spires Integrated Primary School, Magherafelt, explain how they successfully manage a school council as well as the benefits for pupil learning.

Wednesday November 12 at 19:30 – "Stormy Soundscapes". A close look for teachers and parents at a model Music lesson within the Revised Primary Curriculum in the Republic of Ireland.

Thursday November 13 at 16:00 – "Set for Take Off". A visit to Straidbilly Primary School, Ballymoney, where "Community of Enquiry" is promoted to help pupils develop thinking skills such as questioning, reasoning and problem solving strategies.

Friday November 14 at 19:30 – "Picture Talk - Communication through the use of photographs". A detailed examination for teachers and parents of a model Social, Personal and Health Education lesson within the Revised Primary Curriculum in the Republic of Ireland.

Saturday November 15 at 17:30 – "Interactive Thinking". This programme takes a closer look at how Information and Communications Technology is being used effectively within the Northern Ireland Revised Primary Curriculum and how it can contribute to the development of thinking skills. Pupils from Antrim, Longstone, Mossley, St Joseph’s, Dunloy, and St Mary’s, Bellaghy, Primary Schools are featured.

Sunday November 16 at 19:30 – "East to West – Contrasting Places". An exploration for teachers and parents of a model Geography lesson within the Revised Primary Curriculum in the Republic of Ireland.