Out of school? Ask teachers questions (LC and JC students)

spurious · 14-03-2020 10:53am #1

Please post here if you have a subject specific question to ask the many teachers on here. I think we have all subjects covered.

Exam related questions welcome too.

Teacher-bashers can stay away from this thread too.

sullivlo · 14-03-2020 10:54am

spurious wrote: »

Please post here if you have a subject specific question to ask the many teachers on here. I think we have all subjects covered.

Exam related questions welcome too.

Teacher-bashers can stay away from this thread too.

I can answer questions on:
Maths
Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Ag Science

Happy to help out

thegreatescape · 14-03-2020 11:22am

Home Ec and Biology here. Ask away.

scrubs33 · 14-03-2020 11:30am

Leaving Cert Geography Teacher and examiner for longer than I care to remember...ask away

banie01 · 14-03-2020 11:32am

To all the teachers contributing here.
Thank you.

Don't have a kid in exam year, but as a mature student I know how important being able to ask a question is.

It's these little flashes of solidarity that will keep us sane through this.

Well done all.

Qwerty? · 14-03-2020 11:36am

Excellent idea.

Just wondering, for ease of following threads, would it be a good idea to create threads for separate subjects?

spurious · 14-03-2020 11:37am

Qwerty? wrote: »

Excellent idea.

Just wondering, for ease of following threads, would it be a good idea to create threads for separate subjects?

We will see how we go. If it gets too unwieldy we will do that.

sullivlo · 14-03-2020 12:01pm

Could we cross post a link in the LC/JC forum?

Treppen · 14-03-2020 12:03pm

Music here.

Stewie Griffin · 14-03-2020 12:10pm

I'm an English teacher.

dory · 14-03-2020 1:19pm

Great idea! I teach Irish. Happy to answer questions. I agree, a thread for each subject would be great (but would it be better to have it in the LC / JC forum?)

Fleetwoodmac · 14-03-2020 1:22pm

No questions but moved by this initiative.. well done teachers

History Queen · 14-03-2020 1:32pm

English and History teacher here, happy to help

mirrorwall14 · 14-03-2020 1:33pm

Music and Maths here!

Redser87 · 14-03-2020 1:54pm

I will defer to Kerrydiva's superior experience!

Alqua · 14-03-2020 2:19pm

Music here, there's a glut of us! With no update on the practicals as of yet.

TheValeyard · 14-03-2020 2:27pm

Happy to answer all History Q.

djemba djemba · 14-03-2020 2:43pm

Business and business studies if needed

MacGyver007 · 14-03-2020 2:44pm

Maths and science. Happy to help!

05eaftqbrs9jlh · 14-03-2020 2:48pm

Very quiet on the student front here so far but it's great to see so many teachers. I reckon right now, a lot of students are taking a well-earned break!

Just thinking back on my own LC, it was such a happy carefree time (even though I thought, back then, that my life was fraught with problems!!). Students currently have much bigger issues than any of the silly stuff I was worried about. I'm really hopeful that the young people affected by this will emerge stronger and more resilient than ever.

Looptheloop30 · 14-03-2020 2:49pm

Help away.

Between the hours of 8.45am and 4pm

Monday to Friday

Caquas · 14-03-2020 3:34pm

It is generous of teachers to volunteer their help here but that is no substitute for the students' contact with their own teachers.

Are schools making alternative arrangements to help their students from home? For example, are teachers setting assignments and correcting homework online?

I see that public libraries are now closed. Where are students supposed to study if their siblings are also at home?

Unless effective action is taken immediately, how can the State Exams be completed this year?

sullivlo · 14-03-2020 3:57pm

Looptheloop30 wrote: »

Help away.

Between the hours of 8.45am and 4pm

Monday to Friday

:rolleyes:

Caquas wrote: »

It is generous of teachers to volunteer their help here but that is no substitute for the students' contact with their own teachers.

Are schools making alternative arrangements to help their students from home? For example, are teachers setting assignments and correcting homework online?

I see that public libraries are now closed. Where are students supposed to study if their siblings are also at home?

Unless effective action is taken immediately, how can the State Exams be completed this year?

Nobody is saying it is a substitute for your own teacher. All we are trying to do is ease the stress on JC and LC students.

Each school has their own policy and arrangements. In my school we are emailing work to students and they are emailing the work to us to correct.

I am recording myself doing examples in maths and emailing my students these. Whatever they send me I will correct.

I will be responding to them during school hours, but so that the students themselves have a break. I will continue to work if required. I am working today on solutions for the mock exams so that they can correct them themselves at home.

Kerrydiva · 14-03-2020 6:26pm

French and German teacher here.

Enright · 14-03-2020 6:50pm

Business, LCVP, & Business Studies here - stay safe everyone

Shn99 · 14-03-2020 9:27pm

LC student here.
Would anyone have advice on how to self discipline and stay motivated during the 2 (or possibly 5) weeks of closure. Have never really worked well at home in regards to study and work. Usually do supervised study after school and at weekends but all out the window now. Tried following the timetable on Friday but failed miserably. Have all my classes on MS teams(4 teachers havent used them) but just overall stressed out and mildly panicking.

Caquas · 14-03-2020 9:29pm

sullivlo wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Nobody is saying it is a substitute for your own teacher. All we are trying to do is ease the stress on JC and LC students.

Each school has their own policy and arrangements. In my school we are emailing work to students and they are emailing the work to us to correct.

I am recording myself doing examples in maths and emailing my students these. Whatever they send me I will correct.

I will be responding to them during school hours, but so that the students themselves have a break. I will continue to work if required. I am working today on solutions for the mock exams so that they can correct them themselves at home.

Thanks, that’s what I hoped would happen but I’m hearing different stories, including students being left to fend for themselves. It seems to depend on the school (or perhaps the students are telling the parents whatever suits them )

mirrorwall14 · 14-03-2020 9:30pm

Shn99 wrote: »

LC student here.
Would anyone have advice on how to self discipline and stay motivated during the 2 (or possibly 5) weeks of closure. Have never really worked well at home in regards to study and work. Usually do supervised study after school and at weekends but all out the window now. Tried following the timetable on Friday but failed miserably. Have all my classes on MS teams but just overall stressed out and mildly panicking.

Routine routine routine. Up at 8am. Wear your uniform if you have one and it helps the set up. Get a quiet area set up. Leave your phone in another room if possible. Enable do not disturb if you need to do device work. Set bells or alarms for end of class and follow your timetable standing up on the ‘class change’ for a good stretch

Self motivation is a skill for life and you have the perfect opportunity here to develop it.

sullivlo · 14-03-2020 10:54pm

Shn99 wrote: »

LC student here.
Would anyone have advice on how to self discipline and stay motivated during the 2 (or possibly 5) weeks of closure. Have never really worked well at home in regards to study and work. Usually do supervised study after school and at weekends but all out the window now. Tried following the timetable on Friday but failed miserably. Have all my classes on MS teams(4 teachers havent used them) but just overall stressed out and mildly panicking.

Just to echo what mirror said...

Routine is key. Set an alarm. Get up. Get dressed. Find a quiet corner in the house. Walk up and down the stairs every 40 mins. Take a mini break at your usual time. Take your lunch at the usual time. Be disciplined - phone in airplane mode or in a different room - you can check it between classes like normal.

Important - finish your day at a normal time. Don't burn yourself out.

Following a timetable is a good idea but not really reflective of an actual day. For example, how much time would you actually spend on a subject in the 40 minute class? By the time you arrive, get out books, do the roll, correct homework etc, there's probably only about 25-30 mins of work. And of this 30 mins, how much are you actually engaged for? You probably listen for a while, maybe take down notes, but you won't do full concentrated study. And remember - you will have pastoral care/SPHE/religion/PE in a day too, so factor that in. Schedule a break at the end of the day. Go for a walk. Have a snack. Then do your homework - exam papers or similar.

Follow the advice of your teacher - do whatever work they set. For me, my students are doing mock corrections until Wednesday, and then they will be given videos to watch on how to approach a sum. They will be doing a few examples "in class" and then some "for homework". I'll give solutions the next day for them to correct.

If you don't get set work from a teacher, pick a topic and look for a video on YouTube. Rather than passively watching, set yourself a challenge of identifying 5 key points / new vocabulary / whatever is relevant to the subject, and then read the corresponding section in the book.

Send any work to your teacher - even if they don't correct it all, having some routine will help and it will show you are eager to learn.

Keep asking questions.

And don't panic.

Lc2020 · 14-03-2020 11:03pm

Thanks to all the teachers for offering their help and expertise-we really appreciate it.

For maths teachers:
Just wondering what your opinion of the DEB maths mock exam is? Having done it, is it fair to say it's more difficult than the real thing? I know we can't predict the difficulty of the paper, but it seems that the marking scheme in the LC affords a lot more leeway/attempt marks. I got a lot of 0s for work that in imo should have merited some credit. I know it depends on a lot of factors, but would going from a H5 to a H2 be unheard of, or attainable ?

Thanks

BTW: Just wondering are teacher as clueless as students as regards when schools will reopen etc..

Lc2020 · 14-03-2020 11:12pm

Treppen wrote: »

Music here.

Hi!
Just have a query regarding the music exam:

In your opinion, what should students be focusing on over the coming weeks. I put so much time and effort into studying the likes of Berlioz, for it only to be worth 10 marks in the mocks. It's really disheartening, and it's almost not worth my while to be studying the score for the sake of 10 marks

Also, just regarding the composition paper, I scored 78/100 in the mocks and looking for a H1 , I can't afford to be losing too many marks. What do you have to do to do well in the composition paper particularly the melody (24/40), cause I hope they don't expect us all to be little Mozarts.

I'm not too worried about the practical (though it would be nice to have a date lol).
What generally tends to bring students down ? Aiming for a H1, but the SEC make it so difficult with the low H1 rate year in year out

Thank you

sullivlo · 14-03-2020 11:38pm

Lc2020 wrote: »

Thanks to all the teachers for offering their help and expertise-we really appreciate it.

For maths teachers:
Just wondering what your opinion of the DEB maths mock exam is? Having done it, is it fair to say it's more difficult than the real thing? I know we can't predict the difficulty of the paper, but it seems that the marking scheme in the LC affords a lot more leeway/attempt marks. I got a lot of 0s for work that in imo should have merited some credit. I know it depends on a lot of factors, but would going from a H5 to a H2 be unheard of, or attainable ?

Thanks

BTW: Just wondering are teacher as clueless as students as regards when schools will reopen etc..

Can’t comment on the DEB exam specifically, but the marking is a fluid thing in the LC. It will be marked on a curve so a certain % will get a H1/H2 etc. Attempt marks will be allocated accordingly. Also you have a few months more of revision in advance of the real thing. I can’t comment specifically on going from h5 to h2 but in general, marks are awarded for more attempts in the real thing.

From my own class this year, a huge % got a specific question wrong so it brought down their grade. If that happens in June, attempt marks could be given to boost grades. It’s not an exact science though.

And yes. Teachers are just as clueless. We heard about the closures at the same time as the rest of the country and there has been no official circular from the department or the SEC regarding anything. The only thing that was clarified was that project work could not be brought home.

mirrorwall14 · 15-03-2020 12:16am

Lc2020 wrote: »

Hi!
Just have a query regarding the music exam:

In your opinion, what should students be focusing on over the coming weeks. I put so much time and effort into studying the likes of Berlioz, for it only to be worth 10 marks in the mocks. It's really disheartening, and it's almost not worth my while to be studying the score for the sake of 10 marks

Also, just regarding the composition paper, I scored 78/100 in the mocks and looking for a H1 , I can't afford to be losing too many marks. What do you have to do to do well in the composition paper particularly the melody (24/40), cause I hope they don't expect us all to be little Mozarts.

I'm not too worried about the practical (though it would be nice to have a date lol).
What generally tends to bring students down ? Aiming for a H1, but the SEC make it so difficult with the low H1 rate year in year out

Thank you

I’m assuming you have all the basics in melody writing correct?
-correct number of beats per bar
-no crazy intervals that don’t sound nice (chord structure or solfa helps there)
-treatment of upbeat correct?
-modulation correct?
-treatment of ti correct in major or minor?
-if using a sequence do you develop it?
-do you have a good wide range and a climax?

Treppen · 15-03-2020 4:38am

Lc2020 wrote: »

Hi!
Just have a query regarding the music exam:

In your opinion, what should students be focusing on over the coming weeks. I put so much time and effort into studying the likes of Berlioz, for it only to be worth 10 marks in the mocks. It's really disheartening, and it's almost not worth my while to be studying the score for the sake of 10 marks

Also, just regarding the composition paper, I scored 78/100 in the mocks and looking for a H1 , I can't afford to be losing too many marks. What do you have to do to do well in the composition paper particularly the melody (24/40), cause I hope they don't expect us all to be little Mozarts.

I'm not too worried about the practical (though it would be nice to have a date lol).
What generally tends to bring students down ? Aiming for a H1, but the SEC make it so difficult with the low H1 rate year in year out

Thank you

I'd echo all that mirror wall said.

Composing paper... Where students usually loose marks is the melody. And within that the basic areas for deductions are
6/8
Upbeat
Minor key
Get them solid

Then for the quality of the melody.
A good melody is a combination of leap and step.
Look at the marking schemes.... They talk about a sense of climax for the A grade descriptor. Basically build up to a high note at the end of the 3rd or 4th phrase (usually means to move into ledger lines above the stave).
Also A grade descriptor mentions good development of opening ideas. This is the B section or bar 9-13.
Pick an idea from opening line. State it in bar 9 then move it up in sequences BUT alter it slightly in bar 10 and 11 so that you are DEVELOPING your idea.

Consider using a rest! I know a few examiners who like that kind of thing.

For harmony do you do Q 4 or Q5. ?
Be careful with Q4 as the quality of the melody is graded just as much as a Q1 melody!! So this can be a little subjective for some examiners.
Q5 is a bit more formulae based, do you know all the good chord progressions?

Put a bit of time into your composing harmony as it's worth nearly as much as your set works combined!

For set works.... Not much to say really, throw away the score and use your ears to identify features.
The tricky one in set works is where you could be asked to compare the music you are listening to to another place in the score.

Do you have all the notes for the set works?

Practical.... Sounds like you have it in hand. Tell the story of the pieces with louds and softs (unless your a trad player, in. Which case belt out the tune).

If you want to attach a melody question then fire away, myself and the other music teachers here will probably start fighting though :pac:

dory · 15-03-2020 2:37pm

Caquas wrote: »

It is generous of teachers to volunteer their help here but that is no substitute for the students' contact with their own teachers.

Are schools making alternative arrangements to help their students from home? For example, are teachers setting assignments and correcting homework online?

I see that public libraries are now closed. Where are students supposed to study if their siblings are also at home?

Unless effective action is taken immediately, how can the State Exams be completed this year?

This transition is as difficult for teachers as it is students. I'm here spending my Sunday figuring out how I'm going to work this. As the "techie" in my school I spent yesterday talking to other members of staff, going through ways they can use technology to set and correct work.

We're still not sure how we will correct. I teach Irish. What we really need is for the students to write essays etc, and for us to correct them. At the moment we're trying to correct PDFs on iPads, one is trying to print at home and then scanning and sending. This will take a while to figure out but I'd be shocked if any school left students high and dry.

On Facebook groups there's non stop messaging , people asking how best they can help their students etc. I'm now trying to change my lessons into notes to send to students.

alroley · 15-03-2020 2:43pm

I can help with Business Studies, Business, and Accounting if needed.

endacl · 15-03-2020 3:10pm

alroley wrote: »

I can help with Business Studies, Business, and Accounting if needed.

What’s a tracker mortgage?

I’ll join in with music.

endacl · 15-03-2020 3:17pm

Lc2020 wrote: »

Hi!
Just have a query regarding the music exam:

In your opinion, what should students be focusing on over the coming weeks. I put so much time and effort into studying the likes of Berlioz, for it only to be worth 10 marks in the mocks. It's really disheartening, and it's almost not worth my while to be studying the score for the sake of 10 marks

Also, just regarding the composition paper, I scored 78/100 in the mocks and looking for a H1 , I can't afford to be losing too many marks. What do you have to do to do well in the composition paper particularly the melody (24/40), cause I hope they don't expect us all to be little Mozarts.

I'm not too worried about the practical (though it would be nice to have a date lol).
What generally tends to bring students down ? Aiming for a H1, but the SEC make it so difficult with the low H1 rate year in year out

Thank you

I’ll echo what Trappen said above, an also offer a slightly more simplistic piece of advice.

For the set works, it’s a listening paper. So listen.

To say oversimplify, the questions will broadly ask one of three things for each excerpt:

1. What do you hear? In terms of themes, motifs, instrumentation etc.
2. Where else do you hear this, and how is it treated? (Instrumentation/key etc)
3. ‘Location’ type questions. What movement/section is the excerpt from.

Listen regularly and often to the works, and tell yourself the ‘story’ of each.

Pang · 15-03-2020 4:59pm

I can help with Home Economics and Religious Education. LC and JC in both.

patravers · 15-03-2020 10:23pm

English, history, Politics and Society teacher

compgeek · 15-03-2020 10:27pm

Happy to help with Business (LC), Business Studies (JC) and Computer Science (LC)

lukemaccy100 · 15-03-2020 10:28pm

Hi! Leaving cert pupil here! Thanks so much for the offer of help! Doing physics, geography, business,French , maths, Irish and English. All higher level.
Yeah, it's horrible for the SEC to keep us all in the lurch. I just couldn't concentrate at home with my brother home from college too. Luckily , we have a summer house that the tenant's cancelled last minute, so I'm down here now in West Cork and happy out.
Who knows what impact this'll have on the leaving cert. I'm fed up with the orals being postponed!
If any of ye have any mock papers handy, I'll send over my email address! Thanks!

Mont Blanc · 15-03-2020 11:25pm

Happy to answer questions from students on Junior Cert and Leaving Cert Spanish. Mon-Fri 9-4.

Lc2020 · 16-03-2020 4:36pm

Hey guys, thanks for all your advice !

Just wondering, has any one got word back from the department in relation to state exams etc. I know they're prob inundated with queries etc. just wondering have the sec released a press release or something ?

Lc2020 · 16-03-2020 4:37pm

lukemaccy100 wrote: »

Hi! Leaving cert pupil here! Thanks so much for the offer of help! Doing physics, geography, business,French , maths, Irish and English. All higher level.
Yeah, it's horrible for the SEC to keep us all in the lurch. I just couldn't concentrate at home with my brother home from college too. Luckily , we have a summer house that the tenant's cancelled last minute, so I'm down here now in West Cork and happy out.
Who knows what impact this'll have on the leaving cert. I'm fed up with the orals being postponed!
If any of ye have any mock papers handy, I'll send over my email address! Thanks!

I have past mock papers in a few of those subjects if you want them

RedXIV · 16-03-2020 4:41pm

Parent of JC student here. He's in good shape with most but always struggled a bit with maths. Any recommended resources that go through the current curriculum?

I tried helping once or twice before but apparently I do things differently from the teacher and I'm probably making it worse

MacGyver007 · 16-03-2020 5:05pm

RedXIV wrote: »

Parent of JC student here. He's in good shape with most but always struggled a bit with maths. Any recommended resources that go through the current curriculum?

I tried helping once or twice before but apparently I do things differently from the teacher and I'm probably making it worse

Here are two good online resources, one US-based, the other Irish. The first is Khan Academy. It has many videos that go through topics such as algebra, trigonometry and co-ordinate geometry:

www.khanacademy.org/math

The second one looks at the Junior Cert syllabus. Last week's video covers past exam questions on area and volume (NB: I have no affiliation with this site. I came upon it and it looks like it could be very useful to students)

http://www.gktuition.ie/jchl-maths/

Hope these are of some use.

sullivlo · 16-03-2020 5:08pm

RedXIV wrote: »

Parent of JC student here. He's in good shape with most but always struggled a bit with maths. Any recommended resources that go through the current curriculum?

I tried helping once or twice before but apparently I do things differently from the teacher and I'm probably making it worse

I second gktuition.

Also, the maths tutor is decent - they have videos.

Studyclix can helpful too.

Is it HL or OL?

RedXIV · 16-03-2020 5:17pm

Thanks for those!

He's in HL now but struggling quite a bit. But I'd like him to take the higher paper and drop in senior cycle rather than drop now which he's been hinting at. At least that way, he should have seen most of what he'll be up against in senior cycle if he drops down then (if the curriculum hasn't changed that much since my day

)

Shn99 · 16-03-2020 5:43pm

Cant wait for school to be back, stressing out big time. My parents work from home and have people working for them and just cant function with the noise ect. Contemplated giving up on the LC...i hope this closure doesnt last beyond easter

Postgrad10 · 16-03-2020 5:47pm

That’s so frustrating. Any ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones? Would you be safer getting up earlier / working later when they aren’t there?

Out of school? Ask teachers questions (LC and JC students)

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