Dan Wallace, Minister of State, Ireland, addresses the Quality Circle Time conference
Thu, Jan 1st 1998
"I am delighted to be with you today to speak to you at the opening of your Spring Seminar. I note that you are focusing throughout the day on Circle Time and that your deliberations will be directed by Jenny Mosley, who is the leading practitioner in this field. I applaud the organisers for their foresight in obtaining such a well-known presenter.I know that Circle Time has become a very popular activity in schools in schools in recent years. It is a very suitable activity particularly for implementing aspects of the Social Personal and Health Education programme in the revised Primary School Curriculum. SPHE is one of the subjects being addressed during the present school year in the in-service programme for schools provided through the Primary Curriculum Support Programme. Further in-service training on SPHE will be provided next year. This seminar on Circle Time is therefore very timely and is a great opportunity for teachers to learn at first hand from an acknowledged expert in the field.Quality Circle Time encourages the development of many of the personal and social qualities that are endorsed in the SPHE Curriculum. Through their involvement in Circle Time, children are encouraged to engage in critical thinking and to participate as equals in dialogue with one another and with their teacher. Each child is given an opportunity to contribute and is encouraged to listen to the viewpoints of others. Good communication and the principles of sharing, equality and inclusiveness and a sense of caring for others are promoted. In the modern Ireland that is sometimes criticised for placing too much emphasis on materialistic values, these are indeed principles that should be cherished.Your attendance at this seminar is evidence not only of your desire to increase your knowledge of this area but also to your commitment to children with learning difficulties.It is a cause for great concern for this government that despite the advances in education and in the world of technology in recent years, that too many of our young people are not benefiting from the advances that we have made particularly over the past ten years.It is not hard to see that placing high demands on students is likely to have been a more successful result in classrooms where there are good relations between teachers and pupils and where there is a positive disciplinary climate.I know that you are all aware that the promotion of good student-teacher relations and the development of a positive classroom climate are outcomes that underpin the philosophy of Circle Time.I congratulate you therefore again on the theme that you have chosen for your seminar and with you all a very successful day."
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