FETAC Mental Health Awareness course now in 3 counties.

Administration Manager, Anne Foy, blogs on the national roll-out of The Learning Curve Institute’s FETAC accredited component certificates across the country in February 2011.

FETAC Mental Health Course in Mayo

As the FETAC Level 5 Community Addiction Studies courses in Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Dublin come to a close over the next week we are being kept very busy in the back office with new locations for the courses in February now finalised. We will be starting a new FETAC Level 5 Minor Award in Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Sligo, Mayo and Dublin after Christmas. There are already lots of bookings in all these locations so it looks as if all our lecturer’s will have their work cut out. On that note we are delighted to welcome the highly experienced and respected subject experts on the areas of Mental Health and Addiction, Ciara Faughnan, Noel O’Connor, Siobhan Lynch, Jimmy Smith and Ken Hogan, to our team around the country. You can read about each of our staff on the new staff profiles page of the website by clicking here.

Students on the recent Leaving Cert revision course

The FETAC Mental Health Level 6 component certificate takes place in Dublin, Sligo and Dundalk starting in February 2011. The course has been expanded to 4 full days to accommodate the learners needs but we have kept the price the same at €595 per person. All course days take place over a weekend with 2 days at first followed by another 2 days 2 weeks later.

In Galway and Limerick the FETAC Level 5 Community Addiction Studies will again be delivered owing to its continued popularity in these areas. These courses are now offered over 10 evenings with 3 hours of lectures per night. If you need any further details on any of these courses please don’t hesitate to contact us here in the office on 098 25530 or on info@thelearningcurve.ie

For further details on all the courses please see The Learning Curve Institute’s website: www.thelearningcurve.ie or call 098 25530. To follow the LCI on twitter click here and to join our facebook page click here. New videos will be updated soon on our youtube page here.

Why is it so hard for Leaving Cert students to speak up in French class?

Head of Languages at The Learning Curve Institute, Liam Printer, blogs on the trouble so many of our Leaving Cert students have with speaking up in French class: Speaking Up: Parlez vs. Paralysis

Small Class size enhances confidence among students

Why do Irish students think mumbling through their French assignments is better than giving an accent a go? Do their peers really believe that a West of Ireland lilt has more of a “Je ne sais quoi” than the proper pronunciations?  I’ve been giving Leaving Cert French and Spanish intensive revision courses and oral exam preparation workshops for the last few years, and I’m still constantly surprised by the lack of confidence in this area that affects most students.  The majority of those who arrive to my classroom are afraid to attempt a “Bonjour” out loud. The problem is, with the oral exam at 25% of the overall language grade, can our leaving certs afford to ignore the “éléphant” in the room any longer?

It seems weak to blame a lack of confidence when the same kids will readily stand up and take a penalty in front of the same classmates or march up to a bouncer on a Saturday night with their sister’s old driving license. It’s not a vocal chord issue either, replace IR verbs with Black Eyed Peas lyrics and that puts paid to the theory.

Leaving Cert Students at the 2009 Revision Course

Neither is it because of a lack of skill, far from it- most of the students that come to our revision courses have already had at least five years of French lessons and have a good grasp of the language. Why then, when in front of 15 of their peers, reciting last night’s homework turns them into quivering wrecks, wishing for the release of the fire drill or some other excuse to skip out.  To be honest I am still struggling to put my finger on exactly why this fear of speaking another language exists but I think the main causes could be a lack of encouragement, proper direction and practice.

Thanks to the small class sizes offered at the Learning Curve, students get a little more attention and a lot more praise. The marked improvement is apparent usually after day one and sometimes the problem then becomes keeping them quiet! Games and in class assignments mean the students put the theory into practice immediately and the lesson stays with them much longer.

Games and Interactive Learning on Leaving Cert Revision Course

Also, by taking a fresh look at the language and breaking it down, words; sentences and then articles become a lot easier to tackle. For example have you ever been told that the letters ‘in’ in French are almost always pronounced ‘ahn’? So words like ‘internet’ become ‘ahn-ther-net’ and lapin, meaning rabbit, turns into lap-ahn. A simple and subtle change that can mean  extra marks in the oral and can change a grade.

The real problem may lie in the fact that the Leaving Cert course obviously focuses on getting through the syllabus rather than getting into the language which is a real shame. I’m lucky that with the Learning Curve, all the students choose to be there and spend money to learn so there’s a good atmosphere and I can encourage interactive dialogue. The students start to relax and their confidence grows. In a classroom setting like this, grades go up faster than an Irishman yelling “Handball” at Thierry Henry!

The annual Leaving Cert. French and Spanish Revision Course which is run by Liam Printer, takes place every Halloween Break in Westport, Co. Mayo and is scheduled to start this year on Monday October 25th 2010. For full details of the course and to watch videos of what last year’s students thought of it click here. Alternatively contact The Learning Curve Institute on +353 98 25530 or info@thelearningcurve.ie for more details and booking information.

New semester, new courses, new locations!

Once again September is upon us at The Learning Curve Institute and as always this is the busiest time of the year with enquiries, bookings and questions coming from people all over Ireland. Our compendium of courses and training has expanded again this semester and we are now offering the FETAC Level 5 Addiction Studies Course in 5 counties across Ireland. The course started this week in Galway and Castlebar and it will begin in Dublin, Limerick and Sligo around October 4th, depending on each location. To read more about the course click here.

The two day workshops in Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Motivational Interviewing are taking place again this semester in NUI Galway. The Motivational Interviewing training is scheduled for October 14th and 15th and the Solution Focused Brief Therapy is on November 26th and 27th. These workshops are proving extremely popular so we advise to get in there quickly if you would like to book a place. Click on the links above to read more or go to www.thelearningcurve.ie for full details.

One of our new courses this year is the FETAC Level 6 Component Certificate in Mental Health Awareness. It takes place over 3 full days in October and has generated a lot of interest so far. For more information click here or email info@thelearningcurve.ie for more details.

In terms of language courses, we have a whole suite of French and Spanish courses starting in Sligo, Galway and Mayo on the week beginning October 11th. There is also the French and Spanish Leaving Cert revision courses during the October break in Westport and some weekend revision courses for Junior Cert’s is also being scheduled. For more details on all the language courses click here.

If you would like any more information on any of our courses, training or workshops please contact us on 098 25530 or on info@thelearningcurve.ie – alternatively check out our website www.thelearningcurve.ie for details on all our courses and study programmes.

Anne Foy, Administrations Manager, The Learning Curve Institute.

Training for Level 3 ISIA Snowboard Instructor exams begins!

Learning Curve Director and Head of the Snowsports and Languages Department, Liam Printer, blogs about his current stay in New Zealand where he is training to do his Level 3 Snowboard Instructor exams. The Level 3 qualification would make Liam recognised all over the world as being “Fully Certified” and at the highest level in Snowboard Training and Instruction. It forms part of the internationally accredited ISIA stamp and would set Liam up to start the Learning Curve’s Snow and Language Camps for teenagers in 2011.

Just finished the Level 3 Pre-course which was on in Coronet Peak, New Zealand and I have to say it was great experience overall. The course takes place over 5 full days and its aimed at getting candidates prepared for the Level 3 Instructor Exams. This is the highest level and is required for the ISIA stamp so needless to say, the standard being sought after is extremely high. I really feel like my overall riding improved massively over the week and getting stuck into the nitty gritty technical stuff was also a real eye-opener. We went through tactics and drills (to help students and ourselves) in all sorts of situational snowboarding, for example ice, trees, powder, slush, bumps, steeps etc and also did some practice teaching for high end riders which we will be tested on in the exam in September. My trainers, Paul and Mat, were top class all week and they really got us thinking in the right frame of mind and covered all potential aspects of the exam.

Liam at Treble Cone in New Zealand

After the course, I definitely feel a lot stronger in my teaching and snowboarding all round but realise that I still have a lot of practice and work to do before the 3 day exam in September. One of the big things we are judged on in the level 3 is Rider Analysis. This is our ability to look at someone’s riding and analyze it in a very specific manner so as to come up with a lesson plan that targets that one exact movement or body part that the rider is having trouble with. It really tests your eye when you just have one look at someone and have to figure out whats going out with their snowboarding!

So, I now have 4 weeks to get fully prepared for the assessment which starts on September 10th. Lots of work to do but at the end of the day its still the most fun exam I’ve ever had “studying” for an exam!

The Learning Curve Institute starts its Snow and Language Camps in Winter 2011 in Switzerland. Click here to read more about the course or contact liam@thelearningcurve.ie for more information.

FETAC Addiction Studies course now in 5 counties!

As the new term approaches quickly, the FETAC Level 5 course in Community Addiction Studies continues to generate lots of interest all over Ireland and for this reason The Learning Curve Institute will now be offering this component certificate in 5 different counties: Mayo, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Dublin.

All of the courses start on the week beginning the 20th of September and places are already filling up quickly. The staff in the Addiction and Counselling Department will roll the course out across the country under the guidance of Sean Foy, Head of Addiction and Counselling Studies at The LCI.

“It’s fantastic that the course has become so popular that we are now offering it in 5 different counties. We delivered the programme in Castlebar, Galway and Limerick last year and the response has been great. There is a real need in Ireland for accredited and recognized training in the field of addiction, especially in areas outside of the big cities and I’m just delighted that so many people are choosing to undertake this study with us here at The Learning Curve” says Sean Foy.

To read more about the course and request an application form Click Here. If you require any further information you can contact The Learning Curve Institute on 098 25530 or info@thelearningcurve.ie. Alternatively, call Sean Foy directly on 087 7554307 to discuss the course content in detail.

Ireland lowers its drink-driving limit.

Yesterday the new Road Traffic Bill which will see a reduction in the acceptable amount of Blood Alcohol Content from 80mg to 50mg was passed through the houses of the Irish Government.

New drink driving law

This bill has not been short of controversy here in Ireland with many publicans and other interest groups claiming that this change in the law would further isolate certain members of society who live in the most rural parts of Ireland. However, here at The Learning Curve Institute, we wholly endorse this new legislation as a very positive step in the right direction towards reducing the amount of alcohol linked deaths on our roads… and it is not just us who support the idea of lowering the legal drinking limits.

A report produced by the Centre for Public Health Excellence just a few days ago concluded that: There is sufficiently strong evidence to indicate that lowering the legal BAC limit for drivers does help reduce road traffic injuries and deaths in certain contexts.

It also concluded that: There is sufficiently strong evidence to indicate that lowering the BAC limit changes the drink-driving behaviour of drivers at all BAC levels. The BAC law appears to act as a general deterrent and the beneficial effects are not just restricted to the drivers at the BAC levels involved.

This is a very positive first step in the fight against a culture of drink driving that we have grown to accept as part of rural Irish living but we feel there is still a lot more that could be done to reduce the number of alcohol related road deaths and injuries even further. A court mandated set of alcohol education classes for the offender has proved to be highly effective in Australia, America and the UK and we at The LCI feel that a programme similar to this could only ever induce positive effects in Ireland too – both as a preventative deterrent and also in terms of rehabilitation.

To read the full “Review of effectiveness of laws limiting blood alcohol concentration levels to reduce alcohol-related road injuries and deaths” carried out by the Centre for Public Health Excellence Click Here. To read about The Alcohol Awareness course currently delivered by The Learning Curve Institute Click Here. If you wish to contact us in relation to any of our study programmes, training or workshops please email info@thelearningcurve.ie or call +353 98 25530.

Should Lindsay Lohan’s court mandated alcohol education classes serve as a model for Ireland?

Drink Driving is still a big problem in Ireland

It emerged recently that actress Lindsay Lohan was once again back in court as she was ordered to wear an alcohol detection bracelet at all times after she missed some of her court mandated alcohol education awareness classes. She was originally ordered by a Judge in the US to attend alcohol education classes after being convicted of driving under the influence but after missing some of the classes she now has to wear this alcohol ankle detection bracelet at all times.

So are these alcohol education classes something that could work here in Ireland as a prevention strategy for drink driving? A similar system is already in place in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US and early results show that it is indeed working very well. Not only do the classes educate the convicted drink drivers around issues such as blood alcohol content and the harmful nature of the substance but it has been proved that if the classes are quite costly to the offender it does stop them re-offending or even offending in the first place. In some countries the classes are offered as a means of reducing the offenders ban but at The Learning Curve Institute we believe that these courses should be court mandated so as to act as a deterrent to anyone even thinking of taking the wheel after drinking.

Lindsay Lohan

What is certain is that we do have a serious problem around drink driving in Ireland and it is something that will need to be addressed if we are to reduce the amount of people killed on the roads in Ireland every year. An expensive court mandated education course for every offender could be just whats needed to start saving lives on Irish roads.

The Learning Curve Institute currently offers a 2 day workshop on Alcohol Awareness. This course is offered as requested and can be delivered on-site to staff members. Click Here to read more about the course content. The Learning Curve Institute also offers a range of consultancy programmes including Drug and Alcohol Policy Development. Click Here to read about all our corporate training and consultancy courses.

For more information on any of our courses, training or workshops contact us on info@thelearningcurve.ie or call +353 98 25530.