Mr. Paul Crone:

I know exactly where the Chairman is coming from. As a practical teacher, I know that students want to be active and involved. They learn more by doing so we can put anything on the board we want and tell students anything but if they do it then they learn about the subject. I will give a practical example. A theory lesson in woodwork might be about sandpaper. So the teacher can tell students about the different types and grades of grit. If students have made something as part of a project then they will have to sand the item so they will practically decide which grit number of sandpaper suits the job. So students practically make decisions, the teacher conveys the information and students learn how to apply what they have heard in a practical manner and there are many opportunities like that in STEM. We must create the situation where students can make mistakes because a person often learns more from his or her mistakes than from any success. That is my point about a cliff edge. The students who are studying STEM subjects for their leaving certificate are so afraid to make a mistake or take a risk that their own learning is being disadvantaged because of the high stakes exam and there is too much at stake for the students. If we can create the pathways for students then it will allow them to explore, engage in practical learning but give them more opportunities to make mistakes and embrace the learning from those mistakes.