Courses September 2021

For our full timetable click here.

Career Planning (Maria Collins), Monday and Friday 9.30am – 11.30am

Are you on a social welfare payment, out of work and feeling stuck?

This course is for you if you want help with:

creating and typing your CV
interview skills
researching job advertisements online
applying for jobs
finding jobs that fit your interests and skills
identifying your skills, strengths and weaknesses

Upskill in IT for Work (Avril Tierney), Monday and Friday 11.30am – 1pm

Build your confidence before returning to work

What will you learn on this course?

How to send emails, letters and write reports
Use Office 365, MS Word and Zoom
Use PowerPoint and other presentation tools
Interview skills
Set yourself up to work from home
Have access to the Adult Education Guidance Service
Get a certificate at QQI Level 4

Help your Child with Reading and Spelling (Gemma D’Arcy), Wednesday and Thursday 9.30am – 11.30am

This course is for parents of children who:

Go to school in the Finglas/Cabra area
Have difficulties with reading, writing and spelling
May or may not have been diagnosed with dyslexia

What is this course about?

Supporting your child with reading at home and at school
Complete some practical spelling strategies with your child
Helping your child match sounds so they become a better reader and speller
Helping your child develop their vocabulary
Understanding dyslexia

Art for the Community (Claire Behan) Wednesday 2pm-4pm

This is very relaxed art class where you decide how much or little you want to do. There is no accreditation. It focuses on painting

Art and Design for Beginners QQI Level 3 (Claire Behan) Wednesday 9.30-11.30am

For the beginner! More than drawing and painting! Express yourself! The course includes clay modeling, lino cutting, mask making and mosaic work as well as drawing and painting.

*There is a 30 charge for materials per term

Ceramics (Claire Behan)

In ceramics you will learn how to hand build and sculpt objects using clay and you will develop clay modelling techniques. You will learn how to decorate clay objects before they are glazed in the kiln and after they are glazed.

*There is a €30 charge for materials per term

Cognitive Behavioral Thinking for Beginners and Improvers, Friday 10am and 11.30am

We do not have control over many things in life. The one thing we do have control of is how we think.

Doing this course will change your life for the better!

Student Review! “Look at as a full service and NCT for the mind. You will examine your thinking, identify negative patterns and learn how thinking and behaviours are linked. You will come out a better, more relaxed person with strategies for self-improvement for the long term. I did!”

NB: This course is not a medical course. It is not a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course.

It is not suitable for people who have been referred by a psychiatrist for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It does not meet any clinical/medical or rehabilitative criteria. It is not a therapeutic course. It is a thinking course.

Communications Level 2/3 (different times)

What Will I Learn	Example
Digital Skills	Checking websites Send emails and attachments Typing up letters Booking tickets Shopping online Sending photos to family Editing photos Using Whats App/Facebook Using voice to text to send text messages and to write things Streaming Using my phone Using Spellcheck and online dictionary
Reading Skills	Looking up reviews of things you want to buy Look up recipes/timetables Looking up what the doctor tells you Reading magazines and newspapers Read new stories online Reading books Learn how to use google maps Use the apps for Dublin Bus
Writing Skills	Improve spelling Using a dictionary Write letters Write short reports Write emails Write reviews

Creative Writing (Gail Seekamp) Thursday 2pm-4pm

This course is aimed at people who are returning or who have returned to secondary level education as an adult. The course is for complete beginner creative writers. The aim is to get people to write personal memories, stories and poems. Get into Reading explores English literature, where the group read together and discusses their responses.

Digital Media Level QQI 3, Thursday (different times)

Create digital video and audio clips
Use Facebook, Twitter and Youtube channels
Digital media and your online identity
Digital media and how you can use it for work
Analyse fake news
How digital media has influenced our lives and society
Analyse online social, political or environmental campaigns that you are interested in

Strategies for Dyslexia Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 11am – 1pm

What will you learn?

Study skills, assignment and essay writing, reading, writing, spelling and using technology.

It is most useful if you are completing or have completed a QQI Level 4(Leaving Cert standard) qualification and if you want to do further study or you are planning to go back to work

You have been diagnosed with dyslexia or you have indicators of dyslexia.

How do I join?

You will meet with the tutors to work out if this is the right group for you.
We will do an assessment with you to work out if you have indicators of dyslexia.

Drama Appreciation for Beginners and Improvers: (Joan Foley) Mon 9.30am-11.30am and 11.30am-1.30pm

You discuss and read plays and visit the theatre. It is a drama appreciation course. Students read the plays in class and discuss the themes. There is no acting or performing.

Drawing QQI Level 3/4 (Claire Behan) Fri 1pm-3pm

Suitable if you have already completed Art and Design Level 3 or Painting Level 4.

MS Excel QQI Level 4 (Fidelmia Corcoran) Online, Wednesday 9.30am – 11.30am

This course is the equivalent to the ECDL. In order to do this course, you must be very familiar with the keyboard, be able to copy and paste text and know how to save and print files. On the first day of the course, your skills will be assessed to work out if this is the right class for you.

Excel helps you create spreadsheets. Using calculations and formulas, it will help you with budgets, financial data, statistical data, reports, charts, graphs and small lists.

Learn how to use all the features of MS Excel, if you are returning or thinking of returning to work, you will need this.

English Leaving Cert (Joan Foley), Tuesday and Thursday 9.30-11.30

Learn to enjoy English and the fun of reading and writing. Open yourself up to books, films, poetry and drama. Challenge yourself with an exam. You will love it.

If you are thinking of further education or going to college,

Leaving Cert English will help you prepare for the assignments, essays and reports. If you are out of practice, with writing, this course will help you brush up.

Geography Junior Cert (Avril Tierney), Friday 9.30am-11.30am

Would you like to learn more about the planet you live on?

This course in Geography will help you understand how the earth and land around us was formed.

It will teach you about our climate and how recent changes are affecting the global environment.

It will help you understand how people and populations use the earth’s resources.

You will also learn practical skills in mapping and assessing natural environments and features.

History Junior Cert (Joan Foley), Tuesday 9.30-11.30am

Are you curious about the world? Do you want to understand why we are where we are? In order to understand what is going on in the world today, we need to understand the past.

*There is a book you have to rent to go with this course.

Interculturalism QQI Level 4 (Rebbecca Callaghan),Wednesday 11.30am-1.30pm

Explore intercultural issues like:

Prejudice
Discrimination
Racism
Oppression
Stereotyping
Power
Integration
Colonialism
Emigration
Diaspora
Migration
Migrants
Refugees
Asylum seekers
Immigration and slavery

Examine how these issues exist in society and in political and national situations
Describe conflicts between different cultural groups
Describe the global village
Look at how different governments and legal systems deal with racism and oppression

Book An Introduction to Intercultural Studies: Ríoghnat Crotty (€23.99

Publisher Gill ISBN 9780717156306

Irish for Beginners and Improvers (Rebbecca Callaghan), Tuesday

Conversational Classes. All levels.

Irish for fun! Come along and brush up on your cupla focail.

Maths QQI Level 2 (Fidelmia Corcoran), Thursday and Friday 11.30am – 1.30pm

Start from the very beginning with Maths.

Maths QQI Level 3 (Fidelmia Corcoran), Monday 11.30am – 1.30pm and Thursday 2pm – 4pm

You will learn about addition, subtraction, multiplication, long division, percentages, fractions, measurements, weights, interest rates, using a calculator.

Maths QQI Level 4 (Fidelmia Corcoran), Thursday and Friday 9.30am – 11.30am

If you are thinking of further study or returning to the workplace, it is important to be confident about your Maths.

At Level 4, you do all of Level 3 Maths but at a higher level such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, long division, percentages, fractions, measurements, weights, interest rates-simple and compound; using a calculator; algebra: linear and quadratic equations; geometry.

Painting QQI Level 4 (Claire Behan) Wednesday 11.30am-1.30pm

This course is for people who have previously completed the Art and Design QQI Level 3 or a course of the same standard. Learn to express your ideas through paint. Find out about different painting techniques and how to use colour.

There is a €30 charge per term for this course for materials. All materials are supplied.

Philosophy QQI Level 5 (Ken Duffy), Monday 2pm – 4pm and Thursday 11.30am – 1.30pm

This course is for people who have done Philosophy with Ken before or who have done another QQI Level 5/Leaving Cert Subject

It would be very useful for third level and would be an interesting subject to discuss in your interviews for college.

We also have a Junior Cert Philosophy course for people who haven’t done Philosophy before

Explain how rationalists, empiricists and idealists view the world
Look at political and moral philosophical theories including those of Plato, Locke,
Hobbes, Kant, Marx and Mill.
Examine the arguments for and against the existence of God and the problem of evil
Existentialist philosophy: Sarte, Heidegger, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.
Identify elements of informal logic in arguments including meaning, definition, argument and fallacy.

Philosophy Beginners (Ken Duffy), Friday 1.30pm – 3.30pm

This course will stimulate your thoughts and expand your mind. This course is discussion based and for enjoyment, whereas Philosophy QQI Level 5 is an academic course.

Discuss the philosophy of the Irish government and of the EU.
What is the role of the EU in dealing with the Syrian conflict?
Why should I be a good person?
How should we behave towards one another?
Are we really free to choose who we are and what we do?
Does God exist?
Why is there evil?
Are morals relative or absolute?

Positive Psychology *Not running in September 2021

How do I lead a full life?

Explore the meaning of flourishing outlined by Martin Seligman the founder of Positive Psychology.

How can we flourish in our own lives?
What is happiness? Is it pleasure or flow or is meaning more important?
Explore the power of connection and positive communication.
Discover the power of 5: 1
5 positive thoughts versus 1 negative thought

Psychology of Human Growth and Development QQI Level 5

How do children, adolescents and adults grow and develop?

Topics Drug addiction; Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need; alcoholism; the stages of grief; strategies for teenagers coping with peer pressure; Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

Theorists

Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment: factors that influence and affect attachment.
Mary Ainsworth: Test for measuring attachment.
Freud: What makes up the personality?
Five stages of psychosexual development.
Defence mechanisms: repression, denial, projection.
Erikson: “Adolescence is a time for the search for identity”.
Marcia: Theories of identity.

Skills

You will learn more about research, assignment writing, note-taking skills, study skills, group work, presentations.

You will get to know more about the cognitive, perceptual, physical, emotional, social, capabilities and limitations of yourself and other people.

You will learn more about teamwork, negotiation skills, and conflict management.

Adult Education Guidance free of charge is included in this course. Our Adult Education Guidance team will help you work out where you are going next.

What do you need to do this course?

Minimum Junior Cert level or the same standard.
You must have native speaker standard of English.
We will ask you to write something to help us work out what courses suit you best.
IT Skills: You will have to type up your assignments and email them to Julie.
Minimum Junior Cert level or the same standard.
You must have native speaker standard of English.
We will ask you to write something to help us work out what courses suit you best.

Psychology of People *Not running in September 2021

Beliefs, assumptions and attitudes and how they impact us
Self and self-image; personality and work behaviour; conflict
Personality, traits and types; how does it help me understand myself and others
My physical wellbeing: sleep, diet, exercise, positive regard and sources for support
Psychological wellbeing: self-acceptance; positive relationships self-perception
Good listening skills, empathy, unconditional positive regard and realness

Theorists

Behaviourism Pavlov, Skinner and Bandura.
Psychodynamic theory Freud, Erikson and Adler
Cognitive and developmental theory Piaget, Vygotsky and Kelly
Humanism Maslow and Rogers

Relaxation and Mindfulness, Friday 1.30pm – 3.30pm

Does it feel like you can’t switch off?
Do you have thoughts going round and around in your head?
Does it get worse the more you try to stop them?
Do you dream of having a peaceful mind?
Do you want to feel calm and accepting?
Do you want to take a break from the madness of life?
Do you want to learn to cope in difficult situations?

Who is it for?

For people who are interested in the topic and might like to study it further at a higher level and who have not been in education for a while.

There will be a focus on research, assignment writing, note-taking skills, study skills and group work.

Social Justice Principles QQI Level 5 Online (Avril Tierney) Friday 9.30am-11.30am

This course will introduce you to Social Justice Principles and current issues. You will learn about:

Social Justice Issues and Principles
Global issues such as Climate Justice, Poverty and Development
Theory of and History of Social Justice, Human Rights and Equality
Study Skills, including taking notes, completing assignments, researching , presenting your opinions and writing techniques
Group discussion/working and collaborating in a group

Social Studies QQI Level 5 (Rebbecca Callaghan) Tuesday and Thursday 2pm-4pm

Topics include:

Roles &structures in society; equality; racism; substance abuse; violence.
Agencies of socialisation e.g. family, peer group, education, media, religion.
Division of society into different social strata i.e. by class, gender and race/ethnicity poverty, power inequality, social mobility.
Discrimination on individuals in society.
History and culture of travellers.

Explore issues such as:

Prejudice
Discrimination
Racism
Oppression
Stereotyping
Power
Integration
Colonialism
Emigration
Diaspora
Migration/Refugees/Asylum seekers
Immigration and slavery.
Black Lives Matter
Examine how these issues exist in society and in political and national situations
Describe conflicts between different cultural groups
Describe the global village
Look at how different governments and legal systems deal with racism and oppression

Book required:

An Introduction to Sociology in Ireland

By Bernadette McDonald€21.99

ISBN: 9780717156221 Publishers: Gill & Macmillan

Entry Requirements:

You should have minimum of Junior Cert/Inter Cert standard or something similar.

If you are not a native English speaker, your English must be of a standard to interact easily with native speakers and to have the writing skills needed to be successful in the module.

Spelling – Various Times

Jan will advise you which of the spelling groups suits you best.

Learning to spell is useful for all areas of your life. We have different spelling groups for different spelling needs. The spelling groups look at ways to help you become a better speller and how to work on the spellings that are most useful for you.

Word Processing QQI Level 4 (Fidelmia Corcoran), Monday 1.30pm – 3.30pm

If you are going to college or going back to work, do yourself a big favour and get good typing and word processing skills. Save yourself the heartache, the panic, the tears and the frustration down the line, when faced with volumes of essays and assignments to be typed all at once.

(Priority for people with children in primary school, as we have no childcare facilities).

Word Processing QQI Word Processing Level 5 (Fidelmia Corcoran), Monday 9.30am – 11.30am

Improve your typing speeds. Learn more about tables

manual text formatting, applying styles, creating tables, inserting and manipulating tables and graphics, adjusting the appearance and positioning of text and graphics; mail merge; margins; tabs; line spacing; tracking and reviewing documents.

Talk to your tutor to see about which class is best for you