Monday, September 25, 2006

All About Ireland

IRELAND

The official name of Ireland is The Republic of Ireland
I will be living in the town of Listowel (it is in the SouthWest corner of the country and has a yellow box around it)



Ireland has a population of 4,062,235. The capital of Ireland is Dublin. Ireland is a part of the European continent.

CURRENCY

The Euro is the currency used in Ireland.


As of September 2006 the current exchange rate from U.S. Dollars to Euros is .7841. The exchange rate from Euros to U.S. Dollars is 1.2754.

WEATHER

The weather in Ireland is temperate. It has mild winters and cool summers. It is consistently humid throughout the year. It rains a lot in Ireland and is overcast about half of the time.

LANGUAGE

English is the official language of Ireland. Gaelic is a native language and is spoken mainly in the areas located along the western edge of the country.

(the capital letters of the gaelic alphabet)

EDUCATION

Education is mandatory for all children ages 5 - 16. Education is free for all citizens. The Irish Education System is divided into three basic levels: Primary (8 years), Secondary (5 or 6 years) and third level which offers a wide range of opportunities from post-secondary courses, to vocational and technical training, to full degree and the highest post-graduate levels. Education is free for most people up until the third level, or the first few years of a person's undergraduate study.

Cultural Development Objectives

My Cultural Development Objectives for my Overseas Student Teaching Experience:

1. I want to learn new and different methods for teaching math
2. I would like to observe and learn new and different teaching methods, including classroom management
3. I want to learn about and become immersed in a completely different culture.
4. I want to compare and contrast the mathematics curriculum to see how it is different in U.S. schools compared to Irish schools.