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Key Skills

In addition to their specific content and knowledge, the subjects and short courses of junior cycle provide students with opportunities to develop a range of key skills. Figure 1 below illustrates the key skills of junior cycle. There are opportunities to support all key skills in this course but some are particularly significant.

The 8 key skills are set out in detail in Key Skills of Junior Cycle. 

Key skill  Example of key skill element Examples of associated student learning activities
Being numerate  Developing a positive disposition towards investigating, reasoning and problem-solving Through engaging in meaningful and relevant research and reflecting on cultural representations and structures, students learn the benefits and experience the satisfaction associated with a systematic, logical and disciplined approach to investigation, reasoning and problem-solving. 
Being literate  Developing my understanding and enjoyment of words and language Students will deepen their language awareness through detailed enquiry into texts in a variety of forms. They will become more confident language users by expanding their vocabulary and learning the etymology of words. They will explore key words and terms from a variety of disciplines, such as literature, geography, history, philosophy, politics, art and architecture. 
Managing myself  Being able to reflect on my own learning Students learn to identify and reflect on personal strengths and weaknesses, consider their choices and decisions, seek help and be open to feedback in a way that facilitates revision and improvement. This will encourage students to take ownership of subject specific skills, concepts, and attitudes, and allow them to continuously develop and grow their abilities and interests. 
Managing information and thinking  Thinking creatively and critically Through epic, drama and other mythical and historical narratives, students explore the development and representation of character. They use appropriate critical vocabulary to evaluate and creatively respond to visual and verbal information, as they imagine, explore, explain, comment, summarise or refashion what they have heard, viewed or read.
Being creative 

Learning creatively

Imagining 

 Students can let their imagination run wild across many disciplines and activities, whether trying to reconstruct a building from its ruins, viewing daily life from the perspective of a Roman teenager, or staging a mythical scene. 
Communicating  Discussing and debating Students enjoy frequent opportunities to share, discuss and debate ideas on characters, values, attitudes, events and themes, and will learn to adopt a point of view and defend it responsibly and persuasively. 
Working with others  Respecting difference Students will learn to negotiate relationships with peers and teachers during group and collaborative activities. They will spend time actively listening to each other and sharing ideas honestly and sensitively; they will learn to respect and include the views and ideas of others. 
Staying well  Being positive about learning Students will engage in diverse, stimulating and meaningful learning activities and tasks that will inspire them and awaken their curiosity and enthusiasm for further study in classics and instil in them a positive disposition to learning and growing as a person.