“The ‘School of Jock’ radio station has been extremely beneficial to the students of Portlaoise College. The Program is designed to give the students a real life scenario of how a radio station is operated. The program benefited the students this year through collaboration, verbal communication, improving their research skills, being creative and enjoyment. The students took responsibility for their work as they wanted to achieve their potential, presenting a show that is enjoyable for both them and the listener. The students researched current affairs and topics they were interested in while also including events taking place in school. The Students enjoyed bringing an idea from conception to realisation. This was beneficial for the students as each group would have different interests and topics to talk about. They also enjoyed working with the equipment and learning how to operate it. It was even seen as a future career for some students.
There are many cross curricular links that the students benefited from. It also links with the Junior Cycle key skills which fosters the holistic development of the students. It offers the students the chance to mature, develop and become responsible young adults as they learn and experience new skills that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
As a renowned radio presenter himself, Eric Moore shared his knowledge and experience with the students. He spent a day showing the students how to operate the equipment, create a script and how to communicate this into the microphone. Eric was always available to share his knowledge and expertise to help the radio station become established in the school. Overall the School of Jock has been a fantastic asset to both our school and students. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough”.
James Harvey
Portlaoise College