At Largy college Home Economics is a subject choice at both Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate level.  The subject is taken up by a vast amount of the school community and is very popular with students. 

Department Members:

Ms. H. Dudgeons

Ms. L. Eakins

Ms. E. McBride

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Junior Cycle Home Economics:

Junior Cycle Home Economics permits learners to achieve optimal, healthy and sustainable living for individuals, families and society.  With the fast pace of family life, families, individuals and society face issues such as concerns surrounding food, nutrition, diet and health, family and social concerns, consumer matters, sustainable living, responsible family resource management and textiles and clothing issues.  As a Junior Cycle subject Home Economics students develop the knowledge and skills to tackle these topics in a practical and responsible way.  When studying Home Economics at Junior Cycle students are given the opportunity in a hands on manner to implement strategies which will deal with everyday issues facing individuals, families and society.  Learners are given the opportunity to develop vital life skills whilst having personal responsibility for same. Junior Cycle Home Economics provides an opportunity for students who have a critical and creative mind and allows learners to be ethical and responsible  problem-solvers. 

In each year group at Junior Cycle there is a minimum of 2 class groups with 3 in some years. Junior Cycle Home Economics is studied at common level which means it is open and equal to all.  The mixture of both practical and theory allows the development of theoretical skills, knowledge and understanding which can be applied in a practical manner in everyday life.  Junior Cycle Home Economics allows the development of life skills which will benefit learners during their school life and also upon completion of their education at Largy College.  

Junior Cycle Home Economics specification:

The specification for Junior Cycle Home Economics focuses on developing students’ understanding and skills to achieve an optimal, healthy and sustainable life through three inter-connected contextual strands:

Food, health and culinary skills;

Responsible family living; and

Textiles and craft.

Home economics uses an interdisciplinary approach which encourages the integration of the three strands in the teaching and learning of the subject. It has been designed for a minimum of 200 hours of timetabled student engagement across the three years of junior cycle.

The strands of Junior Cycle Home Economics:

Strand 1: Food, health and culinary skills

This strand focuses on developing students’ food, health and culinary skills. Students are enabled to develop a healthy, sustainable attitude and positive relationship with food through practical experiential learning. They apply their understanding of nutrition, diet and health principles in order to adopt a healthy lifestyle and make informed decisions that impact the health and wellbeing of themselves as individuals as well as within their families. The application of practical food and health literacy skills is integral to this strand and includes menu planning; shopping; cooking; health and safety food skills; portion control; reading food labels; dietary analysis; costing; sensory analysis; and food waste.

Strand 2: Responsible family living

This strand enables students to explore, from a systems perspective, responsible family living.  Students develop an understanding of the different forms and role of families as the core social unit. They develop an understanding of the role of the family in the development of the child in a safe and nurturing environment. Students develop life skills to enable them to manage resources responsibly and sustainably in the home, family and community. They are facilitated to become discerning, competent consumers who are able to apply effective decision-making skills

in everyday contexts in the home and community. Enabling students to become responsible and have a caring attitude towards other individuals, family members, society and the environment is integral to this strand.

Strand 3: Textiles and craft

This strand focuses on developing students’ textile skills, knowledge and creativity. Practical textile and craft skills are integral to this strand and include hand and machine sewing skills, and fabric texturing and embellishment techniques. Students are enabled to make sustainable decisions as consumers in the choice and maintenance of clothing and textiles. Students will apply the design brief process in designing and making a textile item for an individual or the home.

Elements

While the learning outcomes associated with each strand are set out separately here, this should not be taken to imply that the strands are to be studied in isolation. The students’ engagement and learning are optimised by a fully integrated experience of learning in home economics. To give further emphasis to the integrated nature of learning in home economics, the outcomes for each of the strands are grouped by reference to four elements. 

• Individual and family empowerment
• Health and wellbeing
• Sustainable and responsible living
• Consumer competence.

The Elements of Junior Cycle Home Economics

Individual and family empowerment

Across the strands, the learning outcomes in this element focus on a systems approach to individual and family empowerment. Students develop practical life skills that can be adapted to address practical, real world, perennial problems or concerns in everyday contexts in the home, family and society. They are facilitated to develop as critical, creative thinkers and problem-solvers able to make informed decisions to achieve optimal, healthy and sustainable living for individuals, households, families and society.

Health and wellbeing

This element focuses on developing students’ knowledge, skills and understanding to make informed decisions that positively impact on their health and wellbeing of themselves as individuals as well as within their families. Across each of the three strands students are facilitated, using a systems approach, to address new and emergent practical concerns that can impact on the wellbeing of individuals, families and society.

Sustainable and responsible living

Across the strands, the learning outcomes in this element facilitate students to develop as future oriented thinkers and environmentally-conscious citizens, committed to a sustainable and responsible way of life. Developing students’ self-efficacy, critical reflection and discernment in the choice and use of resources in the home; in technological change; in environmental issues and the impact of these on resource management in the home and in personal consumption for everyday living underpin the learning outcomes in this element across each of the three strands.

STRAND ONE

Food, health and culinary skills

STRAND TWO

Responsible family living

STRAND THREE

Textiles and craft

Consumer competence

Consumer competence

This element focuses on developing students who have the knowledge, skills and understanding to make informed and discerning consumer choices that affect individuals, families and households in contemporary society. Students develop the essential life skills to become active, adaptable, consumer-literate citizens able to apply effective decision-making skills in everyday contexts.  Each element focuses on the goals of the learning process, that is, the acquisition of new knowledge, skills and values. As the student progresses through each of the learning strands, there will be a systematic development of their fundamental knowledge, principles and values and key skills.

Assessment method

Classroom-Based Assessments

CBA 1:

Creative Textiles

The teacher’s judgement is recorded for the purpose of subject learning and assessment review, and for the school’s reporting to parents and students.

CBA 2:

Food Literacy Skills brief

The formative assessment related to the preparation for the practical food skills examination will be reported upon to the

student and parent/guardian by the school.

Final examination

Practical food skills examination-50%

Briefs will be issued annually by the State Examinations Commission.

Marked by the State Examinations Commission, together with the necessary written support.

Written examination

50% Set and marked by the State Examinations Commission.

Leaving Certificate Home Economics

The core syllabus is based on three areas of study and one elective chosen from a choice of three.

Core

• Food studies
• Resource management and consumer studies
• Social studies

Elective Options:

• Home design and management
• Textiles, fashion and design
• Social studies

Assessment

Assessment will be in the form of a terminal written examination paper (80%) and an assessment of practical coursework (20%), which is an integral part of the study of home economics. There will also be an assessment of practical work for those candidates who study the textiles, fashion and design elective.

Career Options:

Leaving Certificate Home Economics prepares students for a range of career opportunities

Possible career paths include:

• Home Economics Education
• Hospitality and catering Industry
• Nutrition and Dietetics
• Healthcare
• Textiles, Fashion and Design industry