Teachers lack social skills for big classes, conference hears

New teachers lack the social skills needed to cope with large classrooms of children, partly because they are chosen for teacher training courses on their academic achievements alone.

Speaking at the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) conference, director Sean Cottrell said academic ability was just one factor, and that interpersonal skills were vital as well.

He also warned that new teachers were not being fully prepared by the training colleges to deal with parents and pupils with behavioural problems or special education needs.