A foreword by the Project Co-ordinator, Ronan O' Sullivan.

Why the need for this project? Do we really need any more analysis about our curriculums, our schools and our teaching methods? These are questions that are often posed by teachers, parents and experts in the field of education.

Let me try and address some of the reasons why we embarked on this project.

In the past education was based on the leading model of employment. Subjects and methods were based on repetitive tasks which were valued in areas like the manufacturing industry. A lot of workers were trained in certain procedures. These, they dutifully carried out from day to week to year, maybe for the rest of their working lives. The idea of Lifelong Learning so strong under current EU funding was neither encouraged nor promoted.

Today's working environments are different. No longer can a person be content to perform the same task for life, blissfully unaware of the changes that abound. The revolution taking place in finance, technology and computing has changed the skill set needed by today's workforce. ICT in particular has changed the world forever. It has allowed companies to grow, diversify and reinvent themselves. Individuals are in a stronger position than ever before. They can create opportunities that never existed a few short years ago.

What has this got to do with the classroom and teaching methods? Our traditional model where the teacher imparts information to the student is changing rapidly. There is now the exciting possibility that teachers will be challenged to create learning environments that promote independent thinking, conceptual understanding, innovation and lifelong learning.

With these ideas teachers can create the atmosphere to allow the students of the future to change this world. These students will adapt and share ideas to find solutions in an exponential world. "No pressure then". We hope that with this project we will lay the foundations for change within our institutions. We will endeavour to create a team atmosphere. As team players we hope that all can benefit from our project.