Our School Leaders: Who Helps Our School?

Active learning helps students grasp the subtleties of constitutional roles by moving beyond abstract definitions. When they debate, investigate, and discuss, they see how symbolic leadership interacts with real-world governance. This makes the separation between Head of State and Head of Government tangible and memorable.

• 2nd Year
• Active Citizenship and the Democratic State
• 3 activities
• 20 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the key roles and responsibilities of the school principal, teachers, and student council members.
2. Explain how decisions are made within the school community by different leadership groups.
3. Compare the leadership functions of the principal, teachers, and student council in supporting the school.
4. Propose at least two ways students can actively contribute to the school's positive functioning and leadership.

Formal Debate

⏱ 35 min·Whole Class

Formal Debate: The Referral Power

Students debate whether the President should have more power to block laws they disagree with. This helps them distinguish between personal opinion and constitutional duty.

Prepare & details

Who are the leaders in our school?

Facilitation Tip: During the Structured Debate, assign roles clearly to ensure every student contributes to both sides of the argument on the President’s referral power.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Presidential Symbols

In small groups, students research past Presidents and create a digital poster showing how they used their 'soft power' to represent Ireland on the world stage.

Prepare & details

What jobs do our school leaders do to help us?

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Guardian Role

Students are given a hypothetical law that might be unconstitutional. They must discuss in pairs whether the President should sign it or send it to the Supreme Court, justifying their choice.

Prepare & details

How can we help our school leaders?

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by anchoring abstract concepts in familiar contexts. Start with school leadership roles before introducing national figures, then slowly reveal the complexities of the presidency. Avoid overloading students with constitutional clauses; instead, use case studies that show the President’s actions in action. Research shows that students retain more when they see how symbolic roles influence daily life.

What to Expect

Students will confidently describe the President’s role as guardian of the Constitution and distinguish it from the Taoiseach’s political leadership. They will connect these roles to their own school community by identifying leaders and their specific responsibilities.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Collaborative Investigation, watch for students who assume the President leads the government.

What to Teach Instead

Use the Venn diagram template to guide students in comparing the President’s non-political role with the Taoiseach’s executive power, ensuring they note the absence of policy-making authority.

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share activity, students may think the President can create laws.

What to Teach Instead

Model the bill-signing process with a simple example, highlighting that the President’s role is to verify constitutionality, not draft or propose laws.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After the Structured Debate, present students with the three scenarios (school rule, event, student conflict) and ask them to write which school leader or group addresses each, justifying their choices.

Discussion Prompt

During the Collaborative Investigation, facilitate a class discussion using the questions about the principal’s direct help, the student council’s contributions, and one action students can take to support their leaders.

Exit Ticket

After the Think-Pair-Share activity, have students complete a slip with one school leader’s name, one specific action that leader takes, and one idea for how they can help the school community.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to compare the Irish President’s referral power with another country’s Head of State to identify similarities and differences.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the Venn diagram activity to help students articulate the differences between the President and Taoiseach.
• Deeper exploration: Invite a guest speaker from a local government office to discuss how symbolic and political leadership interact in practice.

Key Vocabulary

Principal	The head administrator of a school, responsible for overall management, decision-making, and representing the school.
Student Council	A representative group of students elected to voice student concerns, organize activities, and participate in school decision-making.
Decision-Making	The process of identifying problems or opportunities and choosing a course of action from available alternatives.
School Community	All the people who are part of a school, including students, teachers, staff, parents, and administrators.