Cillian’s course adds up to great success

UP to 100 secondary school pupils from all parts of the country attended a special free one-day Leaving Certificate Maths higher-level revision course provided by a former Gort Community School pupil.
Cillian Fahy came to national ­prominence last year when he auctioned his school notes on eBay for almost €3,000 to raise money to cover his ­registration fee for college after ­achieving seven As in his Leaving Certificate.
Mr Fahy provided a comprehensive overview of the entire Leaving ­Certificate maths syllabus at Engineers Ireland’s offices in Ballsbridge, Dublin from 9am to 5.30pm on Saturday.
Run in conjunction with Engineers Ireland , the former Gort pupil, who is an English and Mathematics ­student at Trinity Colege, told The Clare ­Champion he was delighted with the response and feedback from the event.
He explained the course was specifically geared for pupils starting their higher-level Leaving Certificate maths next September as it helped them to identify strengthens and weaknesses in different topics.
It gave participants the chance to see the new Project Maths syllabus in its entirety and get a step ahead before the year starts.
“I really enjoy teaching an awful lot. The course went very well and I think everyone understood me, which was the important thing.
Engineers Ireland are encouraging more pupils to take up higher-level maths for their Leaving Certificate and this is something I really support.
“Engineers Ireland offer free maths classes on their website www.stepps.ie, which I also support as I believe it is a very good idea.
“I think the course provides
clarity about the new syllabus and helps dispel some of the myths that are out there.
“Given the state of the Irish economy, we need more pupils sitting higher level Maths and Science, which are core subjects to drive economic development and enterprise,” he said.
Acknowledging there are a lot of “great maths teachers”, he noted from feedback that a lot of pupils said what they had learned at Junior Certificate level isn’t really relevant afterwards. 
While some pupils find higher-level maths a difficult subject, he stressed it is important to realise that resources are being provided to assist them.
Since September, he has been writing a series for The Irish Times on the Leaving Certificate on how to tackle what are the most difficult exams of student’s life.
He has written notes on Maths, Irish, French and English for Mocks.ie which have been widely viewed.
Cillian is also planning summer courses in Galway and elsewhere around the country in August.
These include courses in the Harbour Hotel, Galway on August 13 and 14 and in the Gresham Metropole Hotel, Cork on August 20 and 21 next.
Pupils will also receive a comprehensive course booklet covering the Leaving Cert course
He is also planning to provide a Mocks timetable, which plans out study up to the Leaving Certificate.
He is also preparing a simple variation of a study planner he used for his own Leaving Certificate and this can be adapted to a student’s own particular schedule.
For further information on the new maths revision courses, visit cillianfahy.ie