Subject Inspection Report

This report has been written following a subject inspection in Coláiste na Toirbhirte. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning in Spanish and makes recommendations for the further development of the teaching of this subject in the school. The evaluation was conducted over one day during which the inspector visited classrooms and observed teaching and learning. The inspector interacted with students and teacher, examined students’ work, and had discussions with the teacher. The inspector reviewed school planning documentation and teacher’s written preparation. Following the evaluation visit, the inspector provided oral feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation to the principal and teacher. The board of management of the school was given an opportunity to comment on the findings and recommendations of the report; the board chose to accept the report without response.

Subject provision and whole school support

Coláiste na Toirbhirte is a voluntary secondary school for girls, under the trusteeship of the Presentation Sisters. It is situated on a 12-acre site overlooking Bandon town.

Up until two years ago in Coláiste na Toirbhirte, three European languages were offered to all students in first year and students could choose to study any one, or two, of Spanish, German or French from second year onwards. This was an excellent level of provision and consistent with the Council of Europe’s recent recommendations regarding diversification of languages in Ireland. Spanish had been re-introduced into the school in the early 1990s and had proved a popular option. Spanish is currently taught in three local primary schools, including the local girls’ Presentation Primary school, which is the main feeder school for Coláiste na Toirbhirte. A successful twinning between Sagra, a village on the east coast of Spain, and nearby Kilbrittain which is within the catchment area of the school, has facilitated many individual and family exchanges and created an added interest in the language and country. For the past five years the school has availed of funding available for Spanish from the Post-Primary Languages Initiative, which supports the diversification of languages in post-primary schools.

However, two years ago, the board of management felt it could no longer sustain three European languages and so made the decision to cease to offer Spanish as an option. This is a surprising decision in the context of the size of the school and the local interest and demand for the language. The loss of Spanish from the curriculum is unfortunate, given that the language is becoming increasingly more important as a global language and the demand for Spanish speakers in the world-wide market is growing rapidly.

At present, consequent to this decision, there are no Spanish classes in first or second year. There are two Leaving Certificate class groups in sixth year together with a Leaving Certificate Applied class group and one class group in each of third year, fifth year and Transition Year.

While retaining the choice of three languages on the curriculum would have been preferable, it is nonetheless good that students still continue to have a choice of two different European languages and can choose to study two languages if they so wish. First-year students now study a module of both French and German and choose to study either or both from second year.

Spanish is taught in a bright and airy classroom in an annex to the main school building. The teacher has her own base classroom which facilitates immediate access to resources, together with the display of students’ work, photographs, Spanish posters and maps. This is recommended practice as a dedicated language classroom helps teachers create a stimulating learning environment and to foster the development of cultural awareness. Recent photos of school trips to Spain are displayed, bringing the life and culture of the country into the classroom. A good bank of authentic teaching material and resources has been built up and includes Spanish films, videos and DVDs, tapes and CDs for aural practice, a variety of reading material, textbooks, magazines, dictionaries and grammar books. Resources for Spanish are provided on an annual needs basis and audio-visual equipment is easily accessible. Teachers in the school have access to computers in a resource room adjacent to the staff room. Language classes may have access to the computer rooms when these are not otherwise being used.

The time allocation for the teaching and learning of Spanish is in line with syllabus guidelines, with four class periods per week in third year, three in Transition Year and one double and three single periods in each of fifth and sixth years. Leaving Certificate option blocks are based on students’ subject choices and efforts are made to facilitate all students. Students with special educational needs are given the opportunity to study a language and are fully integrated into classes. Spanish is taught in mixed-ability groupings.

Planning and preparation

The school has been involved in school development planning through the School Development Planning Initiative (SDPI) and as part of this process, subject department planning is ongoing. Commendably, time has been set aside to enable staff to work collaboratively on the development of their subjects, and planning for Spanish, together with the modern languages group, has formed part of this work. It is suggested that planning for modern languages could at some stage focus on the important role which ICT can play in language learning and that the language team could look into the whole area of computer access for language students.

There is good evidence of both long-term and short-term planning for Spanish. Planning for the language includes both language awareness and cultural awareness. The subject plan, which is syllabus-informed, is well established and work is ongoing on this. Individual lesson planning takes cognisance of students’ abilities and interests. While it was evident that lesson planning included some strategies for active student learning, it is suggested that this could be further expanded and developed. Planning is in line with syllabus requirements and all language skills are catered for. It is recommended, however, that more emphasis be given to developing a thematic approach where the main language skills are integrated into an overall theme, so that in any one lesson, a variety of language skills are being utilised. Some further ideas for planning an integrated approach can be accessed in the jointly-produced Department of Education and Science/National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Leaving Certificate Spanish Guidelines for Teachers.

The content of the Transition Year (TY) programme for Spanish is in line with the aims and ethos of Transition Year, emphasising the development of learner autonomy. Students complete a project on an aspect of Spanish life or culture during the year and present it to their peers. The study of well-known Spanish films also forms part of the TY programme, giving students an added insight into the country and its people. The TY Spanish programme enhances students’ knowledge of the culture of Spain and this, in turn, enhances the teaching and learning of the language.

It is to be commended that the Spanish department in the school has planned and organised school trips to Spain every second year for students of the language. The benefits of such visits, both from a cultural and linguistic viewpoint, are invaluable. The students show quite an impressive knowledge of, and interest in, the different regions of Spain and Spanish culture.

Membership of the Association of Teachers of Spanish has ensured that the teacher has been able to avail of opportunities for in-service and so has kept informed regarding recent developments in Spanish.

Teaching and learning

A good level of teaching and learning of Spanish was seen in Coláiste na Toirbhirte. In all lessons seen there was good consistent use of the target language for classroom dialogue and discussion which, research has shown, is one of the best resources language students can have. Simple authentic language is encouraged and items of vocabulary systematically introduced for students to note down and learn. Activities seen included teacher input, one-to-one questioning, pair work, listening comprehension, general conversation practice, aural comprehension exercises and work on students’ worksheets. One-to-one questioning in the target language was used to good effect in all lessons, and it was evident that the students were used to hearing and using the target language regularly. Individual questioning was effective and carried out in a relaxed and easy manner. Some differentiation strategies were noted in that questions were subtly varied from open questions to more guided ‘choice’ questions to suit the ability of individual students. As a result students showed confidence when speaking the language.

Continuity with previous lessons was evident and this is good practice. Homework was assigned, monitored and corrected. All of the lessons seen began with some monitoring of homework set previously. The pace and content of lessons were commensurate with the students’ ability. There was clarity of lesson purpose. In one lesson seen, pair work was utilised to maximise student participation and this is sound practice. Suggestions were given for further group-work activities to increase individual participation when practising oral work. For example, some of the time spent on the one-to-one questioning of individual students could be used for group-work activities, using cue-cards as stimuli. It is recommended that more strategies to encourage active learning, such as role play, brainstorming, games, short quizzes or debates be investigated.

It is to be commended that most of the bank of teaching resources seen is taken from a variety of sources and that little reliance is placed on the continual use of one particular textbook. Teaching material is carefully chosen to suit students’ ability and interests. It is, however, important that the long-term plan for the language ensure that the material chosen includes enough authentic reading material to give students sufficient practice in reading comprehension. Authentic resources have been gleaned from newspaper and magazine articles, a good variety of differing textbooks, aural tapes, BBC language publications, videos and other various sources. It is suggested that this could be further developed to include some of the many Spanish websites, such as www.elpais.es or www.el-castellano.com. A more comprehensive list is available on the Association of Teachers of Spanish website www.atsireland.com.

Student outcomes in terms of knowledge and language skills are good. In the lessons seen, students showed a willingness and ability to communicate effectively in the target language. Work in students’ homework copybooks was of a high standard overall, with attention being paid to details of grammar. Students are encouraged to keep a folder for their work, and in third year, a copybook is kept specially for revision work. In all lessons seen, there was evidence of good management of learning activities. The rapport between teacher and students was excellent and the learning environment at all times pleasant and conducive to learning. Students were fully engaged and showed an enthusiasm for their learning. Individual students’ efforts were affirmed regularly and students responded positively to this.

Assessment

Assessment for Spanish is ongoing, with regular productive-writing assignments set, half-term tests carried out and informal oral assessment in class. School in-house examinations are held at Christmas and summer for non state-examination classes, and third and sixth years have pre-examinations in spring. Aural comprehension, reading comprehension and written assessment form part of formal in-house testing in Spanish for all years, and oral competence is formally assessed in senior cycle. While oral competence in junior-cycle is continually assessed informally during class time, it is recommended that oral assessment should also form part of formal in-house assessment at this stage. It is worth noting that in the composite report on modern languages issued by the Inspectorate in 2004 (Inspection of Modern Languages; DES) this is one of the recommendations.

There is a need to employ a wider range of assessment modes and to test all language skills. Specifically, the formal assessment of oral proficiency at all levels should be prioritised.

A good record is kept of all students’ progress and, after in-house examinations, reports are sent to parents. There are annual parent-teacher meetings for each year group.

Summary of main findings and recommendations

The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:

Having a designated classroom has facilitated the creation of a stimulating learning environment for Spanish, where students’ work and other visual material can be displayed.
There is good consistent use of the target language for classroom dialogue and discussion.
There is evidence of good long-term and short-term planning for Spanish.
The Spanish department has built up a good bank of authentic teaching resources from a variety of sources.
The Transition Year plan for Spanish greatly adds to students’ cultural knowledge of the country and is in line with TY aims and objectives.
It is to be commended that the Spanish department in the school has planned and organised school trips to Spain for students of the language.
The pace and content of lessons are commensurate with the students’ ability.
Some pair work and group work are utilised to maximise student participation.
Student outcomes in terms of knowledge and language skills are good.
The rapport between teacher and students was excellent and the learning environment at all times pleasant and conducive to learning.
Students were at all times fully engaged and showed an enthusiasm for their learning.

As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:

It is recommended that the board of management review the situation regarding Spanish provision in the school, to ensure that prospective and present students’ needs and interests are being adequately met.
Planning could incorporate more strategies to encourage active student learning, thereby maximising student participation.
More emphasis should be given to developing a thematic approach where the different language skills are integrated, so that in any one lesson a greater variety of language skills are being used.

Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teachers of Spanish and with the principal at the conclusion of the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.