Tuairisc Chigireacht Ábhair Irish 2007

This report has been written following a subject inspection in St Paul’s College. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning in Irish and makes recommendations for the further development of the teaching of this subject in the school. The evaluation was conducted over two days during which the inspector visited classrooms and observed teaching and learning. The inspector interacted with students and teachers, examined students’ work, and had discussions with the teachers. The inspector reviewed school planning documentation and teachers’ written preparation. Following the evaluation visit, the inspector provided oral feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation to the principal and the subject teachers. The board of management was given an opportunity to comment in writing on the findings and recommendations of the report, and the response of the board will be found in the appendix of this report.

Subject provision and whole school support

The school management provides time for subject planning at the start and end of the school year – about an hour in each case in addition to three or four other half hour meetings in the course of the year. The teachers meet on other occasions throughout the year in their own time. There is an informal arrangement as regards the subject co-ordinator. The same teacher has undertaken that work for some years and it was reported that the administration of departmental work is shared. In order to share the departmental duties fairly and to spread the experience of such work, it would be worthwhile considering rotating the co-ordinator duties for an agreed period.

An oral account of the subject meetings is provided to the principal. It would be worth providing the management with a written record on the subject meetings’ proceedings, especially results and proposals. In addition, it would be worth attaching copies of same to the subject planning book for information and as a guide for all members of the department.

A satisfactory allocation of time is made for the subject on the timetable. Four class periods per week are involved in the case of the first and second years, and five periods in the case of third year. Four periods are provided in Transition Year – an amount of periods which provides a good opportunity to implement the Transition Year programme objectives effectively.

There are five periods involved in the two Leaving Certificate years and a sixth period is given to classes undertaking higher level in the Leaving Certificate. The subject is provided in single classes on different days – involving two periods per day only in the case of the higher level Leaving Certificate classes. The classes are run in parallel on the timetable from second year onwards – this ensures that a choice of levels is available for the students commensurate with their abilities and wishes. All these arrangements are commended and they illustrate the school management’s support for the teaching of the subject.

There are five teachers in the Irish department for whom a significant part of their teaching programme is the teaching of the subject. All the teachers have a broad experience of teaching the subject in the school. All the teachers are offered the same opportunity to teach the different levels in the subject – a commendable arrangement. The timetable arrangements in place, regarding the parallel running of classes, mean that the teachers have opportunities to share and develop skills and specialist interests amongst themselves.

Teachers could implement certain aspects of the teaching programme with different classes in the same year. It would be worth considering the associated possibilities – an initiative which would especially suit Transition Year classes. Such a move would assist in establishing professional development internally – a subject which interested the teachers and which was registered in the subject plan in the case of certain members of the Irish department.

The Irish teachers have their own classroom which provides easy access to subject resources. It was reported that a wide range of electronic resources were available for teaching support – CD players, televisions, video players and CDs. Information and Communications Technology (ITC) resources are available for Irish as well as for other subjects.

Two broadband computer rooms are available by reservation. It was indicated that limited use was being made of these resources for Irish and that they were mostly in use in Transition Year. The subject plan contained reference to using certain websites to obtain up-to-date material for use in the class. This work is worthwhile and merits further development in order to give the students hands-on experience of the use of ICT in the context of Irish. An ICT plan regarding this should be included in the department plan and consideration should be given to doing the same for other programmes.

The principal approves applications for exemptions solely in accordance with the provisions of circular M10/94 but it was understood that there are first year students – usually four or five – where it is claimed that they are unable to study Irish and who have had an unofficial exemption from Irish in primary school. The principal assesses applications for exemptions solely in accordance with circular M10/94 and he does not permit exemptions in such cases.

The principal is to be commended for the correct implementation of the provisions of circular M10/94 but this is a complicated question which places additional difficulties before the principal and the Irish teachers in offering the subject ab initio in first year with certain students.

It was understood from the teachers that students with official exemptions sit in the Irish classes and that this is an intrusion on the class work, in certain cases, but that the school does not have the resources to make other arrangements. It would be worth reviewing these arrangements regarding the possibilities of making other arrangements while Irish is on the timetable. These arrangements could be registered in the subject plan also.

Planning and Preparation

The Irish Department ‘Subject Plan 2006-2007’ was viewed – a document which described the department’s collaborative planning, year by year, for the various subject levels. The teachers indicated that this document was written this year and guided by the School Development Planning Initiative planning template. It was also understood that the plan will be reviewed at the end of the current year. This booklet contained valuable information about the department’s aims and objectives which were in keeping with the objectives of the Irish syllabi and was commended as a first attempt in collaborative planning work.

The teachers were well informed about the appropriate documents in the subject and had their own copies – including the Irish syllabi, guidelines for teachers, the relevant circulars, copies of the certificate examination papers and the chief examiners’ reports. Copies of these should be compiled and kept as a reference source for the department and it should be ensured that a complete series is available in case there is a newly-appointed Irish teacher on the staff.

The speaking of the language is mentioned in the introduction to the subject plan as an aspect of language skills which is emphasised. Other references are made to this objective in the plans for first year, Transition Year and Leaving Certificate years. The most complete description relates to the first year plan in which the general objective and specific targets are mentioned. It would be worth recording these targets regarding second and third years also.

A more complete description than that recorded for the speaking of the language should be noted in the Transition Year and Leaving Certificate plans – especially since particular attention to the speaking of Irish was mentioned in the introduction. There could be guidance regarding the objectives and a description of the amount which would be expected of the students, commensurate with the different levels in the subject, regarding the various skills in the language. It would be worth while studying the European Languages Portfolio as a guide to noting learning outcomes.

Many of the plans for Irish related to the material to be implemented during the year and in certain cases there was a wide range of material collected for use in the class as additional help for the students. Attention was also paid in the plans to cross-curricular activities including Music, History, Geography and sport – a general summary which would be worth expanding. In addition to the subject plan the teachers had their own individual plans which showed that they had considered the needs of their own students.

A personal planning scheme relating to the second year was of special quality, setting out a thematic programme based on the topics in the syllabus and, under those headings, focussed on developing the particular language skills. In certain cases there was a wide range of material collected for use in the class as additional help for the students.

It would be worth while noting a frank account of the state of Irish as a subject in the school at the start of the plans in order to provide a general overview of the current state of the subject. An analysis of the students’ achievements in the certificate examinations - which was provided during the inspection - would be a good guide for this. Using these statistics as a reference point, it would be good to have an account in the department plan to implement improvements and to review and assess progress.

The most important aspect of the planning work which must be implemented soon is planning for assessment of spoken Irish in the junior cycle as a common agreed practice. There was a reference to this under methods of assessment in the plan where it is recorded that the spoken language will be assessed in the 2007 summer examinations. This should be clarified. As a related matter planning should be done regarding the new recommendations announced about the optional oral examination in the Junior Certificate examination and whether to enter the students for that examination – a decision which would also have an impact on the planning of teaching.

Teaching and Learning

Six lessons were observed during the inspection with classes from each of the six years in the school. All the teachers showed self-confidence in their presentation to the classes and a good atmosphere was noted in the classes between teachers and students for the greater part of the time. The classes were well prepared and the lesson objectives were clear from the outset.

In the lessons with classes in the early years of the junior cycle it was obvious that the teachers focussed on presenting material that was in keeping with the students’ range of interests – a commendable approach. Those lessons related to discussion of sporting matters and the uploading of personal material on the Bebo website. Every attempt was made to encourage the students to participate in these lessons.

In one such case the students succeeded in expressing themselves and they were obviously keen to tackle material pertaining to the sporting heroes in the media at the time – Roy Keane, Niall Quinn, Brian O’Driscoll, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín. Although the speech and vocabulary of the students was limited enough the teacher ensured that their spoken and written attempts were accurate. The students responded well to this guidance and these attempts were practised again when corrected. In the discussion which followed with the inspector the students showed an understanding of simple questions and succeeded in expressing themselves.

It would be well worth while taking advantage of the students’ interest in such subjects by using items from the Irish-language broadcast media – such as showing interviews in Irish with Jerry Flannery about the activities of the Irish rugby team or an interview with Seán Óg Ó hAilpín or a part of a game with a commentary in Irish. Such material should be recorded or the TG4 website searched to obtain such material.

In the other case involving a mixed-ability class, even though interesting material was being dealt with in the class a good number of the students had difficulty in understanding the task set for them. Though all the direction to students was in Irish there were questions in English from the students about what was to be done and the teacher later had to yield to these attempts and translate the direction into English.

The writing of a postcard was practised as part of the same class and the teacher attempted to provide the students with a differentiated vocabulary commensurate with their ability in the language. This approach was commended. A handout was distributed later which ensured that the students did not have to spend time with writing down vocabulary but could concentrate on practising the work orally with the help of the written notes. This class posed a particular challenge from the range of abilities to be observed in the students’ abilities in Irish.

The large number of students in a higher level class in the junior cycle posed a challenge – though it was understood that this was an exceptional case. Revision was done on items of the written question paper similar to that which the students would shortly face. This work was capably done and the students showed that they were able for the work and well prepared for that examination.

The classes observed in the senior cycle showed that the Irish acquired by the students was limited. The teachers’ attempts were commended regarding the preparation of a handout to assist the students with the subject and regarding stimulating presentation. The teachers made good preparations for these lessons. One case involved continuity with a previous lesson in that a video had been shown earlier of George Thompson being interviewed as a background to understanding the excerpt from Fiche Blian Ag Fás (Muiris Ó Súilleabháin). A great attempt was made in this lesson to guide the students to answer questions on that story with a handout which provided a good reminder of the excerpt.

The students’ folders observed in one of the Transition Year classes contained a good amount of prose and poetry work and the lesson material related to presenting and discussing one of the Transition Year Irish programme poems with the students. Successful attempts were made to discuss the students’ own understanding of the alienation from city life shown by the poet in the poem, though many of the students were stretched in tackling the theme. In the case of Transition Year it would be advisable to focus on presenting material in an innovative manner, as was shown in the Irish department’s plan for Transition Year, in order to get the students talking more in the work of the class.

On the whole, the teachers’ efforts were to be commended for the care taken in preparing the students well for the requirements of the certificate examination papers in the subject. There was a particular challenge in certain cases in directing the attention of all students to the work in hand and these challenges were faced with understanding and good attempts to encourage the students rather than criticise them. As regards the oral answers from students in various classes the diligent work of the teachers showed limited results.

In the review to be made of the Irish department’s plan it would be worth considering giving greater prominence to spoken Irish as a target from the start of first year onwards. This is a challenge for which the teachers are fully able as regards their own mastery of the language and management of teaching and learning activities and interaction with students in the lessons.

Assessment

New students who apply for a place in first year undergo an entrance assessment examination in Irish. This examination only related to written language. This examination was devised solely as a guide for the teachers themselves to the students’ ability in written Irish and not in order to assign students to various classes as the students are placed in mixed-ability classes in first year.

The account provided of the results of all the entrance assessments in first year, and of the students’ learning needs recognised in those assessments, illustrated the size of the challenge facing the teachers in the teaching of Irish. The entrance assessment results in Irish should be placed on record in the subject plan.

It would be worth confirming the information with the feeder primary schools regarding the exact number of students who followed the full Irish programme of the primary curriculum – something that was not fully clear from the discussion with the teachers. It would also be worth confirming with the same primary schools what learning results are expected in the case of sixth class primary pupils as regards Irish in the revised curriculum.

Irish as a communicative language should be included in those learning results. That would be a good guide to planning learning targets for new first year students and for ensuring continuity between the primary curriculum and the Junior Certificate syllabus. It would be worth linking the communicative objectives of the two documents and clarifying that with the primary school teachers – so that students starting first year will not expect targets associated with the written language alone.

In-house examinations are organised at Christmas and in the summer as well as mock certificate examinations in spring and written reports on these are provided for parents, as well as other reports at parent-teacher meetings throughout the year.

It is recommended that assessment of spoken Irish be included regarding junior cycle classes – regardless of the outcome of the discussion relating to entering students in the Junior Certificate optional oral examination. It is recommended that the potential advantages of this latter issue should be closely examined and a decision made in this regard soon.

There were valuable reference points regarding the current state of the subject in the statistics relating to the students’ participation rates at the various levels in the certificate examinations. It would be worth returning to these reference points and making a review in the future of the effectiveness of the attempts to implement improvements.

Summary of main findings and recommendations

The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:

A good time provision was made for the subject on the timetable – especially in the junior cycle and specifically in Transition Year. The Irish classes were run in parallel on the timetable from second year onwards – which ensured a choice of level for the students commensurate with their abilities and wishes.
All teachers had a broad experience in teaching the subject and the principal supports giving them an equal opportunity to teach the various levels.
A good range of electronic resources was available as support for teaching and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) resources were available for Irish on a similar level to other subjects.
The Irish department subject plan provided was up to date and in keeping with the objectives of the Irish syllabi and a review of the plan was acknowledged as an integral part of the co-ordination work. The plan was commended as a first attempt at collaborative planning work.
Spoken Irish was registered in the subject plan as an aspect of the language skills which is emphasised for most of the years in the school.
All teachers were confident in their class presentation and a good atmosphere was noted in the classes between the teachers and students in the vast majority of cases.
Good preparation was made for all classes and the lesson objectives were clear from the outset. Handouts were prepared as additional guidance for the work in many cases.

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

Consideration should be given to dividing specific aspects of teaching programmes among department members in order to maintain professional development and collaborative – a project which would especially suit Transition Year classes.
The work being undertaken in the use of ICT with classes should be developed to give the students hands-on experience of the use of ICT in the context of Irish.
Consideration should be given to registering the students’ expected learning results in the various language skills in the subject plan.
An account of the current state of the subject in the school should be noted at the start of the subject plan, guided by an analysis of achievements in the certificate examinations. A strategy should be registered to implement improvements and review and assess progress.
An attempt should be made, as a stimulus for developing conversational material, to take advantage of students’ interests with well-chosen items of material from TG4.
Focus should be on practising innovative, different material in Transition Year and attempts should be made to set the students talking in the class work.
Planning should take place for assessment of spoken Irish as a common agreed practice – especially in the junior cycle – and a decision taken regarding the entrance of the students in the Junior Certificate optional oral examination in light of the changes recently announced on the allocation of marks for that examination.

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

Appendix

School Response to the Report

Submitted by the Board of Management

Area 2: Follow-up actions planned or undertaken since the completion of the inspection activity to implement the findings and recommendations of the inspection

There is a greater emphasis on the use of oral Irish in the Junior Certificate Cycle and it is now part of the assessment in First Year. Entering the students in the Junior Certificate optional oral examination is under consideration.

Ongoing meetings of subject teachers are an integral part of school development planning. It is envisaged that future meetings will continue to plan for the implementation of the recommendations.