An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta

Department of Education and Science

 

Subject Inspection of Irish

REPORT

 

Ursuline Secondary School

Blackrock, Cork

Roll number: 62650P

 

Dates of inspection: 21-22 January 2008

 

 

 

Subject inspection report

Subject provision and whole school support

Planning and preparation

Learning and Teaching

Assessment

Summary of main findings and recommendations

 

 

 

 

Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in irish

 

Subject inspection report

 

This report has been written following a subject inspection in the Ursuline Secondary School. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of learning and teaching 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 learning and teaching. 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 teachers of Irish.

 

Subject provision and whole school support

 

A positive attitude towards Irish was apparent in the Ursuline Secondary School. Almost all teachers of Irish are highly proficient in the language and they have a clear understanding of what is involved in second-language teaching. This is clearly reflected in the level of understanding and in the spoken ability of students, in accordance with their individual capability.

 

The timetable supports the learning and teaching of Irish. First-year students are taught in mixed-ability classes. Students from second to sixth year are streamed by ability and Irish classes for these groupings are timetabled concurrently, so as to allow students to transfer from one level to another should the need arise. It was recommended that Transition Year (TY) students might be divided into mixed-ability classes on a trial basis, as streaming is not in keeping with the philosophy of the TY programme.

 

Thirty-six students are exempt from the study of Irish. Eleven of these have learning difficulties and the others are newcomers to the Irish education system. There are also students who would be entitled to an exemption but who choose to study Irish formally. The teachers are to be commended for motivating these students and for the additional support which they give them.

 

Irish has a visibility throughout the school in that temporary signage in Irish has been put in place. The teachers were complimented on their resourcefulness in this matter. In the same context, it was recommended that management should endeavour to include some Irish in the school stationery, in the school journal and on the external sign on which the name of the school is to be written. It was further suggested that some Irish be used in written correspondence with parents.

 

The teachers have a particular interest in the development of their professional skills and they welcome opportunities of attending training workshops and talks by visiting speakers. They appreciate the importance of keeping abreast with what is being practised and promoted nationally. In addition, they acknowledge that formal meetings afford an opportunity for discussing classroom practice and other relevant issues with staff from other schools. It is a matter of regret, therefore, that they did not avail of the opportunity of attending a training workshop recently organised by the Second Level Support Service. It was recommended that such a situation might be avoided in future by nominating a specific teacher to liaise with external agencies. 

 

In this school, a particular advantage attaches to the practice whereby each teacher has a designated classroom which she can set out in whatever way she might wish. Teachers have access to tape recorders and to overhead projectors, essential aids for language teachers in particular. It was recommended that each individual teacher of Irish be assigned a specific tape recorder/CD player and that they have ready access to a television, an overhead projector and a DVD player. It was further recommended that both teachers and students should also have easy access to computers connected to the internet, in order that they might be enabled to carry out research or to practise typing in Irish. While there is a language room in the school, it was intimated that it is availed of only sporadically by those involved with Irish, as appropriate software has not yet been acquired. It was recommended that this situation be rectified, and that in the meantime students be brought there so as to show them websites in Irish, to allow them to carry out research and to give them practice in the skill of typing.

 

Teachers come together in order to discuss issues relating to Irish in the school. Among the topics discussed are common examinations, the selection of textbooks, the grouping of students and planning.  One formal meeting of teachers is convened per year and it was indicated that some teachers find it difficult to attend this meeting because of the need for them to attend more than one of the subject meetings that are convened simultaneously. This small number of meetings sets a limit to the range of matters which can be addressed. It was recommended that this level of provision be increased in the interests of collaborative planning and of fostering the sharing of classroom practices.

 

Extracurricular activities are organised in order to promote Irish. Students are brought to the theatre and are supported in their applications for funding for attendance at Irish summer colleges. Some students enter poetry and public speaking competitions at Feis Maitiú.

 

Planning and preparation

 

The Irish department holds a planning file containing the mission statement of the school, a mission statement for Irish, a description of the support structures of the school, notes from workshops, copies of syllabuses and long-term plans for the subject. This documentation is a product of collaborative planning and the deliberations of teachers to date. The teachers' attention was drawn to the importance of this file as an indicator of what is happening in the school in relation to Irish. In this context, it was recommended that a list of the total resources in the school which might be utilised by teachers of Irish should be incorporated into the file. It should be understood that these comprise not only technical equipment but also flashcards, photographs, authentic texts, worksheets, videos, games and suchlike.

 

It was intimated that little formal collaborative planning has been done up to now because of a lack of time (see Subject Provision and Whole-School Support above). It was recommended that individual teachers should begin to share their expertise with colleagues. There should be discussion at meetings on classroom practice, on the learning objectives set down for each term and on the implications of the proceedings of training workshops for the learning and teaching process. It was recommended that teachers record the minutes of meetings and forward a copy to school management. Their attention was also drawn to the necessity for reviewing the attainment of the learning objectives set at the beginning of each term and year. It was recommended that teachers should first experiment with these recommendations with first-year and TY students, through drawing up a functional language programme in which particular emphasis is placed on the four language skills.

 

All teachers undertake individual planning and the majority of them made their personal folders available. In the classes observed, it was clear that most of them had given careful consideration to the steps to be followed in the lessons to be taught, to the most effective way of presenting the subject matter to students, to the resources which might be exploited and to the activities which they might initiate. This is excellent practice. It was advised that, when preparing lessons, they specify in advance the language structures which students are expected to acquire and that they plan with a view to integrating all four language skills while practising the usage of these structures.    

 

Learning and Teaching

 

Irish was the language in use in most of the classes visited. In these classes, Irish was the medium of instruction and the students made excellent attempts to answer and express opinions through Irish. The confidence of these students while speaking Irish was notable. Their teachers are to be commended on cultivating such a level of confidence and oral ability. It was intimated that a high standard of work is demanded of students and this is evidenced in the small number of students who undertake the Foundation Level course.

 

A strong work ethic and an atmosphere of courtesy characterised most classes observed. Most students were willing to participate in the class activities and in these cases positive learning outcomes were achieved.

 

The Irish teachers have designated classrooms which facilitate the storage of resources and enable the teachers to create a stimulating learning environment. They were congratulated on the appearance of their classrooms, particularly on the manner in which many of them have wall displays of charts and posters. These featured, in the main, information signs and vocabulary lists. It was recommended to teachers that more of the students' own work should be put on display. For example, art work which would support learning or teaching could be shown, or charts showing speech idioms or major points from the works of literature, or indeed samples of the students' written work.

 

Among the resources used were work sheets, textbooks, an overhead projector, illustrations and tape recorders. The use of these resources added variety to the activities undertaken. Teachers agree with the view that it is necessary to initiate a range of activities if a lesson is to be kept vibrant. It was for this reason that it was recommended that more extensive use be made of real-life materials such as photographs from magazines or information brochures. For the same reason it was recommended that teachers should initiate as many interactive tasks as possible, for example, pair work, group work, surveys, language games and research. They were reminded of the necessity to assign specific objective to these tasks so that a positive learning outcome might be achieved.

 

A wide range of topics was discussed in the classes. In most classes works of literature were under consideration. The students showed a good understanding of the main themes of these works. It was clear from their participation that they held opinions on the material and that they had acquired the terminology and vocabulary with which to express their views. Music, spring and school were being discussed in other classes. Teachers were experiencing difficulty in motivating some students to contribute to the discussion on these topics and it was recommended that they give them a range of short functional tasks which would reinforce the language being practised.

 

In one or two instances, accuracy in Irish was addressed by effectively integrating major grammatical points into the language lesson. It is widely accepted that the integrated approach is the best method of cultivating the four skills of language in learners and it is all the more effective when the learners' attention is directed towards the functional use of grammar.

 

The copybooks and folders of the students were reviewed. A substantial number of written exercises have been completed and corrected by the teachers. State examination classes have been given extensive practice in answering questions from examination papers and the feedback from teachers gives students an indication of the standard which they are attaining.    

 

Assessment

 

There is an assessment system in place which includes class tests and in-house examinations. An effort is made to assess the four language skills as much as possible.

 

Where feasible, the in-house examinations are common examinations. These examinations are held at Christmas and summer. The students due to sit state examinations take preliminary examinations in the spring. These major examinations are well worthwhile as they give experience of time management, of the lay-out of examination papers and of the rubrics of the state examinations.

 

It is left to each teacher to decide whether the speaking skills of her students are assessed. Where formal oral examinations are held, the mark awarded is included in the total awarded in the main examinations. It is recommended, where a teacher does not succeed in giving a formal examination, that a mark be awarded for the effort the student makes to speak Irish in class. 

 

Continuous assessment is implemented to the extent that marks are awarded twice a year for punctuality, behaviour and attendance. It was recommended that homework should also be included here as an additional indicator.

 

Parent-teacher meetings are held once a year and a report is sent home twice a year, in order to ensure that all relevant parties are kept informed as to students’ progress.

 

 

 

 

Summary of main findings and recommendations

 

The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:

 

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

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Published, June 2008