An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta
Department of Education and Science
Subject Inspection of French
REPORT
Presentation De La Salle College
Bagenalstown, County Carlow
Roll number: 61150N
Date of inspection: 18 September 2008
Subject provision and whole school support
Summary of main findings and recommendations
Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in French
Subject inspection report
This report has been written following a subject inspection in Presentation De la Salle College Bagenalstown. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning in French 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 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 subject teachers. 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
Presentation De La Salle College is a co-educational secondary school with 369 students. The school has traditionally offered students the opportunity to study either French or German. Current practice however, involves all students studying French in their first year. The study of the language becomes optional after first year. Senior management reported that this practice is to be reviewed and that it is hoped to make the study of a modern European language compulsory for all students at junior cycle. It is also proposed that incoming first-year students would be offered a short taster programme in both French and German in order to support more informed choices on entry into second year. Senior management is commended for its review of the place of modern languages in the school curriculum. The study of a modern European language is optional at senior cycle apart from students who are taking the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) for whom a modern European language is mandatory either as a mainstream subject or an ab initio module. French is offered as a module in Transition Year (TY).
All classes at both junior and senior cycle are mixed-ability groupings. French is timetabled against practical subjects which results in double periods for some year groups. School management should explore ways in which French could be timetabled in single periods, particularly in junior cycle as best practice advocates regular contact with the language.
There are two teachers of French in the school, both of whom are graduates in the subject. It was reported that teachers avail of all available in-service courses for French in the region, and senior management supports and encourages membership of the French Teachers’ Association. This is commended. To further support ongoing professional development, teachers should also consider applying for the two-week scholarships to France offered by the Department of Education and Science and the French Cultural Services. They should also consider attending national seminars organised by the FTA and courses on methodology in local or regional education centres.
Language teachers in Presentation De La Salle have their own base room and the display of maps, posters, grammar and language charts in the classrooms visited contributed to the creation of a very attractive and stimulating language learning environment. This is highly commended.
Members of the French department have designated CD players and overhead projectors and there is easy access to televisions and DVD players. Materials, which include some videos, CDs, and books, are provided on request to management. When planning for resources teachers should consider the use of videos or DVDs which have supporting worksheets, many of which have been prepared by the French Cultural Services in conjunction with the Irish Film Institute. There is access to the computer room in the school and many of the classrooms have data projectors. However, information and communication technology (ICT) is mainly used by the teachers of French for researching and downloading materials from the internet. Teachers should consider further embracing ICT to support teaching and learning through the use of simple PowerPoint presentations, many of which can be downloaded from the internet.
There are currently no formal links with France either through school contacts or organised visits to the country. In order to make the study of the language more meaningful for both teachers and students, the members of the French department should consider seeking out a French partner school for the purpose of exchanging written and aural documents and for the promotion of intercultural dialogue. This could involve visits, exchanges or projects such as e-pals, which would be of benefit to those unable to travel abroad. Co-curricular activities to support the teaching and learning of French currently involve an annual visit from French ‘theatre for schools’ companies. Given the benefits of such activities in enhancing cultural awareness and in providing enjoyable language learning experiences for students, it is recommended that the French department expand the use of co-curricular activities beyond the current practice and include activities such as French breakfasts, quizzes or other such activities. To this end, consideration should be given to the organisation of activities, whereby the students in one year group could, as a reinforcement of their own learning, organise an activity for another year group, thereby providing memorable language-learning experiences for all involved.
Planning and preparation
Presentation De La Salle is actively engaged in whole school development planning and there is ongoing subject department planning as part of this initiative. The work of the French department is currently co-ordinated by the teacher with greatest involvement in the teaching of the subject. It is recommended that, with current proposals to make the study of a modern European language compulsory at junior cycle and to re-introduce a second language, the teachers involved work together as a modern languages department and that the coordination of the department be a voluntary rotated position.
A review of planning documentation submitted on the day of the inspection indicated that considerable work has been completed in subject planning. The plan outlined the school context, the aims and objectives for the teaching and learning of French and the curriculum content for each term for each year group. The planning folder also contained the French syllabus and draft guidelines for the teaching and learning of the subject and a list of useful strategies for teaching students with special educational needs. The teachers of French are commended for the very good work completed to date in developing a whole-school plan for French. To further advance this, teachers should develop a more generic long-term plan by identifying desired learning outcomes for each year group in terms of ‘can do’ statements and the linguistic strategies to support these outcomes. A more generic plan will apply to and support the teaching and learning of all modern languages. It will also afford both teachers and students greater variety in the choice of topics studied while at the same time giving students the opportunity to build up a repertoire of transferable skills to support them in the language learning process.
There was evidence of good planning for the LCVP module for French, while the annual Transition Year plan indicated cognisance of the recommended guidelines on new ways of teaching and learning.
There was evidence of very good planning for the individual lessons observed with the advance readiness of technical equipment and supporting supplementary materials.
Teaching and learning
Inspection activities included the observation of three lessons, two at junior cycle and one at senior cycle. There was also the opportunity to interact with the students and to review their copies and folders.
There was very good use of the target language by the teacher in all of the lessons observed. This is commended. To further this good practice it is recommended that students be given the language strategies to ask questions, express difficulties and make requests in French. Students should also be challenged to understand without recourse to automatic translation. Where linguistic scaffolding is needed to support their learning, students should be urged to express their need for help in French. Ongoing interaction in French will encourage and support the better students, while those experiencing difficulty will be reassured in their ability to communicate their need for help in the target language. It will also build up students’ confidence as well as improving their aural and oral skills development.
Lessons were well structured and appropriately paced and the content was relevant to the abilities and interests of the students. In some instances the lesson plan was briefly outlined to the students at the beginning. The sharing of the lesson plan with students is good practice as it engages them from the outset. To optimise the benefits of this practice, teachers should share the plan with students in terms of the proposed learning outcome for the lesson. This will make students more aware of teaching and learning as a shared responsibility.
There were some very good examples of the progression of learning where the consolidation of previous work and the input of new material were integrated through the use of student-based activities thereby further advancing the learning process. It is suggested that this highly commendable strategy be further developed to optimise the integration of the different language skills, where skills development in one area feeds into and supports the acquisition of the other relevant skills. There were also some very good examples of the integration of grammar into the body of the lesson. However, listening texts were used more to test learning than to progress it. It is recommended that teachers seek out new ways of exploiting listening texts to ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained between the acquisition and testing of aural skills.
The overhead projector was effectively used to correct work and strengthen learning in a timely manner. The ongoing reference to the relevant grammar and vocabulary displays on the walls also enhanced and consolidated the work of the lesson. This is commended.
Active learning was promoted through the use of student tasks and worksheets. This is good practice. There were some occasions however, where the timeframe allocated to the tasks was too long. Where a task involves one student asking a question of another in turn, it is recommended that it be completed as a paired rather than a whole-class activity. This would optimise the benefits of the work by engaging all of the students at the same time in addition to supporting more effective management of time. The use of short focused pair or group work activities will also enable students to take on greater responsibility for their own learning.
There was effective classroom management throughout and learning took place in a positive environment of mutual respect. Students engaged well with the work in all of the lessons observed. Their responses indicated a good understanding of the work of the lesson. Of particular note was the understanding of the target language and progress made by students new to the study of French. Students also applied themselves well to the tasks given. Interaction with the inspector indicated a general willingness to communicate in the target language. In instances where students were more reticent it is suggested that the earlier mentioned recommendations of affording them greater responsibility for their learning and greater interaction in the target language will improve both their confidence and competence.
Assessment
Student progress is monitored in a variety of ways including question and answer sessions, homework assignments, regular vocabulary and end-of-chapter tests, and formal examinations. A review of copies indicated that there was meticulous attention to the monitoring and correction of homework. Corrections also included a comment and this is affirming and informing for students. These practices are highly commended. Certificate examination students have informal tests at Christmas and mock examinations in the second term. Transition year students have assessments each term. All other students sit formal tests at Christmas and in the summer. Teachers set common tests where possible. An aural component is included in all formal tests, while fifth-year students are given an oral assessment as part of their summer examination. As a means of supporting oral skills development within an integrated approach to the teaching and learning of French, teachers should introduce some form of oral assessment at junior cycle.
Contact with parents is maintained through the use of the school journal, the annual parent teacher meetings and the school reports sent out twice yearly. A review of results in the certificate examinations indicates that teachers need to maintain ongoing vigilance to ensure that students are choosing the level most appropriate to their abilities.
Summary of main findings and recommendations
The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation
· Senior management is currently reviewing the policy on modern languages in order to improve student choice and uptake of a modern European language.
· Considerable work has been completed in subject planning for the teaching and learning of French.
· There was very good use of the target language by the teacher in all of the lessons observed.
· A variety of methodologies was observed and used to good effect.
· There was very good attention to the assignment, monitoring and correction of homework.
As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:
· It is recommended that desired learning outcomes in terms of ‘can do’ statements for each year group be included in the long term plan for the teaching and learning of French.
· Greater student interaction in the target language is recommended.
· Teachers should seek out new ways of exploiting listening texts to ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained between the acquisition and testing of aural skills.
· Vigilance in the management of active learning is recommended to optimise the time available.
Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teachers of French and with the principal or deputy principal, at the conclusion of the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.
Published April 2009