Department of Education and Science

 

Subject Inspection of Irish

REPORT

 

Scoil Damhnait,

Gob A’ Choire,

Achill

Co. Mayo

Roll number: 64490G

 

Date of inspection:  17May 2006

Date of issue of report: 15 December 2006

 

 

This Subject Inspection report 1

Subject Provision and Whole School Support 1

Planning and Preparation 2

Teaching and Learning 2

Assessment and Achievement 3

Summary of Main Findings and Recommendations 4

 

Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in Irish

 

This Subject Inspection report

 

This report has been written following a subject inspection in Scoil Damhnait, Achill, County Mayo. 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 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 the 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

 

All classes in the school are mixed ability in nature.  Students in both junior and senior cycle have five classes per week. It is school policy that students receive daily input Irish. Every effort is also made to provide classes in the mornings. It is recommended that this policy continue, as it is best practice.

 

Every effort is made in drawing up the timetable to firstly provide for the needs of students with respect to Irish across the year groups. Limited resources necessitate changes to the order in which the subject is taught throughout senior cycle. The management and the Irish department are highly commended for the high level of whole school support and high standard of provision for Irish.

 

A total of eight students has been approved by school management for an exemption from  Irish in accordance with the provisions of M10/91. It  was reported that six are international students and that the other two students have recognised learning difficulties.

 

There is no formal budget for the teaching of Irish.  However, it is understood from speaking with the Irish department and management, that if the needs are communicated they are provided for. Any funding required to run different Irish events in the school is also made available. A good range of co- and extra-curricular events is organised for the students.  These activities include ‘Seachtain na Gaeilge’, quizzes and visits from speakers and authors. The Irish department is to be congratulated for these initiatives.

 

There is a broad range of aids and facilities for the teaching of Irish in the school.  These comprise  audio visual aids, compact disc players, computing facilities and a library. The Irish department itself has compiled  a broad range of teaching and learning resources. The department is to be commended  for its diligence in this regard. It was evident that limited use is made of information and communication technology (ICT)  in the teaching and learning of Irish. It is recommended that this be reviewed and practical strategies are adopted to incorporate ICT.  This school has an excellent library facility, in which very good provision is made for Irish. There is a series of modern novels, additional textbooks, tapes, magazines, newspapers, revision books and a fine store of old books, including local ones, which are there since the school was founded in 1948.

 

Although the Irish teacher does not have a dedicated classroom, easy access to teaching and learning  aids are made available due to good planning and advance preparation. The work done in organising this is highly commended.  The principal and the Irish department expressed their disappointment with the lack of in-service courses for Irish teachers and it was stated that they would welcome such courses. The management is commended for the support afforded to and the provision made for Irish in the school.

 

Planning and Preparation

 

The school is engaged in the process of school development planning since the year 2004. Time is allocated to formal planning during the school’s examinations at Christmas and at the end of school year. Long-term and short-term subject plans were made available. The long-term plans are comprehensive and refer in detail to subject matter, to teaching methods and assessments. They place emphasis on oral skills, cultural awareness and literature through the integration of different skills and aspects of the course.  In general, all plans nurture respect for, and a positive attitude to the language.  The plans recognize the importance of providing opportunities for the students to develop their identity and cultural heritage, through the language, its history and its literature. The Irish department has gathered a good compilation of instruction and learning resources which  reflects a comprehensive level of research.  The resources are categorised according to subject matter, learning objectives and differentiated teaching methods so as to target more efficiently the various examination levels as well as the range of  abilities in all the classes in Scoil Damhnait. A high standard of personal planning and short-term preparation was observed. The short term plans contained details of  the methods and strategies for teaching and learning. In all classes evaluated clear learning objectives were in evidence.   It is recommended that the plans be monitored throughout the school year and that they be reviewed as appropriate.

 

Teaching and Learning

 

The detailed preparation for all the classes impacted positively on the pace, structure and the order of lessons. The differentiated work sheets, pre-selected tape items and charts contributed to variety in the teaching.  The material covered was in line with the syllabus requirements and was presented to the students in a way that related to their daily lives. It was also reported that every effort was made to foster cross-curricular links with other subjects, art in particular.  It is recommended that links continue to be made between Irish and  the students’ experience inside and outside the school. 

 

All classes began with a review of homework. The teacher succeeded in creating an atmosphere of co-operation during the corrections.  Pupils enthusiastically offered answers and the teacher by guiding other pupils to contribute arrived at the correct  answer. During the corrections the teacher dealt with  whole-class needs while simultaneously dealing with the needs of individual students.  Written work, reading and pronunciation were comprehensively monitored throughout all classes. Within lesson themselves a good balance of whole-class work and group or pair work was employed. Generally the lesson began with whole-class teaching integrating all language skills. During this period questions were used to ensure the students understood and participated along a continuum of abilities. The second half of the lesson consisted of work in groups or in pairs, which gave students an opportunity to engage with the material. In each case work sheets supported group work and  gave structure to the group task.  The teacher circulated among groups providing assistance. It was clear the teacher had a good understanding of the range of abilities and the different learning processes of the pupils in her care. 

 

The teacher endeavoured to incorporate phonetical and grammatical points into each lesson, not as separate items but as points connected to previous learning or to an integral part of new material being presented.  It was clear from the students’ level of understanding of the dialects and grammar that this was the usual practice. This strategy is commendable, as it reinforces the students’ knowledge of accurate pronunciation and students become accustomed to the syntax associated with correct usage in a natural communicative way that avoids tedium.

 

Effective use was made of the blackboard/ whiteboard to record key words of lessons, to design writing frames and to add structure to the written task.  This approach provides good direction to students on how to organise their thoughts when preparing for a written task.

 

Irish was the medium of  all communication observed in the classes during the course of evaluation.  The students had a good standard of Irish. It was clear that their ability and confidence in speaking Irish was continuously developing. The students were making every effort to use Irish in the group-work and in the normal transactions of the class.

 

An atmosphere of co-operation was evident in all classes which was supportive of learning in line with  aims articulated in the schools’ vision statement. The teacher displayed competence in classroom management. High expectations for learning and behaviour were continuously promoted in all classes. There was a caring relationship between the teacher and the pupils and all interactions were characterised by mutual respect.  The students were praised highly for their work and individual students were sensitively affirmed.  

 

Although the teacher does not have a dedicated classroom  a motivational print-rich environment was always evident.  There were charts, posters and samples of the students’ work on display. This is good practice as it not only reinforces the learning but adds to students’ visual literacy. In addition, it gives recognition to the students’ work and increases their self-confidence in the subject. A number of tri-lingual notices were also present throughout the school. It is recommended that the material already on display is further enhanced by exhibiting more examples of students’ work and other printed Irish material.   

 

Assessment and Achievement

 

Assessment is conducted both on an informal and on a formal basis. Formative assessment is carried out continually in class. Among the methods used during the inspection were various strategies for questioning, written work, tape work, group work feedback and homework review. The school has a homework policy that contains details on the appropriate time to be spent on homework as well as information regarding revision. The policy sets out a clear role for parents in helping with students’ homework and in bringing any homework difficulties to the attention of the school in order to reach an agreed solution. The parent/guardian signs the homework diary each week. The teachers use the diary system to make contact with home with regard to work, behaviour and informal examinations.   

 

The copybooks and folders examined during the inspection showed that comprehensive work was carried out on a range of material in line with the requirements of the syllabuses. Students’ work was corrected on a regular basis with extensive explanatory notes, which give students guidelines on  mistakes as well as work that was done well. It was also clear from the class notes made in the copybooks and in the folders that the Irish department engaged in detailed planning and excellent preparation for the teaching and learning in Scoil Damhnait.

 

The school has an assessment policy that outlines procedures for formal summative assessment. Students are given examinations twice a year; at Christmas for all students, in Spring for State examination students, and at end of year  for non examination students. Reports on the results attained by the students in these exams are communicated to parents or guardians. All the language skills are assessed  in the Irish examinations. This approach is to be commended. The teachers give class examinations on a regular basis, and teachers record these results in their own diaries. There is a parent-teacher meeting once per year during the first term for all year-groups or if necessary, more often in the course of the year.  It is recommended that the principles of assessment for learning developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment at www.afl.ncca.ie be included in the school’s assessment instruments.

   

 

Summary of Main Findings and Recommendations

The following are the main strengths and areas for development identified in the evaluation:

 

 

 

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

 

Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teacher 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.