An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta
Department of Education and Science
Subject
Inspection of Latin
REPORT
Roll number: 62691G
Date of inspection: 1 May 2007
Date of issue of report: 8 November 2007
Subject provision and whole school support
Summary of main findings and recommendation
Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in Latin
Subject inspection report
This report has been written
following a subject inspection in
Subject provision and whole school support
In
In the Leaving Certificate programme, year one, there was no uptake in the 2007-8 academic year, nor was a class formed in the Transition Year programme. This is regrettable. It is recommended that access to the subject in TY be reviewed. In Leaving Certificate year two, Latin is set against Music, Home Economics, Geography Physics and German. Since the subject is competing with such a range of subjects and enrolment numbers are small in the first instance, it is not surprising that uptake is low. Reflecting national trends, there has been a decline in the numbers opting for Latin in recent years. However, in Regina Mundi, it is reported that eighteen students, or twenty-eight per cent of the student cohort, have opted for Latin in second year, 2007-8 and this augurs well for the subject. To drive this momentum forward, it is strongly recommended that the Latin department adopt a proactive approach to the promotion of the subject and a number of strategies should be adopted. For example, consideration could be given to having Latin teachers attend open nights to which parents and students are invited in order to give specific subject advice and to inform parents.
The timetabling allocation for Latin is good. First-year students have three periods a week, while in second and third year, there are four. In the senior cycle, five periods are allocated to Latin. However, distribution of lessons is not ideal: for example, sixth years have two double periods and a single, while second and third-year students have a double and two singles. Frequency is important for the development of language skills and therefore timetabling should be reviewed to take account of this. First years have three separate lessons and this is commended. Resources permitting, consideration could be given to allocating four periods in first year.
In the year 2006, uptake of higher level exceeded national norms in the Junior Certificate examination. In the senior cycle, uptake of higher level was excellent with 100 percent of students taking higher-level Latin in the years 2002-5; in 2006 there was just one ordinary level candidate.
Latin is taught by an experienced team of two teachers. Because of other subject commitments, the teaching of senior-cycle Latin does not rotate. In the interests of continuity, consideration should be given to rotating the teaching of the senior cycle so that both members of the team have experience of taking the subject up to and including LC higher-level.
The school pays teachers’ subscriptions to the subject
association, the Classical Association of Ireland-Teachers (CAI-T). As CAI-T
has organised a series of talks and events of particular relevance to Latin
teachers, for example, one was held recently in Mallow, Co.
There is good access to a range of audio-visual equipment and books. Management is supportive of the subject and all reasonable requests are met. The school has a library that is easily accessed both during class and at lunchtime. There is one computer room with fourteen computers and internet access. A booking system is in place. A data projector is also available. While students are encouraged to use information and communications technology (ICT) for researching projects, ICT is not fully integrated into the teaching and learning of Latin. This is a matter that should be redressed since a great deal of useful material is available on the web, for example, supporting materials for the junior-cycle textbook.
Students are taken on local field trips. Consideration
should be given to organising trips to
Planning and preparation
The school has engaged fully in the planning process and has liaised with the School Development Planning Initiative (SDPI). A major focus during 2006-2007 was subject planning.
Latin
teachers have regular, informal meetings but no records are kept. In the
interests of action planning, meetings should be formalised and minutes of
meetings should be maintained in order to assess progress. There is a very
strong collaborative ethos in the department and a great deal of work has been
done on the subject plan. Details of the topics to be covered are highlighted
and attention is paid to each aspect of the syllabus. A programme of work is
laid out for each year group. First-year students are introduced to the
language and culture of ancient
In second year, students cover the history course prescribed for second and third year, that is, from the first Punic war to the death of Caesar, in addition to the careers of the major figures that shaped Roman history. The prescribed civilisation course is also covered. The completion of the history course by the end of second year facilitates a great deal of revision in the examination year and also allows a strong focus to be placed on reinforcement of grammar and syntax.
The Latin department has devised a Transition Year programme and compiled materials for comprehension, unseen prose and grammar revision. TY students also produce a project which they present to an audience of their peers in other class groups. They learn a variety of approaches to presentation as part of their project work. This is highly commended. A start is made on the Leaving Certificate vocabulary notebook. Flexibility is built into the programme so that it can be tailored to the needs of the individual cohort. There should also be specific mention made of texts used and/or authors read. The fact that there is no uptake of Latin in TY is a cause for concern. The existing plan for the subject should be reviewed and, if necessary, alternative content and methodologies should be considered in order to ensure that the subject remains attractive to students. There should be a strong emphasis on cross-curricular links and experiential learning.
Decisions on topics and texts are made jointly in both the junior and senior cycle and there is ongoing review of choices. The course book (Ecce Romani) selected for the junior cycle in one of three recommended by the syllabus. Prescribed poetry is accessed though a text book. Teachers have also been assiduous in the preparation of resources for students and have generated compilations on themes such as Roman history and civilisation, the careers of famous Romans, a grammar notebook, background notes for prescribed poetry in the junior cycle and a vocabulary notebook. In the list of resources for the subject, it is worth including the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) guidelines for the teaching of Latin poetry and the defined vocabulary list for the junior cycle issued by the NCCA. Another useful resource is the chief examiner’s report available at the State Examinations Commission (SEC) website at www.examinations.ie. Ordinary-level papers are used as an additional text in second year and higher-level papers in third year. Care should be taken to ensure that the there is no over emphasis on the examination in the early years of the junior cycle. Intense examination preparation should be left until third year.
In the senior cycle, the text chosen is the prescribed book of Virgil’s Aeneid. Again, notes are supplied to students in syllabus areas such as history, Roman authors, art, architecture and scansion. Students are also issued with booklets of examination papers and grammar notes and they maintain the vocabulary notebook that commenced in the Transition Year. Supplementary material is introduced in the preparatory period leading up to the LC examination.
In the plan for Latin, there should be specific reference to differentiation since classes are taught in a mixed-ability setting and some students achieve at a faster pace than others. A useful resource is The Teaching of Classics edited by James Morewood (Cambridge 2003).
Teaching and learning
Lessons were well prepared and well paced. Resources were in place for the lessons. The board was used very appropriately, both to record evidence that students had gathered and to support the teaching of grammar.
Notes on writers and history are supplied to students. However, there should be more emphasis on developing the students initiative by encouraging them to write up their own notes in order to develop organisational skills, learn to retrieve relevant information, and to record this accurately and in an accessible format.
In lessons visited, reading was central. Passages were pitched at the correct level and this boosted confidence. It is particularly commendable that learners read aloud. Teachers modelled effective reading, placing intonation in the correct place to highlight meaning. Students were also made aware of the fact that Latin was once a spoken language. Good practice was observed where students identified grammatical forms in the context of their reading. It was evident that translation skills were understood: for example, students were able to analyse and classify words, to identify grammatical constructions and word order and used this knowledge and understanding to arrive at meaning. Confidence grew in the course of the reading exercise and students were challenged and encouraged in their efforts.
The attention of senior-cycle students was drawn to features of the author’s literary style and personality. This is good practice since it not only helps students to decode meaning, but also reminds them that they are translating a primary source and are therefore gaining insights into a real writer and his time.
The entry phase of lessons was devoted to the review of homework assignments and general issues that had arisen. This was useful not only in assessing learning but also in giving feedback. Students demonstrated a good knowledge of grammar appropriate to age. In one lesson, the comparative of the main irregular adjectives was revised. Students were also tested on the principal parts of regular verbs in the four conjugations and were drilled in text-based vocabulary that they had learned as a homework assignment. The tasks were achievable across the ability spectrum and students showed considerable enthusiasm in their responses. Humorous association was used as a mnemonic for verb endings.
The ground was well prepared for an introduction to the perfect tense of verbs in the various conjugations. To imprint them, the inflected endings were written on the board and students were instructed to write these down in their copybooks. For reinforcement, students read a section of their text in order to identify verbs in the perfect tense. Active-learning methodologies such as pair work or the use of differentiated worksheets are strategies that could also be used to build confidence.
Revision was systematic and thorough for the examination class and all aspects of the syllabus received attention. Very useful question-attack skills were taught and students demonstrated the ability to analyse questions and to substantiate their point of view with appropriate evidence. This represents very good practice. Students should be reminded of the amount of time they should spend on each question.
Good practice was noted in a lesson where students’ attention was drawn to affinities between the Irish and Latin language. This is one of the aims of the syllabus and further opportunities to trace similarities and differences between Latin and other languages should be sought. Interaction with students indicates that etymology receives emphasis and students demonstrated excellent knowledge of word derivation; this is highly commended.
In a junior-cycle lesson visited, the classroom was used effectively as a learning resource. Particularly commended is an arrangement of farm animals, each labelled with the correct Latin name. The display of students’ work mounted on the wall is also laudable. It is recommended that further efforts such as these be made to create a stimulating learning environment for the subject in all classrooms in which the subject is taught. In the lessons visited, students were supported in their learning and small numbers in the senior cycle ensured that they received individual attention. Students demonstrated enthusiasm and were articulate in their interactions.
Assessment
The school has a homework policy and some form of task, either oral or written is assigned after each lesson. Homework is regularly assessed. Copybooks indicated that a great deal of work has been done in the subject.
Continuous assessment is practised through class tests. At the end of the first and last term, formal in-house tests are set. The JC and LC classes sit “mock” examinations. Common in-house examinations are set for first years and there is a common, jointly agreed and moderated marking scheme.
Students’ oral assignments, for example, the learning of vocabulary and inflections, are assessed in the context of the lesson and this affords teachers an opportunity to diagnose difficulties and to target individuals for reinforcement. Immediate feedback is also given to students.
The school reviews examination results at staff meetings and students’ progress is analysed and discussed. The school communicates with parents through formal written reports, exercise copies and journals and parent-teacher meetings. Parents also meet staff by appointment.
Summary of main findings and recommendations
The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:
- There is good whole-school support for Latin.
- The subject is taught by an experienced and enthusiastic team.
- A good plan for the subject has been written up and attention is
paid to key syllabus aims and objectives.
- Skills necessary to enable students to read Latin are taught.
- A good grammar foundation is established.
- Students are taught in a very supportive learning environment.
As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:
- A proactive approach should be taken to the promotion of Latin.
- All aspects of the TY Latin programme should be reviewed to ensure
that there is ease of access to the subject and that it remains an
attractive option for students.
- ICT should be fully integrated into the teaching and learning of
Latin.
- There should be clear emphasis on differentiation in planning and
implementation.
- A stronger emphasis should be placed on learner autonomy.
- Meetings should be formalised and records kept in order to engage in action planning.
Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teachers of Latin and with the principal, at the conclusion of the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.