An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta
Department of Education and Science
Subject Inspection of French
REPORT
Saint Brendan’s College
Bray, County Wicklow
Roll number: 61790D
Date of inspection: 23 January 2007
Date of issue of report: 6 December 2007
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 St Brendan’s College, conducted as part of a whole school evaluation. 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.
Subject provision and whole school support
St Brendan’s College is an all boys’ school with 397 students. The study of a modern European language is mandatory at junior cycle and optional at senior cycle. Students choose between French and German and those who do not study a language at senior cycle are advised as to the implications of this choice.
Classes in first year are taught in mixed-ability groups. Students are streamed in second and third year but concurrent timetabling allows for movement between classes. Students in Transition Year (TY) and in senior cycle are placed in mixed-ability groupings for modern languages.
There is generally good provision for the teaching and learning of French in terms of the allocation of time and timetabling. Lessons at junior cycle are in single periods, timetabled at regular intervals throughout the week. Senior cycle students have one double period and three single periods. The timetabling of single periods at regular intervals throughout the week is good practice as it optimises ongoing contact with the language. It was reported, however, that in previous years French has been blocked against some of the practical subjects at senior cycle and that this accounts for the low uptake of students choosing French in one particular year group. It is recommended that school management remain mindful of the limitations for third level options students place on themselves when they do not choose a modern European language and that they should timetable languages in order to maximise student uptake. It was also reported that students with special educational needs are withdrawn from French for support. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency given that these students take French at Junior Certificate and are thus being deprived of essential teaching and learning time for the subject.
There are three teachers of French in St Brendan’s, all of whom are established in their careers. Some reported availing of courses held in Dublin City University (DCU) and of the Department of Education and Science’s inservice training for teachers of French in recent years. The school pays the membership of the subject associations. This is to be commended. It is suggested that in the interests of ongoing professional development, the members of the French department avail of the inservice provided by the French Teachers’ Association (FTA) through its annual conference and branch meetings. The sharing of the practice learned at these meetings should enhance the teaching and learning of French in the school.
Classrooms are teacher based in most instances. A print rich environment was in evidence in the classrooms visited with attractive displays of posters, grammar charts and samples of students’ work. This is good practice and to be commended as it stimulates interest in the language and culture of the country.
Teachers have their own designated CD/cassette players in addition to the range of audiovisual equipment made available for use to all members of staff. There is a budget for the purchase of resources which is divided equally between junior and senior cycle. There is a computer room in the school. To date, however, apart from some individual downloading of materials from the internet, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has not been used by the members of the French department for teaching in the classroom. Teachers cited a lack of facilities as the main reason for their failure to embrace ICT as a teaching tool. It is recommended that consideration be given to exploring ways in which ICT might be made more accessible to teachers and students and how it might be used to enhance teaching and learning.
Teachers reported involvement in co-curricular activities through the organisation of a French breakfast for first-year students and a visit from a French theatre for schools company every second year. An annual school trip to France is organised as part of TY activities and members of the French department travel with the group. Consideration is currently being given to setting up a French exchange programme. Students who wish to pursue summer courses in French are able to apply for bursaries funded by the school. School management is to be commended for this commitment to the promotion of modern European languages in the school. Involvement in co-curricular activities is to be commended and encouraged as it promotes language learning as an enjoyable activity which is not confined to the classroom. Good co-curricular involvement also enhances the profile of French in the school.
St Brendan’s College has benefited this year from the French language assistantship scheme to support the teaching and learning of the language. Teachers reported that the scheme is working well and is proving to be a very positive experience for all members of the school community.
Planning and preparation
St Brendan’s College is involved in the school development planning process and members of the French department are currently working on subject planning. There is one formal planning meeting per term. The teachers of French reported also having regular informal meetings. A subject co-ordinator has been appointed and minutes of meetings have been recorded. The recording of minutes is good practice. As a means of acknowledging both the formal and informal contributions of teachers to the subject planning process, it is suggested that consideration be given to also keeping a brief note of decisions taken at informal meetings.
The subject department plan submitted for the teaching and learning of French provides an overview of the organisation of French within the school and outlines the curriculum content to be covered for each year group in junior cycle and the proposed textbooks to support this work. While the members of the French department are to be commended for their work to date it is recommended that, over time, the plan be reviewed and further developed to include desired learning outcomes for the students – what they should be able to do as a result of their learning. The plan should also include the linguistic strategies needed to support students in their learning. Such an approach will enable teachers and students to respond to the requirements of the syllabus rather than the narrower focus of the examination or the textbook and will facilitate the evaluation of teaching and learning in the classroom. In time it will also facilitate teacher self-evaluation.
No Transition Year plan was submitted for French. This needs to be addressed in order to comply with the circular M01/00 which requires that the school draw up an annual plan for TY.
There was evidence of advance planning for the individual lessons observed with the preparation of photocopying and audio equipment for use during the lesson.
Teaching and learning
Inspection activities included the observation of four lessons, two at junior level, one Transition Year lesson and one at senior cycle. There was also the opportunity to interact with the students at the end of each lesson.
The choice of lesson content was generally suitable for the level of the students concerned. Attention however, needs to be paid to the sequencing of work in the lesson. In one instance, for example, the template for a particular written task was given after students had completed the same task as a homework exercise, rather than providing the students with the template and allowing them to adapt the acquired linguistic strategies to their own circumstances.
There was some use of the target language in all of the lessons inspected. The use of the target language in the classroom is to be commended. However, constant translation into English reduced its positive impact for learning. It is recommended that greater use of French be integrated into all lessons. The use of the target language in the classroom should be built up initially through the giving of instructions and the asking of questions in French. Students should also be provided with the necessary linguistic strategies to respond to the teacher, to ask questions or express difficulty in simple French. The posting up of key expressions on the walls of the classrooms could further consolidate this learning. While recognising the teachers’ efforts to support the students in their learning it is recommended that alternatives to translation be considered. There was one instance where the teacher demonstrated through actions the meaning of the new grammatical structure being taught. This is good practice which could be extended to include the use of flash cards and other such visual stimuli, role-play, and brainstorming. Increased use of the target language will improve students’ listening and oral skills and should, over time, reduce their dependency on translation.
Question and answer sessions were used to recap on previous work and to initiate new learning. The board was effectively used to consolidate the oral and the written.
Good efforts were made to develop aural and reading comprehension skills through the use of listening and reading materials from the textbook. A song provided an interesting text for the students in one of the lessons observed. The use of song is to be commended as an enjoyable way of studying an authentic text. It is suggested that consideration be given to moving out of the textbook more often and sourcing a range of contemporary texts which will appeal to the age and interests of the students. Access to the website, developed for teachers of French in Ireland www.french.ie is a useful point of departure for such purposes. Greater variety in the manner in which texts are exploited would also enhance the learning experience for students. Work in the lessons also focused on the development of students’ written skills. However, it was carried out primarily though the means of translation form English to French. The promotion of students’ oral competency through greater use of the target language should facilitate greater integration of the language skills and better support students in their writing.
All of the lessons observed involved whole class teaching. It is recommended that in the interests of best practice and actively engaging the students a variety of short focused individual, pair or group tasks be integrated into all lessons. Greater student participation will improve their confidence and competence, promote autonomy, build on the strengths that they already have acquired and help create more enriching learning experiences.
There was evidence of good classroom management and students were well behaved throughout.
Assessment
Student progress is assessed and monitored through question and answer sessions in class, the assignment and correction of homework, class tests and formal examinations.
A review of student copies indicated that homework is assigned. However, it was not always clear as to who corrected it, the teacher or the student. It is recommended that teachers annotate or sign corrections. The inclusion of a comment is also encouraged as it can be affirming or informing. It is also suggested that students be encouraged to organise their copies for ease of referral, when revising and preparing for examinations.
Students are given tests at mid-term and sit formal examinations at Christmas and the summer. Certificate examination students sit ‘mock’ examinations. Common tests are administered where possible. This is to be commended. It is recommended that all formal examinations include an aural component. Sixth-year students are given a ‘mock’ oral in preparation for the Leaving Certificate oral examination. Reports are sent home twice yearly and parent-teacher meetings are held annually for all year groups.
There was evidence that students had a good understanding of the work being done in all of the lessons observed. This was evident in their answers to questions asked. Students responded well when interacting with the inspector demonstrating evidence of learning and potential.
Summary of main findings and recommendations
The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:
· There is generally good whole school provision and support for French in terms of time, timetabling and the provision of resources.
· The members of the French department have embraced and are making progress in the subject planning process.
· A variety of methodologies was observed.
· The school is benefiting from the French assistantship scheme in the current academic year.
As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:
· It is recommended that the members of the French department progress the collaborative subject planning process by identifying a series of desired learning outcomes for the students in each year group and the linguistic strategies and proposed methodologies to support these outcomes.
· It is recommended that use of the target language be increased significantly in all lessons and that the overdependence on translation be reduced accordingly.
· Consideration should be given to varying the ways in which texts are exploited as a means of enhancing student interest and engagement.
· It is recommended that greater student engagement be promoted through the use of a variety of short focused individual, pair or group tasks in the lesson.
Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teachers of French and with the principal, at the conclusion of the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.