Annual Report 2024 - Flipbook - Page 138
Whole School Support Sessions for MFL
Action: 3.B.4
9 Sessions
Overview:
Whole School Support Sessions provide support and guidance for whole school teams as they seek to
enhance and expand provision of foreign languages on the curriculum.
Main Aims:
•
Increase awareness amongst school senior management teams of the importance of language learning
for all students
•
Encourage uptake, expansion, and diversification of foreign language options within schools
•
Provide senior management teams (SMTs) with the supports they need to enhance language provision
Activity:
Following a review of PPLI-delivered advisory sessions, a renewed approach was agreed, with a focus on
supporting schools in which PPLI Language Development Officers are employed. These new Whole-School
Support (WSS) Sessions continued providing support to school teams by looking at the school’s overall MFL
provision. In addition, the schools’ PPLI-employed
Language Development Officers were supported
during the visit through lesson observations and
professional dialogue. Examples of these sessions
included one held at Coláiste Íosagáin, Stillorgan,
Dublin. This visit served several purposes including
collaboration with a group of educational
professionals from Catalonia, a lesson observation
of the PPLI teacher of Chinese in the school, and
PPLI’s first COGG-led and Irish-medium WSS session.
Impact:
•
Positive feedback was received in relation to the WSS sessions, with participants commenting that they
found the sessions to be supportive of MFL provision in their schools
•
As a result of the sessions, schools felt encouraged to diversify their MFL curriculum and develop school
exchanges
Next Steps:
•
Continue to roll out and expand upon the WSS sessions to support schools in their implementation of the
Languages Connect strategy and assist PPLI Language Development Officers in their work
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- PPLI ANNUAL REPORT 2024 -
