Annual Report 2024 - Flipbook - Page 87
Cúrsaí teagaisc
Teaching matters
Boosting foreign
language skills
for the future
hard to believe none of us knew each
other before=.
Valuable insights from pilot upskilling scheme
levels using the Common European
Framework of Reference (CEFR). The course
options included in-person, online, and
blended formats, covering languages
such as Chinese, French, German, Italian,
Japanese, and Spanish, with providers
ranging from cultural institutes (Goethe,
Alliance Française, Istituto Italiano di
Cultura and Cervantes) to universities
(UCC). Courses were also hosted by
other language schools and education
centers (Dublin West and Kildare), who
employed language tutors among
primary and post-primary teachers and
principals. A total of over 100 teachers
attended courses provided by PPLI with
valuable insights into course delivery and
content. These insights will look to inform
a more comprehensive upskilling scheme
for primary teachers nationwide going
forward.
Language upskilling pilot
Funded by the Department of Education
(DE), the language upskilling pilot looked
to enhance teachers9 proociency in
foreign languages, ensuring sustained
growth. Registered primary teachers could
voluntarily enroll in the program and
teachers self-assessed their competency
Above: German upskilling class in Dublin West Education
Ireland (PPLI) has managed SYTL, with
increasing school participation and a
rapidly growing number of teachers
implementing the program in their
classrooms. This year, over 1,300 schools
are expected to participate in SYTL.
Support provided by PPLI in the area
of MFL within primary, in conjunction
with SYTL, has more recently focused on
language upskilling opportunities for
primary teachers with a pilot language
upskilling scheme introduced in 2023/24.
Centre
for primary teachers
to support future planning and needs
The Primary Curriculum Framework,
published by the National Council for
Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in 2023,
outlines the introduction of the teaching
of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in
primary schools. Details of a speciocation
for MFL was published in March 2024, as
part of a redeveloped Primary Language
Curriculum. This will look to align Ireland
with other European countries where
foreign language education is already part
of primary curricula.
Prior to this, MFL had already been
experienced in schools nationwide
through the Say Yes to Languages (SYTL)
programme, which is coming into its
fourth year. SYTL engages students from
third to sixth class in foreign languages,
fostering inclusivity, plurilingual and
pluricultural competence. For the past
three years, Post-Primary Languages
Insights gained
Interactive and engaging courses
with encouraging teachers a must
Participating teachers highlighted the
importance of tutors making learning
enjoyable, which often came in the
form of collaboration and engaging
interactions. The most successful courses
were those where participants were
asked to contribute and interact, with
feedback from teachers noting tutors
were
