PPLI Primary Guidelines REVISED EDITION - Flipbook - Page 22
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Language and Languages in the Primary School Some guidelines for teachers by David Little and Déirdre Kirwan
Collaboration among teachers helps to ensure appropriate progression from year to year and avoids repeated
reinvention of the wheel.
A well-stocked library
Reading plays a central role in children’s language development, so schools should provide them with a rich array of
age-appropriate books (fiction and non-fiction) in English but also in Irish and EAL pupils’ HLs. 27 From an early stage
in their literacy development, pupils should have access to age-appropriate bilingual dictionaries in English and
Irish/HLs; in stages 3 and 4, bilingual dictionaries in English and the MFL should also be provided. Senior classrooms
should be equipped with an English thesaurus, and pupils should be introduced to the digital resources available at
www.teanglann.ie.
Aormation
It is important that the principal and all staff members (including non-teaching staff ) show an interest in pupils’
linguistic efforts and achievements: regular affirmation is motivating and empowering. Initiatives that involve the
whole school community are likely to have a greater impact than those undertaken by individual teachers without
support.
Documentation of language learning and use
All languages present in the school should be seen on the walls of classrooms and corridors and heard in readings,
recitations and performances of various kinds (Figure 1). We recommend that teachers maintain an archive of
particularly interesting pupil work that can be drawn on for displays and exhibitions and used at staff meetings to
inform discussion of school language policy and its implementation. A well-maintained archive can also provide
research data for teachers who undertake postgraduate study. There are various ways of organizing a class archive –
teachers will have their own preferences – but it is motivating for pupils to be involved in the construction and
maintenance of the archive, especially in senior classes. Individual learning also benefits from documentation by the
Figure 1: Using templates of flower petals to create a welcoming recognition of all langauges in the school (the empty petals are waiting for new languages)
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Grants are available from Post-Primary Languages Ireland to buy books in home languages.
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