PPLI Primary Guidelines REVISED EDITION - Flipbook - Page 21
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Language and Languages in the Primary School Some guidelines for teachers by David Little and Déirdre Kirwan
We also need to include HLs in classroom communication and in due course support pupils’ literacy development in
those languages. Teachers who are new to this approach may worry that because they do not know EAL pupils’ HLs,
they cannot understand when they speak and write them and thus cannot provide correction. This worry is, however,
misplaced. EAL pupils are already native speakers of their HL, and the evidence suggests that when, with help from
their parents and other family members, they transfer their emerging literacy skills from English and Irish to their HL,
the texts they write are no less correct than texts written by their peers in their country of origin.
Before we explain how the approach we are advocating can be
translated into classroom practice across the four stages of
primary schooling, it is necessary to summarize the supports that
the school should provide.
2.2
What supports should the school provide?
A school language policy
The Primary Language Curriculum is a matter not just for the
individual teacher but for the school as a whole. It is thus important
to develop a school language policy that is endorsed by the Board of
Management, shared with parents, and regularly reviewed and
updated. We recommend that a language policy document should
include:
•
a mission statement that acknowledges the central role played by
language in education, accords equal status to all languages
present in the school, and emphasizes the importance of
helping pupils to develop integrated plurilingual repertoires;
•
a statement of guiding pedagogical principles similar to those
at the beginning of section 2.1 and a summary of their practical
implications;
•
a commitment to regular review and (if necessary) revision.
As a statement of the school’s interpretation of the Primary
Language Curriculum, the language policy document provides an
important reference point for school inspections.
Implementing the school’s language policy
A whole-school approach that includes teachers, pupils and
parents is likely to produce the best outcomes for all concerned.
School management and individual class teachers should make
parents aware that all HLs are welcomed as a resource that
benefits everyone. Termly reminders and updates on the school
website showing examples of how languages are being used can
be very helpful for parents.
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