PPLI Annual Report 2020 - Flipbook - Page 7
Director Review
Change in PPLI was already on the agenda for 2020. We were scheduled to employ 20 new
teachers to implement four new Leaving Certificate language specifications, in 20 additional
schools. New CPD had to be developed and delivered for the new teachers teaching in the
new schools. In addition, new language classes were scheduled outside of the regular school
curriculum on Saturdays in a new venue.
Covid 19 arrived in addition to the changes already taking place. The core team of 11 were asked to work from
home, our 50 teachers were asked to teach online, our 15 associates were asked to deliver work in a context that
they did not sign up for, and our staff had to reinvent, reconfigure and reimagine almost every project we were
delivering because much of what we were doing involved meeting significant numbers of people at events,
project meetings, and CPD venues which were dependent on a context free of restrictions where people met
freely in large groups.
The team managed a process of change that was unprecedented and not only demonstrated impressive
adaptability but huge resilience. They found a solution to every challenge that presented itself, embraced the
changes, engaged with them, and led many exciting new projects. When reflecting back on 2020 what stands
out for me is the positive way in which the team responded rather than the negative circumstances. They
successfully rewrote the narrative throughout and stayed in complete control so that instead of looking at what
might have been and focussing on the loss of carefully executed plans they chose instead to look at the
opportunities. They proved themselves survivors and I deeply appreciate their passion and commitment.
Teachers were empowered through training to continue to perform to their best. We determined to make online
learning accessible, focussing on the benefits of the changes, providing training to support the changes, and
mentoring with weekly clinics available for small groups to continue their learning. We did surveys and assessed
teacher needs in the context of the technology and also in the context of the methodologies for teaching and
learning online, addressing their fears and uncertainties.
For the most part everything was different. Communities of Practice, training and support for Foreign Language
Assistants and their Co-operating Teachers, CLIL, teacher CPD and events all moved online.
We participated virtually in conferences and training in locations across the world that otherwise would never
have been accessible for us to attend physically. We hosted online sessions for associates and teachers in disparate
locations and discovered that we can come together more easily than we had previously thought possible.
Awareness raising continued apace in the virtual space. #ThinkLanguages became a combined online and local
event with support and guidelines provided by us. An increased number of schools and students registered (50%
increase on last year’s physical event), there was more diverse geographical representation, and wider scope for
delivering the message. We identified potential threats and scenarios with the ever-changing restrictions and
developed an online portal where activities, assets and plans were gradually updated to build in flexibility. We
sold it as an opportunity to Think Global, Act Local while highlighting that in these uncertain times, making
connections is more important than ever. Collaboration between PPLI and the schools, TY students, and TY
coordinators ensured that events could be managed locally with the support of our Languages Connect team. A
competition incentivised student engagement and participation. The students as well as schools and teachers
delivered.
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