PPLI Annual Report 2020 - Flipbook - Page 57
Public Libraries and parents
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Languages Connect created more links to the relevant communities and given PPLI opportunities to meet
parents.
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Collaboration with Mother Tongues has benefitted PPLI’s range of reaching target audiences, and given
Languages Connect exposure.
Next Steps
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Make the School Library Home Languages scheme available to primary and post-primary schools in 2021
in response to the continued positive feedback from schools. Share the student resources which have
been developed by PPLI with schools to encourage the use of foreign language books by students.
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Continue the collaboration with JCSP Demonstration Library Project in order to further expand the
availability of home language materials to students in ebook and audiobook forms.
•
Introduce actions for established dates and events when reading is celebrated to include foreign
language books.
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Continue and expand collaboration with relevant organisations including heritage language parents.
Intercultural guidelines and good practice exemplars to support an intercultural
dimension and promote the home language, where the home language is neither
Irish nor English. (2.E.6)
Action Progress
These guidelines were put together by David Little and Déirdre Kirwan and are based on work led by Déirdre,
when she was principal of Scoil Bhríde (Cailíní), Blanchardstown. The main benefit of the intercultural
guidelines is that they show how significant advances can be made in primary language education without a
requirement to invest special funding or additional resources.
The guidelines explain how to achieve the integrated approach to the teaching and learning of English and
Irish that is the goal of the new primary language curriculum while also demonstrating how, within this
approach, it is possible to provide for the full inclusion of pupils from immigrant families by encouraging
them to make active use of their home languages in the classroom (the examples given in the guidelines
have aroused a great deal of international interest). This innovation benefits the linguistic development and
intercultural awareness of all pupils.
In additional to the research evidence, the authors demonstrate from the
reality of their experience and use of clear examples, how language skills and
learning strategies can be transferred from one language to another – ar scáth
a chéile a mhaireann na teangacha.
These guidelines have been sent to every primary school and college of Initial
Teacher Education in Ireland and are available online at Post-Primary
Languages Ireland | Supporting Multilingual Classrooms Archives - PostPrimary Languages Ireland.
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