Transition Times: Teachers tell us how they approach the freedom of transition year

Brídín Gilroy, Post-Primary Languages Initiative

"Not many students realise that they can take Russian or Japanese for the Leaving Cert. Others may have settled for German or French but always longed to have a go at Italian. Transition-year students are offered the chance to learn a little of what they fancy through the Post-Primary Languages Initiative's modules for transition year," says Brídín Gilroy, national co-ordinator of the Post-Primary Languages Initiative.

"A transition-year language-taster course gives students a kick-start into the Leaving Cert, and it's a great opportunity to develop oral skills and knowledge of the culture from which the language comes.

"It's also an enjoyable experience for students who don't intend to take the language for the Leaving. Many people return to learn new languages as adults, and a taster course in transition year gives them a feel for a language they might not otherwise come into contact with."

The transition-year taster courses have raised the profile of a variety of languages in our schools. More than 120 schools now offer tasters in Spanish - useful for fans of Real Madrid - while 60 offer Japanese, 42 Italian and seven Russian. The quality of resource material is improving every year; new textbooks have recently been published for Spanish and Italian.

The approach is gentle: students are not required to learn lists of verbs or complicated grammatical rules. The emphasis is on communication, and students are brought to a level at which they can enjoy some basic interaction with a native speaker.

"Spanish is growing in popularity in our schools, probably due to the number of Irish families that now own property in Spain. I like to think that the transition-year taster courses have had something to do with the trend as well," says Gilroy.

The aim of the initiative is to bring more language choice to schools around Ireland. Many students will sample the new languages only in transition year, so enjoying the experience of a new culture without the pressure of an exam.

For more details e-mail bgilroy@mie.ie or visit www.languages initiative.ie