Live footage of news events - an crith talun sa Tuirc no an dunmharu is deanai i mBaile Atha Cliath - is set to become part and parcel of Irish classes! Irish teachers will be queueing up to get their hands on a new teaching programme which has been piloted by NUI Maynooth for use, in particular with senior cycle second-level students.
The Vifax don Ghaeilge programme involves recording two items on TG4 news and receiving, in time for class the following day, comprehension and language exercises based on these extracts. Teachers will also get a transcript of the passage for use with their students.
According to Anna Ni Ghallachair, director of the university's language centre, which has already run the programme with a number of second-level schools around the country, "there's enough (in the exercises) for about two lessons. There's a general comprehension question and then a more detailed section on the items." The students are introduced to all three dialects in Irish, she explains. Another key benefit is that their vocabulary is widened and they cover topics, which are of immediate interest to them.
"What's really vital is that it's totally current. It's the 8 p.m. news. It's video, so it's the images as well as the sound," she says. The pack, which will cost £100 for the year, comprises 30 weeks. "It is highly suitable for the Transition Year," adds Ni Ghallachair. The idea has been patented by the University of Bordeaux in France, however Ni Ghallachair has acquired permission from Bordeaux and from TG4 to use the pack for Irish language teacher in Ireland. Ni Ghallachair and a small team of Irish language specialists based at Maynooth will provide the exercises and transcripts for use in the schools.
The exercises and transcripts will be downloaded from NUI Maynooth to the school via the Internet using a password or an email address. "It's only the very basic skills you need to download it," says Ni Ghallachair. The programme will be useful for essay-writing, the Leaving Certificate oral, for basic communication and for revising certain areas of the language.
The programme is now available to all schools in the country. For more information contact email Language. Centre@may.ie or phone (01) 708 3737.
