9.8 Modern foreign languages

9.8 Modern foreign languages

In 2017, Languages Connect: Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026, and Implementation Plan 2017-2022 were launched

Languages Connect: Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026 and Implementation Plan 2017-2022 were developed in the context of objective 1.6 of the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019. This purpose of this objective is to enable pupils/students to communicate effectively and improve their standards of competence in languages. They were published in 2017.

The strategy and its implementation plan aim to increase the levels of participation and competence in foreign language learning. While providing high-quality language learning opportunities and promoting competence in both official languages, Irish and English, is a very important objective, the Strategy also supports the learning of a range of foreign languages.

Languages Connect is committed to the development of immigrant languages as a national resource, and this is a process that should begin in primary school. The successful learning of Irish at primary school level provides a very good basis for the learning of languages at post-primary level and beyond. In 2020, four new curriculum languages were introduced at Senior Cycle: Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese and Lithuanian. This development recognises the value that linguistic and cultural diversity delivers to individuals, society and the economy. These changes support greater inclusion and appreciation of diversity, and should encourage greater uptake of foreign languages at post-primary level. Also linked to Languages Connect is a proposal in the Primary Curriculum Framework published in 2020 to introduce modern languages to the primary curriculum from third class onwards.

The Languages Connect Strategy 2017-2026 and Implementation Plan 2017-2022.

The Languages Connect Strategy aims to improve learning of foreign languages in the Irish education system and to increase the diversity of provision for languages, as this can bring inherent benefits to individuals, society and the economy. In particular, it aims to put Ireland in the top ten countries in Europe for the teaching and learning of foreign languages, through a range of measures targeted at improving language proficiency, diversity and immersion. The Strategy sets out four overarching goals:

■improve language proficiency by creating a more engaging learning environment

■diversify and increase the uptake of languages learned and cultivate the languages

of the new Irish

■increase awareness of the importance of language learning to encourage the wider

use of foreign languages

■enhance employer engagement in the development and use of trade languages153.

Languages Connect outlines the main actions that will be taken to reach these goals during the lifespan of the strategy.

Languages Connect also sets out commitments for the Inspectorate in relation to the status of foreign language learning. These include the provision of advice and guidance to schools about using school self-evaluation (SSE) and school planning to improve foreign language education, and the use of a range of evaluation approaches to monitor and report on the quality of foreign language education.

Members of the Inspectorate assigned to work with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Unit of the Department contributed to the writing of the policy. The Inspectorate also participated in the Foreign Language Advisory Group, which was established to oversee and monitor the implementation of Languages Connect, and in the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) subject development groups for the new language specifications.

153 The term ‘trade language’ refers to a language used by speakers of different native languages for communication in commercial trade.

The Inspectorate evaluated aspects of the initial implementation of the Languages Connect Strategy The Inspectorate published Modern Foreign Languages: A Report on the Quality of Practic n Post-Primary Schools in April 2020. It drew on data collated from the ninety-four modern foreign language (MFL) subject inspections in post-primary schools, conducted between October 2016 and September 2019. The key findings included:		e Schools Post-Primary in Practice of Quality the on Report A Languages: Foreign Modern 2020 CHÁCHApril DO FOGHLAMA NA FEABHAS EACHT: LL IR A IG HR CO F N AG LEARNIN IN EXCELLENCE INSPECTORATE:
■ There was scope to enhance the learning experience for MFL students through greater use of the target language by both teachers and students, and through more active student participation in learning. CHÁCH DO FOGHLAMA NA FEABHAS EACHT: LL IR A IG HR CO F N AG LEARNIN IN EXCELLENCE INSPECTORATE: ■ Teachers should consider increasing opportunities to develop and promote the subject, including engaging in co-curricular and extra-curricular programmes. ■ The consideration being given to re-instating the modern languages in primary schools initiative was timely. ■ Regular linguistic upskilling in MFL, as part of teacher CPD, is strongly encouraged and curriculum and policy developers should also emphasise the importance of target language use in the classroom and the teacher’s central role as a linguistic model. ■ Greater emphasis should be placed on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), and the merits of introducing CLIL into Transition Year programmes in post-primary should be investigated. ■ Ongoing support for the heritage languages154 is advised in line with the goals of Languages Connect. ■ The implementation of the actions set out within Languages Connect should continue to be progressed in a timely manner.		CHÁCH LL A HR DO CO F FOGHLAMA AG LEARNIN IN NA EXCELLENCE FEABHAS EACHT: INSPECTORATE: IR IG N

Figure from page 275

154 The term ‘heritage language’ refers to languages other than the dominant language in a given social context. In Ireland, heritage languages will include any of the languages spoken by immigrant communities such as Chinese, Polish, Portuguese or Lithuanian.