Tumoideachas i nGaelscoil Uí Earcáin
Immersion Education in Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin
Tá sé mar pholasaí lárnach againn i nGaelscoil Uí Earcáin go ndéantar ár ndaltaí a mhúineadh trí mheán an tumoideachais (Immersion Education) ina bhfuil gach ábhar múinte trí Ghaeilge (seachas Béarla mar ábhar i Naíonáin Mhóra ar aghaidh). Mar pháirt den pholasaí seo, ní mhúintear aon Bhéarla in aon chor don chéad cheithre théarma den saol scoile (Naíonáin Bheaga agus téarma 1 de Naíonáin Mhóra). De bharr na straitéise seo, éiríonn leis na páistí líofacht sa Ghaeilge a bhaint amach agus téann said i dtaithí ar na hábhair eile trí Ghaeilge chomh maith.
Tá teanga na Gaeilge ina ghné lárnach den saol laethúil in aon Ghaelscoil; i dteagasc agus i bhfoghlaim sa seomra ranga, sa chaidreamh a dhéantar amuigh sa chlós agus mar pháirt d'eachtraí seachchuraclaim agus lasmuigh de limistéar na scoile. Déanaimid iarracht cultúr a spreagadh ina mbaintear úsáid as teanga na Gaeilge i slí thairbheach agus oideachasúil. Ní hamháin go bhfuil Gaeilge thaitneamhach agus chultúrtha i suíomh tumoideachais ach tá sí sochrach do na páistí freisin.
Tá dátheangachas forleathan timpeall an domhain agus fágann sé sin go bhfuil an Ghaelscolaíocht agus an tumoideachas níos tábhachtaí inniu ná riamh. Labhraíonn 50% den domhan dhá theanga nó níos mó agus in Éirinn faoi láthair labhraítear níos mó ná 167 teanga. Ciallaíonn dátheangachas go bhfuil cainteoirí líofa in dhá theanga agus éiríonn le páistí a dhéanann freastal ar Ghaelscoileanna seo a bhaint amach, trí thumoideachas. Tá go leor buntáistí a bhaineann le tumoideachas agus leis an nGaelscolaíocht agus téann siad seo go léir i ngleic ar an pháiste ar shlí dhearfach, spreagúil.
· Téann páistí i ngleic le teangacha nua níos tapúla na daoine fásta: Tá sé nádúrtha do pháistí óga a bheith níos tapúla ag piocadh suas teangacha nua ná daoine fásta. Má dhéanaimid leanbh a chur i gcomparáid le duine fásta tuigimid faoi deara go mbíonn líon na bhfocal nua níos mó i gcás an pháiste, fiú más dara nó tríú teanga atá i gceist. Sin an fáth go mbíonn níos mó deacrachtaí ag daoine fásta le teangacha nua ar nós Fraincis, Gearmáinis agus Spáinnis. Má chloistear an teanga nua timpeall ar an bhfoghlaimeoir gach lá éiríonn leo bheith líofa sa teanga sin níos tapúla. Tarlaíonn seo do pháistí i nGaelscoileanna mar nach gcloistear ach Gaeilge i Naíonáin Bheaga agus i dtéarma amháin de Naíonáin Mhóra. Tá sé mar an gcéanna i ranganna eile; caitheann na páistí an chuid is mó den lá scoile gan aon ionchur Béarla ón múinteoir agus leanann an líofacht ar aghaidh.
· Tá páistí in ann foghlaim in aon teanga, fiú muna bhfuil an chéad teanga i gceist: Tá sé ráite go bhfuil 'Common Underlying Proficiency' ag páistí a chiallaíonn go bhfuil deis agus cumas ag gach uile pháiste foghlaim agus nach ndéanann an teanga theagaisc aon difríocht maidir le dul chun cinn an pháiste, a fhad is go dtosaíonn an foghlaimeoir ag úsáid an teanga ag aois óg. Tá páistí, agus iad ag freastal ar Ghaelscoil, óg go leor chun líofacht a bhaint amach i nGaeilge agus sa chéad teanga.
· Déanann páistí forbairt ar smaointeoireacht theibí agus scileanna ardoird trí bheith ag foghlaim ag úsáid an dara teanga: Cabhraíonn líofacht i níos mó ná teanga amháin le páistí scileanna meiteachognaíoch agus smaointeoireacht theibí a fhorbairt. Cuirtear brú ar pháistí atá ag foghlaim trí mheán an dara teanga, Gaeilge mar shampla, smaoineamh faoi conas a oibríonn rudaí, níos mó ná páistí i suíomh Béarla. Mar shampla, bíonn orthu anailís a dhéanamh ar phróiseas agus ar scileanna sa mhata in ionad a bheith ag éisteacht leis an mhúinteoir ag caint fúthu. Tá níos mó smaointeoireacht ardoird i gceist anseo chomh maith. Tá tionchar dearfach ag seo ar IQ, ar smaoineamh ardoird agus cruthaitheacht. Tá na páistí seo in ann ‘smaoineamh lasmuigh den bhosca’ i slí theibí ilghnéitheach a chabhraíonn leo dul chun cinn a dhéanamh san fhoghlaim.
· Déanann páistí scileanna sóisialta agus cumarsáide a fhorbairt mar go mbíonn ar mhúinteoirí geaitsí, gotha agus gluaiseacht in ionad aistriú go Béarla: Caithfimid, mar mhúinteoirí i nGaelscoil, úsáid a bhaint as an nglór, geaitsí, gotha agus gluaiseacht níos mó agus muid ag déanamh cumarsáide le páistí. I suíomh tumoideachais ní i gcónaí a bhíonn taithí ag páistí leis an dara teanga sa bhaile agus ní thuigeann siad gach focal atá a rá againn. Mar sin, bíonn orainn an glór, geaitsí, gotha agus gluaiseacht a úsáid chun rudaí a mhíniú do na páistí. Is scil thábhachtach í seo mar go dtugann sé deis do pháistí scileanna sóisialta a fheiceáil agus a fhoghlaim. Ní hionann na focail a deirtear i gcumarsáid ach 7% den t-eispéareas a fhaighimid sa chumarsáid. Is ionann 93% agus tuin na cainte, gotha, geaitsí agus gluaiseacht a théann leis na focail. Faigheann páistí taithí ar seo sa Ghaelscoil agus déanann siad forbairt ar na scileanna seo ag aois níos óige.
· Bíonn tuiscint níos fearr ag páistí dátheangach ar struchtúr agus ar rialacha a bhaineann le teangacha: Feiceann na páistí gur lipéid iad na focail atá in úsáid acu agus tuigeann siad go bhfuil níos mó ná slí amháin chun rud éigin a rá. Tá an Ghaeilge an-difriúil ón gcéad teanga a bhíonn ag go leor páistí agus má cuirimid í i gcomparáid leis an mBéarla í, tá struchtúr iomlán difriúil i gceist, go háirithe i gcás ord na bhfocal. Nuair a dhéanann páistí cíoradh ar theangacha mar seo ag an am céanna bíonn siad eolach ar struchtúr agus ar rialacha gramadaí. De bharr seo bíonn páistí cumasach i ngach teanga.
Immersion Education in Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin
In Gaelcoil Uí Earcáin, it is a central policy that we educate our students through the medium of Immersion Education (tumoideachas) in which we teach only through Irish (except in cases where English as a subject is being taught). As part of this policy, we teach no English whatsoever for the first four terms of the school cycle (Naíonáin Bheaga and term 1 of Naíonáin Mhóra). Through this strategy, the children become proficient in Irish and experience all other curriculum subjects through Irish.
The Irish language is central in every aspect of daily life in a Gaelscoil, whether it is in the classroom’s teaching and learning, interactions in the yard or in extracurricular and off-campus activities. We aim to foster a culture here that promotes and uses the Irish language in a beneficial, educational and fun way. The Irish language is not only an enjoyable, cultural aspect of learning but also one that, in an immersion education setting, really benefits the children we teach.
The dominance of bilingualism across the world means that Gaelscoileanna and Immersion Education are more relevant today than ever. 50% of the world speak two languages or more and in Ireland alone more than 167 languages are today spoken. Bilingualism equates with fluency in two languages or more and is exactly what those who attend Gaelscoileanna achieve, through Irish medium education. There are a number of very important factors which prove how beneficial Gaelscolaíocht / Immersion Education is to the child.
· Children are more receptive to new languages than adults: Young children are naturally much quicker at picking up languages than adults. Compare how quickly a toddler picks up words and phrases on a daily basis and how adults sometimes struggle somewhat with foreign languages like French, German or Spanish. This is because children acquire languages more quickly, particularly if they experience this language around them every day. Children who are submerged in the Irish language in Naíonáin Bheaga and Naíonáin Mhóra generally pick it up quickly as a result of this and become fluent in a very short time. It is the same in older class groups because they hear Irish for the predominant part of the school day with no English input.
· Children are enabled to learn, regardless of which language they are taught in: Children are said to have a ‘common underlying proficiency’ which means that all children are enabled to learn, regardless of the language they are being taught in. As mentioned above, an important factor in the success of this is that children begin learning the language they are being taught through at as young an age as possible. Children, on entry to a Gaelscoil, are young enough to attain proficiency in both Irish and English and be equally skilled in both languages.
· Children build abstract and higher order thinking skills by learning through a second language: Learning more than one language develops the child’s metacognitive and abstract thinking skills. Children who are learning through Irish, particularly if Irish is a second or third language, have to think about and analyse how things work more than children in an English speaking setting. For example, in a maths lesson the children become accustomed to analysing what is happening rather than merely hearing the teacher talk about it. This is because they do not have a complete set of words or phrases in which to articulate their learning all the time. They learn more about the processes of the subjects they’re learning and engage in higher order thinking. It’s been proven to improve IQ, higher order thinking and creativity. Children with two languages or more also recognise words as ‘labels’ and that one singular object can have multiple labels (e.g. chair, cathaoir, chaise, stuhl) This helps the child think ‘outside the box’ in an abstract and multifaceted way which greatly enhances their learning.
· Children develop social skills and communication skills because teachers have to use gesture, movement and facial expression as an alternative for translating: We as teachers in a Gaelscoil are implored to use gesture and voice much more when we are communicating with the children we teach. Why? This is because, in an immersion education setting where children are somewhat unfamiliar with Irish, they do not understand every word we say. We as teachers need to use facial gesture, body language and movement when we are talking to help explain what we are saying in Irish. This is a very important skill which the children then learn to their advantage. Only 7% of what we experience in communication comes from the actual words which are said. The other 93% is made up of tone, gesture, expression and movement along with the words. Children who experience this in a Gaelscoil setting become better at these skills at a very early age.
· Children who learn more than one language understand how language works more than those who only learn one language: Children who learn more than one language see words as labels and realise that there are many ways to say something, to describe things or to structure or word a sentence. Irish is a unique language, very different from the first language of most children. Comparing it with English, for example, we see that the order of words is completely different. When children explore different languages like these at the same time they become more aware of the structures and rules of grammar and as a result, extremely proficient at each language.
Tá teanga na Gaeilge ina ghné lárnach den saol laethúil in aon Ghaelscoil; i dteagasc agus i bhfoghlaim sa seomra ranga, sa chaidreamh a dhéantar amuigh sa chlós agus mar pháirt d'eachtraí seachchuraclaim agus lasmuigh de limistéar na scoile. Déanaimid iarracht cultúr a spreagadh ina mbaintear úsáid as teanga na Gaeilge i slí thairbheach agus oideachasúil. Ní hamháin go bhfuil Gaeilge thaitneamhach agus chultúrtha i suíomh tumoideachais ach tá sí sochrach do na páistí freisin.
Tá dátheangachas forleathan timpeall an domhain agus fágann sé sin go bhfuil an Ghaelscolaíocht agus an tumoideachas níos tábhachtaí inniu ná riamh. Labhraíonn 50% den domhan dhá theanga nó níos mó agus in Éirinn faoi láthair labhraítear níos mó ná 167 teanga. Ciallaíonn dátheangachas go bhfuil cainteoirí líofa in dhá theanga agus éiríonn le páistí a dhéanann freastal ar Ghaelscoileanna seo a bhaint amach, trí thumoideachas. Tá go leor buntáistí a bhaineann le tumoideachas agus leis an nGaelscolaíocht agus téann siad seo go léir i ngleic ar an pháiste ar shlí dhearfach, spreagúil.
· Téann páistí i ngleic le teangacha nua níos tapúla na daoine fásta: Tá sé nádúrtha do pháistí óga a bheith níos tapúla ag piocadh suas teangacha nua ná daoine fásta. Má dhéanaimid leanbh a chur i gcomparáid le duine fásta tuigimid faoi deara go mbíonn líon na bhfocal nua níos mó i gcás an pháiste, fiú más dara nó tríú teanga atá i gceist. Sin an fáth go mbíonn níos mó deacrachtaí ag daoine fásta le teangacha nua ar nós Fraincis, Gearmáinis agus Spáinnis. Má chloistear an teanga nua timpeall ar an bhfoghlaimeoir gach lá éiríonn leo bheith líofa sa teanga sin níos tapúla. Tarlaíonn seo do pháistí i nGaelscoileanna mar nach gcloistear ach Gaeilge i Naíonáin Bheaga agus i dtéarma amháin de Naíonáin Mhóra. Tá sé mar an gcéanna i ranganna eile; caitheann na páistí an chuid is mó den lá scoile gan aon ionchur Béarla ón múinteoir agus leanann an líofacht ar aghaidh.
· Tá páistí in ann foghlaim in aon teanga, fiú muna bhfuil an chéad teanga i gceist: Tá sé ráite go bhfuil 'Common Underlying Proficiency' ag páistí a chiallaíonn go bhfuil deis agus cumas ag gach uile pháiste foghlaim agus nach ndéanann an teanga theagaisc aon difríocht maidir le dul chun cinn an pháiste, a fhad is go dtosaíonn an foghlaimeoir ag úsáid an teanga ag aois óg. Tá páistí, agus iad ag freastal ar Ghaelscoil, óg go leor chun líofacht a bhaint amach i nGaeilge agus sa chéad teanga.
· Déanann páistí forbairt ar smaointeoireacht theibí agus scileanna ardoird trí bheith ag foghlaim ag úsáid an dara teanga: Cabhraíonn líofacht i níos mó ná teanga amháin le páistí scileanna meiteachognaíoch agus smaointeoireacht theibí a fhorbairt. Cuirtear brú ar pháistí atá ag foghlaim trí mheán an dara teanga, Gaeilge mar shampla, smaoineamh faoi conas a oibríonn rudaí, níos mó ná páistí i suíomh Béarla. Mar shampla, bíonn orthu anailís a dhéanamh ar phróiseas agus ar scileanna sa mhata in ionad a bheith ag éisteacht leis an mhúinteoir ag caint fúthu. Tá níos mó smaointeoireacht ardoird i gceist anseo chomh maith. Tá tionchar dearfach ag seo ar IQ, ar smaoineamh ardoird agus cruthaitheacht. Tá na páistí seo in ann ‘smaoineamh lasmuigh den bhosca’ i slí theibí ilghnéitheach a chabhraíonn leo dul chun cinn a dhéanamh san fhoghlaim.
· Déanann páistí scileanna sóisialta agus cumarsáide a fhorbairt mar go mbíonn ar mhúinteoirí geaitsí, gotha agus gluaiseacht in ionad aistriú go Béarla: Caithfimid, mar mhúinteoirí i nGaelscoil, úsáid a bhaint as an nglór, geaitsí, gotha agus gluaiseacht níos mó agus muid ag déanamh cumarsáide le páistí. I suíomh tumoideachais ní i gcónaí a bhíonn taithí ag páistí leis an dara teanga sa bhaile agus ní thuigeann siad gach focal atá a rá againn. Mar sin, bíonn orainn an glór, geaitsí, gotha agus gluaiseacht a úsáid chun rudaí a mhíniú do na páistí. Is scil thábhachtach í seo mar go dtugann sé deis do pháistí scileanna sóisialta a fheiceáil agus a fhoghlaim. Ní hionann na focail a deirtear i gcumarsáid ach 7% den t-eispéareas a fhaighimid sa chumarsáid. Is ionann 93% agus tuin na cainte, gotha, geaitsí agus gluaiseacht a théann leis na focail. Faigheann páistí taithí ar seo sa Ghaelscoil agus déanann siad forbairt ar na scileanna seo ag aois níos óige.
· Bíonn tuiscint níos fearr ag páistí dátheangach ar struchtúr agus ar rialacha a bhaineann le teangacha: Feiceann na páistí gur lipéid iad na focail atá in úsáid acu agus tuigeann siad go bhfuil níos mó ná slí amháin chun rud éigin a rá. Tá an Ghaeilge an-difriúil ón gcéad teanga a bhíonn ag go leor páistí agus má cuirimid í i gcomparáid leis an mBéarla í, tá struchtúr iomlán difriúil i gceist, go háirithe i gcás ord na bhfocal. Nuair a dhéanann páistí cíoradh ar theangacha mar seo ag an am céanna bíonn siad eolach ar struchtúr agus ar rialacha gramadaí. De bharr seo bíonn páistí cumasach i ngach teanga.
Immersion Education in Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin
In Gaelcoil Uí Earcáin, it is a central policy that we educate our students through the medium of Immersion Education (tumoideachas) in which we teach only through Irish (except in cases where English as a subject is being taught). As part of this policy, we teach no English whatsoever for the first four terms of the school cycle (Naíonáin Bheaga and term 1 of Naíonáin Mhóra). Through this strategy, the children become proficient in Irish and experience all other curriculum subjects through Irish.
The Irish language is central in every aspect of daily life in a Gaelscoil, whether it is in the classroom’s teaching and learning, interactions in the yard or in extracurricular and off-campus activities. We aim to foster a culture here that promotes and uses the Irish language in a beneficial, educational and fun way. The Irish language is not only an enjoyable, cultural aspect of learning but also one that, in an immersion education setting, really benefits the children we teach.
The dominance of bilingualism across the world means that Gaelscoileanna and Immersion Education are more relevant today than ever. 50% of the world speak two languages or more and in Ireland alone more than 167 languages are today spoken. Bilingualism equates with fluency in two languages or more and is exactly what those who attend Gaelscoileanna achieve, through Irish medium education. There are a number of very important factors which prove how beneficial Gaelscolaíocht / Immersion Education is to the child.
· Children are more receptive to new languages than adults: Young children are naturally much quicker at picking up languages than adults. Compare how quickly a toddler picks up words and phrases on a daily basis and how adults sometimes struggle somewhat with foreign languages like French, German or Spanish. This is because children acquire languages more quickly, particularly if they experience this language around them every day. Children who are submerged in the Irish language in Naíonáin Bheaga and Naíonáin Mhóra generally pick it up quickly as a result of this and become fluent in a very short time. It is the same in older class groups because they hear Irish for the predominant part of the school day with no English input.
· Children are enabled to learn, regardless of which language they are taught in: Children are said to have a ‘common underlying proficiency’ which means that all children are enabled to learn, regardless of the language they are being taught in. As mentioned above, an important factor in the success of this is that children begin learning the language they are being taught through at as young an age as possible. Children, on entry to a Gaelscoil, are young enough to attain proficiency in both Irish and English and be equally skilled in both languages.
· Children build abstract and higher order thinking skills by learning through a second language: Learning more than one language develops the child’s metacognitive and abstract thinking skills. Children who are learning through Irish, particularly if Irish is a second or third language, have to think about and analyse how things work more than children in an English speaking setting. For example, in a maths lesson the children become accustomed to analysing what is happening rather than merely hearing the teacher talk about it. This is because they do not have a complete set of words or phrases in which to articulate their learning all the time. They learn more about the processes of the subjects they’re learning and engage in higher order thinking. It’s been proven to improve IQ, higher order thinking and creativity. Children with two languages or more also recognise words as ‘labels’ and that one singular object can have multiple labels (e.g. chair, cathaoir, chaise, stuhl) This helps the child think ‘outside the box’ in an abstract and multifaceted way which greatly enhances their learning.
· Children develop social skills and communication skills because teachers have to use gesture, movement and facial expression as an alternative for translating: We as teachers in a Gaelscoil are implored to use gesture and voice much more when we are communicating with the children we teach. Why? This is because, in an immersion education setting where children are somewhat unfamiliar with Irish, they do not understand every word we say. We as teachers need to use facial gesture, body language and movement when we are talking to help explain what we are saying in Irish. This is a very important skill which the children then learn to their advantage. Only 7% of what we experience in communication comes from the actual words which are said. The other 93% is made up of tone, gesture, expression and movement along with the words. Children who experience this in a Gaelscoil setting become better at these skills at a very early age.
· Children who learn more than one language understand how language works more than those who only learn one language: Children who learn more than one language see words as labels and realise that there are many ways to say something, to describe things or to structure or word a sentence. Irish is a unique language, very different from the first language of most children. Comparing it with English, for example, we see that the order of words is completely different. When children explore different languages like these at the same time they become more aware of the structures and rules of grammar and as a result, extremely proficient at each language.