Maynooth Post-Primary School
Moyglare Road, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Project coordinator : Helen English
EOL-E-26
Case study
B
Project title: A Language & Culture Club for Maynooth Post- Primary School
What is the school already doing in these fields? Project aims
1. Language
and languages
School curriculum languages: English, Irish, German, French,
Spanish, Japanese
ļ· Support and celebrate studentsā home languages and backgrounds
ļ· Affirm, value, develop language biographies of students
ļ· Develop welcoming and inclusive attitudes to diversity and minorities
ļ· Involve parents as mentors to support the learning of students
ļ· Develop links with the wider community
ļ· Provide opportunities for interested/talented students to develop, extend their language
repertoires
ļ· Broaden language provision in whole school context and promote linguistic diversity
ļ· Create autonomous and informed language learners
ļ· Increase motivation and engagement among learners
ļ· Encourage creativity and innovative approaches to language learning in less formal learning
environments
ļ· Develop plurilingual and intercultural education
The club will likely function as an after school initiative. Motivation and engagement are key to the
approach with learners not only choosing the language they wish to learn, but also exercising choice
in elements of what and how to learn.
Students who join the club will wish to learn another language and/or wish to strengthen their
home language(s). They may require help with literacy in this language and may want to learn more
about the culture of their home country. In some cases they may choose to do Leaving Certificate
exam in this language where possible.
The coordinator acts as a facilitator of language learning rather than a teacher of a specific language
by creating the conditions for students to manage their own learning processes and supporting
them to learn collaboratively with their peers. The coordinator will liaise with parents, language
teachers, volunteer mentors and students in overseeing the activities of the club.
Mentors are an integral part of this language project. Mentors are parents or volunteers from the
local community who are expert linguists in the target languages that students are studying. They
may be native speakers or people who are fluent due to an extended period of study, or time spent
abroad.
Mentors come into school to work alongside the students, helping with language investigation,
tasks, projects, pronunciation and role plays. At the start of each lesson a ment or is given guidance
by the coordinator about the ways in which they can support the key objectives for the lesson.
2.
Valuing
languages
Language Support Programme: International students are
encouraged to maintain strong links to home languages, to
improve literacy skills and to prepare for Leaving Certificate
exams in home languages. Language exchange programmes for
students learning German, French, Spanish. Seachtain na
Gaeilge (Irish Language & Culture week)
3.
Interculturality
Informal tandem language learning partnerships exist between
international students and Irish students who wish to learn a
new language.
An international Language & Culture event + international lunch
event each year in school. Visits, outings with Syrian refugee
students attending St. Paulās School, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare.
School tour to a European destination each year
E-twinning + Erasmus+ school partnership projects
4. Enriching
curricula
Cultural trips for international students to museums, galleries,
places of interest in Dublin and country-wide.
Participation in EU Council Model Debate for secondary schools.
Debating/Public speaking. Extensive range of sporting activities.
Transition Year programme offers many curriculum enrichment
activities.
5. Everyday
languages
English, Irish
Project summary
The club will work in tandem with the languagesā provision already in place in
school, and is not designed to āteachā a language, but to equip students with the
skills to develop as independent learners supported by school, home and a
language proficient mentor from the community.
