This course is aimed at primary school teachers who have a reasonably good standard of Irish but who wish to improve their grammar. The course does not aim to give a comprehensive account of Irish grammar, rather it concentrates on some of the core aspects of the grammar and on points that come up regularly in the classroom. The course is bilingual - each sentence in Irish is translated into English.

The main objectives of the course are:

• to improve the participants’ standard of Irish by explaining the core aspects of grammar in a clear, concise manner;
• to draw the teachers’ attention to the importance of accuracy in Irish and to encourage them to put what they have learnt into practice in the classroom, something that will benefit both them and their pupils;
• to give teachers an opportunity to exchange practical ideas for the classroom through the discussion forum.

Authors

This course was written by Éamonn Ó Dónaill, one of the founders and directors of Gaelchultúr (www.gaelchultur.com). Helen Hegarty edited Accuracy in Irish for Primary School Teachers and wrote some of the exercises as well.

The course does not aim to give a comprehensive account of Irish grammar, rather it concentrates on some of the core aspects of the grammar and on points that come up regularly in the classroom.

Module 1

• Unit 1: The Noun
• Unit 2: The Adjective 1
• Unit 3: The Adjective 2

Module 2

• Unit 1: Simple Prepositions
• Unit 2: Simple Prepositions and the Article
• Unit 3: Personal Pronouns
• Unit 4: Prepositional Pronouns

Module 3

• Unit 1: The Imperative Mood
• Unit 2: The Past Tense
• Unit 3: The Present Tense
• Unit 4: The Future Tense

Module 4

• Unit 1: Cardinal Numbers
• Unit 2: Personal Numbers
• Unit 3: Dates / Ordinal Numbers

Module 5

• Unit 1: Location, Movement and Time
• Unit 2: Possessive Pronouns

Course layout

There are five modules in the course Cruinneas sa Ghaeilge do Mhúinteoirí Bunscoile and each module contains a mixture of grammatical explanation and exercises. After you have read some grammar rules, you have an opportunity to try some exercises based on those rules. Approximately twenty hours must be spent on the online activities.

All the exercises are interactive. Once you have completed an exercise, you can then click on the Seol (Send) button and receive feedback immediately. You’re told which answers were correct and which were incorrect, and you’re given the correct answers and a score. These exercises are not assessed; their aim is to stimulate the learner’s interaction with the course content, and to give him/her the opportunity to practise what he/she has learned.

Forum

Participation in the online debate forum is an obligatory part of each module. Learners must participate in the forum by sharing ideas with the other participants, and by completing written tasks. The learners also have an opportunity to contact the course facilitators on the forum.

Assessment

There are interactive exercises in each module, and once you have completed an exercise you can then click on the Seol (Send) button and receive feedback immediately. While you are given a score for these exercises, they are not assessed for the purposes of the award of EPV days; their aim is to stimulate the learner’s interaction with the course content, and to give him/her the opportunity to practise what he/she has learned.

Participation in the online debate forum is an obligatory part of each module. Learners must participate in the forum by sharing ideas with the other participants, and by completing written tasks.

At the end of the course, the participants must answer a reflective question. This question will confirm that you have engaged with the course content, and it will give you the opportunity to reflect on the implementation of the course content in the classroom.

Assessment of your work is based predominantly on the standard of your written work, but a record will also be kept of the amount of time you spent working on the course.

Important

In order to earn 3 EPV days, the course must be completed between 1 July 2011 and 26 August 2011. During that period, it’s up to you to decide when to study the course content.

Department of Education and Skills criteria for on-line courses stipulate that participants may only complete one on-line course for the awarding of EPV days.

When can I begin the course?

Immediately! Students study the course independently of a teacher. This means that you can improve your Irish in the office or from the comfort of your home, at your own pace, and at whatever time suits you.

What happens if I have a question?

Write it on the forum! You’ll be able to contact other learners through this discussion forum. You can send messages, ask and answer questions, and express ideas there. Members of the Gaelchultúr team keep an eye on the forum, so they’ll be able to answer any tricky questions.