Important: Participants in this course will not be entitled to EPV days upon completion of the course.
This online course is aimed at primary school teachers who are teaching classes 3–6 and is based on Gníomhaíochtaí Gasta, a book of communication activities for primary school teachers. It is suitable for teachers who want to learn more about the principles and structure of communicative lessons. Each module contains sample lessons based on themes 1–5 of the curriculum. In these lessons, there is a focus on the communicative approach to teaching, and activities for pre-communication, real communication and post-communication are included.

The main objectives of the course are:

• to give teachers an understanding of the best methods to use when teaching the Irish curriculum, and of the principles and structure of communicative lessons;
• to give teachers new ideas for teaching Irish, to encourage their interest in the language and to help them improve their students’ ability to communicate;
• to add to the teachers’ teaching skills through Irish and to improve their confidence in using the language;
• to teach the vocabulary and core grammar relating to themes 1-5 of the curriculum through enjoyable interactive activities;
• to give teachers an opportunity to develop their comprehension and speaking skills by listening to audio files in which the focus is on the language used in communicative lessons, thus improving their teaching skills;
• to advise participants in regard to school self-evaluation and school improvement.

Author

This course was written by Siobhán Patten, who is originally from Achill, County Mayo. She spent several years working as a primary school teacher before being employed by Gaelchultúr, first as a tutor and then as Specialised Courses Manager.

Siobhán has extensive experience in developing syllabuses, teaching materials and lessons plans for learners of Irish of various ages and at various levels of competency.

Gaelchultúr published her first book, Gníomhaíochtaí Gasta, in 2013. That book contains 60 communication activities, aimed at primary school teachers who teach classes 3–6 in both T1 and T2 schools.

Module 1 - Describing People

• Vocabulary, audio material, communication game, communication activities and main grammar points relating to the theme above.
• Language functions: seeking and giving information

Module 2 - Housework

• Vocabulary, audio material, games and verbs relating to the theme above.
• Language functions: seeking and giving information

Module 3 - In the Classroom

• Vocabulary, audio material, communication activities and grammar relating to the theme above.
• Language functions: seeking and giving information

Module 4 - Food and Meals

• Vocabulary and grammar relating the theme above
• Language functions: seeking and giving information

Module 5 - Television Programmes

• Vocabulary, audio material, communication games and grammar relating to the theme above.
• Language functions: seeking and giving information

Course layout

There are five modules in the course Gníomhaíochtaí Gasta: Topics 1–5 of the Curriculum and each module contains a mixture of grammatical explanation and exercises. After you have read some grammar rules, you have an opportunity to try several exercises based on those rules.

All the exercises are interactive. Once you’ve completed an exercise, you can then click on the Seol (Send) button and receive feedback immediately. You’ll be told which answers were correct and which were incorrect, and you’ll given the correct answers and a score.

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.