Modern Languages in the Primary School Curriculum

Overview

The Pilot Project on Modern Languages in the Primary School was initiated in December 1997 when the Minister for Education and Science invited schools to become involved. The initial 277 participating schools introduced modern languages in September 1998. The languages taught are French, German, Spanish and Italian. Schools offer one of these languages to children in 5th and 6th classes. The Pilot Project was renamed the Modern Languages in Primary School Initiative (MLPSI) in 2001. There are currently over 500 schools participating in the Initiative.

The remit of the NCCA

In September 1998 an Education Officer was appointed to develop curriculum guidelines, teacher guidelines. Draft Curriculum Guidelines for teachers and schools involved in the Initiative were published in 1999. Subsequently the accompanying Teacher Guidelines for Modern Languages in Primary Schools were issued to participating schools. The three strands concerned are communicative competence, language awareness and cultural awareness. The guidelines have been developed taking cognisance of the Primary School Curriculum (1999). Both documents are also available in Irish. The NCCA was also charged with completing an interim and final feasibility report on modern languages in the Primary School Curriculum.

Work to date

Following the publication of Modern Languages in Irish Primary Schools: An evaluation of the National Pilot Projects (Harris & Conway, 2002) by Institiúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann (ITÉ), the NCCA completed its interim feasibility report. The Report on the Feasibility of Modern Languages in the Primary School Curriculum (2005) was presented to the Department of Education and Science in 2004. The report recommended that the NCCA should defer advising on the feasibility of introducing modern languages in the Primary School Curriculum until after the full implementation of the Primary School Curriculum in 2007. In the interim, the report also recommended the implementation of small scale pilot projects to investigate different strategies which impact on the teaching and learning of modern languages in primary schools. These small scale pilot projects included;

Language awareness
Content and language integrated learning (CLIL).
Networking of teachers at local level

The pilot projects were implemented during the two year period 2005-2006 and informed the final feasibility report.

In 2008, the NCCA submitted its final report on Modern Languages in the Primary School Curriculum: Feasibility and Futures to the Department of Education and Science (DES). In light of the challenges arising for English and Irish through two phases of Primary Curriculum Review, curriculum overload reported across all subjects, and the changing linguistic landscape in Ireland, the report recommended that a language awareness or language education approach be adopted by all schools in the short to medium term. This approach involves engaging children in reflecting on how languages are learnt, on similarities and differences between known and unknown languages and the conventions of language. The recommendations do not preclude a language competency model being sustained or adopted in schools which can facilitate it.

The NCCA continues to work closely with the MLPSI, the DES and other stakeholders involved in the teaching and learning of modern languages in primary schools.