Keeping the Irish language alive in the classroom
By Rachel Kellaghan
Student teacher Sophie Kehir’s Spidéal experience highlights the need for change in Irish classrooms.
The 21-year-old teacher from Kildare said she is having the “best time” in Spidéal.
“We have been doing céilís, dancing and learning songs in Irish. We’re also doing quiz nights with general knowledge questions, but they’re as Gaelige. If you don’t recognise the whole question, you might get one word in it.”
Kehir reckons this approach to learning is relaxed, and you can pick up words “very naturally”.
However, that has not been the case for what she has observed inside Irish classrooms. When it comes to students learning Irish, she said, “The level of interest for students is gone.”
Kehir acknowledged that it can be difficult for students to learn languages, but “you can make it as fun, interesting and engaging as you want”. Adapting the way Irish is taught can make it more enjoyable and take some of the pressure off students.
She reckons alternative teaching styles may spark interest. As of now, Irish is primarily being taught through class workbooks; however, “songs and poems are amazing, even plays, dramas, or games. Just transmitting Irish into your everyday life,” she said.
The young teacher admitted that her Gaeltacht experience has changed the way she plans to teach in the future, as she hopes to create engaging lesson plans to keep her students interested in learning Irish.
Ultimately, Kehir believes the survival of the language is the priority. “If we want this language to stay alive, things will have to change,” she said.
