Learning Irish to become a primary teacher! help!

galwaygirl93

Dia dhuit,

I have recently started learning Irish again in order to complete a postgraduate in primary education. I am actually starting to like the language much more than expected and much more than I did in school!

I would really appreciate if anyone could recommend some helpful resources. I am learning the language primarily by myself with some grinds and if I could get some more helpful books or dvds it would be a great help.

Thank you.

uch

Go to your local Library, they usually have super Irish Language resources

deirdremf

galwaygirl93 wrote: »

Dia dhuit,

I have recently started learning Irish again in order to complete a postgraduate in primary education. I am actually starting to like the language much more than expected and much more than I did in school!

I would really appreciate if anyone could recommend some helpful resources. I am learning the language primarily by myself with some grinds and if I could get some more helpful books or dvds it would be a great help.

Thank you.

Buy the course "Learning Irish" by Mícheál Ó Siadhail.
You should find it at any decent bookshop.
It is probably available in your college library, or maybe they will order it for you if not.
Although it's been around for quite a while, it is still the best course available - book and CD.

There's a related online workbook by Nancy Stenson to improve your grammar - the book itself is a bit lacking in this detail.
http://www.phouka.com/stenson/intro.htm

catgreenapple

Hi Galwaygirl,

I'm also a primary teacher trying to prepare for the SCG exam. If you go on the ilrweb.ie, under "learning resources" they have a few free resources for beginner to intermediate. They come with downloadable audio clips too. I have found these really useful...though you may find they're too simple for you (I didn't do Leaving Cert Irish).

I bought Gaelige Gan Stro book and CD a few months back. Think it was around 40 euro. I wouldn't recommend it to be honest. It's a very dull way of learning. Basically, listen to a conversation between two people, then you're expected to straight away say these sentences.

There's a really good resource on the BBC website- Northern Ireland. It's called Giota Beag by Fergal Mc Guigan.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/irish/articles/view/625/gaeilge/
Not sure if you can access all of it outside of the North, but it's really great. It has 45 lessons in total starting from very beginning and moving towards intermediate. But really interesting and fun way of learning it.

Hope that helps a little!
Ádh mór ort!

lfqnic

Maith sibh, with a positive attitude you'll both be up and running in no time! I started as an adult and spent every penny on dvds, books, cds and courses, so I should have some good advice

- I really liked Tús Maith for a home study course - it isn't super modern (CD and ring binder) but I found the stuff fairly practical and useful. I didn't like Learning Irish by Ó Siadhail for that reason - I think it's more geared towards linguists than the average language learner who wants practical daily vocab.

- If you already have some Irish, Tús Maith might be a wee bit simple. Turas Teanga is geared towards people who studied Irish at school and have decided to go back. At least one of their video things, Eochair an Ghrá, is on youtube so you can see the sort of level it aims at.

- If you go to teg.ie, there are free worksheets to download for various european levels of proficiency in Irish, with freely downloadable sound files and stuff as well. I took one of the exams when I was in second year of uni, having gone through the course myself - there are also teacher's notes and I think Conradh na Gaeilge's evening classes are based around TEG.

- Evening classes and gaeltacht courses are also good ideas. Gael Linn do a good intense course, something like 6 weeks for 6 hours a week in the evenings. You'd want to pick the level carefully, and it is dear enough, but I really recommend it. I think after a week or two there I actually began to feel like I could use the language. I was never so taken with CnaG, but probably because I put myself in a class that was too easy for me. I think Gaelchultúr have courses specifically geared towards training teachers, so check them out (much of their stuff is online and also on the pricey side). Gael Linn do adult gaeltacht courses but I think the big one grown ups is Oideas Gael in Gleann Cholm Cille in Donegal. Really nice place, and I think they have classes for trainee teachers too. (I'm not sure if you're based in Galway and how much of this stuff applies, but you could contact Áras na nGael for info!).

- Two great, free, underappreciated resources are tg4 and R na G. Honestly, you can save yourself a lot of active energy by just watching / listening for an hour a day. RnaG Irish is generally a bit more correct and "gaeltachty" than TG4 but TG4 has subtitles and a wider range of stuff. Their player is also a good resource. When I was just beginning, it was in the summer and they'd show 2 episodes of Ros na Rún every week day. It was insanely helpful! Just listen actively, rather than only staring at the subtitles.

Beidh sibh beirt ag spalpadh na gaeilge roimh i bhfad, tá mé suite de! Má theastaíonn aon chomhairle eile uaibh, ná bíodh drogall oraibh ceist a chur

blue star

I am also studying for the SCG course..thanks for the great advise on resources.

Has anyone done the Scg course and want to share any advise?? would be much appreciated

Mundy07

Brilliant resources thank you.

As a side, any advice on courses available for studying for honours leaving cert Irish to get into a primary tracing course?

lfqnic

I briefly thought I was going to have to take the leaving and the impression I got was that you do it yourself (possibly with grinds) and then find somewhere to sit the exam. I'm not from the South though so I'm afraid I don't know anything for sure about how it works. I'd ask either the training college, or possibly Gaelchultúr/Conradh na Gaeilge for advice on that front. Otherwise, Eason's has plenty of LC textbooks which I presume cover the curriculum - I remember getting one called Draíocht which seemed pretty good, and there were several in a series. I think there are also workbooks (but on the downside, you have to motivate and structure it a bit yourself).

Now is a good time to look for grinds from returning students in later years of uni / postgrads. Trinity has a noticeboard for that if you're in Dublin, or you can PM me (I'm in the dept).

Mundy07

Thanks a mill,
Iii have you tortured.
The institute of education leeson street offer courses geared towards individuals who want the honours Irish in LC specifically for teaching but are over €1000. Crumlin college offer a course for €100 and Plunket offer one for €360,
There are huge cost differences and i don't understand why??

And if there are other places that provide this course too??

Hoping to go to Plunket as it is near me and I've small kids and don't want to commute to leeson st. These courses are one year do must condense the 2 year LC into one and i cannot find any information on how successful they are. Plus the LC is now 40% oral!!!

lfqnic

I think the Institute is just crazy dear. Maybe you'd have more contact hours or something? If I were you I'd ask each college for a handout with info on the course (or to speak to the teachers), and also post on boards to see if anyone has done any of them. You might find out which of them are worth bothering with that way.

The 40% oral can be a good thing! All you need is practise - Irish is pretty easy to speak once you have the confidence. No need to worry about spelling and you can get away with more grammar mistakes And it'll be more useful for you as a teacher too! You'll be graaand Just listen to as much of it as you can (rnag/tg4) and when you feel a bit more comfortable, look for convo classes or grinds. Ádh mór

daithicarr

what ever course you decide i strongly recommend using Anki, its a great bit of space repetition learning software.

Bascially you input the information yourself and i find it great for testing and learning.

I use the old teach yourself Irish and other Munster Irish sources, and input the information and audio in to it ( you can get native audio on Forvo as well)

So for example a question will popup (i input from the book),
Then you can click answer when you think you've answered it and have the answer and audio pop up. you can then rank how well you did and it will repeat the question again at intervals depending on how well you did.

i find the stuff sticks better and you learn to recall it quicker.

deirdremf

lfqnic wrote: »

Maith sibh, with a positive attitude you'll both be up and running in no time! I started as an adult and spent every penny on dvds, books, cds and courses, so I should have some good advice

- I really liked Tús Maith for a home study course - it isn't super modern (CD and ring binder) but I found the stuff fairly practical and useful. I didn't like Learning Irish by Ó Siadhail for that reason - I think it's more geared towards linguists than the average language learner who wants practical daily vocab.
- If you already have some Irish, Tús Maith might be a wee bit simple.

Lots of good advice in your post, I just want to comment on this bit.

I don't know Tús Maith, but anyone looking to do teaching here (unless they went to school in the north) surely has done Irish at school, and already has some level. Also they are looking to do a 4-year academic course, so they should be able to cope with Learning Irish, which is an academic-style course.

Where I disagree with you really though is your comments about what Learning Irish teaches. It teaches practical daily vocabulary, and the grammar necessary to use it. Any primary teacher should have all this, and more.

What you seem to be suggesting is the traditional route to "learning" the Irish language: doing the same really really basic things over and over again until the learner is so sick of them that they give up.

I on the other hand suggest a course that challenges the learner, introduces them to the real language, and gets them over the hump from the basic stuff done at school and into the useful real language employed by people who live their lives through that language.

While I appreciate that "Learning Irish" is not the most scintillating language course ever written (and I've seen and used lots, for a variety of languages) it is the only one comparable in any way to courses for learning French, Spanish, Italian, German and of course English itself.
Not as good as them, not as prettily presented, etc, but it does set out to do what they do: give the learner the ability to learn the language to the extent that they can actually use it, and given a degree of commitment, the learner will in fact achieve this aim.
Of course, on it's own, it won't get you through the Leaving Cert, for that you will need to study the texts, write an essay etc.
But it will give you enough grammar and vocab. to be able to do those other things.
IMO, any course that does less than Learning Irish does is a waste of the learner's time, money and intellect.

lfqnic

Bhuel, ní lia duine ná tuairim, but I don't agree.

As for Tús Maith - there are three volumes, and I have been in ab initio classes with would-be teachers, so it could conceivably be useful to someone, such as people who feel they need to start again from scratch. Not knowing the OP's circumstances, I think it was worth mentioning.

deirdremf wrote: »

Also they are looking to do a 4-year academic course, so they should be able to cope with Learning Irish, which is an academic-style course.

Mm, I wouldn't expect most primary teachers to have a grasp of the IPA, for instance. They aren't language students primarily and it should be made as painless as possible so that they learn the language well and teach it with enthusiasm.

Where I disagree with you really though is your comments about what Learning Irish teaches. It teaches practical daily vocabulary, and the grammar necessary to use it. Any primary teacher should have all this, and more.

No argument there - we just disagree about which resource is the best. I remember doing exercises with phrases like "the old man is next to the harp, it is lovely" before feeling like I could talk about my life and environment.

What you seem to be suggesting is the traditional route to "learning" the Irish language: doing the same really really basic things over and over again until the learner is so sick of them that they give up.

Nonsense. Irish is the fourth language I've studied, and I know what works for me. It's a highly personal thing, and up to the OP to find their way, so you will notice that I am not married to one particular resource. I went from nothing to being a graduate in Irish in five years and I have recommended the resources that I found useful at the beginning.

I on the other hand suggest a course that challenges the learner, introduces them to the real language, and gets them over the hump from the basic stuff done at school and into the useful real language employed by people who live their lives through that language.

I stand by the resources I mentioned for those purposes.

You seem to be taking my comment about the book oddly personally. I'm not interested in arguing with you about its merits - I didn't work for me, so I don't recommend it, but it may for the OP. I don't care how people learn, I'm just giving the OP the impressions of another adult learner.