DCU expert says Irish is no more difficult to learn than any other language

As the nation engages in Seachtain na Gaeilge, teachers and third level students are set to welcome the launch of ¡®Foghlaim an Dara Teanga: Modhanna agus Tascanna sa Seomra Ranga¡¯ which is the new book by Assistant Professor Colin Flynn from Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge at DCU. This is the first book written in Irish focused on second language learning theory and practice in more than forty years.

According to Dr Flynn, this book provides a much-needed up-to-date discussion, through the medium of Irish, on many developments in second language learning research and language teaching methodology which have come about over the last few decades.

Dr Flynn recognised the need for a state-of-the art textbook and reference resource written in Irish for those working in language education and applied linguistics and his book highlights the issues around the capacity of individuals to learn languages as well as teaching methodologies to support them.

Dr Flynn said: ¡°This is not a textbook for teaching Irish, rather it is a textbook written in Irish about language learning and presents recent developments in the field in a way that makes them particularly relevant to learning and teaching Irish as a second language. A lot of people view the Irish language as something different and expect it to be treated differently in the classroom, but it¡¯s not and when we look at language learning, Irish should be treated as any other language.

¡°Unfortunately in a lot of schools and classrooms Irish is pigeon-holed; it's put in a curriculum bubble. We shouldn¡¯t think of Irish as a special case, rather we should recognise that it has special features. At a certain level, there¡¯s nothing more difficult about learning Irish than any other language. There are sociolinguistic factors that may impact on the learning process, but they shouldn¡¯t impede classroom practice. We simply need to take account of them. So this book aims to increase awareness and promote discussion around these issues to help teachers arrive at a combination of methodologies that will help them achieve their goals in the classroom.¡±

Dr Flynn¡¯s new book will particularly appeal to those with an interest in Irish language teaching and learning, including primary school teachers, as well as modern language teachers and researchers. The book¡¯s chapters explore aspects of the psychology of first- and second-language learning, and the basis (theoretical and practical) of various language teaching methods.

Foghlaim an Dara Teanga: Modhanna agus Tascanna sa Seomra Ranga [Second Language Learning: Methods and Tasks in the Classroom], published by Cl¨® Iar-Chonnacht (2021) and available to order here. 

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Deir saineola¨ª DCU nach deacra ¨ª an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim n¨¢ aon teanga eile

De r¨¦ir mar a bh¨ªonn an n¨¢isi¨²n ag gabh¨¢il do Sheachtain na Gaeilge, t¨¢ m¨²inteoir¨ª agus mic l¨¦inn tr¨ª¨² leibh¨¦al ar t¨ª f¨¢ilte a chur roimh sheoladh ¡®Foghlaim an Dara Teanga: Modhanna agus Tascanna sa Seomra Ranga¡¯, is ¨¦ sin leabhar nua leis an Ollamh C¨²nta C¨®il¨ªn ? Floinn (Colin Flynn) ¨® Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge in DCU. Seo an ch¨¦ad leabhar i nGaeilge at¨¢ d¨ªrithe ar theoiric agus ar chleachtas foghlama dara teanga le breis agus daichead bliain.

Dar leis an Docht¨²ir Flynn, sol¨¢thra¨ªtear sa leabhar seo pl¨¦ cothrom le d¨¢ta a bhfuil g¨¦argh¨¢ leis, tr¨ª mhe¨¢n na Gaeilge, ar go leor forbairt¨ª i dtaighde ar fhoghlaim an dara teanga agus i modheola¨ªochta¨ª teagaisc teanga at¨¢ tagtha chun cinn le breis agus c¨²pla sc¨®r bliain anuas.

D¡¯aithin an Docht¨²ir ? Floinn an g¨¢ at¨¢ le t¨¦acsleabhar agus acmhainn tagartha den scoth arna scr¨ªobh i nGaeilge d¨®ibh si¨²d at¨¢ ag obair san oideachas teanga agus sa teangeola¨ªocht fheidhmeach agus leagtar b¨¦im sa leabhar ar na saincheisteanna a bhaineann le cumas daoine aonair teangacha a fhoghlaim chomh maith le modheola¨ªochta¨ª teagaisc chun tac¨² leo.

D¨²irt an Docht¨²ir ? Floinn: ¡°N¨ª t¨¦acsleabhar ¨¦ seo chun Gaeilge a theagasc, ach is t¨¦acsleabhar ¨¦ at¨¢ scr¨ªofa i nGaeilge faoi fhoghlaim teanga agus cuirtear i l¨¢thair ann na forbairt¨ª le d¨¦ana¨ª sa r¨¦imse ar bhealach a fh¨¢gann go bhfuil siad an-¨¢bhartha d¡¯fhoghlaim agus do theagasc na Gaeilge mar dhara teanga. Measann a l¨¢n daoine go bhfuil an Ghaeilge difri¨²il ar bhealach ¨¦igin agus b¨ªonn siad ag s¨²il le go gcaithfear ar bhealach difri¨²il l¨¦i sa seomra ranga, ach n¨ªl an Ghaeilge difri¨²il ar chor ar bith agus nuair a fh¨¦achaimid ar fhoghlaim teanga, ba cheart caitheamh leis an nGaeilge mar a chaitear le haon teanga eile.

¡°Ar an drochuair, cuirtear an Ghaeilge i mbosca ar leith in go leor scoileanna agus seomra¨ª ranga; cuirtear i mboilgeog curaclaim ¨ª. N¨ªor cheart d¨²inn smaoineamh ar an nGaeilge mar ch¨¢s speisialta, ina ¨¢it sin ba cheart d¨²inn a aithint go bhfuil gn¨¦ithe speisialta ag baint leis an nGaeilge. Ar leibh¨¦al ¨¢irithe, n¨ªl rud ar bith n¨ªos deacra faoin nGaeilge a fhoghlaim n¨¢ aon teanga eile. T¨¢ tosca sochtheangeola¨ªochta ann a d¡¯fh¨¦adfadh dul i bhfeidhm ar an bpr¨®iseas foghlama, ach n¨ªor cheart d¨®ibh bac a chur ar chleachtas an tseomra ranga. N¨ªl le d¨¦anamh againn ach iad a chur san ¨¢ireamh. Mar sin t¨¢ s¨¦ mar aidhm leis an leabhar seo feasacht a mh¨¦ad¨² agus pl¨¦ ar na saincheisteanna sin a chur chun cinn d¡¯fhonn cabhr¨² le m¨²inteoir¨ª teacht ar mheasc¨¢n de mhodheola¨ªochta¨ª a chabhr¨®idh leo a gcusp¨®ir¨ª a bhaint amach sa seomra ranga.¡±

Beidh tarraing ar leith ag leabhar nua an Docht¨²ra U¨ª Fhoinn d¨®ibh si¨²d ar sp¨¦is leo teagasc agus foghlaim na Gaeilge, lena n-¨¢ir¨ªtear m¨²inteoir¨ª bunscoile, chomh maith le m¨²inteoir¨ª agus taighdeoir¨ª teangacha nua-aimseartha. I gcaibidl¨ª an leabhair d¨¦antar c¨ªoradh ar ghn¨¦ithe de sh¨ªceola¨ªocht fhoghlaim na ch¨¦ad teanga agus an dara teanga, agus ar an d¨²shraith (teoirici¨²il agus praitici¨²il) a bhaineann le modhanna ¨¦ags¨²la teagaisc teanga.

Foghlaim an Dara Teanga: Modhanna agus Tascanna sa Seomra Ranga [Second Language Learning: Methods and Tasks in the Classroom], arna fhoilsi¨² ag Cl¨® Iar-Chonnacht (2021) agus ar f¨¢il le hord¨² anseo: https://www.cic.ie/en/books/published-books/f¨ªon-an-dara-teanga-modhanna-agus-tascanna-sa-seomra-ranga