Presented by: Cormac Cahill
Many children find learning the Irish language difficult. They spend their formative years in school learning phonics only to then encounter a language that does not follow the same phonic rules. I learnt Irish in school and yet left with only a basic level of vocabulary. I only truly learnt to speak the language myself in my late 20’s and much of this I assigned to the fact that I focussed on oral Irish. I used audio recordings I made of myself speaking the language and listened to these to hear both my successes and errors. A few years ago I began using video to assist children learn the Irish language. In addition to allowing the children hear themselves speaking the language it also added another important aspect of any language-facial expressions and movement. I saw a marked improvement in the standard of the Irish spoken by the children.
In this workshop I will explain how I have used video in teaching the Irish language at Primary Level. I have also used this method with children learning English as an Additional Language.”
Presenter Biography:
Cormac Cahill is a Primary School Teacher currently teaching in Cork. He began his teaching career in Navan where he was introduced to the Fís Film Festival. After seeing the potential for using video in primary schools he began using it as a tool to teach and help children retain the Irish language. He is now using it as a tool to assist children develop their oral language skills in the English language.
I am also an Apple Distinguished Educator and a passionate advocate of the use of digital technologies in the classroom. I have just completed a Masters on the use of child created video as an aid in the learning and retention of the Irish language. This method led to greater motivation amongst the children to speak the language and led to a whole lot of fun in the classroom.”