Page 282 - Karmen Pižorn, Alja Lipavic Oštir in Janja Žmavc, ur. • Obrazi več-/raznojezičnosti. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut, 2022. Digitalna knjižnica, Dissertationes 44
P. 282
ilíní) has neither special status nor access to resources not available to
other schools. Its distinctive response to the educational challenge posed
by extreme linguistic and cultural diversity was informed by Kirwan’s PhD
research (2004–2009), which was supervised by David Little; but in essence
the response came from within the school, was inspired by the learner-cen-
tred ethos of the Primary School Curriculum, and entailed the adjustment
of long-established pedagogical practice to meet the needs of a rapidly
changing pupil population.
The article is divided into two main sections. First, we sketch the broad-
er context in which Scoil Bhríde exists, describe its pupil cohort, summa-
rize the main features of its approach, and provide some evidence of its suc-
cess. Then we explore the school’s policy and practice from the perspectives
of learner-centredness, dialogic pedagogy, translanguaging, a language so-
cialization view of language learning, the “language experience” approach
to teaching reading and writing, pluriculturalism and interculturality. In
doing so, we hope to shed some light on the Council of Europe’s enticing
but often underspecified concept of plurilingual and intercultural educa-
tion in relation to the educational inclusion of pupils from immigrant fam-
ilies. We conclude by briefly considering the implications of Scoil Bhríde’s
success for language education more generally.
2. Plurilingual and intercultural education in practice:
Scoil Bhríde (Cailíní), Blanchardstown
2.1 The national context
Although Irish is the country’s first official language, it is the first,
home or preferred language of only a small minority of the population.
Irish-speaking communities survive, mostly in rural areas on or close to
the south-western, western and north-western seaboards, but most Irish
nationals are English-speaking and there are no monolingual Irish speak-
ers. English and Irish are separated socially: street signs and other public
notices are bilingual, but English-speaking residents easily forget that they
are living in a country whose first official language is not English. In the
majority of schools English is the language of instruction and school man-
agement. Irish is, however, an obligatory curriculum subject from the be-
ginning to the end of schooling.
The past three decades have seen a steady growth of immigration into
Ireland. Small numbers of refugees from the Balkan wars were admitted in
282
other schools. Its distinctive response to the educational challenge posed
by extreme linguistic and cultural diversity was informed by Kirwan’s PhD
research (2004–2009), which was supervised by David Little; but in essence
the response came from within the school, was inspired by the learner-cen-
tred ethos of the Primary School Curriculum, and entailed the adjustment
of long-established pedagogical practice to meet the needs of a rapidly
changing pupil population.
The article is divided into two main sections. First, we sketch the broad-
er context in which Scoil Bhríde exists, describe its pupil cohort, summa-
rize the main features of its approach, and provide some evidence of its suc-
cess. Then we explore the school’s policy and practice from the perspectives
of learner-centredness, dialogic pedagogy, translanguaging, a language so-
cialization view of language learning, the “language experience” approach
to teaching reading and writing, pluriculturalism and interculturality. In
doing so, we hope to shed some light on the Council of Europe’s enticing
but often underspecified concept of plurilingual and intercultural educa-
tion in relation to the educational inclusion of pupils from immigrant fam-
ilies. We conclude by briefly considering the implications of Scoil Bhríde’s
success for language education more generally.
2. Plurilingual and intercultural education in practice:
Scoil Bhríde (Cailíní), Blanchardstown
2.1 The national context
Although Irish is the country’s first official language, it is the first,
home or preferred language of only a small minority of the population.
Irish-speaking communities survive, mostly in rural areas on or close to
the south-western, western and north-western seaboards, but most Irish
nationals are English-speaking and there are no monolingual Irish speak-
ers. English and Irish are separated socially: street signs and other public
notices are bilingual, but English-speaking residents easily forget that they
are living in a country whose first official language is not English. In the
majority of schools English is the language of instruction and school man-
agement. Irish is, however, an obligatory curriculum subject from the be-
ginning to the end of schooling.
The past three decades have seen a steady growth of immigration into
Ireland. Small numbers of refugees from the Balkan wars were admitted in
282
