This course is aimed at primary school teachers who have a reasonably good standard of Irish but who wish to improve their grammar. The course does not aim to give a comprehensive account of Irish grammar, rather it concentrates on some of the core aspects of the grammar and on points that come up regularly in the classroom.

The course is bilingual - each sentence in Irish is translated into English.

The main objectives of the course are:

• to improve the participants’ standard of Irish by explaining the core aspects of grammar in a clear, concise manner;
• to draw the teachers’ attention to the importance of accuracy in Irish and to encourage them to put what they have learnt into practice in the classroom, something that will benefit both themselves and their pupils;
• to give teachers an opportunity to exchange practical ideas for the classroom through the discussion forum.

Authors

This course was written by Éamonn Ó Dónaill, Gaelchultúr’s Director of Education and one of the founders of the company. Helen Hegarty and Lisa Madden edited Basic Course in Accuracy in Irish for Primary School Teachers - 2012 and wrote some additional exercises as well.

The course does not aim to give a comprehensive account of Irish grammar, rather it concentrates on some of the core aspects of the grammar and on points that come up regularly in the classroom.

Module 1

• Part 1: The Noun
• Part 2: The Adjective

Module 2

• Part 1: Simple Prepositions / Simple Prepositions and the Article
• Part 2: Personal Pronouns and Prepositional Pronouns

Module 3

• Part 1: The Imperative Mood
• Part 2: The Past Tense
• Part 3: The Present Tense
• Part 4: The Future Tense

Module 4

• Part 1: The Cardinal Numbers
• Part 2: The Personal Numbers / Dates and Ordinal Numbers

Module 5

• Part 1: Location, Movement and Time
• Part 2: Possessive Adjectives

Course layout

There are five modules in the course Basic Course in Accuracy in Irish for Primary School Teachers - 2012 and each module contains a mixture of grammatical explanation and exercises. After you have read some grammar rules, you have an opportunity to try several exercises based on those rules. Approximately twenty hours must be spent online and off-line on those activities.

All the exercises are interactive. Once you’ve completed an exercise, you can then click on the Seol (Send) button and receive feedback immediately. You’ll be told which answers were correct and which were incorrect, and you’ll given the correct answers and a score. These exercises are not assessed; their aim is to stimulate the learner’s interaction with the course content, and to give him/her the opportunity to practise what he/she has learned.

Forum

Participation in the online debate forum is an obligatory part of each module. Learners must participate in the forum by sharing ideas with the other participants and by completing written tasks. The learners also have an opportunity to contact the course facilitators on the forum.

Assessment

There are interactive exercises in each module, and once you’ve completed an exercise you can then click on the Seol (Send) button and receive feedback immediately. While you’re given a score for these exercises, they’re not assessed for the purposes of the award of EPV days; their aim is to stimulate the learner’s interaction with the course content, and to give him/her the opportunity to practise what he/she has learned.

Participation in the online debate forum is an obligatory part of each module. Learners must participate in the forum by sharing ideas with the other participants and by completing written tasks.

At the end of the course, the participants must answer a reflective question. This question will confirm that you have engaged with the course content, and it will give you the opportunity to reflect on the implementation of the course content in the classroom.

Assessment of your work is based predominantly on the standard of your written work, but a record will also be kept of the amount of time you spent working on the course.

Important

In order to earn 3 EPV days, the course must be completed between 2 July 2012 and 24 August 2012. During that period, it’s up to you to decide when to study the course content.

Department of Education and Skills criteria for online courses stipulate that participants may only complete one online course for the awarding of EPV days.

When can I register for the course?

Immediately!

When can I start the course?

Any time from the beginning of July onwards. In order to earn 3 EPV days, the course must be completed between 2 July 2012 and 24 August 2012.

By what date will I have to have completed the course?

By 24 August. In order to earn 3 EPV days, the course must be completed some time between 2 July 2012 and 24 August 2012. During that period it’s up to you to decide when to study the course content.

What work will I have to do in each module?

You will have to read the material in the module and do all the interactive exercises.
When you have done all that work, you will have to answer the interactive question at the end of the module. You must post this answer on the course forum.
At the very end of the course, you must answer the reflective question. Again, you must post your answer on the course forum.

How many hours must I spend doing the course work?

Approximately twenty hours.

Is the course material written in Irish or in English?

The course is bilingual - each sentence in Irish is translated into English.

Will I have to answer the interactive question at the end of each module in Irish?

No. We would encourage you to use as much Irish as possible in your answers, but you can use English if you need to.

What happens if I have a question?

Write it on the forum or write to your course facilitator. If you have any difficulties with the site, call us on (01) 484 5220 or write to us at eoals@ranganna.com.

Can I do more than one course?

Absolutely! But Department of Education and Skills criteria for online courses stipulate that participants may only complete one such course for the awarding of EPV days.

How will I know when I have completed the course?

You will have completed the course when:

• you have spent approximately 20 hours working on the course material;
• you have answered the five interactive exercises as well as the reflective exercise;
• the course facilitator is happy that your work is of a suitably high standard;
• we have received your learner contract, your personal details, the reflective learning log and the evaluation form.

You will receive your certificate and CPD record within three to four working days of having completed the course. It takes a little while to compile the answers, and to prepare the certificate and record.