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| INNOVATIVE E-LEARNING LESSONS AND EXERCISES IN IRISH WITH AUTOMATIC MARKING AND CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT |
[ resources ] - [ composition / conversation ] - [ grammar ] - [ grinds ] - [ support ]
[ dialect ] - [ marking of exercises ] - [ continuous assessment ] |
| Resources |
On the website www..studybase.com/moodle we are providing resources for learners of Irish at intermediate- and advanced-levels from 5th Class primary school, Transition Year, postprimary, to university degree level.
Who are we? We are a team of web designers, teachers and translators, living in Cos Kildare and Meath in Ireland west of Dublin and trading under the business name STUDYBASE. We are all enthusiastic about the Irish language and keen to do our bit to help others learn it well and enjoy the experience.
Our first venture has been the conversion of two grammar books, Úrchúrsa [advanced level ] and Nuachúrsa [intermediate level], from the print medium to the computer. Now, however, free of the constraints of the printed page, the lessons have been livened up for display on a screen or interactive whiteboard and the exercises have been converted to auotmatically marked quizzes. ("No. Answers are not supplied. Not until the student has had a chance to find them out for themselves.)
In addition features such as continuous assessment and end-of-course certification have been added. |
| But these are grammar lessons ... |
| Yes. There are many ways of learning a second language. Children who attend Gaelscoileanna, for example, Irish-medium schools, aquire a considerable amount of Irish in a very short time. They have a huge vocabulary, a good grasp of word-order and idiom, good pronunciation, and a wonderfully proud and positive attitude to the language yet most would admit that they do not really know "how the language works." That is where grammar comes in useful. It enables the student to clarify the use of verbs and nouns, adjectives and adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions, direct and indirect speech. It enables the good student to achieve even higher marks in the exams and helps the student who finds Irish difficult to get a grip on the basic structures.. |
| Composition / Conversation |
| Simple pictorial essays are used as a focus for learning the Irish required to write simple sentences, paragraphs and compositions. In addition the same pictures are used to stimulate conversation. Sample compositions and conversations are given to learn and use as templates or patterns for other topics. While writing these sample passages we were amazed to see the same phrases and structures being required over and over again for different topics. These pictorial essays are recorded and may be listened to again and again. Exercises are provided which assist comprehension, usage, and practice posing and answering questions. |
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These lessons and exercises have been in use by groups of students for many months now. Imagine our surprise to find youngsters, on their own, beavering away at their verb tenses in Irish during the recent Christmas holidays.
Since the computer awards marks in the form of 60/100 for example, or 60%, most students are motivated to look back over their work to see where they lost marks and correct the errors.
If they have got something completely wrong they can get back to the lesson at the touch of a button and find out where the error lies. |
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| Grinds |
| Parents considering a grind in Irish should consider StudyBase as a useful resource. A registered student who has paid the moderate fee can send questions to a qualified teacher who will quickly respond. The exercises are automatically marked. The composition lessons contain both conversational Irish and narrative Irish. Conversational Irish demands good pronunciation and an ability to pose questions and answer them, express feelings, sympathise, make a request, complain, congratulate etc These skills are different from the learning by heart of poems and summaries of stories that once prevailed in exam courses. Conversational Irish can be used immediately outside the classroom. Elsewhere on this website you will find details of one-to-one conversational practice with experienced teachers via Skype. [ Skype ] |
| Automatic marking of exercises |
| Those of us old enough to remember nuns and brothers at their best remember how thoroughly they corrected our copies. Teachers nowadays have large classes and busy lives. It would be well-nigh impossible to correct 150 scripts in detail twice a week. Thankfully with the assistance of modern technology that is now possible. The student can try, and try, and try again until s/he gets the right answer. Or one of them. We have programmed a variety of answers to particular questions. |
| The parent's role |
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| Lucky the student whose father, mother, or guardian knows Irish. The lessons and exercises offered here by StudyBase give a focus to the student's learning and can enable such a parent to give help without overwhelming the student with too much detail. Even a person with no training in teaching could use them to advantage. |
If you know Irish yourself why not use the CB2 lessons to help your child master the basics. The lessons are set out clearly and there are numerous exercises attached to each for practice. A parent and child learning Irish together is bound to lead to success.  |
| Official Standard or Dialect? |
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As with any living language the spoken language of the Gaeltacht should be the objective for every learner especially in pronunciation and idiom. The language given in most of these lessons is the Official Standard which is mainly used in writing official documents. The learner must supplement it with language learnt in the Gaeltacht or from reading.
The language learnt in the Gaeltacht may be somewhat different but rather than raise difficulties this can be a source of family pride and extra information. It can supplement the textbook Irish. "That is what is required there but this is how your Deaideo used say it." The student will never forget such personal memories of the living language in his/her own family. Traditional Gaeltacht Irish should be the ultimate objective of every learner |
| Continuous assessment |
| At the end of each section of a course the student can download a Teastas or Certificate giving the overall average mark achieved. Achievement is bound to generate motivation. |
| Who provides technical support if we get stuck? |
The StudyBase office should be able to solve most technical problems immediately. If not we'll get the experts in to do it as quickly as we can. We can't guarantee uninterupted supply but we will do our best to avoid or remedy such problems.
If you get stuck with the Irish we can help as well but try your child's tutor/teacher first. |
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