NDLR Modern Languages’ Community of Practice

The IoT Language Policy and Planning Network met at Dundalk IT on May 15 2007. The focus of this session was to discuss ‘The Future of Languages in the IoT Sector’.

Dr. Siobhán Donovan (UCD) chaired the panel discussion which included representatives from key stakeholders in the field including: Miriam Broderick (DIT), Ken Brown (LyIT), Dr. Dermot Cavanagh (LyIT), Prof. Pól Ó Dóchartaight (University of Ulster), Marion O’Connor (Fáilte Ireland) and Jim Whelan (IDA).

Please click on the links below to view the discussions. 

Meeting part 1; part 2; and part 3

You will need to download Windows Media Player to view these video streams.

For more information on the IoT Language Policy and Planning Network please contact Riana Walsh (email: Riana.Walsh@ittdublin.ie) or Kristin Brogan (email: Kristin.Brogan@staff.ittralee.ie)

St. Patrick’s College, Dublin, will host the ‘Minority Ethnicities and Minority Languages in Irish Education’ conference on Thursday June 21 from 9a.m. to 3.30 p.m.

The conference signifies an attempt to create a forum where all stakeholders in the education system can interact and inform each other about the issues at stake. One of the main aims is for people to get involved and contribute their experiences. Thus, those invited include:

• Primary and post-primary teachers – primary teachers have Dept. of Ed. & Science approval to attend (given Board of Management approval and appropriate cover)
• Teacher educators and students of teacher education colleges
• Members of variously diverse ethnic and linguistic communities, including students, parents and other adults
• Postgraduate researchers and academics
• Non-governmental organisations and partnership organisations
• National, regional and governmental education personnel including DES and Teacher Union professionals

Further information from http://services.spd.dcu.ie/memlconference2007/index.html. Please contact memlconf@spd.dcu.ie to register for this event.

The 9th Limerick conference in Irish-German Studies ‘Heinrich Böll and Ireland – 50 years Irisches Tagebuch’ will take place from 30 August to 1 September 2007 at the University of Limerick.

The conference will concentrate not only on Böll but on Irish-German relations of the last 50 years and it will also reflect on 10 years work of the Centre for Irish-German Studies at the University of Limerick (the 1st conference and the founding of centre took place in September 1997).

Further information at http://www.ul.ie/~lcs/news/.  Any enquiries should be directed to Dr. Gisela Holfter (email: gisela.holfter@ul.ie) and you can contact Claudia Reese (email: claudia.reese@ul.ie) for registration information.

Tanya Flanagan is the National Coordinator of the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative (MLPSI).

In the latest of our podcast series, Tanya discusses the latest developments in language teaching and learning in the primary school sector, and highlights the wonderful initiatives taking place in Irish primary schools, particularly in terms of partnership activities between primary and third level institutions.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

The MLPSI has a great website at www.mlpsi.ie and Tanya can be contacted via her email address which is flanagantanya@eircom.net