Focus Group looking at hours at Junior Cycle for MFL teaching #languages #edchatie #mflire

Following a meeting on Saturday where a presentation was made about the 200 hours minimum required for the MFL Junior Cycle (Reference: MFL Specification for Junior cycle MFL), and the concern expressed by a number of secondary school MFL teachers over the number of teaching hours, the OVFL group decided to set up a group that will work on assessing the amount of hours dedicated to MFL in secondary schools, especially at Junior cycle. The result of the assessment will inform further actions dedicated to supporting MFL teaching in secondary schools. This is also in light of the publication of the Foreign Language strategy which seeks to increase language learning in Ireland. 

The idea is to create a focus group of teachers who will firstly gather data on the number of hours given to languages, secondly identify strategies, suggestions to maximise the amount of hours when needed, and also make DES and NCCA aware of the predicament that the secondary schools MFL teachers find themselves in. 

For this, we are looking for teachers in secondary schools would be interested in getting involved in the focus group. If you are, please fill in this contact form as soon as you can and we will be in contact with you. Sandrine Pac-Kenny, the secondary level rep on OVFL will coordinate it. Please feel free to contact her. 

Link to contact form: https://goo.gl/forms/U5n70CzNTntB4Gqm1