Aonad Uathachais – Tír na nÓg

Dírítear ar riachtanais gach páiste aonair i gcónaí agus tugtar faoi oiliúnt an pháiste i gcomhar lena dtuismitheoirí. Dírítear ar buanna an pháiste a fhorbairt an méid agus is féidir agus leagtar béim ar obair thairbheach, leanúnach. Tugtar faoi dea-scileanna sóisialta, caighdeán ard moráltachta agus réimse leathan de scileanna acadúla, praiticiúla agus caitheamh aimsire a mhúineadh do na páistí trí mheán na Gaeilge.  Déantar iarracht cumas labhartha na teanga Gaeilge a thabhairt don pháiste go nádúrtha ionas go mbeidh sé/sí ábalta é/í féin a chur in iúl go héifeachtach agus iad ag imeascadh sna ranganna príomhshrutha agus lasmuigh den scoil chomh maith.

Úsáideann Tír na nÓg na foilseacháin, ‘Treoirlínte do Mhúinteoirí: Mac Léinn le Deacrachtaí Foghlama Ginearálta’ atá foilsithe ag an NCCA agus  ‘Dea-Chleachtais do Scoileanna maidir le hUathachas’ forbartha ag an Roinn Oideachais mar threoir chun tacú le cur chun cinn agus forbairt na bpáistí a bhfuil uathachas orthu ó thaobh cúrsaí folláine, foghlama agus rannpháirtíochta.

Dírítear ar na príomhréimsí cleachtais seo a leanas:

• Timpeallacht Foghlama

• Forbairt Teanga agus Cumarsáide

• Forbairt Shóisialta
• Forbairt Mhothúchánach
• Próiseáil Chéadfach
• Scileanna Feidhmiúla don Mhaireachtáil Laethúil
• Forbairt Acadúil
• Forbairt Eacnamaíoch

Cuirtear béim ar na príomhréimsí seo agus na páistí ag obair ar na hábhair seo a leanas: 

• Béarla agus Gaeilge
• Mata
• Na h-amarc-ealaíona
• Ceol
• Drámaíocht
• S.I.E ( Stair , Tíreolaíocht , Eolaíocht)
• S.P.S ( Oideachas Sóisialta, Pearsanta agus Sláinte)
• Corpoideachas

Imeascadh le ranganna príomhshrutha

Bíonn deis ag na páistí san aonad freisin tabhairt faoi na hábhair seo agus iad ag imeascadh leis na ranganna príomhshrutha. 

Tá sé rí-thabhachtach go nglacann na bpáistí páirt i ngníomhaíochtaí foghlama a thugann deis dóibh fás mar fhoghlaimeoirí trí idirghníomhaíochtaí ómósacha agus eispéiris atá dúshlánach agus tacúil. Is ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann muid. Bíonn gach duine difiriúl agus bíonn buanna faoi leith acu freisin. Cruthaíonn na difríochtaí seo cultúr dearfach scoile agus timpeallacht foghlama atá sábháilte, sláintiúil agus a léiríonn comhionannas, cothroime agus ceartas do chách. Is féidir le daltaí, as a stuaim féin, na scileanna a foghlaimíonn siad i gcomhthéacs amháin a aistriú go comhthéacs eile agus iad a chur i bhfeidhm agus is é sin an fáth go bhfuil imeascadh mar chuid lárnach i saol na bpáistí i dTír na nÓg.

The welfare of the individual child is always put first. In consultation with parents, caregivers and outside professionals   a process is undertaken where by an IEP( Individual  Education Plan ) is created , monitored and evaluted  . The focus is on developing the child’s talents as far as possible. Beneficial, continuous work is emphasized. Good social skills, a high moral standard and a wide range of academic, practical and recreational skills are taught to him through the medium of Irish. An effort is made to give the child the ability to speak the Irish language naturally so that he/she is able to express himself/herself, communicate effectively by integrating into the mainstream classes, inside and outside the school as well.

The autism classes use ‘Guidelines for Teachers of Students with General Learning Difficulties’ published by the NCCA and the ‘Good Practice for Schools on Autism’ guide developed by the Department of Education as a resource to help support well-being, learning and participation children and young people with autism in education.

Support is provided across the following 8 areas or ‘key areas of practice’, to improve the well-being, learning and participation of pupils with autism:

• Learning Environment
• Social Development
• Sensory Processing
• Academic Development
• Language and Communication Development
• Emotional Development
• Functional Skills for Daily Living
• Economic Development

The children learn through the subjects and skills they contain, including the following when they integrate into the mainstream classes

• English and Irish
• Math
• The visual arts
• Music
• Drama
• O.S.I.E (History, Geography, Science)
• O.S.P.S (Social, Personal and Health Education)
• PE

It is important that students participate in meaningful learning activities in a purposeful way, which they grow as learners through respectful interactions and challenging and supportive experiences. We live in each other’s shadow. Everyone is different and all have talents .These differences create and maintain a positive school culture and learning environment that is safe, healthy and reflects equality, fairness and justice for all. Pupils, on their own initiative, can transfer the skills learned in one context to another and apply them and that is why integration is an integral part of the children’s lives in Tír na nÓg.

Is iontach an rud é go bhfuil sochaí ilchultúrtha, ilteangach, ilchineálach againn in Éirinn na linne seo, agus is seoid luachmhar chultúir í an Ghaeilge, seoid ar féidir a roinnt le hachan duine. Tá sé mar aidhm ag Tír na nÓg gach tacaíocht a chur ar fáil do dhaltaí chun íomhá dhearfach den teanga a chothú i measc na bpáistí ar fad.  Is mó tuiscint atá acu ar an nGaeilge freisin, is fearr a bheidh siad in ann imeascadh le ranaganna príomhshrutha. 

Cén fáth a roghnaítear oideachas lán-Ghaeilge?

Roghnaíonn tuismitheoirí oideachas lán-Ghaeilge ar chúiseanna éagsúla, na cúiseanna seo san áireamh:

• Tá sé fíor-thábhachtach dóibh go mbeidh Gaeilge ar a dtoil ag a bpáistí.
• Aithníonn siad go bhfaigheann an páiste léargas ar leith ar a c(h)ultúr féin agus ar chultúir eile.
• Cothaítear bród na bpáistí ina dteanga, ina gcultúr agus iontu féin.
• Ábaltacht na bpáistí labhairt, léamh agus scríobh i dhá theanga agus na buntáistí a bhaineann leis sin.
• An t-oideachas den scoth a chuireann na scoileanna ar fáil do pháistí.
• Forbairt i bhféinmhuinín agus i bhféiniúlacht na bpáistí.

Chomh maith leis na cúiseanna seo ar fad tá buntáistí breise ann do pháiste má fhreastalóinn sé/sí ar scoil lán-Ghaeilge. De réir taighde ar an oideachas dátheangach, seo a leanas cuid de na torthaí do na daltaí a théann tríd an gcóras:

• Déanann siad níos fearr go hacadúil (Gallagher & Hanna, 2002).
• Éiríonn leo an tríú agus an ceathrú teanga a fhoghlaim níos éasca (Cenoz & Valencia 1994).
• Tuiscint agus oscailteacht do chultúir eile (Gallagher & Hanna, 2002).
• Feabhas ar fheidhmiú cognaíochta ó thaobh cruthaíochta agus ábaltacht cumarsáide de (Bialystok et al. 2005).
• Torthaí níos airde sa Bhéarla agus sa mhatamaitic (Foras Taighde ar Oideachas, 2011)

It is wonderful that we have a multicultural, multilingual, diverse society in the Ireland of today. The Irish language is a precious cultural treasure, a treasure that can be shared. The aim of Tír na nÓg is to provide all the support for students to foster a positive image of the language among all the children. Because of this, the more children understand about the language, the better and easier it is for them to integrate with mainstream classes.

According to the latest research from Possession in DCU in the research carried out by Padraig O Duibhir

The Factors Motivating Parents to Choose Irish Immersion Education for their Child with Special Educational Needs

They mention 4 specific  factors for chosing Irish Immersion Education

1. Siblings or Family attending an Irish Immersion School
2. Irish Language and Culture
3. Inclusive School Culture
4. Irish Language Proficiency

The research does also state  ‘ It is difficult to conduct research with parents of children with these categories of SEN due to the low numbers of these students enrolled in Irish immersion schools. However, the findings of this study are important and add to the limited international research on the reasons why parents of children with SEN decide to send their child to immersion education schools, particularly when they have often been advised against it (KayRaining et al., 2012; Kremer-Sadlik, 2005; Yu, 2013, 2016)

Roghnaíonn tuismitheoirí oideachas lán-Ghaeilge ar chúiseanna éagsúla, na cúiseanna seo san áireamh:

• Tá sé fíor-thábhachtach dóibh go mbeidh Gaeilge ar a dtoil ag a bpáistí.
• Aithníonn siad go bhfaigheann an páiste léargas ar leith ar a c(h)ultúr féin agus ar chultúir eile.
• Cothaítear bród na bpáistí ina dteanga, ina gcultúr agus iontu féin.
• Ábaltacht na bpáistí labhairt, léamh agus scríobh i dhá theanga agus na buntáistí a bhaineann leis sin.
• An t-oideachas den scoth a chuireann na scoileanna ar fáil do pháistí.
• Forbairt i bhféinmhuinín agus i bhféiniúlacht na bpáistí.

Chomh maith leis na cúiseanna seo ar fad tá buntáistí breise ann do pháiste má fhreastalóinn sé/sí ar scoil lán-Ghaeilge. De réir taighde ar an oideachas dátheangach, seo a leanas cuid de na torthaí do na daltaí a théann tríd an gcóras:

• Déanann siad níos fearr go hacadúil (Gallagher & Hanna, 2002).
• Éiríonn leo an tríú agus an ceathrú teanga a fhoghlaim níos éasca (Cenoz & Valencia 1994).
• Tuiscint agus oscailteacht do chultúir eile (Gallagher & Hanna, 2002).
• Feabhas ar fheidhmiú cognaíochta ó thaobh cruthaíochta agus ábaltacht cumarsáide de (Bialystok et al. 2005).
• Torthaí níos airde sa Bhéarla agus sa mhatamaitic (Foras Taighde ar Oideachas, 2011)

Parents choose an all-Irish education for a variety of reasons, including these reasons:

• It is really important to them that their children will be able to speak Irish.
• They recognize that the child gets a unique insight into his/her own culture and other cultures.
• Children’s pride in their language, culture and themselves is nurtured.
• The children’s ability to speak, read and write in two languages ​​and the benefits that go with that.
• The excellent education that the schools provide for children.
• Development in the children’s self-confidence and identity.

In addition to all these reasons there are additional advantages for a child if he/she attends an all-Irish school. According to research on bilingual education the following are some of the results for the students who go through the system:

• They do better academically (Gallagher & Hanna, 2002).
• They learn third and fourth languages ​​more easily (Cenoz & Valencia 1994).
• Understanding and openness to other cultures (Gallagher & Hanna, 2002).
• Improvement in cognitive functioning in terms of creativity and communication ability (Bialystok et al. 2005).
• Higher results in English and mathematics (Education Research Foundation, 2011)