(Tuesday, August 8) Bilingual kids do better in school!
IRISH-LANGUAGE education professionals in Derry have welcomed the results of a new study which shows bilingual teaching improves children's linguistic and mathematical skills.
The Canadian research shows that children undergoing immersion education consistently perform better in certain areas than their monolingual peers, and often surpass English-speaking students' performance in English-language skills.
Blithn Shields, a classroom assistant at Gaelscoil Eadain Mhoir on Derry's Lecky Road, was taught in both Irish and English-medium schools.
She has no doubt that learning through Irish does help children with their other subjects.
"In Irish-medium schools English is seen as an extra resource," said Blithn.
"Using English as well as Irish helps us teach because it helps the children understand things better and allows them to look at new ideas in two ways instead of one," said Blithn.
"For example, if you're stuck learning something in English, you can learn it in Irish, and it does make it easier for the children to pick things up."
Andrew Mac Uait, Schools Development Officer with Comhairle na Gaelscolaochta, agreed that children from Irish-medium schools were usually ahead of their peers in English.
"Within the Irish-medium sector, there's a lot of emphasis in the first three years or so at primary level on developing language and literacy skills.
"English is formally introduced as a subject around the end of Year 3, and by the time our children have reached the end of Year 7, they are usually ahead of their peers in terms of English and other subjects," said Mr. Mac Uait.
"This is very encouraging for parents, pupils and teachers in the Irish-medium sector here, although to be honest it doesn't come as much of a surprise.
"This is just the latest in succession of independent studies, all of which prove that the bilingual environment and immersion education are more beneficial for children everywhere."
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Weather for Derry
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy rain
Temperature: 3 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: South
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