« IRISH DELIGHT » PROJECT publié le 10/05/2023

From March 13-17 2023, the Emile Combes vocational Highschool celebrated Ireland

. It was Nathalie Biguey’s suggestion, a project, named « Irish Delight ».
« It brought a joyful atmosphere all around. Indeed, Irish music was heard at the morning and evening breaks and an Irish meal was served on St Patrick’s Day. The aim was to discover Irishness.
Every group were offered the opportunity to take part in this thrilling experience. Yet, the approach had to be different following the students’ English standards. That’s why some topics were only broached in class namely the flag

, St Paddy’s Day

, Dublin, Cork, Galway, Connemara, agriculture or else the economy. Others were suggested by the teacher and worked upon by the students on their own. Then, they were to introduce their own topics to the class. Here are some of them : Temple Bar, James Joyce, Guinness Brewery, Cork, Connemara, Galway, Limerick, Trinity College, George B.Shaw, …

How did I manage the project with the classes ? As I previously emphasized, my approach depended on the classes I chose. I targeted the ‘differentiation approach’.

For my « CAP » groups, I decided to propose simple activities such as working on a short text about St Patrick’s Day in Dublin. They were shown a video on the same topic and compare the two. Lastly, they had a quizz on Irish specific aspects. I expected them to speak as much as possible. Well done to them !

For my « 2nde Bac Pro » groups, I experienced «  flipped class ». It ended up positively ! I had a better involvement from my students with this experimentation. They turned out to be more implicated and enthusiastic over the activity. They did research on various themes as mentioned above. They told the class what they found and exchanged between each other. I wrote down their answers on the board. From what I gathered, I made a synthesis.

For my « 1ère Bac Pro » class, I also tested « flipped class ». Each student was in charge of a topic. They had to do some research and write a brief summary. Then, they gave a talk on it to the class. Once again, I wrote on the board the main idea of each explanation – Then, the students wrote them down in their notebooks. It proved a success.

For my « Terminales », I obviously made it more complex. On the one hand, each student was to work on a topic and develop an essay – to be displayed in the library. I nearly got all their papers. Taken as a whole, I was satisfied. On the other hand, I trained them on an exam exercise. The topic was St Patrick’s in Chicago

. Beyond the preparation of the written part of the CCF, I wanted to focus upon the Irish diaspora in the States. As we all know, many American people have Irish roots.

A display in the highschool library presented Irish books, magazines, CDs let alone students’ writings and research works.

Why this interest for Ireland ? I used to be an assistant in Maynooth University which is situated a few miles from Dublin. At that time, my ‘Master’ focused on Patrick Kavanagh’s works. This artist is a famous Irish poet of the Twentieth Century. I still have a deep emotional attachment to the Emerald Island, praising for its fabulous heritage and greeting Irish people’s kindness and generosity.
Last year, I laid emphasis on Irish music, selecting groups and singers when organizing « Irish Days » in the same school. This year, I intended to go further in a more ambitious « venture » on Eire.

This « Irish Delight » turned out to be a fulfilling moment for students. And quoting the Irish, we eventually had « a good crack » !

from Nathalie Biguey