07 Mar Seachtain na Gaeilge 2022 – Learning Irish with Dyslexia
This Seachtain na Gaeilge #SnaG22 we want to share some information on learning Irish.
While learning languages can be a challenge for learners with dyslexia, the impact is variable. What we know from the research is that to give learners the best opportunity to learn a language we must use the science of reading and teach them the skills needed to decode (read) and encode (spell). This means using a phonics-based structured approach and also teaching language and spelling rules.
English is one of the most complicated and irregular languages with a large number of rules and exceptions to be learned (a complex orthography), in comparison to a transparent orthography such as Italian which is much more regular. Irish is also considered a complex orthography but it is more regular than English with fewer exceptions to be learned. While there has been a growth in the availability of Irish phonics resources in recent years, their usage is not at optimum levels. Examples of these structured phonics literacy resources in Irish are:
- https://www.seideansi.ie/
- https://www.maradearfa.ie/
- https://ccea.org.uk/learning-resources/cod-na-gaeilge
- https://www.stmarys-belfast.ac.uk/aisaonad/fonaic/fonaic_na_gaeilge.html
- https://ccea.org.uk/learning-resources/clar-luathleitheoireachta-cleite
- https://www.comhairle.org/english/teachers/teacher-resources/
Please encourage your school to use such approaches to give all students the best opportunity to learn Irish.
For more info on Seachtain an Gaeilge see https://snag.ie/
