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St Andrew's College Dublin St Andrew's College Dublin

Modern Foreign Languages

 

 French  german  spain
French  German  Spanish

Modern Foreign Language Department 

St Andrew’s College 

St Andrew’s College Mission Statement and Philosophy 

St  Andrew's College is an international, co-educational, inter-denominational preparatory and secondary school. The student population comprises approximately 1200 pupils from many different countries.  The Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges have officially accredited the international section of the school since 1984.  

The mission of St Andrew’s College is to offer a high-quality, wide-ranging, liberal educational experience inspired by Christian principles. This experience is offered to all students in an environment which nurtures and supports moral, social, spiritual, cultural and academic development as well as supporting the students’ physical and mental well-being.  

S. Andrew’s College’s MFL vision statement is in keeping with the aspirations of the school philosophy and mission statement. 

From its unique multicultural background, we feel as an MFL department that we have a crucial part in developing students' cultural diversity and international character through the teaching and value of all languages. 

We are committed to creating an atmosphere in the College community whereby all children can feel respected, valued and challenged; in which their talents, aptitudes and skills are given every opportunity to emerge and develop, and where they can mature into happy, well-adjusted, self-confident and questioning young adults. We believe that the distinctive international character of St Andrew’s College reflects the commitment of the College to raising students’ awareness of cultural diversity, global interdependence and the responsibilities of citizenship. As language teachers, we are at the heart of this commitment. 

The St Andrew’s College MFL vision statement is in keeping with the aspirations of the school philosophy and mission statement. From its unique multicultural background, we feel as an MFL department that we have a crucial part in developing students' cultural diversity and international cOur MFL Vision haracter through the teaching and value of all languages.  

St Andrew’s College MFL department aims to create and develop enthusiastic and independent language learners. We are committed to establishing a learning environment that encourages students to feel confident about taking risks and developing informed opinions about the world around them.  

Our curriculum focuses on learning as well as teaching; we want students to reflect on and enhance their skills, ask questions and relish the challenge that learning a new language brings. There will be opportunities to independently extend their skills beyond the classroom and therefore prepare for life beyond St. Andrew’s College. 

At St Andrew’s College, we aim to offer all students a high-quality language experience promoting, through languages, the socialisation of children and preparing them to play their full part as questioning citizens in a democratic society. We promote and value the understanding of other countries and cultures. We encourage our students to be open and adaptable to new experiences through the learning of different languages. We aim to give our students strong and lifelong linguistic skills in the view that they will use these skills to become better world citizens.  

We nurture the love of languages and encourage linguistic curiosity. In St Andrew’s College, language teachers support each other by sharing expertise, collaboration and best practice. 

Aims and objectives of St Andrew’s College MFL Department 

We have a set of clear MFL strategies for effective teaching of languages:  

Our MFL Department offers the opportunity for students to learn French, German, Italian and Spanish. 

  • We want our students to be involved in their journey as language learners. 

  • We want our students to be motivated to learn a language. 

  • We want our students to be engaged in their learning and to reflect on their progression.  

  • We want our students to evolve in a safe and positive environment in which they know that making mistakes is a completely normal part of the learning process and where they feel confident speaking in front of peers in the classroom environment.  

  • We want our students to become good communicator in the target language. 

  • We want our students to be both knowledgeable and skilled in the target language and be equipped with critical thinking skills which will serve them in later years. 

We have a common approach to all languages in line with MFL curriculum and guidelines.   

Our team of teachers are skilled with both native and non-native staff working together and supporting each other. Our students are exposed to authentic language on a regular basis.  

Native teachers working in the European Annex teach students in both the Junior and Senior school.  

Co-curricular activities 

We offer our students a wide range of co-curricular activities including:  

  • trips, outings, exchanges (where possible) 

  • European Day of languages 

  • Intercultural week 

  • Interactive Spanish/French in Transition Year 

  • Classes for bilingual French students 

Extra-curricular activities 

In addition to co-curricular activities, our students can also take part in both school based and external debating competitions, Francophonie Day, Columbus Day, quizzes and language clubs.