Conference on Why Languages Matter: Belonging, Identity, Autonomy

Linguistic diversity in Irish classrooms increasingly reflects the realities of modern societies. Being proficient in more than one language is central to preparing all learners for life, work, and citizenship in increasingly interconnected and multilingual communities. 

Grounded in the principles of plurilingual education, this conference invites teachers, policymakers and researchers to explore how engaging with the full linguistic repertoires of all learners, promotes not only academic growth, but also emotional and social well-being. Participants will engage in an exploration of the opportunities presented through language education to promote learner autonomy, to value personal and cultural identity, while fostering a sense of belonging within, and beyond, the classroom. 

With the introduction of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in Irish primary schools, this event is timely in exploring the transformative potential of language learning. Through keynote addresses, panel discussions and interactive workshops, participants will be challenged to reimagine how language education can be embraced as a pedagogical asset, supporting the inclusion of every learner, promoting learner agency, intercultural understanding, and the creation of communities of belonging for all.

We are delighted to welcome Professor David Little, Fellow Emeritus, Trinity College Dublin, as one of our keynote speakers. Professor Little was formerly Director of the Centre for Language and Communication Studies and Head of the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences at Trinity College. From 2000 to 2008 he was non-stipendiary director of Integrate Ireland Language and Training, a not-for-profit campus company that was funded by the Irish government to provide intensive English language courses for adult refugees and to support the teaching and learning of English as an Additional Language in primary and post-primary schools. From 2007 to 2010 he directed the Trinity Immigration Initiative’s English Language Support Programme, which created subject-specific English language materials for post-primary schools. And in 2010 he wrote the Council of Europe’s concept paper “The Linguistic and Educational Integration of Children and Adolescents from Migrant Backgrounds”. Most recently he has been academic coordinator of the Council of Europe’s Romani–Plurilingual Policy Experimentation, a four-year project (2022–2025) that has explored the role of the Romani language in the educational inclusion of Roma children in Greece, Slovakia and Slovenia. 

We are delighted to welcome Dr Déirdre Kirwan as our other keynote speaker. For more than twenty years, Dr. Kirwan was Principal of Scoil Bhríde (Cailíní) where 80% of the pupils came from more than fifty linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. With the school community, she led an integrated, plurilingual approach to education that supported the use of pupils’ home languages. In 2008, Déirdre was awarded European Ambassador for Languages (Léargas). In 2009, she was conferred with a PhD from Trinity College Dublin for her research in the area of language education. In 2023, she was awarded Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French Government. She is a member of the NCCA development group preparing for the introduction of modern foreign languages to primary schools. She has worked on projects dealing with plurilingual skills in early years’ language education with the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML), in addition to contributing nationally and internationally on this topic. 

This conference will run from 5.30-8.30 pm on Fri. Oct. 17th and again on Sat. Oct. 18th from 9.30 am - 4.30 pm. We hope you can join us.

Register at https://forms.gle/NRiu6KCByBM5vzUN6