The TEAL (TED English as an Additional Language) Project at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) hosted its final 'Show and Tell' event recently, marking the culmination of six years of work in the area of plurilingual education across Limerick schools.
This event on 4 April highlighted practical, classroom-based plurilingual initiatives that took place over the past academic year and featured presentations from teachers from six participating schools on the TEAL Project. TEAL lead teachers shared key learnings and effective practices developed throughout the project’s lifespan.
Launched in 2019, the TEAL Project was originally envisioned as a one-year pilot initiative but grew into a multi-year Professional Learning Community (PLC) focused on supporting English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision in schools across Limerick. The project aimed to support the children of migrant families in their language learning journey in schools across Limerick.
Discussing the success of the project—which is an initiative of the Curriculum Development Unit’s Transforming Education through Dialogue or TED for short—TEAL Project Leader Dr Fíodhna Gardiner-Hyland of the Department of Language & Literacy Education at MIC said: “Over the past six years, the TEAL Project has made a meaningful contribution to EAL teaching and learning in Irish classrooms. It’s been really rewarding to see the dedication and creativity of teachers within the OSCAILT Schools Network as they trialled new ideas and approaches to EAL, and I’m excited to carry that momentum forward through the new CEALT professional learning community across Munster.”
Dr Déirdre Kirwan, Former Principal Scoil Bhríde Cailíní, Blanchardstown, Dublin; European Ambassador for Languages; Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques, noted: noted:
"The Council of Europe (2022) has identified teachers as 'the agents of change'. The innovative TEAL project undertaken by MIC and local schools has shown the benefits that can be gained by all pupils in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms. Because this inclusive initiative, begun in Limerick in 2019, has been so successful, it is now to be rolled out across Munster in the new CEALT Project. Who benefits from this? In the first place, all participating pupils benefit by being helped to achieve their full potential. They, in turn, are the people who will build a socially cohesive and prosperous society from which everyone can benefit.”
This event also celebrated a recent international accolade, as Fíodhna and two TEAL lead teachers, Paula Mullins and Caroline Walters were awarded the Teacher-Research Award by The International Research Foundation (TIRF), Michigan, USA. This award supports collaborative teacher research and will feed into the development of a new MIC professional learning community ‘CEALT’ (Community of EAL Teachers), which will launch in November 2025 and extend across the province of Munster. Building on the TEAL Project’s achievements, CEALT will provide a broader community for EAL teacher leaders within Munster schools to lead, collaborate, and share practices. It will also include participation from postgraduate students and teachers involved in EAL research and pedagogy.
In the time since it’s inception, the TEAL Project has received several recognitions and awards, including: the European Language Label Award (2020–2021), presented by the European Commission and Léargas for outstanding innovation in language education; the John Coolahan Research Bursary Award (2022), conferred by the Teaching Council of Ireland for evidenced-informed practices; exemplary examples of inclusion, innovation and collaboration between schools and HEI-based researchers; and the TIRF Bailey Award (2024–2025), an international teacher-research award from The International Research Foundation, California, USA for collaborative teacher research.
Click here to read more about TEAL and Transforming Education through Dialogue (TED).
Click here to join the new Community of EAL Teachers (CEALT).
