Feargal Quinn (Independent)

That was to do with the leaving certificate applied. It impressed me no end. Charles Handy, on the other hand, talks about ten different intelligences. The word they use is "intelligences". How do we encourage this intelligence? It is not a matter of skills. I know the leaving certificate applied is not the junior certificate, but I urge the Minister to keep an eye on that and to do what he can. They are quite disappointed at losing the co-ordinator they had.

I will mention one other concept which is to do with language. It is the Michel Thomas system of learning. I am very impressed with what I have read about it. We talk about how to teach languages, and I believe this is an exciting method that we should consider. One teacher I know has decided to use part of the Michel Thomas method to teach French. The method does not use books, memorising or homework, and is based on giving students the confidence to speak a language. In essence, Michel Thomas breaks a language down to its component parts and enables learners to construct the language themselves. This reminds me of going to the Gaeltacht. We had no books or, at least, I do not remember having them and we did not have rote learning. We simply learned Irish. I remember my children and ourselves coming back from the Gaeltacht and being able to speak the language but not because we had been taught in that way. I offer one quote from The Guardian newspaper about the experience of someone who taught French in a school in London for one week:

He astounded staff at a school in north London by teaching a group of teenagers deemed incapable of learning languages. In one week, they learned the amount of French it normally takes five years to acquire.

I refer to it because I believe language teaching is capable of being done in a different way and I include Gaeilge in that. We can achieve a great deal more. I am pleased that the Minister is here and that we are having this debate. I believe we can go a long way with it. I was pleased with the words the Minister used as well and with the investment in language teaching.