In 2011, a national strategy Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life was published in the Republic of Ireland. One key aspect of the strategy was that it placed a renewed focus on reading for pleasure in post-primary classrooms. The researchers involved in this article worked for the Professional Development Service for Teachers, a national, government-funded professional development organisation. In response to the strategy, the researchers worked with teachers from nine post-primary schools across the Republic of Ireland. Through working closely with these English teachers, it was possible to identify assumptions that the teachers made around their students' reading in post-primary education. This article considers and challenges some of these assumptions and demonstrates what happened when the teachers were invited to do the same. In the course of the research, questions were also raised about some of the recommendations made within the national strategy, recommendations which were them-*Corresponding author: Pauline.Laurenson@ul.ie © selves based on contestable assumptions, assumptions such as the fact that boys prefer to read non-fiction. The need for national policy to be rooted in research was, therefore, also identified. Finally, through feedback from teachers and students involved in the research project, the authors of this article were able to devise a series of recommendations for schools seeking to focus on reading for pleasure in the post-primary English classroom.
Although not a new discussion in the Irish context, the value of oral language development has recently gained prominence again in Irish Post-Primary English classrooms. In this article we present how the recent introduction of Junior Cycle English, which now includes an Oral Communication Classroom Based Assessment (CBA) is renewing efforts to promote speaking and listening and has the potential to change teachers' understanding of assessment in English. The rationale for this change is presented here from the perspectives of the different stakeholders in Irish Education; educational researchers, policymakers, the Inspectorate, teachers and students. To cite the Junior Cycle Framework: 'until the examination changes, nothing else will' (NCCA 2011: 6). However, past efforts to implement an oral assessment element illustrate how change is complex and fostering an awareness of the centrality of 'classroom talk' involves a cultural shift for the teachers implementing the Junior Cycle English Specification.
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