Dia duit a chara,
Don't worry dolls and gents, I know at this time and minute your head is filled with endless details about yourself, your homeplace, future and not to mention those lovely never ending sraith pictures. Sometimes, we can feel overwhelmed by it all, especially with your Spanish/German/French orals and the 5 other subjects you need to study for. But listen, you are doing a great job regardless, so do not feel under any pressure! Here are a few tips that I found useful last year, hope you all enjoy!
1. An Audition -
At the start when practising for my orals with teachers it would be a complete and utter disaster. I was forever not able to answer the questions, I would speak spanish during Irish and vice versa, and I also would rhyme off stuff that didn't sound like a conversation in the slightest. That is also an important thing to remember, treat your oral like it is a conversation. My lovely spanish teacher told me that because my love for drama I should treat my oral like an audition for Broadway. So I took on board what she said and wrote out everything I wanted to say, My content! I practised how to act it out and basically it worked the trick. Try and find the fun side of it and everything else will work out. The film 'Niamh is aimn dom' coming soon to a theatre near you!
2. TG4 will be your new best friend -
I noticed when watching to the odd show on TG4, I started to pick up more vocab and it also just became enjoyable to watch ( Maybe that was the non stop crazy vibes coming into the place) But, it also is a break from the books and whether you pick up stuff or not it will train your ear regardless just to speak Irish. I mean who doesn't like an Irish speaking SpongeBob and Patrick?
http://mayogaablog.com
3. Talk it out with friends -
My lovely friend Niamh Kelly and I would occasionally spend the free class or even lunch just trying to speak Irish, what a wild friendship I know. It was all fun and games, I mean sometimes we would only last 5 minutes. I found it really helped as there would be a word one of us didn't know the Irish for and the other did or even just some sayings. It also makes you feel that more comfortable going into the real oral as you can pretend that examiner is just your bestie. It is good to be confident with your examiner and relaxed. An uncomfortable you is an uncomfortable examiner.
4. Record yourself -
If you have memory block like me this tip is really useful. I was really good at the conversational part of the oral, as that was discussing my ambitions family and friends,
all things that I love and adore. Sraith pictures and role plays however, were my enemies. I would stare my the page and just go blank. So I thought enough is enough and I wrote out each role play and sraith pic, pressed record and off I went. It is the most cringiest thing you will ever do. I would listen to my recordings on the bus, even before bed and it made everything so much simpler. I began to remember parts and from then it was no longer complicated.
5. Be Confident -
Easier said than done, believe me I know, I have been in the same position and use to get rather insulted when people told me to 'Just be confident', but it is true. Listen, being honest I wasn't very happy with my Spanish oral because I was a bundle of nerves going in. I blanked, couldn't answer a thing, just panicked at everything. This shouldn't of happened because I was so so so prepared but I let my nerves get the better of me. I vowed I wouldn't make that mistake again for Irish, and I didn't. I went in confident, smiled and did the best I could. At the end of the day, you worked really hard both inside and outside of school preparing for this. Trust in yourself and everything else will come naturally, believe me!
I hope this post was useful and I must stress we all are different, that's what makes the world so unique. My study tips may not be the way you tend to study or go about it, and that is completely fine, there are never any right or wrong in studying.Please take it easy too, breaks are ever so important. I know it may feel the end of the world at the minute with everything coming so soon but listen it all works out! Just as I said in my last point, trust in yourself and keep being you!
Talk Soon,
Niamh
x
