Many of the broad objectives of PE, such as the development of self-esteem, confidence, cooperation and spatial awareness, are shared with other curricular subjects. Within PE, it is through learning opportunities provided in the various aspects of movement that these objectives can be achieved. The transfer and reinforcement of learning from other areas of the curriculum can be achieved when PE is integrated with other subjects. This approach can be particularly effective in meeting the needs of pupils with individual and varied learning styles, and enables pupils to appreciate how physical literacy is an integral part of all our lives.

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is an approach to language learning where the target language is used as the medium to teach both content and language. This process enables the attainment of both content objectives and language objectives in the same lesson. CLIL is internationally recognised as a successful approach to language teaching and learning and offers a particularly favourable approach for the teaching of Irish in primary schools. It provides opportunities for integrating Irish across the curriculum in an active and meaningful ways.

PE is an appropriate subject for CLIL because it offers opportunities for discussion and active engagement by pupils in groups. This may involve pupils naturally conversing with each other, solving a problem together, conveying meaning or making a point to a peer. While the pupils will learn specific PE terminology in Irish, they will also learn to communicate and operate through Irish in that subject. The teacher uses language in the PE lesson to question, to direct, to explain, to suggest, to prompt and to stimulate the pupil to think. In turn, the pupil is encouraged to respond by describing, discussing, speculating, explaining and expressing ideas and reactions. A whole-school approach to CLIL will enable pupils to develop a rich and varied understanding of the language of Physical Education and movement experiences across all class levels in a developmentally appropriate manner.

The CLIL approach is recommended in the Primary Language Curriculum and further support material on using CLIL is available in the Primary Language Toolkit, at www.curriculumonline.ie. Opportunities to develop the Irish language are presented in the Skills and Activities Books and relevant new vocabulary is identified by the shamrock symbol. This resource is also available in Irish.