What is the value of the Welsh Language in primary education?

Marisa Hewett st20104114 What is the value of the Welsh Language in primary education? This blog will be looking at the value of being taught the Welsh Language in primary education. The Welsh language has one of the oldest literature in Europe, apart from Latin and Greek as it dates back to 880AD when King Hywel Dda of Wales, set his laws. There are many common myths about the outcomes of a new language being introduced in primary education as many people believe that it could affect the child’s development in their first language resulting them in not being fluent in any language. Having said this Baker (1996) argues that children pick up languages easily through play and concrete situations. Also research has not found that our brain can reach a capacity therefore there is no reason why a person cannot be fluent in two or more languages. Since the Education Reform Act in 1988, Welsh has become compulsory for students from Key stage 1-4, Bwrdd yr iaith Gymareg had a desire to make Welsh a which accessible everyday language. There have been many policies and Welsh language strategies to emphasis the value of keeping the Welsh language in Wales such as; a bilingual strategy, language commissioner and official status for English and Welsh. Recognizing Welsh as an official language of Wales gives it more recognizable value in society and could be seen by many as a statement of national pride. The need for developing the way that the Welsh Language is delivered in the curriculum arose from reports by the Welsh Language Commissioner found a significant shortage of people within the workforce who can speak English and Welsh fluently particularly in tourism, social care and health. Which could be argued to be the sectors in employment where Welsh is most important as they regularly come into contact with the public and should be able to hold a conversation with clients or patients whom they come into contact with. More recently the Welsh government has increased its commitment to developing Wales as a bilingual nation through the Welsh Language Strategy. According to Hodges (2012) there are cultural, educational, economic and personal reasons for including Welsh medium in education, as education is viewed as a platform of language revitalization (Baker 2004). The development of Welsh language in the Foundation phase has also ,meant that children in English-medium schools in Wales are required to learn Welsh from the age of three. The Welsh language has been introduced into the Foundation Phase Framework, it requires children to develop their skills in communicating in Welsh to the best of their ability. Children are taught in Welsh and are encouraged to respond and communicate their needs in Welsh it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure they are increasingly exposed to Welsh. According to Baker (1996) with children in primary school language is learned unconsciously rather than being learned therefore it is important that they are taught through a range of planned enjoyable and practical activities using a range of stimuli including music, role-play, drama and ICT, to build on and reinforce previous knowledge and experiences and thereby encouraging active participation from students through a range of outdoor and indoor learning activities. Professor Davies (2013) argues that learning a language can be ‘a very tedious experience’ as they may not regard the subject as having much relevance to them and do not feel confident using Welsh outside of the classroom. These problems with teaching Welsh language tackled by the new Welsh curriculum, ‘Successful futures’, as aims to create ambitious capable learners. By using a range of stimuli the students are able to build on their previous knowledge and will gain the skills to find connections within their knowledge and apply it in different contexts this is encouraged through teachers communicating with the students in different environments, this supportive atmosphere encouraging them to use Welsh within their lessons and not be afraid to try again to allow them to ‘fail in safety, by allowing the children to learn from the teacher and their own mistakes (Satchwell, P & de Silva,J. 1995) with the aim that they will be able to communicate effectively in different forms and settings using both Welsh and English. Using ICT to teach allows for cross curricula learning as students are given the opportunity to develop their skills interpreting data and mathematical concepts to creatively communicate which allows them to research and evaluate which develops their critical thinking skills which gives them key skills which can be used to learn throughout their lives. Professor Sinoed Davies supports this as he views the future of Welsh language and culture is wholly dependent on transmitting the language to young people. References. • Baker, C. (1996) 2nd Edition Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism: London; Multilingual Matters • Dyfodol dwyiethog ; a bilingual future / iaith pawb National Assembly for Wales W300 • Estyn (2013) Welsh language development in the Foundation Phase. Estyn. • Welsh Government (2013) One language for all: Review of Welsh second language at Key Stages 3 and 4 – Report and recommendations Welsh Government • Welsh Government (2012) A living language: a language for living – Welsh Language Strategy 2012–17 Welsh Government. • Welsh Government (2013) One language for all: Review of Welsh second language at Key Stages 3 and 4 – Report and recommendations Welsh Government. • Satchwell, P. & de Silva (1995) Catching them young, Young Pathfinder, CILT

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