The Value of Welsh Language


Hello Bloggers!

This blog will look at the value of Welsh Language in primary education. Important questions that this blog will pose will be why is the Welsh language valuable? Why should we teach Welsh language in primary education? Should we teach it from an early age? And finally, what are the perceived benefits?

Wales aim to be a bilingual nation, this was stated in the Welsh language act in 1993 and a strong message that is behind all educational government initiatives. The Welsh language is one of the oldest languages spoken in Europe. Although an Act of Union in 1539 made Wales a part of England, the Welsh language remained in homes and churches (Williams, 2018). The history of the language shows its value and it is important that teaching Welsh language remains an integral part of primary education.
Welsh Language has been a part of primary education in Wales, since the Education Reform Act in 1990. Since this act, welsh language lessons have been taught in both key stage one and two and the foundation phase, this means that children all schools in Wales will learn welsh from the age of three.

In the foundation phase framework, the requirements for Welsh language development ask that children are exposed to Welsh speaking, so they are able to listen and begin to ‘respond to familiar situations’. The framework also suggests that children should be able to communicate their needs in Welsh. However, the main requirement for foundation phase Welsh learning is that the teacher create fun and engaging activities in Welsh, that pupils will enjoy. Welsh language resources such as reading books should be present in the classroom so that pupils are able to choose to read a welsh book (ESTYN, 2013).  
These requirements are put in place from a young age because The National Assembly for Wales (2016) found that pupils with second language welsh make good progress throughout primary school. Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg (2018) has identified that learning welsh from a young age, will give children the skills to go on to learn other languages and seek a number of benefits that enhance their learning. However, their progress in welsh language lessons are lower than in other subjects. Why is this?
Donaldson (2015) identified that although the welsh language is known as one of the strengths of the welsh education system, the standards of welsh language teaching are low. Only 6.2% of primary schools in Wales, teach through the medium of welsh due to fewer teachers being confident using the Welsh language, however, this is a statistic from thirteen years ago (Gwyn Lewis, 2005). Due to low standards of teaching welsh, the Welsh government (2012) are concerned that there is a shortage of teachers with welsh language skills and there is ‘limited knowledge of second language teaching methodology’. Evidence of this can be found in ESTYN (2006) as they express concern for the lack of students continuing with welsh studies as they go on to take their GCSE’s or on to University. One reason for this may be that learning a language is very difficult and many young people do not see the relevance and it has no value to them (Professor Davies cited in Successful Futures, 2015).
However, ESTYN (2013) do recognise that head teachers and teachers are committed to raising the standards of welsh language teaching and resources. OHMCI created a list of good practice in 1998 (Baker, 1998) for teachers when teaching Welsh. They ask that teacher have enthusiasm for the language, use it incidentally to make it a natural part of the classroom, use drama and roleplay to encourage children to communicate in Welsh, make use of resources such as audio and visual aids, plan lessons that give pupils many opportunities to communicate in Welsh and finally to help children to build upon their previous knowledge of the language.
At University I took part in a Welsh language lesson that would be delivered foundation phase pupils, as I am unfamiliar with Welsh. I found the session fun and engaging as the teacher had followed the guide of good practice set out by OHMCI. The teacher taught us basic Welsh, such as greetings, numbers, colours and the weather. These were taught using a variety of engaging activities which were, songs, games, videos and white board activities. At the end of the session I had enjoyed my experience and remembered a lot of what had been taught. The lesson gave me an insight into the benefits of learning Welsh.
ESTYN and the Welsh Government (2013) are so invested in making Wales a bilingual nation because of the benefits of language learning. 

Many researchers have identified cognitive benefits linked with bilingualism. Children that are able to use two or more languages have been found to have more active and flexible brains, they also have a better understanding in maths in particular when problem solving, they are able to develop strong thinking skills, use logic, focus for longer, retain larger amounts of information, they are able to make decisions, think about a language and go onto learn other languages (Paez  and Rinaldi, 2000; Kovacs and Mehler, 2006). There are also advantages for health and wellbeing of the child such as being able to communicate confidently and being more social which enhances social and emotional wellbeing (Vince, 2016). The perceived benefits of being able to speak more than one language all contributes towards the overall attainment of pupils. Therefore, if Welsh is continually taught from a young age, children are able to seek the benefits and succeed academically.

References
A Bilingual Wales – our language: its future (2002) National Assembly for Wales Culture committee & Education for lifelong learning committee.
Baker, C. (1998) 2nd Edition Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism: London; Multilingual Matters.
Donaldson, G. (2015). Successful Futures: Independent review of curriculum and assessment arrangements in Wales. Caerdydd: Llywodraeth Cenedlaethol Cymru.
Estyn (2013) Welsh language development in the Foundation Phase. Estyn.
Gwyn Lewis, W. (2005) 'Welsh-medium Primary Education: the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century', British Education Index.
Jones, M. for The National Assembly Wales (2016) Welsh-medium education and Welsh as a subject.  Available at: http://www.assembly.wales/research%20documents/rs16-048/16-048-english-web.pdf (Accessed: 15.03.18).
Kovács, A. M., & Mehler, J. (2009). Cognitive gains in 7-month-old bilingual infants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol106(16), Pp.6556–6560.
Páez, M. & Rinaldi, C. (2006). Predicting English word reading skills for Spanish-speaking students in first grade. Topics in Language Disorders, Vol26(4), Pp.338–350.
Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg (2018) Mae Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg yn ymgyrchu dros rhagor o ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg yng Nghymru. Available at: http://www.rhag.net/ (Accessed: 15.03.18).

Vince, G. (2016) 'The amazing benefits of being bilingual', The BBC.
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 – Report and recommendations Welsh Government.
Williams, A. (2018) 'AOLE 2 Languages'. PES5002: Areas of Learning and Experience II. Available at: https://learn.cardiffmet.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=19804&section=2 (Accessed: 15.03.18).

Comments

  1. Unknown22 April 2018 at 12:28

    Great Blog Kirstyn,

    I found it very interesting. Did you also know that the Welsh language is spoken in Patagonia? Around 5,000 people speak Welsh there (Edward, 2018), I have spoken about this in my blog if you would like to have a look – it is quite fascinating.

    As you are from England I would like to know what your views are, if you think the language should be influenced within primary schools here in Wales? As you mentioned how many young people and children argue that they feel the subject is not relevant or of any value to them (Davies, 2013).

    I agree that it is important for teachers to ensure lessons are fun and engaging for children and young people. Could you think of an activity which would increase children’s engagement in learning Welsh?

    Reference List

    Edwards, E (2018) 'Why do they speak Welsh in South America', BBC iWonder, 06 February, p.3

    Donaldson, G. (2015) Successful futures: Independent review of curriculum and assessment arrangements in Wales. Available at file:///C:/Users/Acer/Downloads/Donaldson%20Report%20-%20Successful%20Futures%20-%20Independent%20Review%20of%20Curriculum%20and%20Assessment%20Arrangements%20in%20Wales%20(5).pdf (Accessed 20 April 2018)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown23 April 2018 at 03:38

      Thank you Chelsea!

      Your blog influenced me to conduct further research into why the Welsh language is spoken in Patagonia. I think it is amazing that Welsh is spoken internationally, this was due to migration. People travelled to Patagonia to protect Welsh culture and language, as it held such great value to them.

      I believe that it is important to teach children the Welsh language, firstly due to the benefits for the child. For example, the cognitive benefits will improve attainment. However, a major factor in why I believe it is so important to teach Welsh is patriotism. Goldsmith (2008) highlights that the Welsh language is something that Wales can be proud of, it unites Welsh people and adds to the culture of the country. If children are proud of where they live, they are more likely to respect their surroundings and play an active role in their community (Ajegbo, Kiwan and Sharma, 2007). In terms of Donaldson (2015), this sense of pride for the country they live in links to one of the four purposes of the curriculum, as Wales is creating ethically informed citizens, that are ready to be a part of their community and society.


      Ajegbo, K., Kiwan, D. and Sharma, S. (2007) Diversity and Citizenship,
      Nottingham: DfES.

      Donaldson, G. (2015). Successful Futures: Independent review of curriculum and assessment arrangements in Wales. Caerdydd: Llywodraeth Cenedlaethol Cymru.

      Goldsmith, P. (2008) Citizenship: Our Common Bond, London: Ministry
      of Justice.

      Delete
    2. Unknown24 April 2018 at 02:29

      Thank you for the reply Kirstyn,

      I strongly agree with you that the Welsh language is something Wales can be proud of, it make us unique and something we can be very proud of. It also links to children being ‘Ambitious, capable learners’ who are ready to learn throughout their lives (Donaldson, 2015). As each child is capable of learning through motivation and enthusiasm.

      Reference List

      Donaldson, G. (2015). Successful Futures: Independent review of curriculum and assessment arrangements in Wales. Caerdydd: Llywodraeth Cenedlaethol Cymru.

      Delete

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