Introduction to 5-14 Gaelic

Gaelic is one of a large number of minority European languages co-existing with others more dominant both nationally and internationally. An integral and developing part of Scottish life and heritage, Gaelic is a community language in parts of the Highlands and Islands but half of the Gaelic-speaking population is found elsewhere in Scotland.

Nationally, Gaelic language and culture have recently enjoyed a period of growth in the arts, the media and education. This has been exemplified by increased interest in, and access to, literature, music, and the performing arts, and by expanded provision in broadcasting and early years education. Parents are also exercising choice and commitment in support of current initiatives. Such developments have been matched by a realisation that linguistic and cultural development is inextricably linked to economic factors.

Business and industry have, therefore, come to value Gaelic for its economic potential. In commerce generally, the ability of employees to use Gaelic is increasingly seen as an asset in administration and communication. For such reasons educators will need to equip Gaelic-speaking pupils with the skills necessary to take advantage of the growing number of employment opportunities available locally and nationally.

Against such a socio-economic background, sustaining the growth of Gaelic as a living language has implications for the provision of Gaelic from the earliest years.

Language across the curriculum

To facilitate this, schools should produce a policy for language which embraces both Gaelic and English. This should allow for the development of all the language skills in both languages by the end of P7 and schools that have given primacy to Gaelic should recognise that skills acquired in Gaelic may be expected to transfer readily to English.

The integration of English into Gaelic-medium or bilingual schools will be dependent on pupils' abilities and needs. In general, English should not be introduced until pupils have attained Level A targets in the four language outcomes in Gaelic.

The relative proportion of time allocated to Gaelic and English language will vary in accordance with the needs of the child at particular times; but in order to achieve the above overall aim, 'Gaelic should be the predominant teaching medium throughout the primary stages.' (Gaelic: 5-14 National Guidelines)

In Gaelic medium schools and units, the whole curriculum will be delivered through the medium of Gaelic. All the outcomes of environmental studies, the expressive arts, mathematics and religious and moral education will, therefore, be taught through Gaelic, as will all cross-curricular concerns such as social and personal development. Support for pupils with special educational needs will be offered through Gaelic, as appropriate. It is of particular importance that Gaelic should be the language through which the contemporary world and its culture are viewed and that curricular dimensions such as information technology and media education should be explored through the medium of Gaelic.

Gaelic culture is a key issue and will provide pupils with a sense of personal and cultural identity. Gaelic is more than a language and pupils should be introduced to matters such as Gaelic music, history, legend, drama and dance from as early an age as possible. Such approaches should stress the richness and diversity of Gaelic culture but should always be relevant to children's own lives and experiences. For that reason, while it will be important to give an historical sense of Gaelic as a culture and as a member of a family of Celtic languages, this element should not be dominant. The main effort should be to stress the contemporary nature of Gaelic in its cultural and linguistic senses.

Gaelic learners' education

The main aim in learning Gaelic as a second language is that pupils should be able to communicate effectively in that language. This ability will develop confidence, self-esteem, social and intellectual growth and open the door to the rich storehouse of Gaelic culture. In order to establish communicative confidence and competence the overriding priority in the initial stages will be to concentrate on the development of oral skills. In the early part of the programme pupils should be given ample opportunity to hear Gaelic, develop listening skills and be encouraged to respond in Gaelic. All attempts at using Gaelic in the initial stages are praiseworthy; the confidence and the need to communicate are more important than absolute grammatical accuracy.

When oral skills are well established, teachers will introduce reading and writing to consolidate and extend language previously learnt. Pupils will become more and more comfortable using Gaelic in the classrooms, in groups, pairs, individually and in teacher/pupil interchange. If possible, resources from the community should be engaged to provide a wider range of situations and contexts. While cultural aspects should be included as part of the programme, they should not dominate the principal aim of achieving communicative competence.

Stòrlann Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig (National Gaelic Resource Centre) was set up in July 1999 to provide a service to all sectors of Gaelic education and especially to coordinate the production and distribution of teaching materials in Gaelic. Learning and Teaching Scotland in partnership with Stòrlann Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig has developed an online service called gàidhlig air-loidhne, in order to support Gaelic education.

The overall aims of gàidhlig air-loidhne are to support ongoing professional development for all involved in the education of children being taught using the medium of Gaelic, or learning Gaelic, and to provide a range of online resources to support learning and teaching. An online community for Gaelic teachers is being created, providing resources such as worksheets and lesson plans. Gàidhlig air-loidhne will also provide online discussion forums so that users can offer assistance and seek advice from colleagues throughout Scotland's Gaelic community.

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