This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Gaelic lessons online
01/07/2005
Tha cruinn-eòlas a' tighinn beò do sgoilearan Gàidhlig
tro chlasaichean air-loidhne - agus le beagan taic bho
thuitear anns an Spainn.
Tha Gillebride Mac 'Ille Mhaoil, a bhuineas ri Uibhist a
Deas bho thus, air a bhith ag obair le sgoilearan bho còig
sgoiltean mar phàirt den phroiseict dearbhaidh,
"Cruinn-eòlas aig Astar". Tha e a' toirt cothrom do
sgoilearan anns a' chiad bhliadhna cruinn-eòlas a dhèanamh
tro chlasaichean air-loidhne le luchd-taic san t-seòmar
chlais cuideachd.
'S e seo na sgoiltean an sàs anns an dearbhadh,
maoinichte leis an Riaghaltas le £70,000:
- Acadamaidh Ghreenfaulds, Comhar
nan Allt
- Àrd-sgoil Ìle
- Àrd-sgoil a' Phluic
- Acadamaidh Rioghail Bhaile
Dhubhthaich
- Àrd-sgoil Thobair Mhoire
Bidh sgoilearan a' faighinn taic air loidhne bho Mgr Mac
'Ille Mhaoil, a bhios a' comharrachadh an cuid-obrach agus
a' gleidheadh an adhartais. Bidh neach-taic ri làimh ann an
gach sgoil san t-seòmar chlais cuideachd airson taic a
thoirt seachad.
Tha cùrsaichean coltach - ann an eachdraidh, nua-eòlas
agus matamataics - gan amharc leis a' Bhuidheann TCF
Gàidhlig a tha a' cnuasachadh air mar a bheir teicneolas
spionnadh do dh'ullachadh de dh'fhoghlam tro mheadhan na
Gàidhlig aig àrd-sgoil.
Thuirt Mgr Mac 'Ille Mhaoil:
"Tha e na atharrachadh mhòr do sgoilearan a tha air dhol
tro Fhoghlam tro Mheadhan na Gàidhlig ann am bùn-sgoil.
Theid iad bho Ghàidhlig a chluinntinn a h-uile latha gu
suidheachaidhean far nach eil iad a' faighinn Gàidhlig ach
da uair de Ghàidhlig gach seachdain aig an àrd-sgoil
uaireigin.
"Le gainnead de thidsearan aig a bheil an comas
cuspairean a bharrachd air a' Ghàidhlig fhèin a theagasg
tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig ann, faodaidh cùrsaichean
air-loidhne an inntrigeadh do Ghàidhlig aig an àrd-sgoil a
leudachadh.
"Sheall an sgrìob-rannsachaidh goirid aig an deireadh
den chiad bhliadhna aca gun robh na sgoilearan a' tuigsinn
mòran den obair anns na clasaichean air-loidhne. Bha
bòrd-brath agus siostam puist-d an lùib a' chùrsa agus bha
e na dheagh chothrom airson na sgoilearan a choinneachadh
ri chèile mu dheireadh thall as dèidh dhaibh am ainmean
fhaicinn o chionn fhada.
Chaidh an dearbhadh a ruith le Stòrlann, An t-Ionad
Ghoireasan Ghàidhlig Nàiseanta. Thuirt an Stiùiriche,
Mairead Dhòmhnallach:
"Tha leasachadh ùr mar seo ag iarraidh mòran obair air
an tuitear, an luchd-taic agus na sgoilearan agus fhuair
sinn taic anabarrach math bho na sgoiltean agus na
h-ùghdarrasan ionadail a' gabhail pàirt anns an
dearbhadh."
Thuirt Stiùiriche an Fhoghlaim aig Comhairle na
Gaidhealtachd, Bruce Robasdan, a tha na stiùiriche don
Bhuidheann TCF Gàidhlig:
"Tha a' phròiseict cruinn-eòlas air-loidhne air a bhith
a' còrdadh ris na sgoiltean agus tha e a' stiùireadh nan
dòighean a tha sinn a' leasachadh don Churaicealam
Nàiseanta TCF Gàidhlig.
"Feumar teicneolas ùr a bhith gan cur an uime gus a
dhèanamh cinnteach gu bheil inntrigeadh aig sgoilearan ann
an àrd-sgoiltean do churaicealam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig
agus tha an cùrsa ùr-ghnàthach seo a' sealltainn na ghabhas
a dhèanamh, 's nach eil e gu diofair far a bheil an
tidsearan no na sgoilearan."
Tha Gillebhride Mac 'Ille Mhaoil, 27, à Gearraidh
Bhailteas ann an Uibhist a Deas. Tha Gàidhlig aig a
theaghlach agus 's e Gàidhlig a th' anns a' phrìomh chànan
aige. Bha e na sgoilear aig Sgoil Dhalabhrog agus Sgoil
Lionacleit, fhuair e ceum MA le urram bho Oilthigh Ghlaschu
ann an Ceiltis is Cruinn-eòlas. As dèidh dha Beurla a
theagasg don Chomhairle Bhreatannach anns an Spàinn, chaidh
e gu Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh airson trèanadh mar thidsear
àrd-sgoile. Theagaisg e cruinn-eòlas is Gàidhlig ann an
Acadamaidh Fharfair airson da bhliadhna gu leth agus tha e
a-nis ag obair mar thuitear agus sgrìobhadair de
chùrsaichean air-loidhne.
Thathar an dùil gum bi Acadamaidh Fharfair agus
Àrd-Sgoil Àird nam Murchan a' gabhail ris a' phròiseact
dearbhaidh anns an Lùnasdal nuair a bheir i a-staigh
sgoilearan air an darna bhliadhna.
Chaidh a' phròiseict dearbhaidh a leasachadh le Stòrlann
le taic bho bhuidheann obrach de thidsearan is
luchd-comhairle.
English Version
Online lessons are bringing geography to life for Gaelic
medium students - with a little help from a tutor in
Spain.
Gaelic-speaking Gillebride MacMillan, originally from
South Uist, has been working with pupils at five schools as
part of the Cruinn-eòlas aig Astar pilot project. It allows
S1 pupils to study geography through Gaelic using online
tutorials and classroom mentors.
The schools involved in the £70,000 Executive-funded
pilot are:
- Greenfaulds Academy,
Cumbernauld
- Islay High School
- Plockton High School
- Tain Royal Academy
- Tobermory High School
Pupils receive online support from Mr MacMillan, who
marks their work and monitors progress. Classroom mentors
are also on hand to provide support in each school.
Similar courses - in history, modern studies and maths -
are currently being planned by the Gaelic ICT
Implementation Group which is considering how technology
can boost provision of Gaelic medium secondary
education.
Mr MacMillan said:
"There is a big change for pupils who have gone through
Gaelic medium education in primary school. They go from
hearing Gaelic all day to, in some cases, having only two
hours of Gaelic every week in secondary.
"With a shortage of teachers able to teach subjects
other than Gaelic itself through the medium of Gaelic,
online courses can widen the access of Gaelic in the
secondary school.
"A short field trip at the end of their S1 course showed
that the pupils understood a lot of the work in the online
lessons. There is a message board and e-mail system built
into the course and it was a good opportunity for the
pupils to finally meet each other after seeing each others'
names for so long."
The pilot is managed by Stòrlann, the National Gaelic
Resource Centre. Director Mairead MacDonald, said:
"A new development like this demands a lot of commitment
from tutor, mentors and pupils and we have had extremely
good support from the schools and local authorities taking
part in the pilot."
Highland Council's Education Director Bruce Robertson,
who chairs the Gaelic ICT Implementation Group, said:
"The geography online project has been very popular with
schools and is leading the way in the approach we are
developing for the national Gaelic ICT curriculum.
"New technologies must be harnessed to ensure that
pupils in secondary schools have access to a Gaelic medium
curriculum and this innovative course demonstrates just
what can be done no matter the location of teachers and
pupils."
Gillebride MacMillan, 27, is from Gearraidh Bhailteas in
South Uist. He comes from a Gaelic speaking family and
Gaelic was his first language. A former pupil of Daliburgh
School and Sgoil Lionacleit, he gained an MA Hons degree
from Glasgow University in Celtic Studies and Geography.
After teaching English for the British Council in Spain he
went to Strathclyde University to train as a secondary
teacher. He taught geography and Gaelic in Forfar Academy
for two and a half years and now works as a tutor and
writer of online courses.
Forfar Academy and Ardnamurchan High School are expected
to join the pilot project in August when it will be
extended to include S2 pupils.
The pilot project was developed by Stòrlann with the
support of a working group of teachers and advisers.