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.