Blog: Learning in Welsh
For me Welsh is personal, it is who I am, my surname is Welsh. It is my parents’ and grandparents’ first language. In fact it was the first language I spoke.
Welsh is a road map of my culture. It tells me where family have been and where we as a country are heading.
Speaking Welsh is very important to me to feel connected with my community, and although I did my Degree and Post Graduate through the medium of English most of my teaching has been done in Welsh Medium Schools.
Along with new learners to the language, I still felt/feel very anxious when speaking Welsh to adults who are more grammatically and academically astute than myself as I would categorise myself as speaking colloquial Welsh. So, with this in mind and a very large leap of faith I have decided to do part of my new qualification in Welsh. I believe that this will push me out of my comfort zone and stretch my knowledge of the language. It will also demonstrate to my employers that I am willing to be flexible.
This extended knowledge of the language will be particularly helpful in the areas of Wales that I will be working in as they are amongst the areas with the highest proportion of Welsh speakers in the country.
As we are aware, in Wales we are legally obliged to answer the telephone and any correspondence in Welsh. Our children will learn bilingually, which I think will benefit them greatly in a global economy where borders are getting narrowed by the use of technology. As for myself, increasing my knowledge of Welsh will improve my skills and employability as I will become fully able to deliver all courses bilingually, so I could deliver to both Welsh and English learners at the same time.
Most people in Wales are classed as ‘compound bilingual’ where they learn both Welsh and English at the same time. Learning a language as a child gives you more holistic approach to languages and, according to Marian & Shook 2012, proven advantages for brain function such as:
- Ability to focus better on tasks
- Better at switching between tasks
- Improved cognitive skills
- Improve memory
- Easier to learn other languages
By delivering courses bilingually I hope to improve my cognitive skills and use the base knowledge to learn another language.
Did you know that Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs has Welsh Speaking Training Officers in every region who can support you to learn through the medium of Welsh? The Welsh Government has a broad target – by 2020 at least 10% of learners in Further Education should be studying in Welsh or bilingually. The education sector as a whole has a duty to keep on improving bilingualism, which is why it is particularly important to help our Playworkers improve their Welsh language skills through our Work Welsh Project.
I hope that becoming more proficient in the Welsh language I will be able to deliver courses solely through the medium of Welsh or bilingually to English and Welsh speakers at the same time. Delivering an education that our learners deserve in their chosen language.
Angela Williams
Training Officer, West Wales