Developing Practice in Gaelic-medium Preschools
Rising to the challenge: developing practice in Gaelic-medium settings1
Preschool practitioners have a repertoire of actions, experience of effective practice and are skilled
at interactions that support learning but those who work in Gaelic-medium settings have up to now
had little support to develop ways of meeting the specific challenges which arise in their playrooms.
Our research 2 found that there was a lack of training tailored to the needs of Gaelic-medium
practitioners who have to ensure that children have high quality learning experiences in line with the
expectations of the Curriculum for Excellence and opportunities for effective language learning. The
questions and vignettes offered here are an initial attempt to prompt reflection on the skills with
practitioners have and ways in which they can be drawn on to develop practice in immersion
settings where there are limited numbers of adults and finite resources.
Our research identified a number of challenges which practitioners face in Gaelic-medium settings:
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young learners are heavily dependent on direct scaffolding from practitioners for access to
vocabulary
children need the support of multi-modal interactions with an adult (e.g. gestures,
demonstrations, visual clues) to support understanding
learning is fostered when children are intensely engaged but these experiences may not
involve hearing or responding to Gaelic
children’s choices in free play times may mean that they play mainly through the medium of
English with their peers.
The vignettes that follow illustrate these challenges. They are taken from our observations of the
everyday experiences of children and their practitioners in Gaelic-medium preschool settings. In
each of these examples the children were Gaelic learners and we have focused on episodes when
children were engaged in the activity, whether or not it involved listening to or speaking Gaelic. The
vignettes can be used in two ways.
1. Reflect on the experiences described – What positive aspects of practice can you see there?
What challenges are present in each vignette? What would you do next? What would you
have done differently? How could these episodes be built on to enhance the language
learning opportunities offered?
2. Using these accounts as models create some vignettes from observations in your own
setting. Look for episodes when children are intensely engaged or excited about what they
are doing. What familiar practices support their engagement? During what kind of activities
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These development materials have been produced by Christine Stephen, Joanna McPake and Wilson McLeod
and are based n the findings of Young Children Learning in Gaelic, a study funded by the British Academy.
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Young children learning in Gaelic
Research Briefing in English http://www.ioe.stir.ac.uk/research/projects/documents/RBEnglishfinal.pdf
Research Briefing in Gaelic
http://www.ioe.stir.ac.uk/research/projects/documents/GaelicRBfinal17498_FINAL_000.pdf
Review of Gaelic medium early education and childcare
Summary Gaelic http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/07/09110935/0
Summary English http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/06/21161414/0
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Developing Practice in Gaelic-medium Preschools
do the children use Gaelic or respond in ways which suggest that they understand what is
said to them? How can you plan for more of the positive experiences?
Follow up these focused reflections by addressing some more general questions as you meet with
colleagues to plan the programme for activities inside and outside the playroom.
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What opportunities are there for introducing more Gaelic vocabulary about the activities
that are exciting the children?
How can you arrange for more opportunities for children to act out or retell familiar stories
in Gaelic?
What props or activities can you add to extend story telling in Gaelic?
What can you add to the children’s play outside to extend their learning opportunities and
their opportunities to engage with Gaelic?
How can you build on episodes of silent intense engagement with Gaelic conversation?
What technologies can you use to enhance the learning experiences? How could you use
digital photography for recording, reviewing and discussing with children? How can
computer games scaffold children’s use of newly developing concepts and give opportunities
to extend or reinforce their vocabulary?
Can you plan the programme and practitioner responsibilities to increase the direct contact
that children have with Gaelic-speaking adults?
How can you make use of familiar and popular routines and activities to extend the use of
Gaelic and children’s opportunities to act on or demonstrate their understanding?
Arrange to collect some notes across the team about how effective your plans have been. Is the
language learning environment becoming richer? Is more Gaelic being used? Are children more
engaged in Gaelic-medium activities? Varying one or two aspects of practice at a time for a specified
number of weeks will allow you to identify positive and negative aspects of your interventions. Take
time at team meetings to review the interventions and plan next steps. Do you need to seek
specialist help or training? Would it help to observe what happens in other Gaelic-medium settings
or to arrange for a practitioner from another Gaelic-medium preschool to observe in your playroom
as a critical friend?
Funded by the British Academy
Dr Christine Stephen, University of Stirling
Joanna McPake, University of Strathclyde
Dr Wilson McLeod, University of Edinburgh
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Developing Practice in Gaelic-medium Preschools
Vignettes for reflection
Something to get excited about
Sally’s morning started with her flitting around the room. She dug in the sand for a few minutes
alongside another child and they chatted briefly in English before Sally wandered off again. Her
attention was taken by a remote control car. Lizzie joined in with the remote control car she had
chosen and Sally gave Lizzie directions in English about how to make the car move. The cars held the
girls’ attention for a few minutes then they moved on together to the puzzle table.
Two hours later Sally was very engaged as she dug in the garden with six other children searching for
mini-beasts. Sally was very excited when she found a worm. Olivia called the practitioner over to
look at Sally’s worm. Talking in Gaelic, with gestures and physical help the practitioner explained
how to treat the worm and told the girls a little about how the worm lived.
Starting from the familiar
Melanie and Lawrence were part of a small group engaged with a practitioner on an activity
designed to support literacy development. The children listened as the practitioner read a familiar
story in Gaelic. She used lots of body language to help the children understand the events of the
story and checked that they understood key words. Melanie listened attentively and contributed
some Gaelic words as they discussed the story. The adult then shifted the children’s attention to
some newspaper articles in Gaelic, drawing their attention to the layout of stories in the press. With
some switching from Gaelic to English the practitioner explained that they were going to make an
article for the newspaper from the story they had heard. Lawrence remembered a lot of the story
and with encouragement was able to retell it using some Gaelic as the practitioner began to write
their article.
Ready, steady, go
In May Andrew was running and jumping energetically outside at the beginning of the morning. He
wasn’t talking to other children or adults but the noises he was making as he ran around suggested
that he was involved in solo imaginary play.
A few minutes later Susan was observed cycling round the outside play area. She was talking in
English to herself and calling out that she was going backwards. Claire asked to sit on the second
seat of the cycle but changed her mind and found a bike for herself. Susan gave Claire a push to get
her started then jumped back on her cycle and called for Claire to follow her.
Samantha was sitting on her bike waiting to move but first the practitioner reviewed the Gaelic
words for red and green and all the children on bicycles repeated them after her. The practitioner
then directed the cycle traffic to stop and go with red and green cards. Samantha was intensely
engaged in this game, focusing on the ‘traffic lights’, steering carefully and laughing as she enjoyed
the stopping and starting.
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Developing Practice in Gaelic-medium Preschools
Quiet concentration
Jessica was sitting at a small table intensely engaged in threading plastic spools on to a lace to make
a necklace. She did not speak to the only other child sitting at the table and no adults talked to her
or commented on her threading and the necklace she was making. Jessica focused on the lace and
spools, sometimes removing a spool or adding one from the other necklaces lying on the table.
When she was satisfied with the necklace she then unthreaded all the spools and packed the
equipment away on the nearby shelf.
As soon as welcome time was over Elizabeth went straight to the drawing table. She sat down
without speaking to the other girls who were arriving at the same time. She was immediately
engrossed in drawing a detailed picture before cutting out some shapes in coloured paper to add to
the work she was producing. None of the children or adults nearby talked to Elizabeth during this
activity and she did not try to initiate any conversation.
Three boys were busy building with the large hollow blocks. Derek was intensely engaged with his
construction project, ignoring the others and only speaking once to warn a passing child to avoid
knocking into his building.
Following the leader
All the children were in the gym with a practitioner who was modelling animal movements and
noises. Bella stopped to listen to the Gaelic instructions and description then tried to copy the
practitioner, sometimes looking at other children as if to check if she was understanding what the
adult said.
Elaine, two boys and the practitioner were playing a number game. The adult spoke mostly in Gaelic
with some code-switching. The children took turns to find numbers and Elaine was attentive and
successful. She spoke only in English but was able to follow the Gaelic instructions in what seemed
to be a familiar game format led by the practitioner.
Susie and three other children were helping to prepare snack. The practitioner with them showed
how to cut up the oranges into segments, accompanying her actions with verbal instructions in
Gaelic. Susie got on with her task then followed the practitioner’s directions (all in Gaelic) about
clearing up. She responded quickly in English that she had already washed her chopping board when
reminded (in Gaelic) to do this.
Singing and counting together
When all the children were gathered in a circle they began to sing a familiar song in Gaelic. The song
involved counting and Lauren was chosen to do this. Smiling confidently she counted in Gaelic and
moved the props appropriately. After her turn Lauren returned to her place in the circle and joined
in with the singing when another child was chosen to count.
At Circle Time the practitioner started to sing Hickory Dickory Dock in Gaelic. She gave out
instruments to some children and gave instructions in Gaelic about when and how to play along with
the singing. It took several attempts to get the rhyme and instrument playing synchronised with lots
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Developing Practice in Gaelic-medium Preschools
of verbal support in Gaelic but Lillian joined in with the singing and actions on every attempt.
©Christine Stephen, 2012.
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