Professional Focus Paper
Course: Gàidhlig
1.
Level: National 4
Who is this paper for and what is its purpose?
This paper is for teachers and other staff who provide learning, teaching and support as learners work towards
Gàidhlig National 4.
Curriculum for Excellence is a unique opportunity to raise achievement and to ensure that all learners are better
prepared than they have been in the past for learning, life and work. This is because the new curriculum gives real
scope to build learning 3–18 in a joined-up, seamless way. As a result, progression in learning can be much
stronger with a clear focus on attributes and capabilities, skills (including higher-order thinking skills), and
knowledge and understanding. These are delivered through the experiences and outcomes of the 3–15 Broad
General Education (BGE) and, at the senior phase, through programmes that build directly on the BGE leading to
qualifications. Because of a strengthened focus on the nature and quality of learning experiences, self-motivation is
likely to be increased and learners consequently more engaged and enthused. To ensure continuity and
progression, qualifications at the senior phase have been designed to embrace this unambiguous focus on highquality learning.
Curriculum for Excellence has the flexibility to meet the needs of all learners in their local circumstances, enabling
each to achieve their very best. For example, some centres may take the opportunity to offer qualifications over two
years which might involve learners bypassing qualifications at a given level, whereas others may enable learners to
work towards qualifications within one year. In both cases, the advice in this paper is relevant to the learning and
teaching approaches that learners will encounter. This paper, then, is intended to stimulate professional reflection
and dialogue about learning. It highlights important features of learning which are enhanced or different from
previous arrangements at this SCQF level.
How will you plan for progression in learning and teaching, building on the Broad General Education?
2.
What’s new and what are the implications for learning and teaching?
Gàidhlig National 4 consists of four Units.
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Creation and Production
Analysis and Evaluation
Literacy
Added Value Unit: Gàidhlig Assignment
To achieve Gàidhlig National 4, learners must pass all of the required Units, including the Added Value Unit.
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What are the key aspects of Gàidhlig National 4?
Integrated approach to skills development
Gàidhlig National 4 builds on the skills developed within the BGE. Staff may wish to consider thematic approaches
to learning and teaching. Listening, reading, talking and writing skills are all essential to the understanding and
usage of Gàidhlig. Learners should regularly, both in partnership with the teacher, and independently, access
books, online resources, radio and Gàidhlig speakers, within and out with the classroom environment, in order to
acquire and develop their skills. A focus should be maintained on enabling young people to communicate in
relevant and realistic contexts. These contexts should be varied, interesting and aimed at engaging and enthusing
learners. The following list presents some options: Obair/Work, Na Meadhanan/Media, Eachdraidh na
Gàidhlig/History of Gàidhlig, Biadh & Slàinte/Health & Food, Cogadh/War are all suggestions for thematic work. All
the units may be passed by using a range of activities across themes.
Wider range of evidence of learning
There is a focus on assessment as an integral part of learning and teaching. Staff can make use of a wider range
of evidence of learning including, for example, digital or spoken presentations, leaflets, extended writing, notes or
podcasts. Staff should also consider the application of breadth and challenge across the four contexts of learning.
These should be used by learners to build a portfolio to show their progress through the Units in addition to more
traditional forms of assessment such as close reading passages.
Hierarchy of Units
Programmes of learning should be planned to encourage learners to aim for the highest level of achievement.
There is no mandatory content at National 4 but the aim of the course is to develop listening, reading, talking and
writing skills in order to understand and use language; understand, analyse and evaluate straightforward texts,
create and produce straightforward texts, use knowledge of language; and use knowledge of Gàidhlig cultural
heritage and the cultural heritage of others.
These skills and knowledge will be developed further in National 5 and beyond. The skills developed in the
hierarchy of Units enables staff to plan courses to cater for learners of differing abilities. Careful planning of
vocabulary and grammar will be required to ensure learners can move between the levels as required and that
content is not repeated unnecessarily as learners progress through the SCQF levels.
Added Value Unit
Learners will be required to complete an Added Value Unit, which will take the form of an assignment. Learners will
have been exposed to a choice of topics to be researched and will present evidence of their learning through an
oral presentation upon which they will also be required to respond to questions on the chosen topic using their
listening skills. Teachers and learners may find it beneficial for their presentation to be accompanied by a written
report.
The topic for the assignment can be decided by the learner, with support from staff. As there is no mandatory
content, learners have much more opportunity to exercise choice in a way that is personal to them. The assignment
is an opportunity to apply skills and abilities, for example, in selecting and evaluating relevant information evidence,
organising and using information and to increase challenge, describing the impact of a historical event. Topics
which learners could research might include, for example:
 an aspect of the Gael at war, for example, St Valery, Dòmhnall Ruadh Choruna
 the Gàidhlig media and other areas of the Gàidhlig economy: arts, development
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 history of Gàidhlig in the local area, including place names
 family history, this may be of particular interest to those learners with a Gàidhlig background.
Writing a report can be very beneficial for a learner to consolidate knowledge and understanding of the topic.
What are the key features of learning in Gàidhlig National 4?
Active learning
Learners will be expected to take an active role in the learning process, working individually and collectively to
develop skills and to reflect on their learning. Learning activities, linked to their own interests, will develop learners
abilities to explore, to analyse, to evaluate, to solve problems, to communicate for different purposes, to create and
to apply learning.
The work must be purposeful and tasks should be relevant to today’s Gàidhlig community and the interests of the
learners. Texts should incorporate a range of media and teachers should make use of spoken and written Gàidhlig
from a range of modern settings and from relevant Gàidhlig literature. Ensuring that a strong Gàidhlig environment
is sustained within the class is essential. A strong Gàidhlig-medium environment , where immersion is a dialogical
collaboration between staff and learners which builds a commitment to using Gaelic outwith the classroom
environment, ensures that language skills continue to develop apace, building on the BGE stage.
Teachers may wish to focus on developing texts that incorporate a grammar point as a focus as well as an aspect
of relevant Gàidhlig culture.
Learners may wish to write a script based on a short story, which they have studied, to ensure that they understand
the plot, characters and themes. The use of song can still be a powerful tool for vocabulary acquisition and for
assimilating texts. Recitation of poetry can be very effective in assisting learners in retaining learning and learners
may do this in groups.
Learning independently
Learners should be introduced to strategies and resources that will allow them to work independently. Resources,
such as reading schemes, websites and web-based learning tools, should be familiar to learners. By reading such
texts learners develop as independent thinkers, who recognise when they are being influenced and who can justify
their own point of view. Learners should be expected to read texts over and above those prescribed by the
teacher for both vocabulary acquisition and pleasure. Learners should be regularly using their skills, specifically
their language skills, on their own and demonstrating their resilience and ability to work independently of others.
Although learners should be encouraged to ask the teacher for advice and help, learners should increasingly be
developing the ability to work on their own. Their independent learning skills will be used and developed through
their own research work. Learners should be able to select and investigate a topic of their own choice that relates
to Gàidhlig. Talking and writing activities will enable learners to develop creative thinking skills and make decisions
as to topic, structure, language and tone. In taking part in discussions, young people develop skills in being able to
frame relevant questions, and use responses for further clarification. As there is no mandatory content, learners
have real opportunities to explore aspects of Gaelic that interest them most. They should then be encouraged to
plan their own research work and reflect upon it at different stages.
How will you plan opportunities for learners to learn independently?
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Responsibility for learning
Learners must be encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. Developing suitable classroom practices
and strategies will allow this to happen. Taking responsibility for their own learning should mean that learners can
produce work on their own, review and evaluate their work. It would be beneficial to discuss how to do this with
learners periodically. They should be able to reflect on their own learning and plan how they can improve their
work. This should include target setting in association with the teacher. Some teachers may wish to use tools such
as learning logs, blogs or diaries, building on the S3 Profile. For example, learners could be required to maintain a
Gàidhlig usage log for a month, or to record notes about a news item each day from BBC Gàidhlig for a period of
time.
Texts related to language issues, or a unit based on the place of Gàidhlig in the local area/Scotland may be used to
help learners grow more confident in their identity as Gàidhlig speakers while also developing broader citizenship
skills. These will assist learners in progression towards the achievement of Scottish Studies accreditation.
How will you support learners to take responsibility for and plan their own learning?
Collaborative learning
It is important that learners are able to work effectively with peers, the teacher and others. Good links with Gàidhlig
organisations and the wider Gàidhlig community can effectively enhance the collaborative skills of learners,
equipping them with skills for learning, life and work. The use of Gàidhlig at all times while engaged in collaborative
work is essential. It is important that learners continue to build on their skills from the BGE and make a conscious
effort to create a total immersion context when developing Gàidhlig National 4. Learners should be reminded that
they are the medium of their own learning.
Learners may wish to engage in an exercise to write questions and answers for a prepared text set at the relevant
level, then another learner is required to sit the prepared assessment. This will develop reading and writing skills.
Learners may also be given a group project where every member of a group has to provide a section of a report.
This will allow pupils to evaluate other pupils’ and their own work.
As learners become more confident, they could begin to collaborate, not just with their peers, but also with learners
from other establishments and from the wider community.
How might you develop collaborative approaches to learning and make effective use of technology?
Applying learning
Learners must be given opportunity to apply what they have learned and the skills they are developing in a range of
settings. A range of texts using different types of media should be used. Learners will apply their learning in the
Unit assessments and in the added value elements of the course but they should also have opportunity to apply
their learning during regular learning activities. Lessons should be planned to ensure that opportunities to apply
learning reflect real-life situations where Gàidhlig skills would be used. Learners should also be able to apply broad
skills, which they will be developing in other subjects, such as presentation and speaking skills and skills for
learning, life and work. For example, a unit of work could develop along the lines of producing a CV, reading a
range of job adverts for information, writing a formal text to apply for one of the positions, then progressing to a role
play interview where all the students take turns to play different roles.
Learners in Gàidhlig medium often have a wide experience of Gàidhlig song. Older material is often neglected in
the teaching of poetry but a focus on assonance, rhythms and meter in poems can be used to stimulate learners to
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produce their own texts using rhyme schemes and then perform them. This also allows pupils to focus on the
spelling of words due to the requirement for a regular scheme, for example, creating a verse with a rhyme scheme
using words with “ua”, “fuar”, “uamh”, “buaidh”.
Textual analysis and production of a text may go hand in hand, combining the analysis of a text by using its style
and language to produce a text in the same vein. For example, studying a short story with a supernatural twist and
then producing a short story within the same genre/using similar themes.
3.
Qualification information
The SQA website provides you with the following documentation:
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Assessment Overview
Course Specification
Unit Specification
Support Notes
Course Assessment Specification
Unit Assessment Support Packages
Full information on arrangements for this qualification is available at the SQA website:
Gàidhlig National 4: http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/47405.html
4.
What other materials are available on the Education Scotland website which staff
could use?
Support materials have been produced over the last year to support Curriculum for Excellence and further support
materials and events are planned. This downloadable list is updated quarterly with the most up-to-date details
available from the page below.
Published and planned support for Curriculum for Excellence:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/publishedandplannedsupport
T +44 (0)141 282 5000 E enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk W www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA
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