Welcome

1. Singing Session

Mairi MacInnes

An opportunity to learn some new Gaelic songs and rhymes that can be used with young children. Lots of fun and laughter!

2. Writing Simple Songs

Morag Stewart and Mairi MacInnes

An opportunity to work with Morag Stewart and Mairi MacInnes creating and learning simple, fun songs  for children and families learning Gaelic.

3. Mindstretchers: Nurture to Nature
(0-3 Outdoors)

Katy Hookham

Working with children 0-3 outdoors and learning in their community, by playing and using natural resources to strengthen their knowledge and skills in the outdoors.

4. Teaghlaichean agus Sgoiltean Còmhla (TASC)

Diorbhail Wentworth & Carrie Afrin

Comann nam Pàrant

This workshop was run by Comann nam Pàrant’s  Diorbhail Wentworth and Carrie Afrin who shared new ideas and top tips for a new project that aims to strengthen and support Gaelic in the home, school and community.

5. Transition in the Early Years

Education Scotland

Information to look at supporting positive transitions in the Gaelic early years so that children have a positive and seamless transition into nursery and Primary school.

6. Go!Gaelic

DW Morrison, Stòrlann

Information about  Go Gaelic and resources to support parents and children learning Gaelic.

1. Lasadh: Using practical on-line materials

Gwen Culbertson and Mairi MacDonald

A look at the literacy website for primary schools. There was an opportunity to play with it, to search it and to ask Mairi and Gwen questions.

2. World War 2 project

Jayne Macaskill

An inter-disciplinary resource has been produced to support the teaching of this subject in P4 – 7 in the primary school.

It contains useful plans and resources in connection with the following – Home, Evacuation of Children, Anne Frank, The Blitz, Prisoners of War and Women’s Work.

3. Phonics Forever

Anne Glennie and Jayne Macaskill

Phonics Forever explored the most effective way to teach children to read, based on current educational research and leading-edge classroom practice—rather than whatever ‘scheme’ may be in the classroom cupboard! This engaging and challenging workshop :

• Discussed how the Alphabetic Code can be taught and made tangible for learners – in English and in Gaelic
• Reviewed current research, outlining what is regarded as best practice using the Principles of Systematic Synthetic Phonics
• Explored leading-edge classroom practices for the teaching of reading, writing and spelling, including core practice and application of skills
• Provided advice, activities and resources to support teaching and continuous assessment, including how to engage learners and parents in this process

Phonics Forever equipped delegates with the pedagogical subject knowledge, skills and resources to ensure that all children they work with succeed in reading.

If you are looking for an evidence-based intervention to close the attainment gap in your school, then this workshop delivered the skills to do it!

4. PE Activities for primary school

Megan Mackenzie

In this workshop attendees learned about PE activities and games for all primary stages.

With Megan’s expert guidance, they also looked at the available PE resources and discuss how to organise a series of lessons and create a yearly PE plan.

5. Teaching music in the primary school

Kirsteen Graham

Songs and games for the early stages (Nursery – P1/2) and action songs for P3 – 5, and songs and action songs for P4 –7 projects.

6. Science in the primary school

Catriona Campbell and Anne Macarthur

This workshop showed how a whole-school rolling programme can be created for Science to maximise the time allocated to teaching the subject in the primary school.

Delegates were shown plans, strategies and practical work and experiments that can be used.

7. STEM

Alan Smithyman, Catriona Gilchrist, Christine MacLeod,  Judy Robertson, Phil McKnight

This workshop aimed to support STEM subjects in Primary School.

Leading educationists reported on the benefits of STEM development and how schools could set up STEM clubs.

There was also  an outline of national developments in Technology for education and attendees heard about an interesting project which is being launched in Gaelic through the new e-school initiative.

8. Full Immersion

Màiri Sìne Clarke and Alison MacLeod

Gaelic Medium Education is based on the principles of full immersion. Full immersion occurs in the early stages of learning through the medium of Gaelic when no other language is used for instruction in order to ensure that the learners hear and absorb good quality Gaelic.

This session looked at the recommendations in the  report Advice on Gaelic Education (Education Scotland, 2015) and will provide examples of best practice and activities to achieve these.

There was a strong focus on listening and talking and on learning through a play based curriculum.

1. Supporting ASN students in the classroom

Dr Fiona Lyon and Catriona Campbell

This practical workshop  looked at the online ASN Handbook as well as creating Gaelic word lists on a software programme.

Literacy support resources in Gaelic were looked at and an update on the reading assessment project was given.

It also looked at practical matters for attendees to consider in supporting pupils with dyslexia – and therefore supporting all pupils!

2. Reading, writing and learning with Ceitidh,
the Scottish Gaelic Computer Voice

Paul Nisbet

In this workshop attendees learned how to use Ceitidh, the world’s first Scottish Gaelic computer voice, to support GME learners.

Computer readers are of particular benefit to learners with ASN and literacy difficulties, but all GME learners can use text-to-speech to proof read and improve their writing.

Attendees found out how to read text from the internet, textbooks, assessments (for example, for National Literacy Qualifications, where human readers cannot be used to assess reading, but Ceitidh can) and examinations.

They also learned how Ceitidh can be used with software to support writing, such as Clicker 6/7 and Penfriend XL.

Participants received a CD with the voice and free software tools to install at home and in school.

3. Employability and Skills: Developing the young workforce

Joan Mackay and Maeve MacKinnon, Education Scotland

This session engaged practitioners with the issues underpinning developing the young workforce and focus on their role in achieving outcomes for children and young people 3-18.

There were given ab update on developments so far and consideration of the plans for the forthcoming years.

Practitioners had the opportunity to discuss and share their own experiences of preparing children and young people for the world of work.

They also had the opportunity to reflect on their work-related learning activities with a particular focus on Careers in Gaelic.

4. The National Improvement Framework

Maeve MacKinnon and Charles Rooney, Education Scotland

This session provided practitioners with an update on the National Improvement Framework and focussed on the impact the framework has for Gaelic Education.

Practitioners had the opportunity to discuss the priorities and the six drivers for improvement outlined in the National Improvement Framework.

5. Co-operative learning

Mark Jones and Sophie Beavitt

Attendees were introduced to the concept of co-operative learning as a structured yet flexible approach to learning and teaching which involves problem solving, learning through talk, positive interdependence, individual accountability and emphasis on both social and academic skills; attendees took part in and learning through doing key co-operative learning strategies and discovered how they can enhance pupil engagement in both a Gaelic-learners class and a fluent Gàidhlig environment.

1. SQA – Higher writing for Learners

Eoghan Stewart

Eoghan is the Principal SQA Verifier for Gaelic Learners and in this workshop he looked at the requirements for Higher.

There was an opportunity to look at the different grades and look at the methods, skills and abilities required by learners in order to improve their writing grade.

2. Ceumannan 5

Chrisma MacFarlane

This workshop looked at the plan for Ceumannan 5 and what has been prepared already.

Also, teachers had the opportunity to suggest what else is required and what should be in Ceumannan 5.

3. Preparing for the SQA Speaking Assessment (Fluent) at N5/H/AH

Fiona MacInnes and John MacInnes

Fiona and John looked at how teachers can best prepare their pupils for the SQA Speaking Examination (Fluent).

Attendees also had the opportunity to assess examples of speaking at different levels from N5 to Higher and Advanced Higher.

4. Grammar for National Level

Eòghan Stewart and Màiri MacRitchie

Eòghan led participants through a new grammar resource from Stòrlann for teaching of grammar to national level.

There was also an opportunity for discussion and for the sharing of best practice.

Attendees alos discussed how the resource could be used in the classroom.

5. Encouraging creative and literary writing skills in Gaelic

Catriona MacPhee

This workshop looked at how pupils can be motivated to write fluently in Gaelic.

Additionally, those attending looked at how pupils’ creative and literary writing skills can be developed.