Global educational resources publisher, Twinkl, has a Gaelic-speaking team publishing resources in the language throughout the year.
From the 21st to the 27th of March, Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week) is going to be enjoyed in Scottish classrooms and beyond.
The event is a wonderful way of shining a light on a significant part of Scottish heritage, and to celebrate an aspect of Scottish culture. The aims of the week are to encourage learning Gaelic, and to promote the cultural richness associated with Gaelic.
Gaelic is prominently used in the Highlands and islands of Scotland. There are also many urban Gaels using the language in Scotland’s cities. Gaelic is actively spoken in schools, among friends & family, as well as in shops and restaurants.
According to the last census, over 87,000* Scots were able to speak, read or understand Gaelic. As a minority language, it has had a large impact on Scottish culture for centuries, right up to the present day.
Twinkl has created learning materials that fit into five themes to help the language come alive. The themes can be used each day in the school-week when Seachdain na Gàidhlig takes place.
These are: Celebrate Gaelic, Learning the Language, Gaelic in the Real World, Gaelic in the Media, and Arts & Culture. These themes were created to support the teaching and the learning of Gaelic.
Twinkl is an EdTech company with a mission to ‘help those who teach’. The organisation has its own Gaelic-speaking team, dedicated to creating educational materials in the Gaelic language throughout the year. There are resources designed for fluent Gaelic speakers as well as learners.
Julie-Anne Mackenzie, Twinkl Alba’s Product Owner said, “World Gaelic Week is a fantastic way of boosting the language’s profile, as well as celebrating its stories, music, and much more. It is an opportunity for both learners and fluent speakers in a variety of contexts to celebrate and share their learning, whatever stage they are at.”
The Twinkl Alba team speaks Gaelic throughout the working day. Alongside the Gaelic resources that are made, emails are written, and meetings are hosted in the language. The team features content writers, graphic designers and editors dedicated to supporting teaching and learning in the language throughout the year. Employees come from a variety of educational and linguistic backgrounds throughout Scotland and beyond.
Julie-Anne said, “It is a privilege to work on a team that creates thousands of educational resources in Gaelic a year. Gaelic is the primary language we use in a business setting, no matter the project we are working on.
“There are even English Twinkl employees who have enjoyed picking up some Gaelic words and phrases when working alongside us!”
“Learning Gaelic is a fun challenge, and Twinkl Alba are here to support learners and teachers with a vast array of engaging resources. This is to supplement and enhance the learning experience. Why don’t you give it a try?”
For more information about World Gaelic Week, you can take a look at Twinkl’s World Gaelic Week Category Page.