O'Donnell Lecture 2022

Are you studying the PGCE PcET course? (Post Graduate Certificate in Education, Post-compulsory Education and Training). Speak Welsh, or want to increase your confidence in using the Welsh language? Catch up with this session! Sgiliaith joined us to give advice on how to encourage and support students to work through the medium of Welsh, and an experienced staff member who now teaches bilingually in the sector highlighted some useful resources.     This session took place on 29 January 2025.

Are you currently studying the PGCE PcET  (Post Graduate Certificate in Education, Post-compulsory Education and Training) course? Do you speak Welsh, and are you keen to use the Welsh language in your career? If so, these videos are for you!   The series includes six videos from staff who teach bilingually in the further education and apprenticeships sector and who have recently completed the PGCE PcET course. It is an opportunity for you to hear about their experiences and to get tips and learn good practices as you start your career in the sector.

FreeTxt helps you analyse and visualize free text data in Welsh and English, such as data from surveys and questionnaires. FreeTxt enables you to perform up to six different types of textual data analysis for each file. You don't need to be able to code or learn how to create graphs, either - FreeTxt does the hard work for you!

This paper reports a study investigating the acquisition of frequently used Welsh vocabulary by beginner learners of Welsh. Twenty-three participants were tasked to learn 300 content words over 50 days (10 minutes per day) using flashcards. Information was provided about techniques to support learning, such as the keyword method and paying attention to parts of words. Immediate and delayed post-learning tests revealed substantial differences in the ‘learnability’ and retention of target words. An end-of-study questionnaire elicited detailed information about participants’ learning experience, and found that more successful learners used highly systematic approaches to word selection and revision, and used the keyword technique. A resulting list of words ranked by learnability, and comments on learning techniques from high-scoring participants, are informing revisions of learning materials.  Authors: Tess Fitzpatrick, Steve Morris