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Research Project (PG Cert)

Exploring the most effective model for teaching Gaelic Drama in Primary Schools

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Rachel Kennedy

M.A Learning and Teaching (Gaelic Arts)

Research Project (PG CERT)

Exploring the most effective model for teaching Gaelic Drama in

primary schools

Rachel Kennedy

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland


Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Analysis of Data

Presentation of Results

In this section of the project I will present the results of my research

and critically reflect on the data gathered; to identify whether the data

gathered, supports the initial aims and expectations of the project.

Results from the Reserch Questionnaires for Pupils

In order to gather research data I issued questionnaires to both the

pupils and teachers within the primary school to evaluate and

examine their experience of Gaelic Drama teaching.The pupils that

had participated in my drama workshops were asked at the end of

the workshops to evaluate whether they felt the workshops had

proved beneficial to their educational experiences and outcomes.

The pupils were asked to draw a circle round the number which most

accurately answers the question using the administering scale below:

Administering the Scale:

1= Strongly Disagree

2= Disagree

3= Undecided

4= Agree

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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5= Strongly Agree

Question 1:I feel that the Gaelic Drama classes have contributed to

me becoming a more effective contributor?

Strongly Disagree Disagree UndecidedAgree Strongly Agree

Results:

62% Agreed and 38% strongly agreed that the Gaelic Drama

classes had contributed to them becoming a more effective

contributor.

Additional Comments:

Getting to know the new P4’S better. Yes, I feel like I have become a better contributor. I found it fun It helped me put everything I learnt into a performance

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Question 2: I feel that the Gaelic Drama classes have con-

tributed to me being a responsible citizen?

Strongly Disagree 0 Disagree UndecidedAgree Strongly Agree 9

Results

50% Agreed and 50% strongly agreed that the Gaelic Drama classes

contributed to them becoming more responsible citizens.


Yes, with how we make plays. I feel more into Drama

Question 3: I feel that the Gaelic Drama classes have con-

tributed to me becoming a more successful learner?

Strongly disagree disagree undecidedagree strongly agree

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Results

25% agreed and 75% strongly agreed that the Gaelic Drama classes

contributed to them becoming more successful learners.

Question 4: I feel the drama classes have contributed to me becoming a more con-

fident individual?

Strongly disagree Disagree undecidedagree strongly Agree

Results

30% agreed and 70% strongly agreed that the drama classes had

contributed to them becomming more confident individuals.


It made me a more confident individual.

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Question 5Would you like to see these drama sessions

continue in your school?

YES NO UNDECIDED

Results

90% strongly agreed that they would like to see the drama classes

continue in their school.10% were undecided.


Tha mi smaonaicheadh gu bheil dràma gu math spòrsail agus bidh

mi ag ionnsachadh nas motha.

I think that Gaelic Drama is really fun and that I learn lots from it.

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Question 6Do you feel you have developed any skills

by taking part in the Drama classes?

YES NO UNDECIDED

Results: The whole class felt they has developed skills by taking part

in the Drama classes. Here are some of the skills they listed:

Helps me work as a team I feel I have developed the skill to talk and move around as if

you have a purpose in the story. I have developed better listening skills Remembering the lines

Question 7: In your opinion, what words best describe the Gaelic

drama sessions?

Very Fun I liked it Good Great Interesting Amazing Exciting Better than class work (especially Maths) Happy Outstanding It doesn’t matter if you embarrass yourself you’re a character

not yourself.

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Question 8: Any additional comments?

It helped me be more brave

Results from the Research Questionnaire for Teachers

The teachers were asked to evaluate whether they felt the drama

workshops had proved benefical to the pupils educational

experiences and outcomes. The teachers were asked to write down

the number which most accurately answered the question using the

administering scale below:

Administering the Scale:

1= Strongly Disagree

2= Disagree

3= Undecided

4= Agree

5= Strongly Agree

Results from the Research Questionnaire for Teachers

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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The two classroom teachers both strongly agreed that the Gaelic

Drama classes had contributed to the children becoming more

effective contributors.

To what extent do you feel that the Gaelic Drama classes have contributed to the

children becoming more responsible citi-zens?

strongly disagree disagree undecidedagree strongly agree

The two classroom teachers both agreed that the Gaelic Drama

classes had contributed to the children becoming more responsible

citizens.

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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In my own opinion, I felt that it was indeed an accurate evaluation

given by the teachers. The older primary pupils were excellent at

helping the younger pupils in the activities and over the sessions

showed an increase in maturity.

To what extent do you feel that the Gaelic Drama classes have contributed to the children

becoming more successful learners?


The two classroom teacher both strongly agreed that the Gaelic


successful learners.

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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To what extent do you feel that the Gaelic Drama classes have contributed to the children becom-

ing more confident individuals?


The two classroom teacher both strongly agreed that the Gaelic


confident individuals.

Would you like to see these drama sessions continue in your school?

Yes No

Both classroom teachers agreed they would like to see the drama

sessions continue in the school.

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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In your opinion are there ways in which these drama sessions

could be further developed?

Teacher 1

“It would be good to offer the Gaelic Drama workshops to the lower

primary classes as well.”

Teacher 2

“I feel the mainstream classes would benefit from doing these

workshops as part of their Gaelic classes.”

Any Additional comment/ feedback.

Feedback from Teacher 1

“Thank you for delivering such fun and inspiring workshops. It was

clear to see how enjoyable the children found the lessons. After each

week I could see their confidence growing and this carried through

into other areas of the curriculum that we worked on. Certain children

who prior to your workshop sessions tended to be shy and hold back

in class, showed a greater willingness to participate and have their

voices heard; particularly in class discussion. Moran Taing!”

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Feedback from Teacher 2

“Having highlighted to you, that I would like to see the children’s

emotional literacy increased, I was really fascinated in observing how

you took the topic of Greek gods and goddesses and clearly

achieved the outlined aims. The children “lost themselves” in the new

characters that they had become. I would see them at break time

playing the games and continuing the stories that you had begun with

them. It truly captivated their imaginations. Thank you for such fun

and educational sessions.”

Discussion of Results

In this section I will critically reflect on the data gathered and discuss

to what degree the data gathered supports my initial aims and

expectations. In this section I will also discuss the reliability of the

evidence gathered.

The data gathered was through qualitative research in the form of

questionnaires. My initial fear was that the pupils might find the

questions in the questionnaire too difficult to answer or might be

unsure what the questions were asking. However, the class teacher

took the time to explain the questions to the pupils. In my opinion the

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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evidence gathered was very reliable as it was first-hand accounts

given by both the pupils and teachers.

To analyse whether the data gathered supports my initial aims and

expectations for the project I will review the research questions. The

following are the questions I had hoped would be answered through

the research project:

What model should be used to ensure optimum effectiveness in

teaching Gaelic Drama to young people?

How can I develop my teaching practice to ensure the young people

are achieving the aims laid out by the Curriculum for Excellence for

language learning and the expressive arts, looking specifically at

Gaelic Drama?

What strategies can be developed and used by Comunn na Gàidhlig

to evaluate the effectiveness of Gaelic Drama in enabling young

people to better engage with the Gaelic language?

Whether Gaelic Drama offers support with Gaelic language

acquisition and learning.

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Whether Drama is an effective learning tool in supporting inter-

disciplinary learning?

From the data gathered and the research conducted in my literature

review there are various opinions on how Drama should be taught to

young people. From the data gathered from the pupils and teachers,

evidence would indicate that the model used in my workshops was to

a large degree successful.

All the pupils that participated in my Gaelic drama workshops either

agreed or strongly agreed that the Gaelic drama workshops had

helped them become effective contributors, responsible citizens,

successful learners and confident individuals.

The feedback would also evidence that the young people through

the Gaelic drama workshops were achieving the aims laid out by the

Curriculum for Excellence for language learning and the expressive

arts. The data gathered also evidenced that the Gaelic drama

workshops offered support with Gaelic language acquisition and

learning.

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Through the workshops the pupils extended their Gaelic vocabulary.

The workshops gave the young people the opportunity to use their

Gaelic in an informal and fun environment. Feedback from both the

pupils and teachers evidence this.

From the data gathered from the pupils and teachers it was

evidenced that Drama is viewed as an effective learning tool in

supporting inter-disciplinary learning? Topics such as the Eco-system

and Greek gods and goddesses were successfully taught. The

children’s language skills were improved through an increase in

vocabulary. Movement and physical comedy were also areas that

were developed through the project. Leadership, team work,

creativity, communication and evaluation were also some of the skills

further developed as a result of the project.

Blooms Taxanomy of Learning also supports this. In Blooms

Taxanomy pyramid, understanding is ranked as the lowest form of

intelligence. The second highest form of intelligence is evaluation

with the highest form of intelligence ranked as creativity. Throughout

the workshops conducted, the learning outcomes for the pupils were

always to create and evaluate. This evidences drama to be an

effective learning tool in supporting inter-disciplinary learning.

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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Throughout the workshops the pupils successfully achieved the

learning outcomes. They demonstrated the highest form of

intelligence through the creation of characters and stories and in

successfully evaluating their own learning.

From the analysis of this data I have discovered that my teaching

style proved effective in inspiring and encouraging young people to

be creative and express themselves in different ways. The children

were able to express a range of emotions through exploring various

characters. Feedback from the teachers supports this. One teacher

commented on how the children “lost themselves in the characters

they created.” Feedback from the pupils was always extremely

positive with the children stating how fun and enjoyable they had

found the workshops. One pupil stated “it made me braver.” For me

as a teacher I teach to achieve these results. I want to see the

children confident and not afraid to express themselves in different

ways.

Through my Gaelic drama workshops I developed a rapport with the

pupils and a bond of trust was formed. It was evident to see that they

enjoyed the workshops and furthermore they also contributed to their

peer’s enjoyment. This was visible to see through their creative and

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay



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expressive performances. They enjoyed making each other laugh

through their movement and physical comedy.

I will expand further on the evaluation of my learning and teaching in

the next section entitled Project Conclusions and Recommendations.

Word Count 1711

Rachel Kennedy



Tutor: Jamie Mackay

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