Teaching Welsh Culture

Mark Davies

Teaching Welsh Culture

• A ‘walk’ through some websites

• A ‘peek’ into the activities

• A ‘reflection on’ the primary sources

www.learnenglish.org.uk

• activities for young learners• activities for older learners• activities and themes for adult learners• specialist English practice• podcasts• pronunciation practice• online tests

www.teachingenglish.org.uk

• TRY – resources for the classroom

• THINK – ideas on teaching

• TALK – groups and discussions

• TRANSFORM – teacher development

Welsh culture...

Welsh studies is, first and foremost, a commitment to pluralism. It is concerned with the study of many cultures, both those within Wales and those outside by way of comparison with those within.

Adapted from John Drew, IATEFL Hungary Newsletter, May 1995

Welsh regions

The Blue Books

“In 1846, a Royal Commission was established to inquire into the state of Welsh education (and so, by implication, of Welsh society). After a close investigation, the Commission decided that its lamentable condition was due chiefly to the perverse addiction of the Welsh to their own language.”

Jan Morris, The Matter of Wales, 1986.

Digital stories

Digital Stories are short, personal, multimedia scraps of TV that people can make for themselves.

• 250 words• a dozen or so pictures• two minutes in length

Taffy

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief,Taffy came to my house and stole a leg of beef.I went to Taffy’s house, and found him in bed,I took a big cudgel and hit him on the head.

Daffyd Taffy The River Taff Taffy

Proper Welsh

How do you measure Welshness?

How Welsh is Stephanie?

Does it matter (to her)?

Poll

Poll

Welsh culture?

“So if you say 'Welsh culture', what do you think of? Of bara brith and Eisteddfod? Of choirs and Cardiff Arms Park? Of love spoons and the rampant red dragon? All these things are here, if at different levels and in different ways. But over and above them is another culture ....

Welsh culture, cont.

When we hear the word ‘culture’, some of us reach for our fancy dress. Real life is home, family, and a job; wages and prices; politics and crisis.”

Raymond Williams, “Welsh Culture” in The Resource of Hope, Verso, 1989.

Max Boyce – Duw, it’s hard!

• What was the singer’s job?

• What is his new job?

• Has his life changed for the better or worse?

Hwyl

• hwyl: emotional fervour (as in the recitation of poetry)Collins English Dictionary

Hywl

• hywl: a particular level of passion which can only be associated with the Welsh

John Winterson Richards, The Xenophobe’s Guide to the Welsh

LearnEnglish (www.learnenglish.org.uk) TeachingEnglish (www.teachingenglish.org.uk)

Mark Davies mark@davies.hr 2010 Thank you