A new and innovative Teachers’ Pack, developed by Aberystwyth University and aimed at teachers of the Welsh Assembly Government’s flagship Welsh Baccalaureate qualification, will be launched at the University’s world-renowned Department of International Politics on Friday 21 May, 2010 at 11.00 a.m.
The pack provides a range of resources focused on the Wales, Europe and the World element of the Welsh Baccalaureate, and has been produced in response to the increasing demand by teachers in Wales for relevant materials, especially through the medium of Welsh.
The launch will be attended by representatives from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Department for Children, Education, and Lifelong Learning, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the WJEC, the Centre for Welsh-medium Higher Education, Ceredigion and Powys 14-19 Learning Pathways Networks, and teachers of the Welsh Baccalaureate from all parts of Wales.
The pack itself has been produced in Welsh and in English, and is organised around four different themes: Understanding Democracy, the National Assembly for Wales, the European Union, and the Welsh Language in Contemporary Wales. Each theme incorporates lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and activities; there is also a focus on developing the Key Skills that are central to the Welsh Baccalaureate qualification.
Dr Anwen Elias, Director of Welsh-medium Provision in the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University and the Pack’s co-ordinator, noted that “the Welsh Baccalaureate is an exciting new qualification, and as a Department we believe it is very important that we support teachers as they work with students in thinking about Wales’s role in Europe and the world”.
Dr Sue Pester, Director or the Mid and West Wales Widening Access Partnership added that “schools and colleges are enthusiastically rolling out this new qualification and, in doing so, are keen to develop contacts with Higher Education to both support the teaching and extend the awareness of young people of what role universities play in Wales and in the wider world. We’re delighted to have been able to assist with this development”.
The pack is the result of collaboration between the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University and the West and Mid Wales Widening Access Partnership, with financial support provided by Aberystwyth University, the Centre for Welsh-medium Higher Education, Ceredigion and Powys 14-19 Learning Pathways Networks, and the Institute of Welsh Politics.
