Lecturers’ training
The lecturers were asked about their training for bilingual teaching. One
had not received any training at all. Four lecturers had attended a training
session in the University in 2006, held by Cen Williams, an expert in bilin-
gual teaching methodology. Two of the lecturers attended a seminar orga-
nized to give the School of Education staff an opportunity to share their
experiences of bilingual teaching. Reference was also made to another semi-
nar in which a member of the University’s Translation Unit advised staff on
creating bilingual PowerPoint presentations.
The Head of the School of Education noted that, in contrast to other
fields, no official training is available for bilingual teaching owing to a lack
of expertise on the subject. She emphasized that practical support is available
for staff, for example, the Translation Unit helps lecturers to prepare bilin-
gual resources such as PowerPoint presentations and worksheets. However,
one lecturer noted that operating bilingually in the classroom is more diffi-
cult than preparing resources, and wished to learn about other lecturers’
teaching strategies. Several lecturers expressed uncertainty about the success
of their strategies, and two of them asked for more guidance and advice on
different models of bilingual teaching. One called for formal opportunities
for staff members to discuss their experiences and to receive training or
advice on teaching methods and the use of technology.
Impact of the project
As a result of the research project, bilingualism became a popular topic
of discussion in the School of Education, according to one lecturer. Another
lecturer began to reconsider the question of linguistic equality in his bilin-
gual lectures following observation by a colleague. It is acknowledged that
observation can affect participants in a research project and cause ‘different
behaviours’ (Cohen et al., 2000: 129). As this project was conducted over a
period of two years, it may also have contributed to a gradual change in
attitude and behaviour among students and staff. New discussion and reflec-
tion on bilingualism may be a positive effect of the research within the
School of Education. This development emphasizes the importance of shar-
ing knowledge and experiences among practitioners of bilingual teaching.
In the wake of the research project, and a staff seminar on bilingual
teaching in the School of Education in 2009, the Academic Development
Unit expressed an interest in conducting bilingual training sessions through-
out the University. In addition, the Centre for Welsh Medium Higher
Education invited two members of the research team to contribute to the
Centre’s national staff training and development programme. As a result, a
workshop on bilingual teaching was held in Bangor University in 2010 and
a second workshop in Aberystwyth University in 2011. It is hoped that such
training will enhance the confidence and expertise of lecturers and lead to
Bilingualism in Higher Education 195