Study visit of Sorbian teachers

A group of 12 teachers from Saxony has spent the last few days visiting schools in East Ayrshire. They are all of Sorbian origin. This is an ethnic Slavonic minority group (489,000 people) in the area of Upper Lusatia (Oberlausitz) around the town of Bautzen. All of them teach in Sorbian, in Sorbian schools. It is a Slavonic language with similarities to Czech and Polish. They were particularly interested in the Gaelic Medium units in Onthank Primary and Grange Academy. They also visited Languages and Maths departments in Kilmarnock Academy and Cumnock Academy, Dalrymple Primary School, Park School and Flowerbank Nursery.

This morning media crews from Cumnock and Grange Academies, all S5/6 German students, interviewed them in German about their experiences this week.

All of them have been impressed with the friendliness of everyone, by the relaxed atmosphere in schools, by the use of positive reinforcement, by the willingness of teachers to have them pop into their classrooms - the open door policy, by the use of ICT and the resources in general in schools.

They also expressed surprise at the sunny weather they have had up till today, by the greenness, the hills, the fields with livestock - all of which is quite different to them.