In this blog post I explain the struggle to have one word – cynefin – accepted into the Curriculum for Wales. I was lucky enough to be involved in writing the new curriculum and, as a former history, sociology and politics teacher, I worked on shaping the Humanities Area of Learning and Experience. In doing this, I was keen to emphasise the need for pupils to develop an understanding and appreciation of their communities which in turn would help create a sense of belonging.

Working with fellow teachers I discussed the idea that perhaps a Welsh word, such as, ‘bro’, ‘cymuned’ or ‘cynefin’, could be added to the curriculum to represent the idea of ​​community and belonging. Unfortunately, not everybody was keen to see these included. In fact, one teacher said, ‘So let me get this right. You want to add a Welsh word in the English version of the Curriculum?’ When I replied yes, their response was, ‘No way!’

The response upset me, having studied other curriculums from around the world and finding them full of minority languages. The New Zealand curriculum, for example, has hundreds of Maori words and sentences included. I was therefore determined to get at least one Welsh word in the curriculum. Over numerous meetings, bro and cymuned disappeared along the way, but I kept coming back to the idea of cynefin. I can’t quite remember why or when, but I was finally asked to explain why I felt so passionately about the matter. This is the answer I gave:

‘We often adopt words from other languages ​​because they mean something to us and resonate in our hearts and minds. Many people in Wales – regardless of whether they can speak Welsh or not – understand the word “cwtch” because it means something much more to us than merely a “cuddle”. The same can be said about “hiraeth” [which means a deep longing for Wales or home] and when it’s used we almost automatically add the sentence, “It doesn’t translate, there is no similar word in English.” Hiraeth and cwtch have captured a place in our hearts and this is what I want to see happen with the word cynefin. We have been looking at other curricula from around the world – the New Zealand curriculum for example has hundreds of Maori words and sentences. I only want to see one Welsh word in ours!’

During the last meeting and before the draft curriculum was published, my colleagues agreed to allow me to include the word cynefin on the condition that it was only the draft curriculum and, if anybody complained, they could remove it later. But, and this is a big but, they wanted me to write a definition for learners in Wales. For this, I turned to my close friend, the author, linguist, poet and the national eisteddfod archdruid, Professor Mererid Hopwood, and she wrote the following definition which now appears in the Curriculum for Wales:

‘Cynefin, the place where we feel we belong, where the people and landscape around us are familiar, and the sights and sounds are reassuringly recognisable. Though often translated as “habitat”, cynefin is not just a place in a physical or geographical sense: it is the historic, cultural and social place which has shaped and continues to shape the community which inhabits it.’ (Welsh Government, 2020)

A month after the publication of the draft, the Minister for Education spoke at the Hay Literary Festival and spent most of his presentation explaining cynefin. The problem of ​​‘why do we have a Welsh word in the curriculum’ disappeared overnight and everyone now views cynefin as an amazing idea.

Although the new curriculum now includes the word cynefin, which is unique to us here in Wales, the sense of belonging and community it encapsulates is something that exists in countries across the world. When I think of the word cynefin, for example, the words of a song by Scots Gaelic pop group Runrig come to mind:

‘And I’m still dreaming of the Hebrides

And I’m still leaning on the early years

And I can’t help feeling it will always be

The story of the life inside of me.’ (Jones, 2016, p. 168)

I can also see cynefin in the words of the Finnish educator Pasi Sahlberg who wrote, ‘You cannot understand who a person is unless you know where they came from … our lives are lived by looking forward but understood by looking backwards.’ (Sahlberg, 2014, p. 148).

Cynefin is just one word in our new curriculum, but it means so much more.

References

Jones, R. A. (2016). Mered. Y Lolfa.

Sahlberg, P. (2014). Finnish lessons. Teachers College Press.

Welsh Government. (2020). Curriculum for Wales guidance. https://hwb.gov.wales/curriculum-for-wales

Cynefin  – lle arbennig tu fewn i galon pob dysgwr yng Nghymru

Yn y blog yma dwi’n egluro’r frwydr i gael un gair – cynefin – tu fewn y Cwricwlwm i Gymru. Roeddwn yn ddigon ffodus i fod yn rhan o ysgrifennu’r cwricwlwm newydd ac, fel cyn athro hanes, cymdeithaseg a gwleidyddiaeth, bûm yn gweithio ar lunio’r Maes Dysgu a Phrofiad y Dyniaethau. Wrth wneud hyn, roeddwn yn awyddus i bwysleisio’r angen i ddisgyblion datblygu dealltwriaeth a gwerthfawrogiad o’u cymunedau a fyddai yn ei dro yn helpu i greu ymdeimlad o berthyn.

Tra’n gweithio gyda athrawon eraill, cynigiais y syniad y gellid efallai ychwanegu gair Cymraeg, fel, “bro”, “cymuned” neu “cynefin”, i’r cwricwlwm i gynrychioli’r syniad o gymuned a pherthyn. Yn anffodus, nid oedd pawb yn awyddus i weld hyn yn cael ei gynnwys. Yn wir, dywedodd un athro, ‘Felly er mwyn i fi cael deall hwn yn iawn. I ti am gynnwys gair Cymraeg yn y fersiwn Saesneg o’r Cwricwlwm?” “Ydw” atebais. “No way!”oedd yr ymateb yn ol.

Roedd yr ymateb wedi cynhyrfu fi ychydig, ar ôl astudio cwricwla eraill o bob rhan o’r byd a’u cael yn llawn ieithoedd lleiafrifol. Roedd gan gwricwlwm Seland Newydd er enghraifft gannoedd o eiriau a brawddegau Maori, roeddwn felly yn benderfynol o gael o leiaf un gair Cymraeg yn y cwricwlwm. Dros nifer o gyfarfodydd, diflannodd ‘bro’ a ‘chymuned’ o’r sgwrs, ond daliais i ddod yn ôl at y syniad o ‘gynefin’. Rwy ddim yn cofio pam na phryd yn union, ond gofynnwyd i mi esbonio pam roeddwn i’n teimlo mor angerddol am gynnwys y gair. Dyma’r ateb a roddais:

I ni’n aml yn mabwysiadu geiriau o ieithoedd eraill oherwydd eu bod yn golygu rhywbeth i ni ac yn atseinio yn ein calonnau a’n meddyliau. Mae llawer o bobl yng Nghymru – p’un a ydyn nhw’n gallu siarad Cymraeg ai peidio – yn deall y gair “cwtch” oherwydd mae’n golygu rhywbeth llawer mwy i ni na dim ond “cuddle”. Gellir dweud yr un peth am “hiraeth” a phan gaiff ei ddefnyddio bron yn awtomatig i ni’n ychwanegu’r frawddeg, “It doesn’t translate, there is no similar word in English.” Mae hiraeth a cwtch wedi cipio lle yn ein calonnau a dyma dwi am weld yn digwydd gyda’r gair cynefin.

Yn y cyfarfod olaf cyn cyhoeddi’r cwricwlwm drafft, cytunodd fy nghyd-aelodau i ganiatáu imi gynnwys y gair ‘cynefin’ ar yr amod mai dim ond y cwricwlwm drafft ydoedd ac, os byddai unrhyw un yn cwyno, y gallent gael gwared arno’n ddiweddarach. OND, ac mae hwn yn ond mawr, roedden nhw eisiau i mi ysgrifennu diffiniad ar gyfer cynnwys yn y cwricwlwm. Am hyn, troais at fy ffrind agos, yr awdur, ieithydd, bardd ac archdderwydd yr eisteddfod genedlaethol, yr Athro Mererid Hopwood, ac ysgrifennodd y diffiniad canlynol sydd bellach yn ymddangos yn y Cwricwlwm i Gymru:

Cynefin, dyma’r man y teimlwn ein bod yn perthyn iddo, lle mae’r bobl a’r dirwedd o’n cwmpas yn gyfarwydd, a lle mae’r golygfeydd a’r seiniau yn gysurus o hawdd eu hadnabod. Nid dim ond man yn yr ystyr ffisegol neu ddaearyddol ydyw, search hynny. Dyma’r lleoliad hanesyddol, diwylliannol a chymdeithasol sydd wedi ffurfio ac sy’n parhau i ffurfio’r gymuned sy’n trigo yno.

Fis ar ôl cyhoeddi’r drafft, bu’r Gweinidog Addysg yn siarad yng Ngŵyl Lenyddol y Gelli gan dreulio’r rhan fwyaf o’i chyflwyniad yn egluro cynefin. Diflannodd y broblem o “pam fod gennym ni air Cymraeg yn y cwricwlwm” dros nos ac mae pawb bellach yn gweld cynefin fel syniad anhygoel.

Er bod y cwricwlwm newydd bellach yn cynnwys y gair cynefin, sy’n unigryw i ni yma yng Nghymru, mae’r ymdeimlad o berthyn a chymuned y mae’n ei grynhoi yn rhywbeth sy’n bodoli mewn gwledydd ar draws y byd. Pan dwi’n meddwl am y gair cynefin, er enghraifft, mae geiriau cân gan grŵp pop Gaeleg yr Alban Runrig yn dod i’m meddwl:

And I’m still dreaming of the Hebrides

And I’m still leaning on the early years

And I can’t help feeling it will always be

The story of the life inside of me. (Jones, 2016, p.168)

Gallaf hefyd weld cynefin yng ngeiriau’r addysgwr o’r Ffindir Pasi Sahlberg a ysgrifennodd, ‘Ni allwch ddeall pwy yw person oni bai eich bod yn gwybod o ble y daeth… mae ein bywydau yn cael eu byw gan edrych ymlaen ond yn cael eu deall wrth edrych yn ôl.’ (Sahlberg, 2014, p.148).

Un gair yn unig yw Cynefin yn ein cwricwlwm newydd, ond mae wedi dod i olygu cymaint mwy o fewn calonnau ein dysgwyr

Welsh translation supplied by the author and not checked for accuracy by BERA.

Cyfeirnodau

Jones, R. A. (2016). Mered. Y Lolfa.

Sahlberg, P. (2014). Finnish lessons. Teachers College Press.

Welsh Government. (2020). Curriculum for Wales guidance. https://hwb.gov.wales/curriculum-for-wales