SCILT > A 1 plus 2 Approach > Newsletters

Dear colleagues

I hope this June edition of SCILT’s 1+2 newsletter finds you well as session 2015-16 draws to a close. We are at a crucial and pivotal moment in the implementation of Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 approach. There has been much good work done across the country and it is very heartening to hear of enthusiastic children who are enjoying their experience of a reinvigorated language curriculum. It’s also encouraging to note the overwhelmingly positive response from parents who see their children developing very important skills for learning, life and work.

There is still, however, some way to go in order to achieve full implementation across the country so that language learning from P1 to S3 becomes the norm in all our schools. In the year ahead, SCILT intends to work closely with universities and teacher educators to support them as they consider how best to ensure that student teachers are equipped to be able to deliver the recommendations of 1+2. We will also be redoubling our efforts to support secondary schools to find creative ways of delivering the full entitlement to L2 and L3. To this end, two new case studies of secondary departments who are offering L3, without taking time away from L2, will be published by SCILT at the beginning of the new session.

Additionally, we will be looking to develop our engagement with parents through partnership working with such agencies as the National Parent Forum, and will continue to progress the work we have been doing around Developing the Young Workforce so that language skills are seen as key to enhancing young people’s employability.

Having said all that, professional learning is still at the heart of the support that SCILT offers the profession. Our new CLPL menu for 2016-17 is just about to launch and we look forward to working with many of you over the coming year. Please keep in mind that all SCILT’s services are free of charge to local authorities and we are always available to help with enquiries and offer support, advice and guidance.

With best wishes

Fhiona

Fhiona Fisher, Director

Download entire issue of SCILT 1+2 Newsletter June 2016 as PDF

Accreditation is GO!

Train the Trainer (TTT) is an extended professional learning programme run by SCILT and Education Scotland which was accredited with “Professional recognition: leading learning in languages” by GTC Scotland a year ago. TTT is aimed at local authority development officers and other practitioners who ...

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Building a sustainable framework for British Sign Language teaching in Scotland’s schools - seminar series

Recently, the third and final event in this series of seminars took place in Victoria Quay in Edinburgh. The events brought together a variety of stakeholders from across the deaf community, Scottish Government, GTC, SQA and Scottish Universities Insight Institute to plan for provision of British Si...

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Inclusion short-life working group to address Recommendation 9

Recommendation 9 of Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 Approach states that “language learning be recognised as an entitlement for all young people through to the end of their broad general education.” (Scottish Government, 2012) In recognition of this presumption of inclusion, the first meeting ...

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Language Linking, Global Thinking

Language Linking, Global Thinking (LLGT) is a project that links a student on their year abroad to a class in a school in Scotland. The project has the aim of encouraging young people to understand the value of languages by raising their awareness of another culture, thus increasing motivation and m...

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Consider Russian as L3

Russian could be an excellent L3 (or an additional L3). It’s a European language, so builds on European languages your pupils already know, but interestingly different – the alphabet, vocabulary and culture are all familiar and slightly exotic at the same time. Your pupils will be learning the langu...

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Education Scotland update

The value of languages Representatives of the four UK governments met in Cambridge in October 2015 to share school-based language policy information. A workshop and discussions looked at where responsibility for language sits within government with the aim of encouraging dialogue between different ...

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Goethe-Institut: Positive feedback about the “Deutsch mit Felix und Franzi” teaching materials

On 19 March 2016, 20 primary teachers, secondary teachers and development officers, involved in training primary teachers to deliver German as L2 or L3, came together at the Goethe-Institut for a Train the Trainer seminar. Participants were introduced to the free teaching materials from the Goethe-I...

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Goethe-Institut: Successful Martina Schwarz tour June 2016

The German singer/songwriter Martina Schwarz, whose work many German teachers know from her “Learn German with songs” books, toured Scottish primary schools over three days in June 2016. Over 450 primary pupils from P5-P7 in four local authorities (Edinburgh, Fife, North Lanarkshire and South Lanark...

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Hands-on help to deliver the 1+2 Approach

For Scottish schools looking to effectively deliver the 1+2 Approach, hosting a language assistant provides an ideal solution and shows a real commitment to language learning. Watch our video about the benefits language assistants have brought to Scottish schools. Language assistants are native sp...

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Scotland’s universities and the 1+2 Approach: Update

Much has happened since University Council for Modern Languages Scotland (UCMLS) and SCILT held their joint national conference in May 2015. We established four regional hubs, taking into account the location of the UCMLS universities: East (Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier, Heriot-Watt), West (Glasgow, ...

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Updates from LFEE Europe

We are getting near the end of another busy and exciting year! In June, we still have a bit of team teaching to do in primary schools around the country and a big training session in the Highlands. Then we can start focusing on Train the Trainer at the end of June at the University of Strathclyde an...

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Thank you to the following local authorities for sharing how they are implementing the 1+2 approach.

Aberdeen City Council

During the spring term, a group of primary school teachers have been attending language classes to train in L2 French and Chinese. The classes are delivered by secondary colleagues and aimed at beginners. We intend to continue the programme during the next school session. We have been working in pa...

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Argyll and Bute 1+2 engagement day

On 1 March 2016, language leaders, lead teachers and class teachers gathered in Inverary for a day of engagement with the 1+2 Approach. The event was organised by Gwen McCrossan, Co-ordinator of 1+2 Languages for Argyll and Bute, who secured keynote speeches from LFEE’s Richard Tallaron, Louise Glen...

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Argyll and Bute Primary Language Learning resource packs

Argyll and Bute Council has recently developed Primary Language Learning classroom resource packs. These packs have been designed to promote active learning and to support practitioners with the pronunciation of a new language. French and Gaelic resource packs have been created for all schools acro...

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Dundee City Council

In Dundee City, we are in the process of revising our local training events to cater for our teachers’ needs and to give them the best tools possible to implement the 1+2 Approach in their classrooms. This June, primary staff will receive training about eTwinning from the British Council and we are ...

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Falkirk Council

This session has seen Falkirk Council extend its CLPL training programme at both cluster and authority level, offering a variety of CLPL opportunities. At authority level we offered two rounds of our early and first level CLPL training programme in French, which lasts 11 weeks. The first round took...

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North Ayrshire Council

North Ayrshire 1+2 development officers send regular email newsletters to colleagues to support them in the implementation of the 1+2 Approach. The latest edition includes details on the work of FLAs and seconded teachers and the impact they have had on learning. You can also read about an exciting ...

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June 2016

Thank you to the following local authorities for sharing how they are implementing the 1+2 approach.

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