Author: Janette Kelso and Julie-Anne Mackenzie, SCILT
SCILT, in conjunction with Education Scotland, Scottish Government, the GTCS and ADES, is holding eight national events across the country, focusing on the implementation of the 1+2 Approach. The events take place in the regional areas designated by the Scottish Government as improvement partnerships, with an additional event in the Northern Alliance region.
The aim of the conferences is to discuss the requirements of the 1+2 Approach, where it sits in the context of current policy developments and to highlight the importance of language learning to all learners. Head teachers or depute head teachers with responsibility for timetabling are invited to attend, along with principal teachers and faculty leaders of modern languages.
The first of these events took place in Aberdeen on Wednesday 24 May 2017 in the Town and County Hall. Delegates were given an overview of the rationale of the 1+2 Approach and how it is being implemented nationally. This was followed by a presentation and discussion on the implications of the policy for the learning and teaching of languages in the broad general education.
The afternoon session was launched by a very informative talk from Andy Bing of Loch Duart Salmon on the importance of languages in a business context. Loch Duart, who have operations in Montrose, Sutherland, Uist and France, have linked with local schools to give a real life context to language learning and to try to ensure that local young people are leaving school with the skills that businesses need.
SCILT then shared the findings from a number of recent case studies focusing on timetabling, providing examples of curricular maps for delegates to discuss.
Delegates have been given practical suggestions for solving complex issues and collegiate time to discuss their plans. Initial feedback has been very positive.
The remaining events in Inverness, Dundee, Edinburgh, Irvine, Glasgow, Stirling and Coatbridge have been taking place throughout June.
Return to June 2017 newsletter