The Open University and Education Scotland are delighted to offer Masters-level CPD to any teacher in Scotland on embedding Scots language as part of language and literacy in education.
This is an important time in both Scottish society and Scottish education for CPD such as this, particularly in light of the Scottish Languages Bill that was passed by the Scottish Government on 17 June 2025, giving the Scots language legal recognition for the first time in Scotland’s history.
Now in its second year, this award-winning course gives teachers the opportunity to study virtually, share reflective work on their own classroom practice with peers, and attend tutorials online alongside fellow professionals from schools across Scotland, with each teacher focusing on the language and literature of their particular part of the country. The course has been designed to suit any learning environment, suitable for teachers in Primary, Secondary, Early Years, FE and ASN. Delivered entirely online, the course shares examples of best practice on using the Scots language in education, with the opportunity built-in for teachers to specifically explore the language and literature most appropriate for their learners wherever they are in Scotland.
It is free to sign up, all places have been funded by the Scottish Government. Click the following link for more information and to fill in an online form to register for a place on the course: OLCreate: Scots language teacher professional learning programme | OLCreate
Those studying this CPD course will
- learn how to incorporate elements of local language and culture in their own teaching and be given opportunities to practise this in their classrooms
- build confidence in teaching in multilingual classrooms, using a wide variety of education materials to assist with exploring pupil voice, as well as related developmental skills for increased pupil self-confidence, resilience, communication, creativity and morelearn ways to take an interdisciplinary approach to teaching language and culture
- understand the value of language skills pupils bring to education as key transferable literacy skills that form an important part of their identity
- understand educational benefits of giving local language and culture a prominent place within the classroom
- learn about the educational guidance and academic research available on using minority languages in education
- be given the opportunity to focus on their unique local language and learn about the various dialects of Scots language, such as Doric, Dundonian, Shaetlan, Glaswegian...
- learn about the SQA Awards pupils can gain, as well as planning a progression from earlier in the school experience