Transition
16 March 2016 (SecEd)
The curriculum is hampering schools’ efforts to improve and develop the employability skills of their young people, argues Phil Crompton.
Everyone spends at least 11 years at school. That’s a long time. So surely it is not unreasonable to expect young people emerging from the education system to be ready to make a positive contribution to the working world?
I am not talking about examination results. They are just one indicator of someone’s capacity to be a great employee, or even an employer. I am talking about the skills that actually matter in the workplace.
Shouldn’t pupils in our schools be given the chance to develop skills in communicating with confidence, working in teams, bouncing back from failure, being polite, and organising themselves. And once they have developed the skills fully shouldn’t some recognition be available? Employers certainly think so. And so do I.
[..] At my three schools, we recognise the existing curriculum isn’t going away and that exams have to be passed, but we are working with local businesses to breathe life into some of the duller parts of the curriculum and to equip our pupils for working life.
Science classes are advising a housing company on how to promote their new eco-homes, German and French students are producing foreign language leaflets for visitors to a local hotel, computing students have worked with an IT firm to create mobile phone apps, A level students have been practising Spanish conversation at a city tapas bar, and a professional actress has worked with a drama class.
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20 January 2016 (Oxford University)
Would you like to spend a week with us this summer, living in an Oxford college, learning about a modern foreign language and its culture, and getting a taste of what it’s like to study here as a student? All entirely FREE of charge, food and accommodation included? (We’ll even pay for your train ticket to get here.)
If you’re currently in Year 12 (S5) of a state school, and have some free time in July this year, please do think about signing up for the course, or for one of the dozens of others on offer, including German, Spanish, or ‘beginner languages’ to give you a little experience of Russian, Portuguese and Italian languages and cultures.
The French summer school runs from 2-8 July this year, the German summer school and the Beginner Languages school both run from 16-22 July, and Spanish is 23-29 July.
Visit the website for more information and to apply by 3 February 2016.
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11 September 2015 (SCILT)
Do you have students looking to further or develop their language learning on leaving school? Make sure they know about the Beyond School section of the SCILT website. With useful information on different language courses and options available here in Scotland, there are also links to UCAS and language courses UK-wide to help their selection process and the transition from school.
The section includes advice and information on:
- The benefits of language learning for you and your career
- Undergraduate language courses at Scottish and UK universities
- Options for combining languages with other degree subjects
- Beginner and refresher language courses and modules at Scotland’s colleges
- The gap year – opportunities to study, work or volunteer abroad
- The student voice – blogs, advice, hints and tips from those who’ve been there
The site also outlines the support Scottish universities can provide to teachers and schools in their language teaching and staff professional development.
So please make your language teaching professionals, pupils and guidance staff aware of the ‘Beyond School’ website. It’s got their language needs covered!
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Posted in:
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Funding,
Language Learning - Benefits,
Language Learning - Further Education,
Language Learning - Higher Education,
Language Learning - Secondary - Post 16,
Language Learning for Work,
Promoting Languages,
Qualifications,
Study Abroad,
Transition,
SCILT news
10 September 2015 (Open University)
The Open University's Young Applicants in Schools Scheme (YASS) gives S6 students in Scotland the opportunity to study at higher education level without leaving friends and family behind. Study fits around school work and social lives, encourages independent learning and builds confidence.
YASS is designed to bridge the gap between school and full-time university and help able and motivated students stand out from the crowd. Over 500 young people from more than 100 schools took Open University modules last year.
YASS is a unique opportunity for S6 students in Scottish schools to bridge the gap between school and full-time university through independent learning. Run by The Open University in Scotland, YASS offers motivated and able students a chance to study a range of university level modules in school alongside their other studies. Language options are available in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese.
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7 April 2015 (Radio Edutalk)
This Radio Edutalk podcast was taken at a recent meeting of the Practitioner Enquiry Network in West Lothian.
Jane Keegan, 1+2 Development Officer and Lynne Jones, Professional Development Officer at SCILT talk about the first phase of a small scale collaborative research project investigating attitudes to learning languages before and after the transition from primary to secondary.
Access the podcast on the Radio Edutalk website.
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2 September 2014 (The Guardian)
Lack of co-ordination between primary schools means secondary pupils can start with totally different linguistic skills.
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2 May 2014 (SCILT)
Are you looking for innovative ways to:
- encourage your learners to reflect on and take responsibility for their learning?
- celebrate wider language and intercultural learning experiences?
- ease transition between stages and sectors?
SCILT has become the first organisation in Scotland to successfully register a European Language Portfolio(ELP) with the Council of Europe. Visit our webpage for more information on how you can start using the ELP with your learners now!
Please hit 'Control' and F5 simultaneously to ensure you are viewing the most up-to-date version of these pages.
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