Email update - Febuary 2010
Welcome to the January 2010 e-update
Welcome to our regular email bulletin, which brings you up to date with the latest resources available on the Curriculum for Excellence website that have been designed to support practitioners as they begin to work with the new curriculum guidance.
Curriculum for Excellence aims to achieve a transformation in education in Scotland by providing a coherent, more flexible and enriched curriculum from 3 to 18.
The world has changed considerably in recent times, and it is essential that education not only keeps up with change but anticipates the future as far as possible. As Glow rolls out across local authorities in Scotland, the importance of its role in driving forward Curriculum for Excellence is becoming clear.
Schools and educators throughout Scotland are being given unique access through Glow to resources which actively promote creative learning and teaching, one of the core goals of Curriculum for Excellence.
Working together
In our next e-update, we will be providing you with Glow updates, as well as the most up-to-date news about Curriculum for Excellence and how the programmes are working together.
Curriculum for Excellence Parent Toolkit launched
The Curriculum for Excellence Parent Toolkit - an online and print resource designed to help practitioners speak to parents with confidence - was launched on 27 January 2010 by Michael Russell MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.
The Parent Toolkit includes PowerPoint presentations, a core script, parent questions, leaflets, videos and images. There are also Word and PowerPoint templates that you can use and customise for your local context. Printed leaflets and posters will be distributed to all schools. They feature best-practice examples from the Curriculum for Excellence website - one each in nursery, primary and secondary - and bring them to life for parents.
You can watch the Launch trailer video for the Curriculum for Excellence Parent Toolkit.
Building the Curriculum 5: A framework for assessment
Building the Curriculum 5: a framework for assessment (BtC5) provides guidance for all teaching staff on the main areas of the assessment strategy for Curriculum for Excellence.
A printed copy of all documents will be sent to teaching staff in the 3-18 sector over the next week.
The Framework for Assessment is another important milestone in developing and implementing Curriculum for Excellence. It provides guidance to practitioners on how the new assessment system will raise standards and expectations, promote depth of understanding and improve skills.
Learning and Teaching Scotland has already begun a series of engagements across educational authorities to support the launch of BtC5. The team will hold a series of events in January and February to support wider understanding of the Framework.
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
A letter from Mike Russell MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, 'Taking forward Curriculum for Excellence', was distributed electronically to all schools on 8 January 2010 and is also available online.
The letter lays out plans to support the education community with the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence.
Support for staff - exemplification of Curriculum for Excellence
Further support for staff is now available online in the sharing practice area of the website, featuring a range of exemplification of good practice used in implementing the experiences and outcomes. For now, the following curriculum areas are supported: Literacy and English, modern languages, numeracy, social studies, sciences and technologies. Over the coming month’s additional material will continue to be added until all the curriculum areas are covered.
Working together to develop cultural awareness and multilingualism
This case study, recently added to the Curriculum for Excellence website, illustrates how a Comenius bilateral project has provided opportunities for two schools (one in the Eilean Siar/Western Isles and one in Brittany) to work in partnership with pupils, teachers, parents and the wider community to improve pupil motivation and their capacity to communicate in French, English, Gàidhlig and Breton.
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Previous email updates
The December 2009 email update contained links to Management Board papers, the upcoming Parent Toolkit and a range of 'Support for staff' materials.
The October 2009 email update contained links to 'Support for staff' area, information on the Building the Curriculum 4 publication and Assessment for Curriculum for Excellence.
The September 2009 email update contained links to a new online tool called 'My experiences and outcomes'; Glow Thursdays and further support for Building the Curriculum 3.
The March 2009 email update contained coverage of the first HMIE Good Practice conferences, case studies supporting 'Building the Curriculum 3' and information about the National Glow Groups for curriculum areas.