SCOTTISH LEARNING FESTIVAL Continued from page 4


design, provoking the questions that schools need to answer if they are to develop curriculum approaches that are fit for the future, including insights into leading a community through curriculum transformation.


Thursday, September 23 Kicking off the second day at 11.30am will be leading arts and creative learning consultant Eric Booth, whose keynote address will focus on “Creativity as Catalyst: Manifesting the Potential of Curriculum for Excellence”. Mr Booth will be sharing some of the research and


realities of bringing creativity into the habits of mind and daily practices of students and teachers, as well as into the atmosphere of a school and the evaluation practices of a school system. The final keynote presentation will be made at 3pm


by Professor Sugata Mitra, professor of educational technology at Newcastle University. In an address entitled “The Hole in the Wall: Self-


Organising Systems in Education”, Prof Mitra will discuss how children can use technology and achieve many of the objectives of schooling independently. He will also focus on self-organised learning environments and remote presence technologies.


Seminars and spotlight sessions


The SLF will also feature 160 seminars demonstrating just how individual practitioners and educational


‘ This year’s festival


has a series of eight Spotlight Sessions,


offering delegates the


opportunity to hear from a range of experts on


a variety of education- related topics


’


developed by Learning and Teaching Scotland and will also exemplify good practice taking place in schools across Scotland with regards to partnerships and interdisciplinary learning. The seminar will also highlight some of the benefits of Glow and outdoor learning. “Assessment within Curriculum for Excellence”


will be the key theme of the Learning and Teaching Scotland spotlight session at 10.30am. To be successful, Curriculum for Excellence


requires an assessment system that supports the new curriculum, assists individual learners and provides reliable information about the standards that have been achieved. This spotlight presentation will provide further


information on the developments in assessment taking place in Scottish education today including emerging examples of assessment and the National Assessment Resource. This session will be of interest to everyone in education and will be presented by key staff from national organisations and practitioners. Dr Harry Burns, chief medical officer for Scotland,


will be focusing his spotlight on “How Do We Create Health” at 2pm. A set of “healthy” behaviours substantially reduces


establishments can develop their skills, knowledge and creativity, in addition to showcasing how best to use Glow, the Scottish schools’ intranet, and other technologies. This year’s festival has a series of eight spotlight sessions, offering delegates the opportunity to hear from a range of experts on a variety of education- related topics.


Wednesday, September 22 The spotlight sessions will kick off at 9.30am with a seminar focusing on Curriculum for Excellence and Glow. Presented by Learning and Teaching Scotland staff and teachers who already make good use of Glow, delegates will hear about the new improvements to the intranet and learn how practitioners are using Glow to implement Curriculum for Excellence. Graham Donaldson, former chief inspector of


education, will be presenting a spotlight session at 1.30pm. Entitled “Emerging Strengths and Challenges from the Review of Teacher Education in Scotland”, the session will present some of the strengths and key challenges emerging from the first phase of his work. In line with the transparent nature of the Review,


this will give stakeholders a chance to debate and reflect on the issues emerging and discuss possible ways forward.


Also on the Wednesday at 3.45pm, Professor Stephen


Heppell will present a spotlight entitled “Why our Young People Embrace Technology to Engage in Learning”. Prof Heppell will consider, from the compelling


body of evidence and exemplification, that children love to learn together, relish tough challenges, embrace and subvert technology for their learning, engage in it 24/7, and are capable of escaping from so many of the boxes that constrained their predecessors. The concern is that too much of the education system ignores these self- evident certainties. Prof Heppell will discuss how we can develop a


system that enables the creativity and innovation of our young people to flourish.


Thursday, September 23 Heather Reid, renowned meteorologist and former BBC weather presenter, will be leading a spotlight session at 9.30am, focusing on “Climate Change and a Context for Learning” and offering a context for developing global citizens within Curriculum for Excellence. Weather and climate also provide excellent vehicles


for interdisciplinary learning, bringing together subjects like physics, geography, enterprise, social studies and environmental science. Ms Reid’s seminar will explore some of the online resources that have been


the risk of premature death from heart disease, stroke, cancer or being diagnosed with a chronic illness such as diabetes. Dr Burns will argue that improving health requires


attention to the social fabric of our communities to ensure that people have a positive environment in which to take decisions about their health behaviours. He will also emphasise the key role that educational


practitioners play in ensuring that all children and young people have the support that sets them on a course that determines their physical, social and mental health for the rest of their life.


Twilight sessions


Learning and Teaching Scotland has introduced a new range of Twilight sessions for the SLF this year. A full programme of activities will run until 6.30pm on the evening of September 22. This is the ideal way to take time to explore the


exhibition, the key features being showcased, and attend the conference without taking time out of the classroom. The programme includes a keynote address by


Eric Booth as well as a range of seminars focusing on Curriculum for Excellence and encompassing a variety of curriculum areas, from literacy and expressive arts through to numeracy and health and wellbeing.


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