I attended the last meeting of the Scottish Baccalaureate Design Team at the end of January. The team looked at the proposed Assessment Support Pack for the Interdisciplinary project. There was a great deal of discussion and constuctive feedback. I have been asked to do some work on the generic skills which are a very important part of the project and also to help at the launch event in the Spring. It will be very interesting to see how many early adopters there will be for the qualification in its first year (2009 - 2010). I am trying to find out how many Colleges will be delivering either alone or in conjunction with a school or schools.
Unfortunately the training events for the ESOL for Work units apart from the Glasgow one were cancelled. This was really disappointing. I had registered for the Edinburgh event but SQA have said they will send out packs to all people who are interested. I think there is difficulty at the moment for people to get release from college. In my own department there are cutbacks on staff development in anticipation of the current financial situation getting worse.
It's great to see so many Gaelic colleagues registering for Practitioners Plus - I really hope they will find this a useful means of communication and sharing.
I am in the process of setting up an online resource sharing repository through COLEG for Languages, ESOL and Gaelic. It may take a while to get it established but I am hopeful that this will something colleagues will find useful.
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Thursday, 22 January 2009
What's happening in 2009?
The new year has started with the introduction of Gaelic to the network. This came about as a result of a meeting I had with Morag Campbell at the Scottish Funding Council in November. She indicated that Gaelic practitioners would really appreciate a forum where they could share and access information and take part in online discussions. We have started in a small way by adding some information to Practitioners Plus and signposting the online discussion forum. The response so far has been really good and I am hoping that word will spread and there will be more activity.
I am in the process of discussions with COLEG to set up an online resource repository for all subjects in the network - I think this could be useful for our new Gaelic colleagues too. My hope is that practitioners would be able to contribute and access resources in a fairly straightforward way. It is in response to feedback I have received from colleagues.
I attended the fourth meeting of the ESOL Curriculum Working Party last Friday and we are now moving ahead with the Framework in time for the launch of the ESOL Curriculum in April.
SQA have published Exemplars for HN Spanish for Work: Basic Operational which should be really helpful for people delivering this relatively new unit. It can be accessed via the secure site.
The final meeting of the Scottish Bacalaureate Design Team is next Thursday where exemplars for the Inter-Disciplinary Project will be considered. This should be a very interesting session.
SQA are also organising events for the ESOL for Work units in February. These will be take place in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Dumfries and are probably aimed mainly at FE. Information is on the SQA website.
I am in the process of discussions with COLEG to set up an online resource repository for all subjects in the network - I think this could be useful for our new Gaelic colleagues too. My hope is that practitioners would be able to contribute and access resources in a fairly straightforward way. It is in response to feedback I have received from colleagues.
I attended the fourth meeting of the ESOL Curriculum Working Party last Friday and we are now moving ahead with the Framework in time for the launch of the ESOL Curriculum in April.
SQA have published Exemplars for HN Spanish for Work: Basic Operational which should be really helpful for people delivering this relatively new unit. It can be accessed via the secure site.
The final meeting of the Scottish Bacalaureate Design Team is next Thursday where exemplars for the Inter-Disciplinary Project will be considered. This should be a very interesting session.
SQA are also organising events for the ESOL for Work units in February. These will be take place in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Dumfries and are probably aimed mainly at FE. Information is on the SQA website.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
November update
The term is flying past with Christmas approaching fast - how many shopping days left? It has been very busy since the October break. Unfortunately the ESOL event planned for October was cancelled due to low numbers which was disappointing. I am going to contact Colleges in the central belt to get some feedback with a view to planning another event. It may be that the timing, the day of the week or the venue were problems for people. I am working closely with Margaret Allan at SQA on this.
On a brighter note I attended a very interesting meeting of ESOL practitioners hosted by my own College through the East of Scotland Quality Network. Many current issues were discussed including the use of the additional funding and Community/College partnerships but from my own point of view really good feedback was given about support the Network could provide for ESOL. I have been discussing an online resource repository with Colin to allow practitioners to share materials. This was well received by colleagues at the meeting so I am keen to move on with this and hope to arrange a meeting with Colleg asap. This is something the Modern Languages network have also discussed as a need. We also discussed an event where good practice could be showcased through 'hands on' workshops where practitioners would demonstrate activities which work well in the ESOL classroom. 'Try it, it works.' This could be an idea for the afternoon session of College People's Week on the ESOL day. I am keen to set up an advisory group for ESOL and some of the colleagues at the meeting were happy to join, which is great. I will also recruit members from other parts of the country.
The second meeting of the Scottish Baccalaureate Design Team met in October. The design arrangements of the new qualification have been put out to consultation due to disquiet about the original design and the results of this should be published shortly. Work on exemplification of the inter-disciplinary project is now underway and will be discussed at the next meeting in January.
I attended the SALT conference on the 1st November which had a variety of interesting workshops. I supported my colleague Marie McCarney in the presentation of a workshop on Modern Languages in FE - Debunking the myth. The main aim was to inform the School sector about Language activity in FE so that they can advise their pupils about future study as well as alternative routes via College to University. It also focussed on School/College partnerships to enable a wider delivery of Advanced Higher and future collaboration to deliver the new Baccalaureate.
The third meeting of the ESOL Curriculum Working Party was on the 11th November and progress was made through meaningful discussion and interesting input from guests Phillida Schellekens and Euan Reid, the Chairperson of the National Panel. Each member of the Working Party has been given an aspect of the Curriculum to present at the next meeting on the 16th January - January is already looking like a busy month!!
On a brighter note I attended a very interesting meeting of ESOL practitioners hosted by my own College through the East of Scotland Quality Network. Many current issues were discussed including the use of the additional funding and Community/College partnerships but from my own point of view really good feedback was given about support the Network could provide for ESOL. I have been discussing an online resource repository with Colin to allow practitioners to share materials. This was well received by colleagues at the meeting so I am keen to move on with this and hope to arrange a meeting with Colleg asap. This is something the Modern Languages network have also discussed as a need. We also discussed an event where good practice could be showcased through 'hands on' workshops where practitioners would demonstrate activities which work well in the ESOL classroom. 'Try it, it works.' This could be an idea for the afternoon session of College People's Week on the ESOL day. I am keen to set up an advisory group for ESOL and some of the colleagues at the meeting were happy to join, which is great. I will also recruit members from other parts of the country.
The second meeting of the Scottish Baccalaureate Design Team met in October. The design arrangements of the new qualification have been put out to consultation due to disquiet about the original design and the results of this should be published shortly. Work on exemplification of the inter-disciplinary project is now underway and will be discussed at the next meeting in January.
I attended the SALT conference on the 1st November which had a variety of interesting workshops. I supported my colleague Marie McCarney in the presentation of a workshop on Modern Languages in FE - Debunking the myth. The main aim was to inform the School sector about Language activity in FE so that they can advise their pupils about future study as well as alternative routes via College to University. It also focussed on School/College partnerships to enable a wider delivery of Advanced Higher and future collaboration to deliver the new Baccalaureate.
The third meeting of the ESOL Curriculum Working Party was on the 11th November and progress was made through meaningful discussion and interesting input from guests Phillida Schellekens and Euan Reid, the Chairperson of the National Panel. Each member of the Working Party has been given an aspect of the Curriculum to present at the next meeting on the 16th January - January is already looking like a busy month!!
Thursday, 23 October 2008
New session update
The new session has been very busy. An ESOL event is planned for the 30th October in Stirling. This will be run in conjunction with SQA and will concentrate on the delivery and assessment of NQs in ESOL. The event is in response to requests from practitioners in general but in particular as a follow-up to College People's Week.
On the Modern Languages front I was invited to join the Qualifications Design Team for the Scottish Baccalaureate:Modern Languages and have attended two meetings since August. This is a really exciting development for Modern Languages and could offer opportunities for College/School links. Delivery of the new award will commence in August 2009.
I attended an ESOL Network meeting in Glasgow on the 1st October which was on the subject of Family ESOL. The meeting was very well attended and consisted of interesting presentations and workshops.
The annual SALT conference is on the 1st November and I am going to help my colleague Marie McCarney from Central College deliver a workshop on Modern Languages in FE. There is a wide choice of workshops on offer and it is a good opportunity to meet colleagues.
I am hoping to organise more events in the new year with a repeat of the ESOL NQ event in a different location and an event on the use of ICT in language teaching which would be of interest to both Modern Language and ESOL practitioners.
On the Modern Languages front I was invited to join the Qualifications Design Team for the Scottish Baccalaureate:Modern Languages and have attended two meetings since August. This is a really exciting development for Modern Languages and could offer opportunities for College/School links. Delivery of the new award will commence in August 2009.
I attended an ESOL Network meeting in Glasgow on the 1st October which was on the subject of Family ESOL. The meeting was very well attended and consisted of interesting presentations and workshops.
The annual SALT conference is on the 1st November and I am going to help my colleague Marie McCarney from Central College deliver a workshop on Modern Languages in FE. There is a wide choice of workshops on offer and it is a good opportunity to meet colleagues.
I am hoping to organise more events in the new year with a repeat of the ESOL NQ event in a different location and an event on the use of ICT in language teaching which would be of interest to both Modern Language and ESOL practitioners.
Sunday, 22 June 2008
Modern Languages and ESOL update
The last three weeks have been very busy. College People Week was really interesting with some really good speakers. The numbers for Modern Languages were disappointing but this reflects small departments with lots of part-time staff who are not supported to attend events. The ESOL numbers in contrast were really good and it was great to have the opportunity to meet people and introduce the Subject Network.
The following week I attended the second meeting of the ESOL Curriculum Working Party. We had a very useful discussion and exchange of ideas looking at different areas of the Curriculum. We have now established a basis for future development and intend to send our initial ideas out to practitioners for consultation. We would like to consult throughout the process.
On the 12th June I visited Edinburgh's Telford College. I had been invited to give advice on appropriate units to offer on a range of courses and for a range of students including evening programmes. We discussed new HN Units, free standing vocational units and National Qualifications. I took the opportunity to demonstrate Practitioners Plus. We also discussed proposed PDAs in Modern Languages and I asked the staff to complete the SQA questionnaire on PDAs which is important for the validation process.
I was supposed to meet Anne Pia, the HMIE for ESOL on the 13th June but due to other commitments Anne postponed the meeting until August.
On the 20th June I attended the Modern Languages Network Annual Conference at Stirling University. There were around 20 delegates including colleagues who also teach ESOL (one was talking about the really good software she had seen domonstrated at College People Week - Crazy Talk!) I had a slot to demonstrate Practitioners Plus and to talk about the SCHOLAR pilot. There was a good deal of interest in both. It was a really good event. We also discussed a response to the Funding Council Report on Modern Languages - I have agreed to send this on behalf of the Network. I was also asked to contact Alex Salmond to ask him to meet representatives of the network to discuss the position of Modern Languages in Scotland. I will do my best on that one. Alex was in the year below me in school and still lives in our home town so if all else fails I can maybe sneak up on him in the butcher's or his other favourite place!
There are lots of interesting things happening with the Scottish Baccalaureate in Languages and ESOL, the new proposals for NQs, additional funding for ESOL, the ESOL Curriculum, the Funding Council Report on Modern Languages etc.
In among all of this I have just finished marking 160+ Higher German papers so I can safely say I am looking forward to meeting everyone on Thursday for our end of year bash and then to going on holiday for a while.
The following week I attended the second meeting of the ESOL Curriculum Working Party. We had a very useful discussion and exchange of ideas looking at different areas of the Curriculum. We have now established a basis for future development and intend to send our initial ideas out to practitioners for consultation. We would like to consult throughout the process.
On the 12th June I visited Edinburgh's Telford College. I had been invited to give advice on appropriate units to offer on a range of courses and for a range of students including evening programmes. We discussed new HN Units, free standing vocational units and National Qualifications. I took the opportunity to demonstrate Practitioners Plus. We also discussed proposed PDAs in Modern Languages and I asked the staff to complete the SQA questionnaire on PDAs which is important for the validation process.
I was supposed to meet Anne Pia, the HMIE for ESOL on the 13th June but due to other commitments Anne postponed the meeting until August.
On the 20th June I attended the Modern Languages Network Annual Conference at Stirling University. There were around 20 delegates including colleagues who also teach ESOL (one was talking about the really good software she had seen domonstrated at College People Week - Crazy Talk!) I had a slot to demonstrate Practitioners Plus and to talk about the SCHOLAR pilot. There was a good deal of interest in both. It was a really good event. We also discussed a response to the Funding Council Report on Modern Languages - I have agreed to send this on behalf of the Network. I was also asked to contact Alex Salmond to ask him to meet representatives of the network to discuss the position of Modern Languages in Scotland. I will do my best on that one. Alex was in the year below me in school and still lives in our home town so if all else fails I can maybe sneak up on him in the butcher's or his other favourite place!
There are lots of interesting things happening with the Scottish Baccalaureate in Languages and ESOL, the new proposals for NQs, additional funding for ESOL, the ESOL Curriculum, the Funding Council Report on Modern Languages etc.
In among all of this I have just finished marking 160+ Higher German papers so I can safely say I am looking forward to meeting everyone on Thursday for our end of year bash and then to going on holiday for a while.
Sunday, 4 May 2008
ESOL and Modern Language events
Last week was extremely busy but interesting. On Monday I attended the first meeting of the ESOL Curriculum Working Party. The task of the group is to decide on how the National ESOL Curriculum should look which is a significant task. It was agreed after a great deal of constructive discussion that before the next meeting in June we would look at other models such as the Canadian, the New Zealand, the English one alongside lessons learned. We would also look in detail at the Curriculum for Adult Literacy and Numeracy which had been suggested as a possible model. I think it is really positive that I've been invited to join the group as a representative from SFEU.
I spent Wednesday evening and all day Thursday in Glasgow for the launch of the new Free Standing Vocational Units in Modern Languages. SQA asked if I would run one of the three workshops at the event as I had been involved with the design team from the beginning. There was a great deal of interest in the event with 100 delegates and a waiting list with a further 100 people. FE was represented but the majority, as always, was from the schools sector. However I made contact with those from FE and gave my SFEU card. It is good to be involved so closely with new qualifications from the point of view of passing on accurate information to colleagues.
I was contacted by the HMIE for ESOL, Anne Pia. My name had been mentioned at the ESOL Assessment Panel and she wanted to meet me for a chat. I have arranged to meet her on the 13th June.
Questionnaires are coming in for the SCHOLAR project so it will be interesting to gather views from everyone who has used the materials this session.
I spent Wednesday evening and all day Thursday in Glasgow for the launch of the new Free Standing Vocational Units in Modern Languages. SQA asked if I would run one of the three workshops at the event as I had been involved with the design team from the beginning. There was a great deal of interest in the event with 100 delegates and a waiting list with a further 100 people. FE was represented but the majority, as always, was from the schools sector. However I made contact with those from FE and gave my SFEU card. It is good to be involved so closely with new qualifications from the point of view of passing on accurate information to colleagues.
I was contacted by the HMIE for ESOL, Anne Pia. My name had been mentioned at the ESOL Assessment Panel and she wanted to meet me for a chat. I have arranged to meet her on the 13th June.
Questionnaires are coming in for the SCHOLAR project so it will be interesting to gather views from everyone who has used the materials this session.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Catching up after the break.
Today I have tried to catch up with things after the holiday. I sent my contribution to the ezine for Modern Languages and ESOL. I was asked to send a letter of endorsement to SQA for their new PDA in ESOL Tutoring so I have spent a bit of time looking at the details of the course and then writing a letter. I think the award will be a positive development as there are a great many unqualified tutors delivering ESOL, many on a voluntary basis. It will also allow centres delivering informal tutor training to offer accreditation.
In connection with the SCHOLAR project I have designed questionnaires for learners and tutors to evaluate the materials as I am conscious of the fact that learners will be disappearing shortly in the run-up the exams.
Murray has put some updates on PP for me.
Next week will be a busy week with the first meeting of the ESOL Curriculum Working Party on Monday and the launch of the new FSVUs in Modern Languages on Thursday with a pre-launch meeting for presenters on the Wednesday evening.
In connection with the SCHOLAR project I have designed questionnaires for learners and tutors to evaluate the materials as I am conscious of the fact that learners will be disappearing shortly in the run-up the exams.
Murray has put some updates on PP for me.
Next week will be a busy week with the first meeting of the ESOL Curriculum Working Party on Monday and the launch of the new FSVUs in Modern Languages on Thursday with a pre-launch meeting for presenters on the Wednesday evening.
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