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by Anne Jardine, LTS
Education about Scotland's rich culture plays a key role in CfE. In order to develop as responsible citizens in a globalised world, it is essential that pupils have a firm understanding of Scotland's society, heritage and history.
Reflecting this, Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) has created a range of online resources for teachers and learners to explore and promote Scotland's culture.
LTS, along with partners from the Heritage Education Forum, developed a suite of online resources called Scotland's History, which explores more than 5,000 years, enabling learners to develop an understanding of how Scotland has grown as a nation, as well as an appreciation of their heritage within the global community. Featured here are the new learning materials created to commemorate the recent passing of Jimmy Reid, the renowned trade unionist and journalist, including a transcript of his famous 1972 rectorial address at Glasgow University.
As part of the 'Knowledge of Language' resource, available via the LTS website, there is an extensive section on Scots language, which provides an essential introduction to Scots with information on its history, dialects and how to incorporate Scots into teaching across the curriculum. Contrary to the belief that it is merely a dialect of English, Scots is recognised as a language in its own right by the Scottish and UK Governments and by the European Union. It is estimated that around 1.6 million people speak Scots and there are plans for a formal question on Scots to be included in the 2011 census.
In addition, LTS is committed to the promotion of the Gaelic language. Our first Gaelic Language Plan, approved by the Bòòrd na Gààidhlig, was launched last year and produced under the terms of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.
LTS has recently produced a DVD resource for Gaelic early years settings, which will provide inspiration for teachers and ensure that pupils beginning to learn through Gaelic benefit from the active learning approach. This DVD forms a key part of the Scottish Government's drive to increase the number of young Gaelic speakers and help the language to thrive.
Scotland's culture is a topic that allows teachers to make meaningful connections across a variety of curriculum areas, from literacy and languages to social studies, and LTS will continue to support the important role that Scotland's heritage plays in education to benefit future generations of learners.