| Initiatives/projects
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Useful links
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Literature in Learning is a joint initiative between The Scottish
Book Trust, The Scottish Poetry Library and The Scottish Storytelling
Centre that promotes the creative use of language in classrooms
by teachers, writers, poets and storytellers.
It promotes the development of innovative and sustainable
projects and investigates the impact of projects on the adults
and children involved. In the medium to long-term it aims
to:
1. establish a collaborative network of writers and storytellers
with teachers and education advisers across Scotland in order
to stimulate, inform and support a wide range of initiatives
and projects
2. link and resource the network through dynamic web communication,
responding to new opportunities and ideas as they arise within
a dynamic linguistic and literary environment
3. provide a validated framework for continuing professional
development within both the education and the cultural sectors
4. coordinate training events, conferences and consultations
5. pilot new ways of working, stimulate research, and evaluate
new models and initiatives
6. establish models for sustainable long-term patterns of
activity and funding for literature in education within Scotland
7. maximise the benefit of links with UK, European and world-wide
organisations and networks, including UNESCO
8. make creative language use a motivating factor in personal
and social attainment for all age groups in all parts of Scotland.
For more information visit http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/
Writing Together aims to ensure that, during their life at school, every child encounters opportunities to work with professional writers who inspire them creatively.
Following several years running conferences for primary and secondary school teachers, Writing Together is now working more strategically: Establishing links with other organisations in the field of literature development; Devising models for writers and teachers to work together out of school; Piloting a new form of professional development for teachers based on The Poetry Society’s Poetryclass course; Sponsoring training for writers organised on our behalf by the National Association of Writers in Education; Funding eight residencies in schools that will be written up as case studies and will include teaching materials.
For more information visit www.booktrust.org.uk/writingtogether.
Ruth Kirkpatrick and Claire McNicol, two qualified social workers employed
by Children 1st, think they've found an effective way to engage children
who are vulnerable or those struggling with traditional education. Through
oral storytelling they tap into children's creativity. 'For some children,
the fact that we don't use pens, paper and books means they are liberated,'
says Kirkpatrick. 'A lot of the kids who shine in our sessions have Asperger's
or ADHD - we are connecting with a different part of their brain.'
The stories are mainly traditional Scottish travellers' tales that,
says McNicol, are learned 'eye to eye, mind to mind, heart to heart'.
The duo have taken their storytelling skills to Children 1st projects
around Scotland, and hundreds of children have benefited from the experience
in the project's first year. Kirkpatrick and McNicol have trained other
workers and parents to deliver the story-telling. They typically deal
with children aged nine to 11, but some projects care for pre-school
children. Lately they have started combining the storytelling with other
arts, such as model-making, visual arts, dance and movement, and music.
As a next step Kirkpatrick would like to train people from other children's
groups and carry out research on the benefits. The project is funded
for two years by Children in Need, but they are looking for funding
for the next phase. For more information contact Ruth Kirkpatrick on
0131 446 2300.
(Children Now, 06.07.04)
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