Activity 1

In this activity, engage with Unit 6, Food and Drink, and Unit 4, Dialect Diversity, of the Open University’s Scots language and culture course.

Undertake as many activities as you can in the units, taking notes on the aspects that are relevant to the key learning points listed for this unit's study and might be useful for teaching Scots in your own classroom. You may want to import your notes by pasting them into your learning log for future reference.

Learning log

Activity 2

In this activity you will begin to think about literacy development in different areas of the curriculum and how Scots language can support you in this. You will now watch an interdisciplinary lesson featuring Scots language.

The lesson was filmed in a Primary School in Shetland with a composite class of P4s to P7s. It is being taught by Bruce Eunson, Scots Language Co-ordinator, Education Scotland. Note that the video does not show the entire lesson taught on this occasion.

A

While watching the lesson it is important you make notes on the following questions:

1. Which different curriculum areas are covered in the lesson?

2. In what way do all activities of the lesson support pupils’ literacy development?

3. What role does the Scots language play during the lesson,

   • as the language of instruction and

   • as the language learners are working with in the different activities?

4. How would you sum up the teacher’s use of Scots and English?

Learning log

Compare your answer to our model answer (56.0 KB) .

B

Consider and respond to the lesson making notes on what you think worked well, and also what you would do differently with your class when teaching a similar lesson. Include the use of Scots as classroom language/language of instruction in your considerations.

Learning log

Compare your answer to our model answer.

Activity 3

In this activity, you will begin to explore Scots language in your classroom as a driver for inclusive education. You will learn that there are strong links between embedding indigenous, non-dominant, languages in school education and supporting pupils' equality, diversity and inclusion through nurturing their sense of identity and by enabling the incorporation of their full linguistic repertoire as part of their education.

A

To provide some food for thought, have a look at an extract from the introduction to Benson and Kosonen's edited book publication Inclusive teaching and learning through the use of non-dominant languages and cultures (2013).

When reading, take a note of three aspects that stand out for you in this text.

"Despite the fact that most countries and indeed their societies
are multilingual, their educational systems tend to function in only one or two
languages, due in part to the long-standing fallacy that national unity is built
around a single language. Against this fallacy we would argue that using one
language and excluding many others actually creates divisions, inequalities and
inequities, because it means that hundreds of millions of people worldwide are
forced to learn – or teach – through a language in which they are not proficient.
Lack of proficiency in the language of instruction, when viewed from a
dominant and monolingual perspective, is generally seen as a deficiency, and
learners from non-dominant groups are thus perceived as deficient even before they
begin their school careers. It is common to hear that there is a “language barrier.”
Learners are not seen for what they already know and can do, which would be
consistent with constructivist theory and learner-centered approaches (e.g.
Vygotsky, 1978); instead they are identified by what they are missing. Ruiz (1984)
would call this a “language as problem” orientation. Gogolin (2002; see also
Bourdieu, 1991) gets to the root of this orientation by showing how a monolingual
habitus, or set of unquestioned assumptions concerning the desirability of a single
dominant language, governs a great deal of decision-making in education
worldwide. As a result, bi- or multilingualism is often rendered either invisible or
undesirable.

We can thus ask this question: Is the school designed for the learner, or is it
trying to impose on that learner a single dominant language, culture and way of
life? Further, if we adopt the complementary views that the process of education
can be liberated and liberating (e.g. Freire, 1970) and that a habitus can change as
the result of new experiences (e.g. Bourdieu, 1991), we must ask a follow-up
question: How can people’s eyes be opened to the alternatives?

Take a note of your key aspects. Please remember, there is no right or wrong answer here, what is important are your own impressions and opinion. For example, you could comment on the fact that the insights shared here are over 10 years old, how you feel they apply to your professional context today, or mention anything that is new to you in the text's approach.

Learning log

B
To mark the International Mother Language Day, 21 February 2024, Stefania Ginannini, the UNESCO's Assistant Director General for Education, published the short article Multilingual Education: A Key to Quality and Inclusive Learning in the UN Chronicle online.

• Imagine you had to make a short presentation to your colleagues at school about embedding Scots in your classroom to facilitate a multilingual education approach. To inform your presentation summarise Giannini's views in about 100 words on why multilingual education matters.

Activity 4

Now we want to introduce you to a further aspect of what we mean by inclusive education in this context - namely using Scots as a means to include and support the literacy development of pupils with a wide range of additional requirements, whose first language is Scots.

Please note, the aspect of inclusive education will be a feature in your GTCS professional recognition tasks.

Teacher Jane Farquhar, who participated in piloting this course in her role as Additional Support for Learners teacher in Banff Academy, recorded two short videos sharing her experiences of embedding Scots language in her work with severely disabled children, some of whom were considered non-verbal.

1.

• Watch Jane's first video in which she shares insights from her practice of embedding Scots language in her teaching, and take a note of your three main take-aways from the video.
• Also consider in what way the insights Jane shares are important for your own practice and how they could shape your understanding of Scots as a driver for inclusive teaching and learning practice.

2.
Now watch Jane's second video, she produced to provide you with an insight into how using Scots enhances the levels of engagement of her pupils. She obtained permission to film a storytelling activity she carried out with her pupil A.

• In the video you observe A. telling his story The Windmill in Scots.

• Pay attention how she elecitis his story and encourages his use of Scots.

Again, take notes on your thoughts and observations while watching A's storytelling.

Learning log