Category Archives: Themes

CPD, Creative Learning Networks

Challenges to Creative Learning

Leave a comment

Whilst the arguments for greater access to creative learning experiences in schools are clear and based upon countless sources of evidence, there will always be counter arguments, pitfalls and challengers for the attention of educators and establishment.

It is helpful to understand the reasons behind resistance to creativity in education and in strengthening the case further it is vital that educators are able to offer the thinking that might challenge this resistance.

This blog post will capture examples of resistance and counter-arguments and seek to explore them with a view to de-mistifying the discussion.

Why Teaching Creativity Hits the Wrong Note

In October 2014 a teacher in England set out his arguments against the teaching of creativity skills and creative learning in schools. The TESS article prompted a letter and article in the Herald from Ruth Wishart, Chair of the Creative Learning Plan Strategic Partnership which aim to offer answers and an alternative viewpoint:

TESS_ Why Teaching Creativity Hits the Wrong Note_ 10.10.14_no.2389 copy

TESS letter from Ruth Wishart

Ruth Wishart article in the Herald

Education secretary Nicky Morgan: ‘Arts subjects limit career choices’

In England a campaign to increase uptake of Maths and Physics at A’Level by 50% in 3 years, an ambition which will necessarily require strong actions and words, formed the background to the Education Secretary’s claim that

“the arts and humanities were what you chose… Because they were useful – we were told ­– for all kinds of jobs. Of course now we know that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Some questions relating to the development of creativity skills might include the following:

Does it matter which subjects you choose when it comes to developing creativity skills, and if so, should it matter?

If arts subjects were to develop creativity skills better than other subjects at present, then is this an argument in favour of those choices?

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2014/11/education-secretary-nicky-morgan-arts-subjects-limit-career-choices/?utm_content=buffer0a29f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Careers and Pathways, Colleges, Community Learning and Development, Creative Scotland, Expressive Arts, Higher Education, Primary, Secondary

Scottish Chamber Orchestra: SCO VIBE

Leave a comment

Background to the project

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is one of Scotland’s National Performing Arts Companies. The orchestra performs regularly in Scotland and overseas. In addition to this performing role, the SCO have an education programme. SCO Connect works to provide opportunities for schools, families, communities, and young people to engage with music. The SCO VIBE project is delivered by SCO Connect.

SCO VIBE is a new music opportunity which has been developed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in partnership with Edinburgh City Council. VIBE offers the opportunity for young people with some musical ability to come together in the holidays and work with professional musicians and tutors to write and perform music.

Vibe fusion band is aimed at young people who would not traditionally engage with the work of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra or the ensembles currently being offered by the Edinburgh City Council.

Recruitment for VIBE was focused on areas of multiple deprivation. SCO worked with schools, music teachers, and the City Council’s community education department to ensure that the programme targeted young people who may not otherwise have taken part in this type of activity. To increase the pool of young people coming forward, workshops were organised in schools in some of the more deprived areas to encourage participation of the target groups.

Purpose of the project

The project was designed to offer music development opportunities for young people, particularly young people who may not otherwise take part in this type of music activity (orchestral music). VIBE was also designed to be open to a broader spectrum of young musicians than other music programmes. The band includes non-orchestral instruments (guitars, voice, drums), and teaches music aurally, so there is no requirement for young people to be able to read music. This opens up participation to more ability ranges and types of instrument. Young people not only learn to play in ensembles, but also compose the music that they play

The project also provides opportunities for some of the more advanced participants to develop their skills in composition through an additional weekend workshop. These young people then support the younger members in composition.

The programme also offers volunteering opportunities for music students from Napier University and Edinburgh College. Students who take part as volunteers support the instrument groups within workshop sessions, and gain skills and experience in delivering music support at this level. The volunteers also benefit from working alongside professional musicians from Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Edinburgh city Council Music Service, learning new skills in teaching but also broadening their knowledge about possible career paths in the industry.

Project delivery

Three VIBE projects have taken place to date. Two were delivered in week-long programmes during school holiday periods – in April and July 2013. A third project took place over two consecutive weekends in October 2013. A future programme is being planned for early 2014.

While some participants are new to each event, others have attended each project.

Outcomes for young people

Young people participating in the summer programme reported having learned new techniques in playing by ear, improvising, and composing music with others.

“playing by ear – I was already trying to do that, but this has really forced me to practice. I’m so much better now”

“being able to listen to what’s happening, and adapt what you’re doing.”

Young participants in the SCO VIBE reported significant increases in their confidence in playing music. The setting, of composing and playing with other young people and adults in a mixed ability ensemble had given some the confidence to play more freely:

“I used to be really nervous of doing my own fills (drummer) – this is the first time I’ve really got into it and just gone ahead and done them”

There had also been an impact on young people’s more general musical ability:

“last time I came, I couldn’t do a flutter tongue. After the week, I could. You learn here just from being around other players, you learn from the air.”

“It’s really helping me with Higher music – lots of the terms I’ve been trying to learn, you just pick them up here, everyone is using them”.

Finally, although many of the participants are involved in learning music outside the band (for example a number are studying music at school at Higher and Advanced Higher level) they felt that being involved in SCO VIBE had been valuable experience of a kind which wasn’t offered elsewhere. It had added to their enjoyment and their understanding of music.

“It does feel professional here. This is how people come up with music when they’re in a real band.”

“It’s allowed me to play a lot more music”

“I want to play a lot more. Maybe join more ensembles or bands – it’s reminded me that music is fun and not just what we do for Higher.”

“This is a lot free-er than what we do for the Higher / advanced Higher”

Outcomes for young professionals

SCO VIBE also offers volunteering places for music students and graduates. The placements offer an opportunity for young and emerging professionals to work in a community education setting and experience a different way of teaching and supporting young musicians. The SCO also hope that there might be professional benefits for young musicians in making connections with other music professionals already working in their fields of interest.

Volunteers were motivated to get involved with SCO Vibe as it offered a unique learning opportunity:

“There aren’t any other ensembles of this size, with the variety of instruments and mixed age groups and abilities. I wanted to learn more about how it could work”

Volunteers reported that they had learned more about how to teach music in a different way and had also gained confidence in their own ability to teach and to support young musicians:

“This is a unique opportunity to learn. There aren’t any big ensembles like this anywhere else “

“Working here, helping to keep the group together and working in the right direction – it’s a great feeling to see it working well”

“I’ve really picked up a lot of teaching ideas from this. Different ways to do warm-up exercises, more ways to integrate improvisation into teaching…. This will make me a better teacher.”

“Seeing the growth in the group since Easter – young people moving forward, becoming more confident about taking part in compositions and playing more forcefully  – it’s fantastic”

“Even though I’m one of the youngest workers here, the other adults listen to me and treat me as a professional – that’s been a boost for me.”

The additional benefit for volunteers was that they had made contacts and connections with other musicians and professionals which had built their professional networks.

“I’ve made connections here with people who work at the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and people who work in music tuition at Edinburgh city council. It’s been good to develop professional relationships with other musicians.”

“I’ve been chatting to other instrument teachers and finding out about other projects which might offer opportunities for me in Edinburgh – it’s been really useful”

“I’ve made connections here which might help me find work – spoken to people involved in other music projects I could volunteer in, met people who are involved in teaching instruments.”

Cashback investment: £30,000

Community Learning and Development, Creative Scotland, Expressive Arts, Moving Image Education

Kibble Education and Care Centre – Moviemaker Project

Leave a comment

Expected outcomes:

  • Young people , who would not normally participate or who are considered to be vulnerable or at risk of offending, are engaged in positive activities
  • Young people build their confidence and self-esteem, and develop positive behaviours
  • Young people develop confidence in their skills and develop aspirations for further learning and development.

Project Description

The project is aimed to engage young people who are in care at Kibble Education and Care in a film–making project.

The young people worked with a range of creative artists and staff from the Royal Conservatoire to develop a film script which reflected their experiences of being in care. All young people were involved in this stage, then had the opportunity to choose which element of film making they wanted to be involved in (music, camera, on screen, editing etc). Professional staff  were brought in to support each stage of the film, but young people were given freedom and encouraged to take responsibility for the finished product.
Through the project, young people also visited the Royal Conservatoire, and a  group also visited the Royal Ballet. This was a ‘first time’ experience for all of the young people, many of whom have had no opportunity to experience the arts or cultural organisations.

Outcomes

Young people, who would not normally participate or who are considered to be vulnerable or at risk of offending, are engaged in positive activities

16 young people participated in the project.  All of the young people are in care –  some are residential pupils at Kibble, some attend Kibble day school and one was a  care leaver (who had been residential pupil at Kibble and now lives in supported accommodation).

Many of the young people who attend Kibble display a range of challenging behaviours, including aggressive and self-harming behaviours. Many have a history of offending and are at risk of re-offending. This often means that they lack motivation, have low self-esteem or poor social skills, making them reluctant to take part in activities of this nature.

The Creative Arts Development Officer at Kibble recruited young people to the project. He targeted young people who had shown some interest in drama or young people who he though would particularly benefit from the experience.

The movie-making project ran over a 16 week period  and was delivered in evenings at weekends, providing opportunities for young people to engage in an ‘out of hours’ activity. All young people participated voluntarily and had to make a commitment to participation. For those who are residential, the project provided a positive and stimulating activity to do  ‘out of hours’ , but in some cases the commitment meant that young people had to give up weekend home visits to participate, other choose to forgo other activities with their friends to participate.

For those who live at home, they had to make  the commitment to staying behind after ‘school’ to participate and coming along at weekends to participate.

As a result the project has been successful in engaging young people who otherwise would not engage in arts activities, but also in providing the activity at times which have potentially diverted young people from anti-social behaviours

Young people build their confidence and self-esteem, and develop positive behaviours

Staff identified that all of the young people were very proud of their achievement but that for some young people, the project had had a profound effect. Although many of the young people have behavioural issues, there was evidence that participation in the project provided a focus for positive behaviours:

  • · Young people choosing to stay behind after school to participate
  • · Young people staying focused for a whole day of filming (many do not ‘stick‘ at anything)
  • · Some young people (many of whom do not have positive relationships with adults) developing enough confidence and trust to build relationships with the drama staff
  • · Young people making the decision to film very early on a Saturday morning to get the best light , even although that meant getting up really early to do so
  • · Young people resolving conflicts –  in situation which would normally result in argument , fights or young people absconding, young people were seen to resolve conflict in order to continue with the project

Young people develop confidence in their skills and develop aspirations for further learning and development.

As a result of the project, one young person has joined a local drama group in Paisley (PACE) and one young person has joined a drama group in Kibble.

2 young people applied to college (one for music and one for drama). While this outcome is not wholly attributable to the project, the project provided the young people with the purpose and focus to apply, and provided them with valuable experience for their auditions.

Case study

X is 16 years old and had been in care for many years. She is vulnerable and has history of offending and has spent some of her time in care in  secure units. She dropped out of formal education at age 14.

K is in residential care and got involved in the project  to give her ‘something to do in the evenings’ . She had done a bit of drama in the past, and had enjoyed it but had never followed it through.

K ended up playing  the lead role in the film and showed incredible commitment to the project. As a result of the project, she has had to make decisions and take responsibility for herself in a way that is often difficult for her. She committed to turning up in the evening  and at weekends – some weekends, she had to cancel home visits because of filming commitments.

She also had to learn to deal with disagreements with other participants.  Her usual pattern is to ‘storm out’ of any situation where she finds herself in conflict or faced with a problem, but during the project  resolved a conflict with another participant which would have led to one or both of them ‘walking away ‘ from the project.

K reports that her focus has come from the fact that she has found something that she values and wants to do

“This is the first time that I really wanted to do something “

“ If I hadn’t been doing this, I’d be out doing crazy stuff, getting into trouble, getting drunk…….”

As a result  of the project, K decided to apply to college to study drama.

K’s key worker reported that this was the first time in her life that she had achieved something (she has no formal qualifications).  The project had been ‘great for her, providing her with a focus– in the past she would last about 20 minutes in a lass then she’d walk out –  and helping her to consider her behaviours.

“We’ve been using the project as an opportunity to get her to focus on her behaviours. She has found something she likes and she’s good at, and that has provided a focus for her. (Previously, she was very chaotic).  She’s been practicing for her college audition and has started to plan – for example planning not to go out on Friday nights when she had filming on a Saturday morning.”

Careers and Pathways, Community Learning and Development, Creative Scotland, Expressive Arts, Moving Image Education

Voice Of My Own (VOMO)

Leave a comment

Background to the project

Voice Of My Own (VOMO) is a film-making youth project which works to empower young people in the Borders to make high quality films about issues that are relevant to them.

Purpose of the project

The Filmlink project has two elements:

Access and participation:

  • six local youth groups will be supported to write, develop, and create a short film which will form part of a larger single film.

Learning and progression:

  • four young people, who have an interest and some previous experience in film making (usually as participants of previous VOMO projects), will be employed by VOMO as trainee producers to support the development of the above films. The trainee producers will learn from the professional staff, but also get real work experience which will build their CVs and support their aspirations to work in the film industry.

Project delivery

VOMO identified groups of young people in six locations across the Borders. Workshops were held with each group to develop a concept and script for each groups contribution to the film.

Filming has taken place throughout the summer in locations across the Borders. The final feature-length film will be screened late in 2013.

The trainee producers have each taken a role in supporting one or more youth groups to develop their film. They have also worked as assistants on all film shoots, supporting the production of the film. They are learning through supporting the young people, but also by working alongside industry professionals in the making of the film.

Outcomes for young people

  • Access and participation

The work with youth groups has provided opportunities for young people from rural areas of the Borders to access and participate in high quality in film projects. This project provides new opportunities for participation in areas with a dearth of activities for young people, but also provides opportunities for young people to learn new skills, to develop confidence and their creativity.

Some participants had previous experience of drama and theatre projects, but recognised that they had learned new skills in acting for film.

“It takes patience to get it right.”

“This is a chance to do more acting, in a different way.”

“I’ll maybe do both, film and drama.”

“It’s a bit less pressure, filming, than being on stage.”

Young people also reported that they had learned about the various roles available in film-making.

“Filming is so much better for people who don’t want to be on stage – there’s so much more you can do behind the scenes in a film.”

Some had changed their career goals as a result of taking part in the film-making programme:

“you don’t have to do everything, but there’s lots of interesting things you can do in film that I didn’t know about.”

“After next year, I want to do a college course in film making.”

Some participants also reported that they had learned more about the technical aspects of working in film:

“I’ve learned how to work in film. I’ve learned how to use the camera, how to use the equipment. I’ve definitely come away with lots of new knowledge.”

One young person taking part in the project has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. The young people worked to identify a role in the film which he could play, allowing him to take part fully in the project.

“This is a great opportunity for X, a chance to take part in something which is accessible for him. The script has been adapted to allow him to have a full part.”

Outcomes for the trainee producers

Learning and progression

Each of the young persons selected to be trainee producers were identified as having skills and potential, but were also recognised as requiring some additional support to enable them to move into the film-industry.

The trainee producers have received a wealth of support and have developed their skills, in film making and but have developed their employability skills.

The trainee producer role includes supporting the larger youth groups to create their films. This has been quite challenging, as the producers are required to take control of a group of young people and ensure that the group work towards the completion of their film. As a result, they have gained confidence and self–esteem.

“I’m much more confident now. I can speak to a group of young people. I’d never have been able to do that before”

“I’ve got better at speaking up and joining in the discussions when we plan what we’re going to do”

The trainee producers are responsible for the administration of the film projects, which involves arranging permission to film, liaising with local groups and business owners. This has increased their planning skills and their communication skills.

“I had never done anything like that before. I was quite nervous about calling people, and tried to put it off when I could – but after you do it a few times, you can just do it”

Staff also reported that the trainee producers had developed better self-management (timer-keeping, planning, time-management etc.’

“One has got much better at managing her own day – turning up on time, eating at mealtimes to make sure she doesn’t ‘slump’ – she’s learned how to do that on her own.”

Finally, the producers had also significantly improved their technical skills in working with cameras, sound equipment, and editing software:

“I’ve learned so much about different aspects of film making, that you need to do it over and over again”

“I’m finding that I know how to use all of the equipment now, and I didn’t before”

“I’m getting better at doing stuff automatically. I suddenly realise that I’ve been adjusting the settings for the best image, without even thinking about it.”

The work experience also helped the trainees to develop new ideas about what they would like to do next. In some cases, the real-life experience of working with VOMO staff members had helped them to identify the specific areas they found interesting about film:

“I was always interested in the technology. That’s what made me apply for this opportunity. But now I’m really thinking about doing an audio technician course at college – and VOMO has helped me get there.”

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. But it’s been really interesting, seeing the kind of options that there are. Working with adult film makers”

The producers were all young people with little or no work experience. Being employed by VOMO has given them a chance to build their cv and work history, demonstrating to future employers that they have experience of working full time. All the trainee producers felt that they had improved their employability through being a trainee producer.
Cashback investment: £29,540

Community Learning and Development, Creative Scotland, Expressive Arts, Moving Image Education

Eden Court with Cameron Youth Centre – Dance Music Video

Leave a comment

Background to the project

Eden Court delivers a range of creative arts activities for young people across the Highlands through its Cashback funding. Eden Court works in partnership with youth organisations to enable them to engage with young people from across the vast Highland area.

This project was delivered in partnership with the Cameron Youth Centre.

Purpose of the project: Access and participation

The purpose of the project was to provide access opportunities for young people who otherwise would not participate in arts activities.

Project delivery

Eden Court worked with Cameron Youth Centre on two projects:

  • Initially Eden Court delivered a programme of activities leading to a dance music video in late autumn 2012
  • 6 week sessions with dance, music and film where the young people made a film.

The project introduced the young people to all aspects of film-making through taster sessions. The tasters were useful as many of the young people had pre-conceptions about different roles (e.g. some of the boys were scornful of the drama element, but later got involved in things that they had originally dismissed). Young people then decided which element they wanted to be involved in and worked in teams on the different elements of the film.

The group produced a film which was screened at Eden Court.

Outcomes for young people

This project displays a very high level of additionality – the majority of the young people who attended had not had any previous involvement in arts activities.

The project also provided opportunities for sustained engagement – three of the young people on the original dance /music video project progressed onto the second project.

The young people learned lots of new skills: camera skills, editing, creating scripts for film, and some were also involved in music production. Participants also gained in confidence from the experience.

“most of them had never had the opportunity to touch that kind of equipment”

At the end of the project, participants were invited to a screening of their film at Eden Court. This was a positive experience, both in terms of validating their achievement, but also widening access for young people, as “a lot of the kids at this school don’t have the money to go to Eden Court normally”.

What has happened as a result

The success of the project has resulted in the development of sustainable arts activities for young people at the Cameron Centre. The Centre has now employed the Eden Court dance instructor (on a sessional basis) to run a weekly dance class to the end of the year. They are hoping to provide on-going activities for the existing group but also to attract different groups of young people to come to these activities.

The Centre is also applying for funding to develop an active youth club – doing dance, film, music, drama.

The project has also built an interest and demand for creative activity among the young people (most of whom attend Inverness Academy.) Previously, there was no dance or drama club at the school, but as a result of the success of the music/dance/video projects the Cameron Centre has persuaded the school to enter the Rock Challenge. Many of the young people from the project became part of the core of the Rock Challenge group.

The Rock Challenge® is a performing arts competition for secondary schools. The focus of this friendly and vibrant competition is on young people leading healthy lifestyles and being their best without the need for tobacco, alcohol and illegal substances.

The centre has used the interest in arts activity which was demonstrated by this project to persuade the school to enter the Rock Challenge for the first time (Inverness Academy will perform in the Rock Challenge in February 2014 at Eden Court).

The intention is that the development of the Rock Challenge will encourage more arts activity in the school in general – dance and video.

“all of that has come about as a result of letting the kids see how good dance / film / music can be”.

Cashback investment: Eden Court £50,000 (this is only one of the many projects delivered by Eden Court)

Community Learning and Development, Creative Scotland, Expressive Arts, Moving Image Education, Outdoor Learning, Technologies

Eden Court with Outfit Moray – outdoor learning and filmmaking

Leave a comment

Background to the project

Eden Court delivers a range of creative arts activities for young people across the Highlands through its Cashback funding. Eden Court works in partnership with youth organisations to enable them to engage with young people from across the vast Highland area.

This project was delivered in partnership with Outfit Moray, an award winning outdoor education charity based in Lossiemouth. Outfit Moray works with schools, youth agencies and youth groups (and works predominantly with vulnerable and disadvantaged young people) to develop the potential of young people through outdoor education.

Purpose of the project

The project aimed to provide opportunities for young people, who otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity, to participate in a unique programme of exciting outdoor activities and film –making.

Access and participation:

  • provide opportunities to young people who wouldn’t otherwise get the opportunity to participate;
  • develop confidence and team work skills through outdoor education;
  • develop new skills (both in outdoor skills plus filmmaking).

Project delivery

Outfit Moray worked in partnership with two Youth Cafes; one in Elgin and one in Cullen. The Youth Café’s identified young people who will benefit from the opportunity, and provided transport to the activities (as many of the young people in more remote areas are excluded from participation through the distance/cost and inaccessibility by public transport).

Young people spent two days carrying out exciting outdoor activities – kayaking, surfing, abseiling, climbing with experienced instructors from Outfit Moray. They filmed their activities using helmet-mounted cameras.

The final day of the course involved film-making – each young person learned how to make a film and music track to their film. This element of the programme was delivered by Eden Court’s digital media and music production staff.

The final element of the programme was a showcase event at Eden Court. The young people’s films were shown at a special screening at Eden Court cinema, to which family and friends were invited.

Outcomes for young people

The programme aimed to engage young people who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to participate in arts activity.

Most of the young people (who had been engaged in the programme through their local youth cafés) commented that they had done some outdoor activities in the past, but that the combination of outdoor activities and film-making had attracted them. Most had no previous experience of film-making.

Young people reported that they had enjoyed the programme, and that they had learned new skills and built their confidence.

Comments from parents highlight also highlight the impact on building the confidence of young people.

“Huge thanks for the amazing opportunity for X to work with Eden court and yourselves she absolutely just loved it, all this outdoor stuff has given her such a confidence boost as she was such a shy wee girl last year, it’s great to see her feel comfortable with others and socialise more easily now.”

A youth worker from Cullen Youth Café reported that one young person who had taken part in the programme had very low self-esteem. However, through the programme, he found that he really excelled at the film-making element, and this had boosted his confidence and inspired him to get involved in another film-making project.

Making a film of their achievements had obviously added to participants pride and self-esteem:

“I’ve done outdoors stuff before, but I hadn’t done filming – to be able to film what you are doing was pretty cool. When people ask what I’ve done over the summer, I can show them.”

One boy had shared the film with friends on twitter.

The showcase is an important element of many of the Creative projects. The young people have the opportunity to ‘showcase’ their work and report a sense of achievement and pride in so doing.

One young person commented

“I’ve been to Eden Court before, but never to see my own film. I’m quite nervous about that.”

For the staff at Outfit Moray

“The screening of the films at Eden Court was really successful – it really gave young people an opportunity to reflect on their achievements, but also to share their success with their parents/carers.”


“It’s also a great opportunity to introduce the young people to Eden Court which is a great venue – but many of the kids had never been, so it’s opening their eyes to different opportunities and expanding their comfort zones too.”

Cashback investment: Eden Court £50,000 (this is only one of the many projects delivered by Eden Court)

Careers and Pathways, Community Learning and Development, Creative Scotland, Expressive Arts, Moving Image Education

Screen Education – mentoring and training in film and drama

Leave a comment

The pathways

Screen Education trains tutors in its model for developing young people in drama. The model combines learning through watching, understanding and making films. As well as the core tutors, Screen Education have recruited some of the older young people from previous CashBack projects to work as trainee tutors on the projects. These are paid traineeships, not only providing work experience but also paid employment opportunities for young people from areas of deprivation.

Trainee tutors are being mentored throughout the project by Graham Fitzpatrick as part of an Artworks Scotland programme focusing on the development of their individual practice as artists in participatory settings.

4 young people from the previous group have progressed into trainee tutor roles.

Yutsil Martinez

Yutsil participated in the Cashback programme in 2011-12, and was involved in making many of the short films, particularly the Man with No Name, in which he was lead actor.

In 2012/13 Yutsil has returned as a trainee tutor. He is interested in studying film making but for some time could not access college courses because of his immigration status.

However, Yutsil has continued to be very active in film-making. Through links in the industry, Screen Education has found work experience placements for Yutsil– he has had some voluntary and some paid work experience working with a production company making commercial adverts, and has worked on a ‘Scottish Short’.

In September, The Screen Education film, ‘Man with no Name’ was nominated for The Chris Anderson Award for Best Young Filmmaker 2013 (sponsored by the National Youth film Academy). As a result, Yutsil has been awarded an acting scholarship at the National Film Youth Academy in London after picking up Best Actor award at the event.

“The project was really helpful and I gained more confidence in wanting to work in the industry, it was great to work with great professionals in the field such as Graham, Sarah and Steven. Participating in these projects and shoots has allowed me to find more opportunities and meet other filmmakers and professionals. Watching how the team works taught me that you have to be serious about it but at the same time you can have fun doing what you love the most which is filming. Sarah taught me how to keep your forms organised and keep track of budgets by keeping receipts. Graham taught me how to talk closely to an actor rather than shouting across the set at them, also helps them feel comfortable and confident while being filmed. And Steven helped on how to prepare the camera, checking adjustments and settings on the camera, DSLR filmmaking and white balancing, focus pulls and lighting.”
College Development Network, Colleges, Community Learning and Development, Expressive Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Higher Education, Literacy, Social Studies

Prison Learning – What’s the Point? Labels, Stigma and Hope

Leave a comment

On 11th June the creative writing and drama students from Glenochil Prison Learning Centre hosted a creative conversation as part of College Development Network’s The Emporium of Dangerous Ideas.

This was the culmination of a six week drama/Scottish Studies project in which students explored aspects of labeling and learning in Scotland through drama and writing processes.

The students performed a powerful piece of theatre and then hosted five separate conversations, based on topics of particular relevance to them in an open space format.

The aim of the final creative conversation was to be able to explore a range of crucial questions in a creative and innovative way with a range of participants from within and out-with the prison.

Questions included:

  • Are labels self-fulfilling?
  • When are labels useful, needed or important?
  • Positive learning in prison vs negative/sensationalist labels in the media
  • Is personal growth as important as gaining qualifications in learning?
  • Prisons learning and progression – how to progress on release with an offender label.

Following the event students wrote up their findings and identified areas that could be developed further by themselves, the Learning Centre or other parties.

Who was involved?

The project was delivered by New College Lanarkshire, Glenochil Prison Learning Centre and Scottish Prison Service.

Participants included students: fellow prisoners, prison learning manager, prison psychologist, prison chaplain, offender outcomes manager, lecturers from other prisons, artists, criminal justice researcher and Business Gateway representative.

What core skills were developed?

Students developed questions for the final event through performance, presentation, drama, reflection and writing processes.

The final performance/conversation event required all participants to challenge preconceptions, raise questions and explore potential solutions to problems with open and enquiring minds.

Performers had to be prepared for potential hostility from an audience who may have very different ideas/experiences to their own; they had to develop strategies to facilitate conversations that may include points of view they might disagree with. Likewise, guest participants had to be open to the lived experiences and emotions of the performers as well as to views they may disagree with.

According to participant feedback and learner reflections, the following characteristics were developed:

  • Motivated and ambitious for change for the better, including in their own capabilities
  • Confident in the validity of their own viewpoint
  • Able to apply creative processes to other situations
  • Able to lead and work well with others

What impacts did the project have?

The project has had the following impacts on participants, students and staff:

  • More engaged learners
  • More understanding and support for this kind of work within the prison
  • Expressions of interest in future collaborations across agencies both within and outwith the prison – eg. learners suggested a similar event could be held with trainee social workers
  • Staff learned not to be scared to do new things, to contextualize work appropriately and to ask for support when necessary

An unexpected outcome was that prison staff from other departments engaged positively with the whole project, enhancing processes across the board.

You can contact College Development Network here:

info@collegedevelopmentnetwork.ac.uk

01786  892 000

Careers and Pathways, College Development Network, Colleges, Secondary

Inside a Kelpie – the finale to the Emporium of Dangerous Ideas

Leave a comment

The finale of the Emporium of Dangerous Ideas was held on June 19th inside one of the iconic Kelpies. It brought together over 100 people who had hosted and attended preceding events during the Emporium. Participants congregated at Helix Park and took part in a range of dangerous conversations en route to the Kelpies. Conversations were hosted by people who had facilitated events during the Emporium, giving participants an opportunity to catch up on anything they may have missed. Once inside the Kelpie, the Emporium was reviewed and the key themes of changing perspectives, risk and failure were explored.

The key reason for hosting the event inside a Kelpie was to raise awareness of perspectives, and how we may restrict ourselves by only viewing something (The Kelpies or education for example) from a particular standpoint. By exploring a Kelpie from the inside we were challenged to consider the different components through all of our senses, thereby changing our understanding and perspective. We were also able to consider the role and experience of failure by reflecting on events that didn’t go to plan or achieve the outcome that was hoped for.

An event like this has never been held before and it required a great deal of partnership work and creative thinking on behalf of the organisers, College Development Network, and their partner education and arts organizations. It provided a model for others in risk taking, celebrating failure and success and providing opportunities for participants to experience a change in perspective.

Throughout the event participants were actively encouraged to think differently, to reflect on their preconceptions and to imagine the possibilities of a change in their thinking and perspectives.

From feedback there would appear to be a willingness to take more risks and an acceptance that failure is an important part of learning.

“ Took away many thoughts…creativity is not hierarchial, always put ideas into practice regardless of expectation to fail, ….we need leadership which allows us to take proper risks if we never fail, we never know the real way to go push boundaries”. Event participant

One of the key things learned from this event was that participants expect us not just to talk about creativity and innovation in learning and teaching but to take risks, model different approaches and share experiences of failure.

Careers and Pathways, College Development Network, Colleges, CPD, Skills Development Scotland

Is Education Killing Creativity and Enterprise?

Leave a comment

College Development Network event as part of the Emporium of Dangerous Ideas

This key event of the Emporium of Dangerous Ideas, June 2014, highlighted creative approaches to curriculum delivery and enterprising approaches to learning and teaching.  In the morning sessions presenters, including Skills Development Scotland and the RSA, gave a national and international  overview of employability and enterprise while Dundee and Angus College and Team Academy explained how their approaches to curriculum delivery were radically different, and how they helped develop creativity, enterprise and employability skills in learners. In the afternoon, participants had the opportunity to take part in an enterprise activity facilitated by Team Academy teampreneurs illustrating how teaching can be done without a classroom or timetable and can be very much student focused. Participants then had the opportunity to indicate areas they were interested in taking forward realizing the potential for more innovative approaches to schools-college partnerships and delivery of a range of curriculum areas.

This event built on the success of the Creativity and Employability event for strategic partners of Scotland’s Creative Learning Plan, organised by Creative Scotland in May. It aimed to encourage practitioners to consider how they could develop a more creative and enterprising approach to learning and teaching and curriculum design within a wider European and Scottish context.

The event was organised by College Development Network in partnership with SDS, RSA and Team Academy and was attended by practitioners from schools, colleges and universities as well as partner organisations.

The event gave participants the opportunity to consider how they could radically change their curriculum design and delivery. By being actively involved in an enterprising workshop activity staff could realize the potential for teaching in a very different way, that could potentially lead to lessening the restrictions of the timetable.

Participants were encouraged to consider their enterprise and creativity skills and how they could use these more effectively in their work setting. They pitched extremely imaginative ideas for education businesses which would solve some of the current timetabling and resourcing issues impacting on education across all sectors.

As a result of the event, participants have agreed to work on some SQA units over the summer to see if it is possible to offer a curriculum that is more enterprising and creative.

TES article: http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6435209