Creativity is the central theme running through September’s edition of TESS.

‘Creative sparks can fire up the curriculum’
Editor Gillian MacDonald highlights projects which are stimulating the imagination and encouraging new thinking in schools and local authorities.

Creative Scotland’s Joan Parr
Joan Parr, portfolio manager for education, learning and young people, Creative Scotland is featured, talking about the national drive for creativity across learning.

‘Step Forth into the Creativity Portal’
The new-look Creativity Portal is reviewed, including an overview of its new features and feedback from teachers using the site.

‘Away with the Fairies’
Project Dream, is a collaboration between City of Edinburgh’s Arts and Learning Team, the Lyceum Theatre and Edinburgh schools in which teachers and pupils are coming off timetable to immerse themselves in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/fe/tpl_scottishbordercouncil.asp?s=eziKhNSpCaRDiFfRax&jobid=143512,7159365861&key=128387578&c=62584869798602&pagestamp=sekwjlgoufenyrcikc

TheMatter-Jointhepilot!

‘Micro Tyco‘ is a competition with the potential for inspiring children and young people to think and be creative in an enterprising way while also becoming aware of business ethics. The one month challenge kicks off at the start of November when participants work in teams to transform £1 into as much money as possible.

http://blogs.educationscotland.gov.uk/globalcitizenship/2012/09/27/schools-enterprise-competition/

Creative young people in East Dunbartonshire will be showcasing their talents on the big screen at East Dunbartonshire Children and Young People’s Film Festival 2012.

Talented youngsters who have produced films and animations will see them screened at community venues in Lennoxtown, Bishopbriggs and Bearsden during the October holiday.

http://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/news/other_news/gracing_the_silver_screen.aspx

Passers-by on John Finnie Street will have noticed a striking new feature on the scene – the beautifully refurbished Opera House building, complete with stunning windows.

Restored to its former glory, the sandstone frontage is the perfect setting for the windows which feature images of the Opera House’s vibrant past, along with vintage Kilmarnock Standard headlines, such as ‘Temple of the drama’ and ‘Alarming fire at the Opera House buildings’.

The windows were designed by a partnership of St Joseph’s Academy students and East Ayrshire Council. The enterprising trio of Scott Bracki, Liam Gallagher and Siobhan Connelly – who have now all left school – researched the building’s past, with help from Kilmarnock and District History Group.

Marie Macklin, CEO of contractors Klin Group, appointed the young people in August 2011 to develop decals for the ground floor windows. A financial donation was made to the school for their services.

The windows depict scenes from the glorious past of the Opera House – which has seen service as a theatre, church, a saleroom and a nightclub, in its time.

Notes of a tune running across the six windows link the scenes taken from old photographs. It’s a tune dear to the heart of many in Kilmarnock – Paper Roses.

Marie Macklin said: “This is what regeneration is all about – involving the whole community, especially our young people.

“We could have appointed a company from the private sector for this service, but to involve the pupils through the Council’s school enterprise and business leaders programme was the right decision”.

Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Spokesperson for Lifelong Learning, said: “This project provided a marvellous opportunity for students to work with professionals and experts from start to finish – and the inspiring outcome is there for all to see and enjoy for generations to come”.

Marie Macklin is one of the business leaders linked to the Council’s Business Enterprise Fund, which aims to make school leavers more ready for the world of work, by developing the necessary skills and attitudes.

Kilmarnock Academy students have also been commissioned to produce a mural for the entrance of the building.

SLF Twilight – Literacy across Learning: Primary, 19 September 9.30 – Speakers for this event will include primary practitioners who will highlight creative and innovative approaches to developing literacy across learning in their establishments. The seminar will emphasise the importance of incorporating the wider definition of texts into learning and teaching to encourage creativity and to support progression for learners.

SLF Twilight – Michael Russell MSP – Opening Ministerial Address 19 September 10.45 – Hear the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell, give the opening keynote address at the 2012 Scottish Learning Festival. Hear how practitioners are developing their creative teaching and learning as well as nurturing creative skills in all learners.

For full details of these and other events log in to Glow and view the current schedule:

https://portal.glowscotland.org.uk/establishments/nationalsite/GlowTV/tvpages/Schedule.aspx.

The Jolomo Schools Painting Award sponsored by Bank of Scotland will be run for the first time in school year 2012-13.  Students from the senior phase at all Scottish secondary schools are invited to take part in the inaugural schools painting award.  Students are asked to paint and submit their interpretation of the Scottish landscape.  The winner will receive £500, with an additional £500 going to the winning schools Art Department.  The winner will also have the opportunity to be mentored by the artist John Lowrie Morrison (Jolomo).  More information can be found by clicking on ‘How to enter’ on the home page of The Jolomo Foundation website:  www.jolomofoundation.org.

http://www.jolomofoundation.org/

The National Creative Learning Network (NCLN) is a community of practice which has a leadership role in championing and advocating creativity in both formal and informal learning contexts. The Network is well represented at this year’s SLF, with members from local authorities across Scotland leading workshops and seminars throughout the two days of the festival.

Seminar Programme

Find out about the benefits of being involved in a Creative Learning Network at Fife’s CLN Showcase seminar, or find out what being creative means to Edinburgh’s young apprentices.

• Creative Learners, Creative Thinkers, Creative Careers (Edinburgh)
• Showcasing Fife’s Creative Learning Network (Fife)
• What’s the Past got to do with us? (Aberdeenshire)

Visit the SLF website to view the full seminar programme

Education Showcase

The Showcase programme features demonstrations, experiments, drama and music making with NCLN contributions from a number of authorities:

• Arts and Culture as a Catalyst for Learning: The Aberdeen Arts Across Learning Festival (Aberdeen City)
• Inspiring Creativity, Highland’s Creativity Conference (Highland)
• Supporting Drama through Literacy – Learners with Mild to Severe and Complex Needs (Dumfries & Galloway)
• Challenging Creativity Creatively (Edinburgh)
• The Big Drum Experiment (Scottish Borders)
• Little Rabbit: drama for early years (Angus)
• Teachers Realising their Creative Potential (Aberdeen City)
• Write a Song in 30 Minutes (Stirling)

To view the full Education Showcase programme click here

The NCLN consists of the the group of coordinators who lead each local authority’s Creative Learning Network. Visit the Creativity Portal to find out who your local Creative Learning Network contact is: http://bit.ly/Creative_Learning_Contacts

Find out more about the Creative Learning Networks by watching one of the short films on the Creativity Portal: http://bit.ly/CLN_Creativity_Portal