Category Archives: NCLN

Scotland leads the way with its vision for creativity across learning

We were delighted to learn that Paul Collard was impressed by the work we are doing in Scotland following his recent conversation with key players in our drive for a more creative Scotland.

Paul, who is Chief Executive of Creativity, Culture and Education visited Stirling on 17 April at the invitation of Forth Valley Creative Learning and the National Creative Learning Network (NCLN) to share findings from his international work on creativity in learning.

Together with Sheila Page, HMI, he provided inspiring input which stimulated constructive conversations about how we can better support the development of creativity in learners across Scotland.

Paul was particularly impressed by our approach to systemic change and the fact that we have a shared vision across national bodies and local authorities.

“I came away very inspired by what is happening in Scotland. I think you are a long way ahead of almost anywhere I am visiting at the moment. I think that the agenda you are addressing is of fundamental importance to the future of young people in Scotland (and hence the future of Scotland)”.

Discussion focussed on how we can best support creativity in schools – specifically how we can develop supportive approaches which will help teachers plan challenging learning environments that develop creativity skills in learners.

Attendees included members of the National Creative Learning Network; partners involved in developing Scotland’s Creative Learning Plan, led by Creative Scotland, and Education Scotland’s Creativity Review team.

The event was organised in partnership with Forth Valley Creative Learning, who held a twilight session led by Paul Collard: ‘How do we capture and measure creativity?

For more information on the work of Creativity, Culture and Education, visit their website: http://www.creativitycultureeducation.org/

NCLN Meeting – 4,5 December, Aberdeen

CLN Coordinators from across Scotland will gather together in early December for a national network meeting in Aberdeen.

Serious Play – 4th December

The ‘Serious Play’ event provides an opportunity to explore the interface between creativity, play and learning with  professionals from Education, Early Years, Family and Community Learning, Arts and Culture and Outdoor Learning.

Keynote speaker Chiqui Gonzalez, Minister of Innovation and Culture, Santa Fe, Argentina will give a keynote presentation on her work, championing shared family learning through cultural activity.

The conference will enable participants to share theory and practice and to engage with a range of seminars and participatory activities.

During the day, NCLN members will meet with Joan Parr and Petrea Cooney from Creative Scotland for an update and conversation on the new Creative Learning Plan which is currently in development and will supersede the Education and the Arts, Culture and Creativity: An Action Plan.

Creativity and Self-Evaluation – 5th December

Ros Sutherland from City of Edinburgh Council will lead a session on self-evaluation and how we can use it to continually reflect on and improve our practice. Through conversation and practical activities the group will explore and discuss:

·      Is self-evaluation a bureaucratic process or can it be creative?

·      How can we keep things simple when self-evaluation frameworks seem so complicated?

·      What are we evaluating?

·      What forms can evidence take and how should it be presented to senior managers, funders, and target audiences?

·      Can the NCLN lead the way, demonstrating that self-evaluation and creativity do go together?

National Creative Learning Network

The NCLN is a community of practice which has a leadership role in championing and advocating creativity in both formal and informal learning contexts; it consists of the group of coordinators leading the CLN for each local authority.

National Creative Learning Network at SLF 2012

National Creative Learning Network at SLF 2012

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

New look Creativity Portal

Creativity Portal redesign

The Creativity Portal has undergone an exciting redevelopment. It is more accessible than ever and tailors content to all users, ensuring you have easy access to the most vital case studies, creative partners, CPD, teaching tools and inspiration for your work.

Users can log in and receive a customised experience with resources recommended by similar users rising to the top. You can then recommend content yourself, helping to shape the Creativity Portal for others.

Creativity Toybox

Twenty-one very short creative exercises for use with whole groups of young people in the classroom or community setting. These will be warm-up/warm-down/filler activities that develop creative thinking skills. Click here to view the Creativity Toybox activities.

Creative Learning Networks

A themed area on the Portal where you can access information about the Networks together with links to CLN blogs and Glow groups. You’ll also find a series of short films illustrating the work of the CLNs including case studies from Aberdeen, Argyll and Bute, Edinburgh, Fife and Scottish Borders.

Click here to visit the Creative Learning Networks area

Creative Learning Contacts

A Who’s Who of local authority creative learning contacts across Scotland, together with Glow key contacts and weblinks.

Click here to view all Creative Learning Contacts

www.creativityportal.org.uk

CLNs feature in GTC’s Teaching Scotland magazine

This month’s issue of Teaching Scotland continues its focus on creativity.   Articles include ‘One-stop shop for creative learning‘, a feature on the CLN initiative and Creativity Portal; ‘Making a show of education‘, an interview with Simon Sharkey of  National Theatre of Scotland on using theatre without walls to engage learners, including NTS and Education Scotland’s Transform Toolkit; plus an overview of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas which encouraged Scotland’s colleges to think differently about the future of education.

Download a copy of the magazine here: teaching-scotland-issue-46

NCLN at SLF 2012

Members of the NCLN are contributing to this year’s Scottish Learning Festival – ‘Creative Learning…Creative Thinking’ – in a number of ways, whether presenting on creative initiatives or sharing Creative Learning Network news. The programme includes the following:

Seminar Programme

Creative Learners, Creative Thinkers, Creative Careers – Modern Apprentices and Student Councillor, Edinburgh

Showcasing Fife’s Creative Learning Network ­– Michelle Sweeney, Fife

What’s the Past got to do with us? – David Atherton, Aberdeenshire

Visit the SLF website to view the full seminar programme

Education Showcase

Arts and Culture as a Catalyst for Learning: The Aberdeen Arts Across Learning Festival – Jacky Hardare, Aberdeen City

Inspiring Creativity – Amy McLeod, Highland

Supporting Drama through Literacy – Learners with Mild to Severe and Complex Needs – Lesley Sloan, Dumfries & Galloway

Challenging Creativity Creatively – Linda Lees, Edinburgh

The Big Drum Experiment ­– Susanne Batchelor, Scottish Borders

Little Rabbit – Pauline Meikleham, Angus

Teachers Realising their Creative Potential – Jacky Hardacre, Aberdeen

Write a Song in 30 Minutes – Marco Rea, Stirling

To view the full Education Showcase programme click here

Eric Booth meets with NCLN

On 20th June, the NCLN was privileged to have an exclusive session with US education consultant Eric Booth, hosted by Creative Scotland in Edinburgh.

Eric’s presentation was inspirational, providing the stimulus for a lively discussion which continued long after his departure.

Click here to download summary notes from this event:  Eric Booth 200612

Click here to watch Eric’s keynote presentation at SLF 2010: http://bit.ly/Eric_Booth_SLF2010

Is It Creative? A five day online networking event on creativity in learning

This week, Education Scotland is inviting Creative Learning Networks, Creativity Portal Partners and colleagues to join us in an online discussion around creativity and learning.

This is an ideal opportunity to:
Gain experience and confidence in using Glow Meet and other Glow tools and technologies

  • Engage in discussions and contribute to the ongoing national debate on creativity in learning
  • Network with colleagues from Creative Learning Networks and national creative organisations, ‘face to face’
  • Share creative learning experiences, practice and ideas with colleagues
  • Leave a valuable resource behind for teachers and educators to reference when thinking about the role of creativity in their work

We’ll be online from 09.45 to 11.30 each day at:
https://portal.glowscotland.org.uk/establishments/nationalsite/Creative%20Learning%20Scotland/Is%20It%20Creative/default.aspx

Monday 12 Dec – Glow Meet Reminder

An opportunity to remind yourself how to use Glow Meet or try it out for the first time. Practice uploading powerpoints, sharing your desktop and collaborating with colleagues using the shared whiteboard. Bring your questions, share your experiences.

Tuesday 13 Dec – Creative Learning Networks Exchange

Find out how a number of Creative Learning Coordinators are developing Creative Learning Networks in their local authorities:

  • Scottish Borders is using strategic approaches working across the local authority to develop its network
  • Dumfries & Galloway will discuss how they are approaching creativity in outdoor learning
  • Aberdeen will talk about engaging parents in their children’s creative learning through the Big Creative Picnic for families

Wednesday 14 Dec – Creative use of Technology for Learning

What is the difference between a blog and a wiki? How can you improve your Glow group? This is a chance to bring any questions you have about Glow and social media tools and also to get a few inspiring glimpses into emerging technologies. Find out more about the power of technology for learning and share ideas on how to use it creatively.

Thursday 15 Dec – Creative Learning Snapshots

Share a snapshot from your experiences of creative learning. Take just a couple of minutes to share a creative learning experience – it could be an example of something that worked really well, or something that didn’t; a significant moment, or a really great creative activity. Use images or videos, just talk, or get your fellow Glow Meeters going with a creative challenge. We’ll also have an open floor discussion – a chance to bring to the table any burning issues you’d like to discuss.

Friday 16 Dec – Glow Meet Creative Challenge!

Join us for a creative finale to the week. All you need is yourself, your webcam, plug in earphones/headphones and laptop. All will be revealed on the day – we’re fairly certain this hasn’t been attempted before!

Creative Learning Exchange – Gateshead

The first gathering of the National Creative Learning Network (NCLN) took place in Gateshead/Newcastle on 12 and 13 September 2011. A group of  21 Creative Learning Networks (CLN) coordinators and partners from across Scotland met for two days of sharing, networking and inspiration.

The focus of our meeting was to look at networks: What makes a network work? How do you know? How can a network have an impact? What works well? What doesn’t?

Initially the group met with Creative Partnerships leaders from the North East to hear about their work and how networks have developed in the region, their own resulting in the Creative Exchange event. We heard how Argyll & Bute, East Dunbartonshire and Edinburgh are developing their Creative Learning Networks, which provided the stimulus for discussion around the CLN programme, covering issues such as engaging participants; timescales; supporting arts practitioners; working with schools, developing a shared language and  understanding of creativity  and how the NCLN can best impact on creative practice in Scotland. At the end of the day, we met Katherine Zeserson, Director of Learning and Participation at the Sage, Gateshead to learn about the region’s Bridge Programme, which aims to create a coherent and focused arts and culture offer for young people.

On Tuesday, the group attended Creative Exchange – Arts, Culture and Learning, at the Sage, Gateshead, which celebrated the arts and learning partnerships carried out through the North East’s Creative Partnership programmes. This event presented a great opportunity for sharing practice, meeting new contacts and professional dialogue around the power of creativity across learning.