How do you celebrate language diversity?

How do you celebrate language diversity?

i Aug 27th No Comments by

HELLO in eight different languages

 

 

For our seminar at the Scottish Learning Festival in September we are going to be sharing some of the good practice that came out of our Scotland, People and Language Forum. We know that there is wonderful work going on throughout Scotland to support language diversity- including celebrating the home language of children whose first language isn’t English, getting parents to come in and teach their native language and using bilingual story books that can be used at home and in school.

But we know there are more brilliant things going on in schools and communities. If you have any tips for celebrating language diversity please leave a comment below or email marion.fairweather@bemis.org.uk

Action Learning for Community Organisations Supporting Ethnic Minority Parents on School Matters

i Aug 17th No Comments by

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Are you a community organisation working with Ethnic Minority families?

Do you support them with their children’s learning and school matters?

Would your organisation like to develop greater confidence in supporting parents with these issues?

Then Gathered Together’s Action Learning Set could be for you!

For the past two years Gathered Together has been supporting parents from ethnic minorities to become more involved in their children’s learning and school communities and have been working directly with schools, Parent Councils and parents from ethnic minorities. You can read about our work with EM parents and the good practice that’s going on in schools and Parent Councils here.

We know how important it is that these parents are supported to be able to help their children’s learning and be part of the school community.  From our experience in the last two years, we are aware that EM parents often feel isolated when it comes to approaching schools for support for their children and prefer to seek help and advice from community organisations. We recognise that the Scottish education system is changing rapidly and organisations not working directly within education can struggle to know how best to support these families and where to signpost parents for help and information.

Gathered Together is offering a unique opportunity to community organisations to join an Action Learning Set to develop their skills and knowledge to better support families.The Action Learning Set will give community practitioners the opportunity to:

  • share their knowledge and experiences
  • reflect on their practice
  • enhance their listening, questioning and feedback giving skills
  • enable them to provide a better informed service for families

The Action Learning set will meet fortnightly on a Tuesday from 9.30-12.30pm (Centrum Building, 38 Queen Street, Glasgow, G1 3DX) as follows:

  • Experiences and challenges – meet and share 22 September 2015
  • The new Scottish school system 06 October 2015
  • Parental involvement 20 October 2015
  • Children’s rights in Scotland 03 November 2015

Following the Learning Set, we will provide further bespoke support for community organisations, as required.

Places are extremely limited and will be confirmed on a first come first serve basis. Therefore, if you would like to participate in this Action Learning, please respond to this invitation as soon as possible.

To book a place email gtevents@bemis.org.uk

The deadline for applications is 15 September 2015.

If  you have any questions about this invitation please email judy.wasige@bemis.org.uk or phone 0141 548 8047.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is “Action Learning”?

    Action learning is a process of collaborative learning where the participants use their skills and knowledge to identify issues that need addressed and setting out the best methods of meeting these. For more detailed information, there is a video here
  • How is it different from regular training? And what are the differences for me?

    Traditional models of training focus on delivering information, with the trainer picking what information needs delivered and how it should be delivered. This is different since the group will determine what needs to be addressed and how this will be done. It is, therefore, a far more active process for the delegates than a traditional session. For the delegates, they will need to be comfortable with this activity and will need to be able to come to all of the sessions and to have sufficient time to complete work outwith the sessions.
  • How much time will I need to give to the sessions?

    Each session is 3 hours. You will also need to be able to spend time outwith the sessions researching and preparing.
  • I am only interested in two of the sessions; is it OK to pick and choose which sessions to attend?

    For these sessions, the model used means that you need to commit to all of the sessions. The process involves forming a group that works closely together and supports each other’s learning. In addition, much of the work will cross over between sessions. Consequently, the same group needs to attend all of the sessions.
  • If the group are setting the agenda and doing the research, what are Gathered Together offering?

    The Gathered Together team will offer support and facilitation, helping to set the boundaries and move things forward. In addition, they can bring information and knowledge to the process if needed, but the group can determine how small or large their contribution is.
  • Where can I find out more about this session?

    Get in touch with Judy Wasige at Judy.Wasige@bemis.org.uk or phone 0141 548 8047. You can also download a sample agreement for participants here Action Learning Agreement
  • If this is not the right thing for me, is there anything else you are offering?

    In October- November we are running a programme of training for parents from ethnic minorities on the Scottish Education System and beyond. The training will be held in both Glasgow and Edinburgh and we will have partners from other organisations including Skills Development Scotland and Bilingualism Matters, you can find details here. Beyond this, please keep checking our website, since new things are coming up all the time.

 

Bespoke training for schools and Parent Councils

i Aug 10th No Comments by

Does your school have a significant number of families from ethnic minorities?

Do you want to support EM parents to become more involved in their children’s learning and school community?

Would your school or Parent Council like tailored support to better engage with these families?

Then Gathered Together’s bespoke training and support could be for you!

For the past two years Gathered Together has been supporting parents from ethnic minorities to become more involved in their children’s learning and school communities. We’ve been working directly with schools, Parent Councils and parents from ethnic minorities (you can read about our work with EM parents and the good practice that’s going on in schools and Parent Councils here). We know that engaging with parents who are new to Scotland can be a challenge and also how important it is that these parents are supported to be able to help their children’s learning and be part of the school community. We also know how much parents from other cultures can bring to schools- helping children learn about other cultures, religions and languages and to become responsible citizens

This term we are planning to support six schools or Parent Councils, providing bespoke support to meet the needs of the individual school/ Parent Council to engage more effectively with families from ethnic minorities. Our support is up to 10 contact hours and the bulk of the support would need to take place by December 2015

The support will include:

  • Initial meeting with PC and/or school staff “Equalities and Engagement” training
  • Consultation and intervention
  • Further training session, as required
  • Longitudinal follow-up and response as required

If you have any questions please email richard.bloodworth@bemis.org.uk or phone 0141 548 8047.

Complete this form Bespoke-support-application-form (3)

The deadline for applications is 14 September 2015 (applications to be sent to richard.bloodworth@bemis.org.uk)