Informed Scotland April 2015 – Take off the blinkers & find inspiration

Deciding where to place items in each monthly issue is always a challenge. But that’s what Informed Scotland is all about – encouraging people to take off their blinkers and look beyond the obvious places.

See how another education or business sector is tackling similar or related problems. Discover how others have successfully piloted an initiative that would transfer to your own circumstances. Uncover research evidence analysed for one part of the country that has implications for yours.

In April there was one dominating topic – literacy – for learners of all ages and stages. The main reports were the Survey of Literacy and Numeracy 2014, the Standing Literacy Commission’s final report, and Education Scotland’s 3–18 Literacy and English Review plus an updated ESOL strategy.

The other main talking points were the SFC’s Outcome Agreements for colleges and universities, and Audit Scotland’s Colleges 2015 report.

And look out for Nesta’s fascinating insight into the growth of ‘makerspaces’ which have mushroomed since 2010 and now offer great opportunities for learning in the community. Places like MAKLab, Edinburgh Hacklab, 57North and T-Exchange.

We’re currently working on two Informed Scotland Specials – one on Technologies commissioned by Education Scotland, and one focused on innovation to support College Development Network’s Emporium of Dangerous Ideas 2015. They will be made available on a new Specials area of the website where you can download past issues – except for the Organisations & People Special which is only available for subscribers.

Feedback that makes it all worthwhile: ‘Informed Scotland goes from strength to strength – excellent work!’ Become an Informed Scotland subscriber so you can keep on top of all the developments. Email [email protected] to request a sample copy.