Informed Scotland November 2021 – The wellbeing of all in learning & skills
Issue 96 includes key Covid-19 guidance up to and including 10 December.
Wellbeing was a main theme across the learning & skills landscape in November. Organisations are examining or aiming to support the (mental, physical and/or social) wellbeing of children & young people, students at various ages and stages, or teachers, lecturers and academics. For example:
- Education Support’s Teacher Wellbeing Index
- Mental Health Foundation & University Scotland’s Thriving Learners: Realising student potential and wellbeing in Scotland
- A new Scottish Parliament committee inquiry into the health & wellbeing of children & young people
- Education Scotland & Barnardo’s Supervision Spaces for those in leadership roles in schools
- Association of Public Libraries in Scotland’s Wellbeing & Scottish Public Libraries Toolkit published by SLIC.
Digital technology in teaching and learning was also a common theme. For schools, there were numerous items on the internet of things, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and robotics and cyber resilience. And for further & higher education, there was Jisc’s Teaching staff digital experience insights survey plus Universities UK’s Lessons from the pandemic: Making the most of technologies in teaching.
And as awareness of the pandemic’s impact continues to grow, these reports on the young workforce are also worth highlighting:
- The Prince’s Trust’s Confidence Crossroads: The path ahead for young people
- The Health Foundation’s Not just any job, good jobs! Youth voices from across the UK
- The Edge Foundation’s Graduate Apprenticeships: Developing Scotland’s future workforce commissioned by the SAAB.
On the theme of ‘transitions from learning to earning…’, a recording of the 2021 David Raffe Memorial Lecture by Prof Ewart Keep is now available on the University of Edinburgh’s website. Informed Scotland’s Angela Gardner led the Q&A session, and was delighted by the ringing endorsement of the digest given by Head of Moray House School of Education & Sport, Prof Richard Andrews, in his introduction.
Finally, congratulations to everyone at the Children’s University Scotland charity following its relaunch as the wonderfully named Curiosity Collective, with its mission ‘to give children the freedom to explore a world of learning beyond the classroom’.
The next issue will be the Dec/Jan edition out in February 2022. However in January I’ll be taking the eighth annual stocktake of Learning & Skills ‘Hottest Topics’ from Informed covers in 2021.
Want to keep on top of all the developments? Become an Informed Scotland subscriber. Email [email protected] to request the latest copy.