Education Development - Literacy and literature focus
A series of exciting training offers focusing on literacy and literature took place between October 2010 and January 2011, supported by MLA Strategic Commissioning Workforce Skills - CPD and Learning Links.
Read the Past: Write the Future
Run by Sarah Wilkie and associates, this series of half-day training events, full-day seminars and twilight 'meet an author' events brought together museum, archive and library staff, education experts, publishers, authors and others across the cultural sector, to explore how literature-based activities can be used to engage children and young people - including hard to reach groups and different age groups. See the link below for current information.
Click here for speakers' presentations from past events.
National Literacy Trust 'Talk for Writing' training
The National Literacy Trust worked in partnership with Renaissance teams to run a series of training events offering the exciting 'Talk for Writing' approach. This range of tools used by schools across England can be used effectively with museum collections and archives to support literacy development.
Building on extensive Talk for Writing work with schools, a national conference was run by Preston Museums and Schools in Partnership and Renaissance North West.
For information about future 'Talk for Writing' and literacy-focused activities in other regions, contact:
North East: Melanie Burgess, Hub Literacy Officer at melanie.burgess@twmuseums.org.uk
East of England: Caroline Frith, Formal Learning Officer at Caroline.Frith@LutonCulture.com
South East: Sharon Bristow, Learning Manager at sharon.bristow@hants.gov.uk
North West: Lesley Parkinson, Preston Museums and Schools in Partnership, at parkmedia@hotmail.com.
Literature in Context (LinC) project
The British Library's 'Literature in Context' (LinC) project has been working with 10 writers' historic houses and archives, to support teachers of English at key stages 3 to 5. In the LinC project's second year, the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) and the Arvon Foundation have provided further inspiration to help teachers and pupils engage with the English curriculum.
Bronte Parsonage, Clare Cottage, D.H. Lawrence House, Dickens Museum, Dove Cottage, Jane Austen House, John Rylands Library, Knebworth House, Shandy Hall and the Thomas Hardy Archives / Dorset County Museum are offering workshops for teachers and other educators involving NAWE-appointed writers.
For more information about Literature in Context workshops for teachers and for further information about this project, go to:
British Library - http://www.bl.uk/literatureincontext
Teaching Outside the Classroom - working with trainee teachers
Trainee teachers have explored ways to teach literacy in settings outside the classroom through the Initial Teacher Training programme. The Cumbrian Literacy Placement project, for example, has focused on Boys' Writing. For further information, go to: www.teachingoutsidetheclassroom.com
Supported by MLA Strategic Commissioning Workforce Skills - Initial Teacher Education.