Congratulations to Open University: Scots Language and Culture Course who have been nominated in Scots Project o the Year in the Scots Language Awards 2020. Vote now!
Tell us aboot yersel or yer ootfit.
This coorse is the first een o its kind – a free open access online coorse thit employs an innovative pedagogy tae teach a muckle range o aspects o Scots through the culture whaar it is spoken, includin questions o community an the identity o Scots spikkers. Scrievit bi 16 authors wha ir prominent individuals wi experience in the field o Scots language an culture, the coorse unnerlines the role o Scots in Scottish society baith past an present.
Fae it wis launched in December 2019 the coorse haes attracted ower 22,000 site visits, an haes been studied bi 12,169 fowk, fae 101 different countries. The success o the course concept – tae cater fir a broad audience rangin fae Scots spikkers, tae fowk wha want ta finn oot aboot an lairn mair Scots – is apparent in reviews fae students themsels:
- Lots for beginners, and plenty of rich history for those well versed with the leid.
- This is actually a very highly interesting course for anyone Scottish and wanting to understand the history, culture and even the politics of the Scottish Language.
- Surprisingly, I knew the vast majority of the words, thus emphasising that I am actually bilingual.
Whit wis it got ye involvit wi the Scots leid?
The Open University is commitit tae supportin the use, teachin an lairnin o aa leids, including minority an community languages. This Scots coorse wis developed followin the launch o the Scottish Government’s Scots Language Policy in 2015 wi a view tae support its implementation bi offerin a free, high quality coorse fir a broad audience. An we wir keen tae bolster the efforts geen tae bi the Scots language community bi supplyin an promotin a valuable resource fir educators.
Wha’s yer plans fir the days aheid?
Thigither wi Education Scotland we ir currently producin a taught teacher CPD online coorse thit’ll hae a professional recognition element fae the General Teaching Council fir Scotland. Written bi Gerda Stevenson, Michael Dempster, Jamie Fairbairn, Pauline Turner, Laura Green an Bruce Eunson, this will be the maest comprehensive professional teacher lairnin offer available in Scots language. It aims tae train teachers fae aa subject areas in Primary an Secondary as weel as FE Colleges tae teach an include Scots in thir classrooms. It’ll be offered through the OU’s Open Centre fir Languages an Cultures wance launched in 2021.
Read more about Open University: Scots Language and Culture Course
The OU’s Open Centre for Languages and Cultures: http://www.open.ac.uk/courses/language-short-courses
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OpenUniversityinScotland/
Twitter: twitter.com/OUScotland
The Scots Language Awards 2020 will be online at www.scotslanguageawards.com. We will have a mixture of events on the 23rd / 24th October. Performing at the Award on Saturday 24th September will be Gerda Stevenson, Gary Robertson, Shona Donaldson and Jim Malcolm.
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