The impasse between Michael Russell, the Scottish Education Secretary, and the teachers' unions over the inclusion of a mandatory question on Scottish literature in the Higher English exam is an extraordinary example of a breakdown in communication.
The impasse between Michael Russell, the Scottish Education Secretary, and the teachers' unions over the inclusion of a mandatory question on Scottish literature in the Higher English exam is an extraordinary example of a breakdown in communication.
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This is particularly alarming since clear and effective use of language is a core professional skill of all those involved.
Teachers and the Scottish Government agree children should be taught Scottish literature as part of their English course. The disagreement is about whether a compulsory question on a Scots text has the effect of broadening or narrowing the literary understanding of pupils sitting Higher English. The argument will be further inflamed today with the intervention of Neil Shaw, president of the School Leaders' Scotland union and headteacher of Boclair Academy in Bearsden. He agrees with the Educational Institute of Scotland and the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association that a compulsory question on Scottish literature will result in teaching to the test, thus narrowing pupils' range of reading.
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Unacceptable for pupils to miss out on Scottish literature
The impasse between Michael Russell, the Scottish Education Secretary, and the teachers' unions over the inclusion of a mandatory question on Scottish literature in the Higher English exam is an extraordinary example of a breakdown in communication.
This is particularly alarming since clear and effective use of language is a core professional skill of all those involved.
Teachers and the Scottish Government agree children should be taught Scottish literature as part of their English course. The disagreement is about whether a compulsory question on a Scots text has the effect of broadening or narrowing the literary understanding of pupils sitting Higher English. The argument will be further inflamed today with the intervention of Neil Shaw, president of the School Leaders' Scotland union and headteacher of Boclair Academy in Bearsden. He agrees with the Educational Institute of Scotland and the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association that a compulsory question on Scottish literature will result in teaching to the test, thus narrowing pupils' range of reading.
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We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.
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