Character Education Scotland

Inspire-Aspire featured in SecEd

2012-01-23T09:03:00.000Z

Inspire-Aspire has been featured in 2012’s first edition of SecEd, the only independent weekly newspaper exclusively dedicated to Secondary Education. The full length article, written by Anne Nicholls, explains the benefits to schools of participating in the programme and gives testimonials from pupils and teachers who have previously taken part. To view the full article on page 15, please visit http://content.yudu.com/A1v6it/SecEdJan512/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl

An Olympic Year for Education

2012-01-13T10:53:00.001Z

As excitement builds for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London this summer, Schools across the UK are planning how to make the most of the educational opportunities.
The legacy list from London 2012 is likely to be one of the most impressive from any modern Olympic Games. New world class facilities and transport links grace the capital and the boost to the economy will be very welcome. But what of the legacy in education? There is much to learn from hosting a major world event but can a nation harness the potential in education to develop skills and aspirations as a result of hosting The Games?
Get Set is the education programme at the heart of London 2012. It connects schools across the UK to the endorsed educational resources and event ticket information. One such resource which aims to maximise the opportunities for learning from The Games is the Inspire-Aspire Awards Programme. By taking part, pupils explore the values behind the Olympic movement. According to Gemma Clark, the programme co-ordinator, “young people across the UK can create their own personal connection with London 2012 and schools can make the most of the educational opportunity to engage pupils with a wide range of interests”.
The programme reaches further than you might expect. One school which is committed to exploring the values behind the Olympic movement is Glasgow Gaelic School. Pupils in fourth year (Y10) have participated in Inspire-Aspire as part of their Values for Heroes project. Pupil feedback is impressive with one comment suggesting that participation in the programme had “changed my life”. Gemma explains that “the programme explores the values demonstrated by inspirational figures around the world to show how their values have shaped the way they live their lives and contribute to their success. The pupils who have taken part in this project have gained an insight into how displaying the Olympic values of excellence, respect, friendship, as well as the Paralympic values of inspiration, courage, determination and equality, in their own lives can help them achieve their own personal goals and aspirations.”
More information
Visit http://www.inspire-aspire.org.uk to register online to get your school started or contact the awards hotline on 01334 844900.
Schools involved in Inspire-Aspire can apply for Get Set network status and become an official school of London 2012. They must show their commitment by incorporating the values of the Olympics and Paralympics into their daily curriculum.
A local School contact may be available for regional press. Please call Gemma on 01334 844900.
For more information see http://getset.london2012.com

The Year of the London Olympics is now here!!

2012-01-05T10:05:00.002Z

2012 is now upon us and, as the excitement builds for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London and across the UK, British schools are gearing up to play their part in celebrating one of the greatest events on earth. The Inspire-Aspire Poster Awards Programme is a wonderful way to bring the values behind the Olympic movement into the classroom. With over 18,000 participants this academic year, Inspire-Aspire helps young people to create a personal connection with London 2012 right across the UK. If your school would like to get involved, sign up now by visiting http://www.inspire-aspire.org.uk/application.shtml. We look forward to having you on board!

Last chance for School to get free London 2012 tickets

2011-12-08T11:43:00.000Z

Schools on the Get Set network have until Friday 16th December 2011 to claim free tickets to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for students aged 10-18. Any school taking part in Inspire Aspire is eligible for tickets, they just need to complete a simple online form sharing what work they have been doing, and plan to do, that is inspired by London 2012. Don’t delay, do it now to ensure your students don’t miss out. Apply now

1000 days to Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

2011-10-27T14:47:00.001+01:00

The 1000-day countdown to the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games has begun, with the Scottish Government making the first major push to generate enthusiasm for the Games beyond the boundaries of the host city.

Ministers have launched a new one-stop site online providing details of Scotland-wide events around the Games over the next three years.

It will give communities beyond Greater Glasgow details of activities in their local area, from sporting groups to the progress of home-grown 2014 hopefuls and business opportunities.

Launched to mark the 1000-day countdown, the site will also provide Scotland-wide progress towards developing a lasting legacy from the Games.

Visit http://gameslegacyscotland.org/ for more information.

Get into GET SET!

2011-10-27T14:00:00.002+01:00

London 2012 recognises that by taking part in Inspire>Aspire, you are among the schools which are most committed to living the Olympic and Paralympic Values. To reward schools for their commitment, London 2012 will send them a plaque and certificate, and be given the right to use the London 2012 education logo. They will also give schools access to exclusive rewards like tours of the Olympic Parks, visits from athletes, merchandise and much more! See http://getset.london2012.com/en/join-us for more info.

Click here to view our Get Set School Case Studies.

Sylw! Welsh ePoster now available!

2011-10-25T15:47:00.000+01:00

Inspire>Aspire is excited to announce the introduction of the Welsh ePoster. As more and more schools in Wales are taking part in our programme, we felt young people would benefit from the poster template being available in Welsh. Click here to view it.
We welcome Welsh language entries using the translated ePoster template. Schools still need to register in the normal way by visiting http://www.inspire-aspire.org.uk/application.shtml

Meet the new Inspire-Aspire team!

2011-10-25T14:01:00.000+01:00

The Inspire-Aspire programme is co-ordinated by Katherine Davidson and Gemma Clark. As Careers Advisors, Kath and Gemma are passionate about character education and committed to working with young people to help them achieve their potential. Inspire-Aspire are delighted to welcome Nicola England to the team. Nicola has started work on the project as a Modern Apprentice, and will provide invaluable input to the programme. Together Kath, Gemma and Nicola look forward to leading the project into its second successful year.

Good news! Inspire>Aspire is now taking applications for this academic year...

2011-09-15T14:54:00.001+01:00

Having worked with over 15,000 young people already across the U.K. promoting Olympic and Paralympic values, Inspire>Aspire is ready to begin yet another successful year. Are you in England and want to see what this programme is all about? View our Cove School case study http://vimeo.com/28195082 to discover the benefits of getting involved…

Please visit http://www.inspire-aspire.org.uk/application.shtml to register online to get your school started!

Attention!! Great news - the fantastic Inspired Magazine is now available online!

2011-09-09T17:05:00.003+01:00

Inspire>Aspire has just completed its pilot year and we are delighted to report that over 15,000 young people were given the opportunity to develop personal connections with the Olympic and Paralympic Values through the unique programme. The Inspired magazine features content from around the U.K. at Gold, Silver and Bronze levels. The magazine was created to share the voices of those who are really writing the Games Legacy.

Please visit www.inspire-aspire.org.uk/awardsmag now to see some of the fantastic work that has been produced over the last year and find out how you can get involved.

If you are interested in receiving a hard copy of Inspired or would like any more information on the project, please get in touch - we would love to hear from you.

Charter for Compassion

2011-09-05T16:06:00.000+01:00

Charter for Compassion – http://www.charterforcompassion.org/
The Scientific and Medical Network recently held a conference entitled the Science of Empathy and the Spirit of Compassion at the University of Winchester. The speakers were Karen Armstrong, who spoke about the Charter for Compassion, which she formulated and set up as a movement following the award of a TED Prize. Her original presentation can be found on the TED website. Prof Paul Gilbert from the University of Derby and author of The Compassionate Mind described the various systems in the brain and how we are wired both for caring and compassion and for fear and threat avoidance. Although we have an inherent capacity for compassion, it needs to be fostered, and an important component is early interaction with the mother via mirror neurons, as demonstrated by Dr Valeria Gazzola from Amsterdam. Geshe Tashi Tsering, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, described the philosophy and practice of compassion and reminded people that it takes courage and commitment to be compassionate. Psychiatrist Dr Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and his Emissary, explains not only the different ways of processing between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, but also put forward his case that modern Western society is unbalanced towards left hemisphere thinking. Looking at the development of the values poster award, it seems quite feasible to design a poster template centre around the development of compassion and compassionate role models. See also Paul Gilbert’s site.

Stand Up and be Counted

2011-03-24T15:03:00.002Z

The lastest book of wisdom and insight by young people from across the UK editied by David Lorimer. The manuscript can be downloaded here or alternative copies can be purchased online www.character-scotland.org.uk/standup.

Values from the Heart Magazine

2011-03-24T14:37:00.000Z

Read the 2010 Values Poster Awards Magazine now online.

www.character-scotland.org.uk/2010awards

Inspiring Refelections Magazine

2011-03-24T14:34:00.002Z

Read the 2009 Values Poster Awards Magazine now online.

www.character-scotland.org.uk/2009awards

Royal Society of Edinburgh Event

2010-12-07T15:06:00.000Z

Royal Society of Edinburgh, Wednesday 3rd November 2010
Chaired by Sir John Arbuthnott, FRSE

Sir John introduced the discussion by saying that he had recently given a presentation in the Scottish Parliament about preventative spending - what could one invest in by way of programmes that would help prevent more serious from arising at a later stage, which would then be much more challenging and expensive to address. He remarked that moral education and development was in fact a collective responsibility - a point reiterated later on - and not 'someone else's job.'

James Arthur highlighted some of the key research findings. He had been part of the Crick report on citizenship and as a humanist Sir Bernard Crick had taken the view that children needed political literacy but without a corresponding moral guidance. James disagreed, citing a 'litany of alarm’ painting a bleak picture of the state of modern young people in Britain: increasing suicides among young men, rising teenage pregnancies and abortions, deteriorating mental health and family breakdown. Small wonder that UNESCO found that these young people were much unhappier than their contemporaries in other countries. James had been asked to present the research findings in the Cabinet office and was part of a day moss consultation on character. However, Gordon Davidson noted that we are all aware that the majority of our young people today are respectful, responsible, caring etc. Clearly there is much to be done, but he saw the glass as being ‘half full’ rather that ‘half empty’. We should recognise this and promote the achievements and qualities of the majority.

Those with a strong character structure based on virtues were also more successful, more fulfilled and more resilient. RS Peters’ educational philosophy had focused on enabling young people to become critical, rational and autonomous. In this respect, schools could not be neutral, and pupils were bound to be influenced by the school ethos. The Aristotelian view linked the development of a family of virtues with human flourishing. Individuals had to have the opportunity to reflect on and choose to embody these virtues. Young people were generally tolerant and open, but they realised that there was a gap between their aspirations and conduct. Moreover, many lack an adequate vocabulary of moral discourse. Later on, James added that undergraduates had a much larger vocabulary to describe negative than positive qualities. The amount of time spent in front of computer screens may be correlated with a lack of social skills.

The role of teachers and indeed Scout leaders ‘in loco parentis’ came up on a number of occasions in the context of overall responsibility for moral education and character development. As a matter of course in the best schools, teachers are always sending moral messages to their pupils, for instance about the importance of being kind and fair. The trend towards professionalisation and the notion that the main function of teachers was to ‘deliver’ a preset curriculum had helped create a box-ticking mentality that compromised the real spirit of education. Delivering a body of knowledge was likened to filling empty vessels, when the real question is to encourage students or who they are and what they can become. Professionalisation is also linked to an emphasis on the acquisition of competencies and skills. Kenneth Wilson pointed out how a parallel development had occurred within economics with the removal of the discipline of political economy and its replacement by an objective and quantitative analysis of data. Yet, a moral view still informs economics, whether this is explicitly acknowledged or not.

In his opening remarks, David Lorimer told a story about a group of students being asked what qualities they thought characterised the people they most admired. Among those mentioned were being kind, positive, friendly, discipline, enthusiastic, outgoing, encouraging, appreciative, loving, organised, calm, responsible, trustworthy, understanding, cheerful and considerate. Such people are also self-starters and volunteers. The presenter Ed Foreman then asked the group to classify these qualities either as skills or attitudes. Only two qualities - being organised and disciplined - were thought to be skills while the rest are classified as attitudes. In addition, a research study involving 3000 people found that their success depended 15% on attitude and 85% on attitude. This finding reinforces the importance of work on character and values within an educational context.

Sir John projected forward 25 years, by which time the present Prime Minister will be in the House of Lords and humanity will be facing enormous challenges that will require the development and implementation of character qualities and values. There will also be an unprecedented need for cooperation and collaboration.

Anne Jardine from Learning and Teaching Scotland explained how the Curriculum for Excellence was based on the four values on the Scottish mace, namely wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity. The four capacities - successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens - were designed to inform the ethos of schools. Many schools were now formulating their own value statements and codes of practice, implementing policies based on respect, responsibility, honesty, fairness and justice. There were many opportunities to study character and values, for instance through characters in novels as well as more explicitly in RE. For her, character education means understanding, caring about and acting on one's core values, even if the phrase character education was not in fact common currency. The key was to be found in the quality of relationships. And in terms of personal achievement, there were plenty of opportunities for leadership, volunteering and service. Sir John remarked that the Learning for Life poster programme seemed to be tailor-made to match and enhance the agenda of the Curriculum for Excellence, but it did not yet seem to be widely enough known in Scottish education circles.

As a former headteacher, Gordon MacKenzie explained how he had successfully implemented the programme, and how enthusiastic students were about it. He believed that we need to promote ‘values-based schools’ where the staff, parents and children decide on ways to embody agreed values. Schools would accept greater responsibility in promoting character education – perhaps as part of the formal curriculum – and teachers would be ‘trained’ in the delivery. We should have trained specialists – as we do for ‘subjects’. But we can’t look at these values in isolation. Children must learn to understand their own emotions and develop strategies for managing negative feelings and promoting positive aspects of their personalities.

David Carr stressed the importance of defining clearly the exact meaning of values - whose justice, whose rationality and whose responsibility, are we really talking about? Many young people saw values as a matter of personal taste, either subjective or merely relative. In some cases, values are closely related to and even confused with beliefs, so it is important to be clear about what we are actually talking about. Moreover, one cannot take the right language for granted. David himself to Aristotelian view and has written widely about virtue ethics - for him values are closely related to virtues.

Patricia Thomson from Skills Development Scotland with an emphasis on leading by example and developing respect, 'putting strengths to work’, which meant first identifying these through a process of reflection. Susan Watt, chief executive of ProjectScotland, explained that the programme was about young people taking responsibility and learning who they are, while Prof Pat Willmer from the University of St Andrews explained how the university was exposing students to Great Ideas and was implementing a new form of student record to incorporate achievements outside the academic realm.

We were encouraged by the level of debate and the common ground identified by people working in different fields of education. There was general agreement that the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of a bureaucratic professionalisation with an exclusive emphasis on skills and competencies. The important point was that the full use of these skills in the achieved through a parallel development of positive attitudes and attributes incorporated in a person's character.

David Lorimer, Chief Executive, Character Scotland

Inspire>Apsire Values Poster Awards 2010-11

2010-10-20T15:04:00.000+01:00

INSPIRE > ASPIRE is an independent education programme inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The aim is character development in young people. It is designed to help them explore their character, ideals and values through a unique electronic poster template, using supporting Internet resources. The programme is free to users of any age but it has been designed specifically for 11-16 year olds. INSPIRE > ASPIRE builds on the work of the Learning for Life project, a UK wide programme of academic research, teaching and learning development and practical activities in schools, principally supported by the John Templeton Foundation. The Values Poster Awards was developed from Sir John Templeton's Worldwide Laws of Life which he first published in 1997. http://www.inspire-aspire.org.uk/

Character Education in Scotland wins over pupils and teachers

2010-07-13T11:27:00.000+01:00

Character Education Scotland
The Herald Newspaper 17th June 2010:

What did you learn at school? Did you learn about yourself? Did you emerge with a clear idea of your values and what you hoped to achieve in the world? Too few school pupils do, according to those behind a new charity which launched with a low key event at the Scottish Parliament earlier this week. Character Education Scotland aims to work with schools, public and voluntary organisations and the business community to develop values-based education and training. It is a charitable spin-off from Learning for Life, a UK wide scheme working with schools to promote personal development, including the popular values poster programme, which pupils complete over weeks, identifying role models and inspirational figures and filling in spaces setting out their beliefs and ambitions for the future. The charity’s Chief Executive is former teacher, lecturer and editor David Lorimer, who set up the values poster award scheme – pupils can gain certificates for the best completed posters. Read More . . .

CitizED International Conference, St Andrews, 2-4 July

2010-07-13T11:23:00.000+01:00

Character Education Scotland
David Lorimer writes: The 6th international CitizED conference took place in St Andrews over the first weekend in July, with over 70 delegates from all around the world and from as far afield as Japan, China, Australia Canada and the USA. This gave a genuine cross-cultural flavour to the meeting. For instance, I attended a presentation by two Chinese academics whose focus was on the need for human rights education in the context of developing democratic institutions. Interestingly, there are now 384 million Chinese online, which represents most of the young urban population. There were some good exchanges on the nature and definition of character from John Haldane and David Carr, which people can follow up in the new publication edited by James Arthur - Citizens of Character - where they both have articles. The first Sir Bernard Crick Memorial lecture was given by Prof David Kerr, who had been a close colleague and friend. Crick's emphasis had been on political literacy and active citizenship. Only a few days before he died he was delighted to have a letter printed in the Edinburgh Evening News complaining about a new system of bollards. There was an excellent conference dinner on Saturday evening, addressed by Lord Watson and Sir Menzies Campbell. Sir Ming reflected that in his three fields of sport, politics and law, winning was crucial, but that in the original vision of the Olympics, participation was a key. Barnaby Brown then gave us a taste of Scottish music on the pibroch and triple pipe so that international guests were even better able to appreciate the spirit of the place where they had gathered.

PSHE Association conference, 24th June 2010

2010-07-13T11:21:00.000+01:00

Character Scotland
David Lorimer attended this one-day event in London with keynote addresses and a choice of workshops. Following the demise of the bill to make PSHE statutory in the run-up to the election, Jan Campbell, chair of PSHE education Strategic Partners Group, observed that the association had to be pragmatic and align its priorities with those of the new coalition government. Incidentally, the acronym PSHE now includes economic education. Margaret Jones from OFSTED explained the evaluation framework for schools, which includes the pupils being aspirational, knowing precisely what they need to do and being determined to succeed. Fergus Crow spoke about PSHE education and well-being and we had a pithy statement from Eliot Payne giving a learner’s perspective. A recurring theme was the professionalisation and training of teachers, since the subject is frequently and wrongly considered peripheral. The danger would be in going to the other extreme and losing the spirit of the subject. Those looking for a way to communicate with heads were advised to do us harm innovation and transformation. You can download conference materials from http://www.pshe-association.org.uk/

2010 Learning for Life Presentation Ceremony Photos

2010-06-17T11:57:00.001+01:00

Some great shots from the 2010 awards ceremony at Holyrood of the speakers, pupils, parents and teachers along with the all important award winners and their posters. You can browse the photos using the online web album and download any you like or even order prints using the snapfish service. http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lflawards

You can also check out the latest digital edition of the Learning for Life Magazine.

Scottish Parliament Awards Event 14th June

2010-05-21T09:25:00.001+01:00

The Learning for Life Values Poster Awards takes place in the Garden Lobby at the Scottish Parliament, 6pm on Monday 14th June 2010. This is the fifth year of these prestigious awards which are hosted at the Parliament courtesy of Iain Smith MSP. The best posters from 2010 will be on exhibition and prizes will be awarded to young people from across Scotland. The event is the chance to see first hand some exceptional work in values education and the transformational effect it has on young people and their aspirations and attitudes. For those attending the awards event please refer to the visiting instructions or for further information please contact 01334 844900.

Waking up to character formation in Scotland

2010-04-28T09:46:00.002+01:00

Character Education Scotland launches its first publication - Waking up to character formation in Scotland. In this short brochure we set out the case for change, our aims and our plans to achieve those aims. You can download a copy in low resolution PDF format or to request a hardcopy copy please email: ronnie.davidson@character-scotland.org.uk.

Spring 2010 Newsletter

2010-03-29T13:51:00.001+01:00

The new Spring 2010 Learning for Life Newsletter now available to download. The values poster award is about giving young people the chance to make the most of themselves, to fulfil their potential both personally and professionally. So far this year, we have sent out 20,000 poster templates to over 100 schools in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the electronic poster template has been downloaded 6,000 times. To download the PDF visit www.character-scotland.org.uk/springnewsletter.pdf.

The Golf Foundation Summit, 19th March, Loughborough University.

2010-03-29T13:41:00.001+01:00

David Lorimer writes: I attended a very interesting summit run by the Golf Foundation on their work connected with skills for life. The delegates were partly from education but also included PGA professionals. Of special interest to us was the discussion of ways of mapping personal qualities and values. The current Golf Roots skills for life programme focuses on honesty, respect, cooperation, self motivation, concentration and perseverance. There was general agreement that resilience was an important factor not yet highlighted. So far as sport is concerned, skills might be classified under the three headings of social, self-regulatory and competitive. There was considerable discussion about putting any new programmes into the Every Child Matters agenda, and I pointed out that here in Scotland it is the Curriculum for Excellence which is central, with its four capacities. The Foundation will now be rethinking its offering over the next few weeks. See http://www.golf-foundation.org/

Character Achievement Awards

2010-03-29T13:35:00.002+01:00

The 2010 Values Poster Awards take place across the country and this year we are pleased to announce the dates and locations of the awards in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and Oxford.

Alongside awards for young people, for the first time we will be presenting Character Achievement Awards. The Achievement Award recognises an individual of any age who has applied their values and demonstrated positive character attributes to affect a personal achievement or a contribution to others. Individuals receiving this award could be considered as positive role models and a source of inspiration for others. Any individual may be nominated for an award by their peers, colleagues or by members of the public who feel that this individual deserves credit and recognition for their actions. If you would like to nominate someone please complete an application form online at http://www.character-scotland.org.uk/achievement.htm.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers

2009-11-24T09:21:00.003Z

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers is one of many programmes provided by FranklinCovey, a global leader in effectiveness training and productivity tools. FranklinCovey’s original flagship programme was The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, based on the book of the same name by Dr Stephen R Covey and is among the best-selling books of all time, consistently rating high on best-seller lists 15 years after the publication of the first edition.This new offering from Sean Covey builds on the work of his father but provides sustainable learning specifically for teenagers. The programme has been created to speak their language and meet their needs as developing adults, offering teenagers the support that is needed in these challenging years. The QCA has now accredited a Level 2 Certificate in Personal Effectiveness, which is based on our programme and awarded by our accreditation partner Qualifications Network and is now listed on the NDAQ (National Database of Accredited Qualifications).

To find our more about this new qualification and discover how you can deliver it in your school, college or youth organisation have a look around the website or contact The Education Team on 01295 274100.

Learning for Life at HMIe conference on best practice

2009-11-18T15:05:00.002Z

Character Education Scotland was invited to present the learning to life values poster programme at the HMIe RME best practice conference in Dundee on Thursday, November 12. The meeting was addressed by Frank Crawford and journalist Anna Magnusson, who drew on her experience of producing religious education programmes for the BBC. She emphasised the importance of the human element in stories which would appeal to a wider public. During the afternoon, David Lorimer presented the programme to workshop of 20 teachers, enthusiastically supported by Carol Gollop from Inverurie Academy and Adelle Fleming from Gracemount High School. Both teachers shared the different ways in which they engaged with the programme. Carol had invented her own values board game and special quotation cards, while Adelle used film to introduce some key issues. The response was enthusiastic, and five schools ordered over 1000 posters. See links on LTS and HMIe sites for powerpoint presentations.