Literacy and the Scots language
Have a read at these. Hoose, hame, greetin, bonnie, heid, oxter and braw.
A lot of people call this ‘slang’. The Scottish Government, UK Government and the European Union don’t. And a growing number of teachers and pupils don’t either. They call it Scots and this unique but undervalued Scottish language is proving a very effective learning tool in education in the 21st century.
A language in its own right (and not a dialect of English), Scots is the mother tongue of tens of thousands of Scottish children. How have we handled these children’s linguistic needs? Badly. What happens when Scots speaking pupils have opportunities to learn through their own language? Improvements in behaviour, attitude and literacy.
Children who experience Scots in the classroom on a regular basis (instead of the traditional one-off Burns celebration) often surprise their teachers by demonstrating greater confidence in reading and writing and – the one most parents are concerned about – a better command of spoken English.
More Scots in schools helps many youngsters on the journey to literacy. The language gives them greater self-confidence. And it is no coincidence that Scots is the most prevalent language in Scotland’s poorest communities so add to that benefits for social inclusion. Learning and Teaching Scotland offers a comprehensive on-line information package on the Scots language and Curriculum for Excellence.
We know that Scots delivers on literacy, confidence and citizenship and yet we as a society continue to place a low value on the potential of Scots in schools. Other European countries like Spain and the Netherlands invest adequately in teacher training and educational resources for all their minority languages. But in Scotland, most teachers remain unsure of how to teach Scots, provision for most pupils is limited to one annual celebration and far too many children are still being told off every day for speaking their mother tongue.
The small number of schools which teach Scots throughout the year report that disruptive, reticent, underperforming pupils respond brilliantly well to Scots in the classroom. Where other measures to drive up literacy standards fail, Scots almost always succeeds. In one school, children who had been reading Scots books immediately asked their teacher the way to the local library and bookshop. Some had never picked up a book in their lives.
I would challenge anyone to explain why they would deny our children who speak Scots the fundamental human right to learn more about their own language at school.
Matthew Fitt, Writer & Education Director of Itchy Coo
www.itchy-coo.com
matthew@itchy-coo.com
18 comments
Our language is an essential element of what makes us Scots. Our young people should be able to be proud of that language which they bring with them when they are learning. For many young people that Scots is their starting point on their learning journey.
The misconception that speaking Scots means that “you are not speaking properly” must be corrected. A speaker of Scots can still use incorrect grammar when speaking Scots and that should be corrected but the Scots itself is something of which they should be proud.
Confident teachers produce confident children, therefore it is important that good quality Scots language CPD, support and resources are readily available to all educators in every sector. When teachers can see the benefits of introducing Scots language to their classrooms – which includes increased engagement and motivation in literacy lessons for boys, something we all strive for! – they should be given the means to deliver these results.
I agree with Katrina that support for Scots must be maintained if we are to build on the excellent work going on in schools around the country and on the invaluable support offered by Itchycoo and LTS. It’s great to see that the educational and cultural significance of Scots has been recognised in the Curriculum for Excellence guidelines (as shown in the extracts from the introductory statements to the Literacy and English Experiences and Outcomes, quoted below). It seems clear that teachers and learners should be fully supported in their efforts to fulfil this ongoing priority.
“I develop and extend my literacy skills when I have opportunities to:
develop my understanding of what is special, vibrant and valuable about my own and other cultures and their languages
explore the richness and diversity of language(2), how it can affect me and the wide range of ways in which I and others can be creative.
In developing my English language skills:
I engage with a wide range of texts and am developing an appreciation of the richness and breadth of Scotland’s literacy and linguistic heritage
1] Texts are defined in the principles and practice paper. They will include texts which are relevant to all areas of learning, and examples of writing by Scottish authors which relate to the history, heritage and culture of Scotland. They may also include writing in Scots, and Gaelic in translation.
[2] The languages of Scotland will include the languages which children and young people bring to the classroom and other settings.”
It is enthusing to see that Matthew has highlighted instances of children truly engaging with literature after being taught works composed in the Scots Language. I cannot tell you how well boys in General & Foundation classes respond to Matthew’s own poem, Chic Charnley, which presents a subject they understand in a language they understand. This is all the more impressive when you consider that the poem is appealing to the group who are usually the most disaffected.
Young people used to feeling alienated by texts, who find it difficult to engage with the “English” curriculum, can have their attitude transformed by Scots language teaching. If we are striving to create confident individuals, then we must consider how reassuring it is to see one’s own spoken language in print.
I have had an extremely positive experience with teaching Scots in my classroom. Giving Scots its rightful place in the curriculum, which I deliver, is a priority of mine as it has improved my pupils self esteem, confidence and feelings of self worth. This in turn has improved their achievement and attainment levels.
I look forward to the day when education moves away from the thinking that Scots is for Burns and St Andrews days only and recognises that Scots is a rich and wonderful language which should be embraced and used as a tool to support pupils to reach their full potential.
Many individuals across Scotland have reported of the successes they have experienced with teaching Scots and this must be maintained. The provision of resources, training and continued support is required to enable teachers to continue to have positive experiences with Scots and to fulfil the aims of Curriculum for Excellence.
We’ve been promoting Scots onboard The Reading Bus over the last three years. We are doing it because we very much believe that it is very important for our young people to feel confident about being Scottish and in recognising our very rich culture and heritage. We are just about to publish our third commercial Doric book called ‘Millie’. It is a picture book in Doric, written by Sheena Blackhall and illustrated by Bob Dewar.
There is huge enthusiasm for this book and we have already begun a Millie Tour with Sheena onboard the bus. The bus will visit over 30 different locations in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City over the next few months.
Already schools are embracing Scots and using it as part of the curriculum but more needs to be done to provide more resources and training.
We all know it works and is effective!
Visit the Millie website to find out more!
http://web.me.com/readingbus/Millie
I am also committed to teaching Scots language in the classroom and have developed 2 interdisciplinary literacy topics for P6 and P7 in our school. In addition, we have a whole school approach to Scots that starts from our nursery and progresses up to P7. This has taken some time as resourcing hasn’t been easy but the benefits for all our pupils and, in particular, for the boys in the school makes it very worthwhile.
I was recently approached and asked to run 2 presentations on Scots language at the Curriculum for Excellence Learning Festival for South Ayrshire Council and this was very well received.
The class and I featured quite highly in the DVD shown at the start of the festival where they were engaged in co-operative learning on Scots language. In general, the response to both the DVD and my presentation was very good and I felt there are many teachers looking to use Scots to support good quality learning and teaching. The main issue for them was a lack of resources, particularly audio resources which they felt would build their own confidence in delivering Scots language. I have placed all my resources and ideas on the South Ayrshire Glow site so all colleagues can access these and adapt as appropriate,
I have also been approached by 2 newly qualified teachers in South Ayrshire and they are coming to observe a lesson in Scots language at the end of November. They are keen to view and discuss ways to use Scots language in their own classrooms and I am sure after coming to talk to my class and discuss possible approaches they will see the benefits of using Scots as a way to engage and inspire pupils with reading, listening and talking and writing.
The Scots language is part of what we are. It is our link to our past. It is one of our distinctions in an increasingly uniform world and as such could and should be a source of pride and strength. As a primary school teacher I have found it easy to use in class and not difficult to teach. Properly presented there is no confusion between it and English. Children love it regardless of their background. It has particular appeal for new Scots as a symbol of their integration, and those children from less advantaged backgrounds who are often expert in its use. This latter group, often hearing home language used without judgement for the first time, are engaged and delighted in equal measure. Perhaps this is the connection missing from their education. I hope that CfE can address the deficiencies in our schools’ ability to promote Scots. It would be our loss if we were to let this opportunity slip away.
A very high percentage of the children in our authority have Scots as their first language and have previously not recognised that there may be a place for it in the classroom out-with the last week in January. Being confident about using their own “voice” means that many of the children feel that they now have something to offer in a classroom situation. We regularly see children becoming more confident and creative in their use of Scots whilst at the same time gaining a greater confidence in the use of English (and an increase in their understanding of the difference between the two).
It distresses me that all over Scotland I meet adult speakers of Scots as their first language who feel a deep and chronic lack of confidence about the quality and validity of their thoughts because of the language in which they express them i.e. not received English. I cannot wait to meet Mel West’s Ayrshire pupils in twenty years time, and experience the difference in social confidence.
Parental reaction to their children learning Scots in my school has been overwhelmingly positive: through formal questionnaires and informal discussions at Parents’ Evenings it is clear that children are taking their learning home and sharing it with their families in an incredibly enthusiastic way! It has a cross-generational impact, and has encouraged much wider discussions about language and literacy. Parents are also keen to access Scots children’s books, user friendly Scots dictionaries and websites – so there is a huge demand for resources!
Our Scots Network in Falkirk has helped all of us who participate develop our own confidence in teaching scots as well as helping us share some great practice. It also gives teachers in the primary and secondary sectors a common focus and helps build relationships across the sectors.The authority has supported us to get together and be trained in scots. It is great that some of us then have had the confidence to train other teachers. Thanks to Matthew and Itchy Coo for stimulating development sessions and building our confidence. The children I teach have already experienced exemplary teaching of scots at primary so I am building on existing learning of a high standard. Makes me pull my socks up!
Many children bring Scots, as their first language, to school and it would be unbelievable to deny them their education in the tongue they use day and daily. It would also be a serious loss if further teaching in Scots and the use of Scots was not addressed to make sure that the children were given the best possible chance to communicate fluently with other Scots speakers.
The work which Itchy Coo and Matthew Fitt did with us some time ago made us realise that we were on the right track and gave us confidence to continue making sure that all children in our care, native Scots speakers and those for whom Scots is a new language, were given a sure foundation in speaking and writing in Scots. I would also like to see more audio resources to support Scots teaching and learning.
Thank heavens we are at last gettin away from having ‘Scots Weeks’ in our school. I used to cringe when seeing the smashing photos of the pupils in the local press. Would any other country in Europe dream of teaching about their own culture in a special week? Of course not, because learning about who you are is an integral part of their day to day and week to week teaching . Using our own language is a big part of that.
I made sure my own children grew up with a good knowledge of Scots because their schools did not. Hopefully they will not have to do the same as their children will grew up with the language as a valuable and respected part of their curriculum. As a teacher at last I feel that the shackles have been taken off and we can teach our own language in an enthusiastic and open manner – not just for a couple of weeks in the year.
It would be fundamentally wrong of us not to teach Scots in schools. Language is key to any society and culture, and disregarding it can lead to that society and culture becoming diluted. Being a responsible citizen involves children being ‘able to understand different beliefs and cultures’, but surely we must begin with our own.
In my opinion, disregarding Scots over the last few decades has led us to a place where we are no longer sure about Scots as a language and its place in school. Teachers, many of whom have had very little exposure to Scots themselves, feel insecure in teaching it. However, in my experience, children are very receptive to Scots in the classroom, and take to it with great warmth and enthusiasm. It can only be wrong to restrict this enthusiasm to one week in January.
The work done by Itchy Coo has provided a ‘way in’ to Scots for children and adults. Teachers need more resources like this to give them the confidence to do what, for many, used to come naturally.
Thank goodness someone is finally speaking some sense and recognising the benefits of teaching and understanding the Scots language.
I have been involved with projects where I teach Scots to the pupils and they love it. It amazes me how keen they are to use an online Scots dictionary/thesaurus to see if there are new words they can learn. I am constantly trying to get pupils to use dictionaries to broaden their vocabulary but when I did Scots writing with pupils, they were actually asking to be able to use it. Surely this is something we want to see more of!
I also feel it is really important for our pupils to have knowledge of local, national and international literature and language variations. So many of our pupils can name American writers and English classical writers but unless we make a point of looking at local and national(Scottish) witing and language in the classroom, many will never experience it at home.
I wrote my Higher English folio, way back in the old days, in Shetland dialect and got a huge amount of satisfaction from it and obviously it was well recieved by the marker because I am now an English teacher myself! My pupils are still getting that level of satisfaction from writing in local Scots and I am now the marker who is happily recieving their folios.
Let us get over the fear of teaching Scots and be proud of our local areas and what they can produce!
I have worked as an English teacher for fifteen years and have always used Scots in some way, not as much as I would like, admittedly. What I do find is that the pupils, whether they are S1 or S6 initially have a nervous reaction, they are not sure if they can ‘do it’ but very quickly they realise that they are already using Scots in their every day lives and that they speak and understand much more than they thought they did. This is as important a part of the lesson as any other in my mind. They then confidently go on to read and write in Scots quite easily. I cannot understand why Scots has been marginalised to the extent that it has, I can only hope that it has a renaissance under the Curriculum for Excellence – heaven knows, something good has to come out of that!
Teachers working in Orkney would agree with all of the positive benefits of teaching/using Scots language listed above. Parents and pupils here are passionate about the preservation of their own unique island variety of Scots, and it is our duty as teachers to respect this local language whilst contributing to its long term future.
We sometimes use a 1950’s poem called ‘Speech’, by Christina Costie, in which a school pupil is punished for using Orkney language in the classroom. The piece is a springboard for discussion of Norse loan words, English dipthongs, Orcadian present participle endings, and sociolinguistic attitudes. It’s also just a great piece about school. I have seen the eyes of teenage Scots speakers light up at their own dawning understanding of this wonderful poem. This is precisely what is meant by personalisation of the curriculum.
It’s great to read about the good work going on right across Scotland!