Progress

We made further progress towards getting ideas and input for the Alternative Curriculum today. I had an encouraging conversation with Stevie Siegerson of the Columba 1400 project and despite them not, at the moment, working directly with youngsters of the age of our S3 students, he was upbeat about the prospects of putting something together in the near future that would be suitable. I would love to get the youngsters involved with an organisation like Columba 1400, which aims not only to bring out the confidence and positive aspects of each youngster's personality, but also develop leadership skills. What a potentially wonderful opportunity.

I also had contact through another colleague, from Sally Harris who co-ordinates the Active Steps outdoor activities project. Sally is keen to find out more about our Alternative Curriculum and hopefully have some input to the programme. Things are definitely looking up.

Further good news is that I have almost finalised my working party to look into the structure and content of the Alternative Curriculum. I've had a great response from interested members of staff in the school, as well as having representation from outside agencies. One thing I'm struggling with is deciding on pupil consultation and parental consultation and involvement at the planning stages. I've 'up-skilled' myself enough to be able to set up my own 'wiki' to allow anyone to have their say in the design of the programme and will be putting it together in the next week, therefore potentially giving parents and pupils a chance to contribute. But my gut feeling is that I really need to have representation from parents and pupils in the working group, otherwise how can it be truly representative? That's one I'll have to sort out this week.

I'm delighted to say that I have also passed SQH Unit 1, I found out on Thursday. What a massive relief! That has given me renewed energy and motivation, really a great boost.

I've been reading Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences - New Horizons, an update of the original 1993 version. If you haven't read it and are interested in the way that we, as a species, learn and also the way we recognise 'intelligence', then I would throroughly recommend it. It throws up many interesting questions about how we recognise and value different kinds of achievement and different 'intelligences'. I just wish I had read it in 1993!