​Widening the scope of the Scottish Learning Festival

​This year’s Scottish Learning Festival will give more educators the opportunity to be involved in Scotland’s biggest education event and here’s how…
  
Later opening hours
Following feedback, new twilight sessions have been introduced which will run from 5pm and will allow more people to attend the event outside school hours.
 
Improved digital presence
We recognise that for some, it may be difficult to attend the event so we have also been looking at digital solutions to provide opportunities for these people to still be involved.  
 
This year, we will be streaming our keynotes live across social media as well as filming some of the seminars which will be available to watch later at a time that suits. You can find out more about this here.
 
We are also piloting a virtual link with the Northern Alliance learning hub, in the University of Aberdeen, where some seminars and keynotes will be live streamed. Tailored discussions to their network will follow each keynote and seminar. In one particular seminar, we are also experimenting with a live connection with the Northern Alliance, where they will be able to actively participate digitally in the seminar.   
  
SLF Management Board
This year, the Scottish Learning Festival management board has been expanded to include more teacher representation to ensure that educators’ views are being heard and acted upon.
 
The Management Board is a meeting of key groups and organisations who work collaboratively to shape the theme and content of the annual Scottish Learning Festival including influencing the nature of future events. 
 
Each group and organisation on the board is responsible for representing the views of their members and includes:

• ​Scottish Government
  
• Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS)
  
• The Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS)
  
• School Leaders Scotland (SLS)
  
• General Teaching Council  for Scotland (GTCS)
  
• Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)
  
• ​Education Scotland

​Using your feedback to shape future SLF events
 
Our SLF team is keen to respond to the views of teachers about making the event more accessible. Gillian Hamilton, Strategic Director at Education Scotland, keeps a keen eye on social media and recently met with a teacher following his call on Twitter for viewpoints about how SLF currently operates.
 
We have also been gathering feedback in other ways and will continue to do so, during and after this year’s event - from those who have attended and those who haven’t so we can will be capture all the views from the education community. Please keep an eye out on the SLF website and on social media for more information on this at the end of September.