the scottish approach

Greetings from Scotland! I still have lots to learn about adult basic education in Scotland, but am heartened by the official statements about literacy (which is always referred to in its plural rather than singular form). Adult literacies work is seen as part building "strong communities". I'm sure in the coming days I'll learn more about how everything works, but here is how Communities Scotland describes the work:

The Scottish approach to adult literacies adopts a social practice model, which sees literacies as a key dimension of community regeneration and a part of the wider lifelong learning agenda. Such an approach recognises that:

• literacy and numeracy are complex capabilities rather than a simple set of basic skills
• learners are more likely to develop and retain knowledge, skills and understanding if they see them as relevant to their own context and everyday literacy practices.

Tutors are encouraged to negotiate an individual learning plan, selecting the knowledge and skills that are most relevant to the individual learner's goals.

Learners are expected to work on their actual goals. They are not expected to try to fit what they want into criteria set by a central authority. How sensible! How refreshing! How is it working in practice? Stay tuned!