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	eLearning and Traveller Education Scotland (eLATES)

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	eLearning and Traveller Education Scotland (eLATES)

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eLearning and Traveller Education Scotland (eLATES)

elates Welcome to eLearning and Traveller Education Scotland (eLATES), an e-learning community for Scottish Travellers. The eLATES pilot is facilitated, managed and coordinated centrally via the Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP). Supported by the Internet, this e-learning community provides distance learning with ‘anytime anywhere’ access for Gypsy/Traveller and travelling show and fairground young people.

A Scottish Government award to STEP has enabled it to appoint an e-Learning Community Facilitator, Tess Watson. Tess’s combined experience of classroom practice, project management and developing educational technology will enable her new role as facilitator. She is supporting education authorities in their delivery and piloting of the e-learning community for secondary-aged Gypsy/Traveller and travelling show and fairground children.

The Award, which runs for twenty-four months, reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to equality and inclusion for the diversity of Travelling families living in Scotland. Families already value good numeracy, literacy and ICT skills and are keen to gain formal accreditation of learning for their young people. Young people learn a lot from their families; but in changing times, families recognize the need for secondary education albeit tailored to the learning needs of their young people.

eLATES aims to raise achievement levels among Scotland’s Travelling children and young people by supporting their entitlement to a school education and by increasing the flexibility of their access to a relevant and continuous curriculum. ICT supported distance learning helps reduce the negative impact of interruptions to learning due to mobility or not attending school.

Research has shown that Travelling children prefer a blended learning approach; this approach will include paper-based resources, face-to-face contact and access to ICT supported resources. eLATES will enhance young people’s limited face-to-face contact with their teachers as they will communicate through a virtual learning environment (VLE), hosted and delivered by Glow, Scotland’s schools digital network. eLATES will facilitate the submission of learning to accreditation processes. eLATES will also help Travelling children and their peers stay in social contact via email while travelling.

Supported by Learning and Teaching Scotland, http://www.ltscotland.org.uk this project will open up a whole new world of highly motivating learning and teaching opportunities for Travelling children.

Seven Education Authorities are participating in the pilot so far:

Fife, http://www.fife.gov.uk
Highland, http://www.highland.gov.uk/
Moray, http://www.moray.gov.uk/
Perth and Kinross, http://www.pkc.gov.uk/
South Lanarkshire, http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk
West Dunbartonshire http://www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Glasgow http://www.glasgow.gov.uk

eLATES will benefit from Glasgow City Council’s Interrupted Learning Service’s considerable experience in providing ICT supported distance learning for mobile Showmen’s children and young people.

Aiming for equality of provision based on equality of access, participant Education Authorities have agreed the following set criteria for selection of young Travellers willing to learn but with limited access to education.

Gypsy/Traveller young people: Age/gender-12-14, boys; 12-15, girls; ‘mobile’ Travelling young people or those ‘educated outwith school’ by an Education Authority.

Traveller families: wanting formal education for their children; willing to support their children’s learning; and agreeing to enrolling their young person’s name on a school roll.

Download an eLATES leaflet for more information. Or contact eLATES Facilitator, Tess Watson who’ll be happy to explain progress.

If you Tweet on Twitter you can follow eLATES here http://twitter.com/elates