The Education Committee brings together experts across all areas and levels of education to debate and analyse educational issues and produce recommendations for decision-makers. Since its inception in 2009, it has established itself as an independent and credible voice on various education issues such as the attainment gap, the review of Curriculum for Excellence and interdisciplinary learning.
The Education Committee:
Is concerned with all aspects of education in Scotland, and at all stages;
Considers education initiatives or proposals and advises RSE Council on how the Society should respond to these, particularly those from Government;
Organises events that stimulate debate on educational issues;
Is proactive in identifying and promoting priorities for education in Scotland;
Liaises with other relevant groups, including other RSE Committees.
EDUCATION REFORM
There are a number of major reforms underway in Scottish education, not least the continuing implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and the new national qualifications in Scotland.
The Committee has been concerned about the absence of a strategy for independent evaluation of the CfE reforms and has engaged with the Scottish Government on its proposals for commissioning the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to review CfE. The RSE has collated materials relating to the development and implementation of Curriculum for Excellence which have been submitted to the OECD reviewers.
INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING
The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has, in partnership with others, sought over many years to raise the profile of interdisciplinary learning (IDL) in Scottish education, especially at primary and secondary school levels. While IDL is an explicit context for learning within Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), it has not yet been widely developed or embedded in school practice. The Committee recognises that there are positive examples of IDL being successfully implemented in schools, but in others it is clear that there has been little or no coordinated IDL development, indicating sporadic implementation at best.
The Education Committee held its first major full-day conference in January 2019 on the topic of IDL in education. This brought together policy makers and influencers, practitioners, learners and employers, and combined insights from leading international figures and practical wisdom and experience from closer to home. The conference considered: what IDL is; the importance of IDL for addressing major societal and global challenges; how IDL is currently being developed and delivered in Scotland and in other education systems; the main challenges to implementing IDL; and how teachers and schools can be supported to deliver IDL.
Reflecting the findings of the conference, the Committee published an advice paper in February 2020, setting out the actions and conditions needed to support the delivery of IDL in Scotland’s schools.
The IDL Network is a response to feedback provided by teachers during the 2019 conference which indicated that the sharing of best practice is critical to IDL delivery. The Network hosts free resources, guest blogs and a discussion space for practitioners.