Two educational experts from Canada visit Aberdeen this Saturday (October 6) to speak at an event aimed at helping improve the school experience for youngsters.
Dr Jim Parsons and Dr Phil McCrae from the University of Alberta will pass on lessons learnt from a pioneering school improvement initiative set up in Canada at the turn of the century.
The two men carried out award-winning research for the project, called the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI). Beginning in 2000, its aim was to allow schools to research and design their own improvement programmes rather than simply follow guidelines from government mandarins.
It proved a major success, and on Saturday the Canadian duo will explain what Scots' teachers, parents and local authorities can learn from their approach.
They will be speaking at a free, day-long event at the University's School of Education, which will also see the official launch of up to 40 new action-research scholarships for Scottish teachers.
The event is being hosted by the Scottish Teachers for a New Era (STNE) team. Established at Aberdeen in 2004, the programme received £1.8 million from the Scottish Government and The Hunter Foundation to set about changing the way trainee and new teachers are educated and supported.
STNE is currently working in partnership with six local authorities: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Orkney, and Shetland.
Co-organiser Dr Donald Gray, STNE Research Director and a senior lecturer in the School of Education, said: "Saturday will be an important opportunity to hear about new developments in education, discuss matters of public relevance and be involved in a nation-wide educational initiative.
"We're delighted, therefore, to be able to welcome academics of Jim Parsons and Phil McCrae's standing to the School of Education
"Both are highly respected for the award-winning work they carried out in Canada and will offer an invaluable insight into what they learned from the AISI project."
The afternoon session on Saturday will be dedicated to those who have applied for action-research scholarships, each worth around £700, or who wish to become involved.
The year-long research scheme provides an opportunity for teachers to investigate new approaches to teaching and how they impact on pupils' learning.
To find out more visit www.abdn.ac.uk/stne/action-research.shtml
For further information on Saturday's education event contact Wendy Laing on 01224 274 637 or email href="mailto:w.laing@abdn.ac.uk">w.laing@abdn.ac.uk</a></p>