Scotland’s First Minister Jack McConnell will today (Monday, December 12) unveil a pioneering project that heralds a transformation in teacher education for children with dyslexia and other learning difficulties.
The First Minister’s announcement of Scotland’s first Chair of Inclusive Studies coincides with the official opening of the University’s newly-refurbished MacRobert Building, which has undergone a massive £13m refurbishment to benefit the 1,400 full and part-time students and 150 members of staff within the School of Education.
The First Minister will be joined by former Formula One World Champion, Sir Jackie Stewart, and the Principal of the University of Aberdeen, Professor C Duncan Rice.
The MacRobert Building, situated at the heart of the King’s College campus, was completed in July this year after two years of renovation. It features state-of-the-art facilities, with an entire floor of computing facilities, available on a 24-hour basis. The building ensures the School has access to unparalleled facilities to continue to provide innovative teacher education using the latest in technology.
Sir Jackie Stewart, who has dyslexia, will today welcome the ground-breaking £1.4m announcement by the First Minister to investigate and develop new ways of training teachers to help children with dyslexia and other learning difficulties.
Professor C Duncan Rice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, said: “I am delighted to welcome the First Minister and Sir Jackie Stewart to open officially our first-class School of Education.
“Aside from the excellent facilities within the MacRobert building itself, it is pleasing to see the physical realisation of the merger process.
“This strategic move will enlarge our community of scholars, fostering not just the exchange of ideas in learning and teaching, but of knowledge of the teaching profession.
“The School is quickly establishing itself as a leader in a new era of teacher education.
“Today’s announcement will further signal the benefits that are flowing from teacher education being set in a University context here at Aberdeen – and give a signal of our commitment at Aberdeen to doing everything we can to make sure every child in Scotland has an equal chance.
“We are honoured to be working with the Scottish Executive and Sir Jackie Stewart in this project, which I believe in time will be of major significance for Scotland’s school children.”
The School of Education came into being in 2001 when the former Northern College, based at the city’s Hilton campus, merged with the University.
Cathy Macaslan, Vice-Principal for Learning and Teaching, and first Head of the School of Education, said: “The School of Education has made its mark on the University contributing to the pursuit of best practice in learning and teaching and has shown its ability to make significant achievements in a relatively short time.
“There is no doubt that the students are now benefiting greatly from being based within the wider activities of the main campus at Old Aberdeen, taking courses from the wide range available and also studying alongside students from other disciplines,” continued Ms Macaslan.
“The excellent facilities at MacRobert will significantly enhance the University’s learning and teaching provision, computing and Continuing Professional Development facilities.”
In total the School of Education delivers some 370 courses, including BEd Primary Education, and the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education in both Primary and Secondary.
The wider University community is already benefiting from the MacRobert Building’s refurbished facilities, in particular the new lecture theatres, computer suites and meeting rooms, which add to the University’s excellent facilities. The ground floor cafeteria is also providing a welcome meeting place for University staff and students.