Turning a new page on Walter Scott for Scottish schoolchildren

Turning a new page on Walter Scott for Scottish schoolchildren

From the naming of Scottish places to his depictions of the nation's landscapes, history, and culture, Walter Scott had a profound influence on how Scotland sees itself - and how the world sees Scotland.

But while he is enjoyed around the world, many Scottish schoolchildren never come across his name or works as part of their learning.

A new online resource created by the University of Aberdeen aims to change that with ready-to-go teaching materials from board games to interactive maps designed to introduce children to Scotland’s ‘first best seller’.

Developed as part of a UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) project to edit Scott’s poems and engage new audiences with his work, the ‘Scott for Schools’ materials have all been mapped to the Curriculum for Excellence and cover learning from upper primary to lower secondary.  

Professor Ali Lumsden, Director of the University of Aberdeen’s Walter Scott Research Centre and Honorary Librarian at Abbotsford, Scott’s home in the Scottish Borders, said: “Scott was Scotland’s greatest best seller and left a prolific legacy across the globe.

“He had a significant influence on our understanding of Scottish culture through his literary works, particularly through his depictions of Scottish landscapes and history, and Scottish folklore. Scott's writings, which often incorporated vivid descriptions of Scotland's natural beauty and its rich historical tapestry, captured the imaginations of readers both within Scotland and around the world.

“This, in combination with his understanding of issues such as nationhood, belonging and conflict, mean he is as relevant today as he was when first published in the early 19th century.

“Yet many Scottish schoolchildren are never introduced to his work – or even his name – and we want to change that.

“The Walter Scott Research Centre runs a free online course on Scott aimed at adults and this has already attracted over 7,000 learners from 120 different countries. It now seems the right time to reintroduce Walter Scott to children in Scotland”

Dr Anna Fancett, who has been employed as part of the AHRC grant to develop these resources, said: “International interest in Scott is strong today just as it was when his freshly printed poems and novels were voraciously consumed around the world.

“Our Walter Scott Resource offers an innovative approach to bringing his legacy to a new generation but we also hope the activities are relevant and fun.

“The teaching and learning materials have been developed in collaboration with Abbotsford, Scott’s home in the Scottish Borders, and in consultation with teachers and we are grateful for the support in testing them from Elgin Academy, Kingsford School and Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, with additional input from Kelso Academy.

“Everything available ties in with the Curriculum for Excellence but although the resources are focused on the Scottish curriculum, they are open to teachers around the world.

“By showing in an age-appropriate way that Scott’s poetry and fiction confronts many of the issues that are relevant today, we want to help expand knowledge of Scott and move learning away from the idea that he can’t be included in work for schools.”

The variety of resources available – which range from story cards to board games and digital maps where users must solve clues – will provide teachers with the freedom to see what suits their classes and the individual needs of learners. With a cross-over into many other topics including social studies and history they open up new ways to include Scott within existing frameworks for learning and aligned to Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes.

Faye Hendry, Lecturer in Secondary English Education on teacher training programmes at the University of Aberdeen, added: "These resources are clear and well-presented, and they are likely to be very useful for teachers.

“They make potentially complex texts highly accessible for learners, and it is great to see that they are mapped onto the curriculum in interdisciplinary ways which also provide opportunities to further pupils’ learning in health and wellbeing as well as other curricular areas. I anticipate that the activities would be well-received by pupils across a range of contexts and may introduce them to Scottish literature they would otherwise never have encountered."

The Scott for Schools toolkit can be accessed at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sll/research/walter-scott-research-centre/schools.php

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