THE massive regeneration schemes which have transformed the banks of the Clyde are to become part of the Scottish school curriculum.
Pupils and teachers in the west of Scotland are using the changing face of Clydeside as part of their day-to-day lessons.
Reader Poll
Should the regeneration of the Clyde be part of the school curriculum?
Yes
84.2% |  | No
15.8% |  | Don't know
0.0% |  |
|
And the ground-breaking project will even have its own floating classroom - the former Clyde steamer Kenilworth - which will bring the river to life for the youngsters.
The pioneering initiative is the first time in the UK that a national regeneration programme has become a source of classroom learning - for both primary and secondary schools.
And education chiefs around the world have already been singing the praises of the scheme.
Educationalist Moreen Smith, formerly of Strathclyde University, said the Clyde project was "leading the way".
Ms Smith, who sits on an international panel of education experts, said: "I was invited to become involved and thought it was a great project.
"It is the kind of innovative teaching that will be the way ahead for education in this country.
Grandparents' U.S. adventure started out here
IN 1926, Clare Harker's grandfather sailed from the Clyde to make a new life in New York.
Three years later her grandmother made the same journey from the Broomielaw, the couple married in America and returned
to Scotland.
Now Clare, a teacher, has been using the story as part of her pupil's River Clyde school lessons.
Her class at Kings Park Secondary took part in a project she called Letters From America and which she said brought tears to her eyes.
She said: "It was very emotional.
"The children described how the Clyde carried my gran away from Scotland.
"The way the children have been writing about this has had me crying my eyes out.
"The kids understood exactly the point of it all.
"I think it's a fantastic resource.
"I wanted the kids to understand how the Clyde had shaped Glasgow from a cultural and social perspective.
"If you are going to regenerate the area then the kids need to learn the lessons of the past."
Clare is one of several teachers in the west of Scotland who have used the resource.
|
"It works very well and all the teachers are saying how exciting it is and how it is making the job more enjoyable."
She said different aspects of Clyde regeneration - including tourism, environment, economy and transport - were being written into lessons on a range of school subjects including history, English, science and business studies.
A new website has been created offering teachers a specially-prepared bank of 200 lesson plans linked to the river's development.
The lessons have been devised by local teachers and they can be complemented by taking pupils for a river trip on the Kenilworth.
The vessel, which sailed between Helensburgh and Gourock, has been transformed into a floating classroom.
Ms Smith said: "Scotland has a good educational reputation and I think this will put the country at the leading edge.
"We have to get away from textbook teaching and give some confidence to our teachers and pupils. This scheme is leading the way for other regeneration projects."
Laura Martin and Jonnie Donnelly, both 12-year-old first-year pupils at Kings park Secondary, said they had learned a lot from the project.
Laura said: "We had to act as though we were Mrs Harker's gran and papa writing our first letter back from America.
"I wrote quite an emotional letter pretending I was her gran, that her papa was taking good care of me but that I was missing my family hugely."
Jonnie said his letter was "emotional and funny" and told how much the couple missed their homeland.
Hazel Ruxton's pupils at East Fulton Primary in Linwood took part in a lesson about comparing holidays from the Clyde in 1908 and 2008.
Megan Beattie, 11, said that in 1908, most people went Doon the Watter to resorts like Dunoon because finances and travel plans didn't allow them to go abroad.
Her classmate Kerry Linney, also 11, said most people worked in shipyards then and only had holidays in July.
Both said they would not have liked to live 100 years ago because nowadays they have more money, foreign holidays, health care and better jobs.
The MV Kenilworth, in the process of being converted into the "classroom on the Clyde", took the pupils and teachers on a sail from the SECC to Clydebank so they could see the changes along the river for themselves.
The curriculum plan has been created, devised and funded by Clyde Waterfront, the body which promoted the £5.6billion revival of the Clyde.
It is linked to the Scottish Government's Enterprise in Education programme which has seen business and education work together
Launching the initiative at the BBC's Pacific Quay HQ, Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell said: "I welcome the opportunity for pupils to hear about the history of the River Clyde and the exciting opportunities arising from the major investments that are driving the regeneration."
Glasgow City Council Leader Councillor Steven Purcells added: "Connecting a new generation of young people with the River Clyde is an exciting prospect."
Comment | Read Comments (4)
