Learner participation empowers children and young people, giving them agency in their learning and learning experiences. Through an ethos of improvement in partnership with learners, we are better placed to understand how to improve practice to meet learners’ needs. Furthermore, this partnership approach creates a sense of community in our language learning with a shared sense of purpose and in which all voices and skills are recognised and valued.
When learner participation activities are embedded within learning and teaching there is an opportunity to simultaneously explore learner views of, and to develop, language. By linking learner participation and learning activities, we provide learners with rich contexts for learning languages aligned to the Curriculum for Excellence Four Capacities: Effective Contributors, Responsible Citizens, Successful Learners and Confident Individuals.
The table below explores some of the key skills that are developed through learner participation, and what learner participation in language learning might look like in practice.
| Key skill |
Approaches in practice |
| Leadership skills |
- Language ambassadors e.g. older learners working with different ages/stages to lead or support language learning
- Language learner steering groups e.g. 1+2 Learner improvement groups, learners’ developing language and culture initiatives
- Language leaders e.g. Learners leading language assemblies
- Multilingual leaders e.g. multilingual learners informing planning for EAL support / strategies across a school community
|
| Developing partnerships |
- Learners working in partnership with other schools to share language learning, practice, strategies etc.
- Transition partnership activities e.g. learners collaborating with cluster partners schools as part of moderation of learning and assessment
|
| Interpersonal skills |
- Working with community groups to lead language learning
- Learner groups working collaboratively across year groups/stages to review progression in language learning
- Learners working together to feedback on aspects of curriculum, planning or learning and teaching
- Learners and teachers collaborating to develop approaches for improving learner engagement and experience
|
| Intrapersonal skills |
- Valuing one’s own voice and contributions
- Developing a sense of one’s own place in the world through intercultural learning activities
- Exploring one’s own key issues around social justice
- Facing individual challenges e.g. presenting to groups
- Improved self-confidence through leading language learning
|
Education Scotland offer extensive advice and exemplification of Learner participation at all stages via their portal under the title: Learner Participation in Educational Settings (3-18). (Please see Resources at the bottom of this page).
