As the dust settles on the Scottish Learning Festival, the reflection and assimilation begins. Here’s why I think that Stephen Heppell is right when he says that this is the best Learning Festival in the world!

Podcasting Pupils.JPGFirst a disclaimer: I really am not trying to win an award for the most ‘Categories’ on a WordPress post ever. The simple fact is that the SLF is the most rewarding and invigorating development time you could ever hope to experience. That there are so many categories attached to this post is testament to the sheer diversity of experiences that the Festival offers. For me, it is impossible to single out every highlight…. there were far too many! Instead, I offer a few small vignettes that will remain with me as well as a few of the thoughts that have already made me rethink my own practice…

The Learning Village goes from strength to strength… every time you become even a little jaded, you simply have to go and see the fantastic work being produced by the pupils to realise that there are infinitely more positives than negatives in Scottish Education…

I don’t know if I was lucky, but I did not attend a single session that made me wish I was elsewhere! Superb speakers, challenging material, and a host of ideas to be investigated and followed up on. Stephen Heppell was challenging and reassuring at the same time, Mark Waters was a revelation! Someone in charge who gives a really clear sense of what he wants and how he’s going to approach it… he is also immensely humerous in the best possible way… his humour is based in the realities of our profession and gives us pause for thought as soon as we’ve digested the punchline. In fact, he reminded me of a more polished Ken Robinson!

That’s it for now… I’m still in Glasgow as I’m going to King Tuts to see a band tonight, but I’ll be posting further thoughts over the next couple of days…. in the meantime, nip over to the Connected Live blog for more goodies from the festival!