On 1 June, over 800 teaching staff on the Island will attend the Department of Education, Sport and Culture’s ‘Essentials 4 Learning’ symposium.
The symposium is an Isle of Man learning conference and marks a further development of the Island’s curriculum.
A group of around 60 staff from across the Island’s schools and learning community will share the best of what they do by delivering over 50 learning workshops in five locations around the Island on the day.
Guy Claxton, Emeritus Professor of the Learning Sciences at the University of Winchester, will launch the event with a keynote speech on how teachers can shape learning and education for the next generation.
The event, which takes part on the first day of the summer half-term holiday, is part of the Department’s professional development offering to teachers, and links to the objectives for education laid down in the Programme for Government.
E4L, which was launched in 2011, sets out the priorities for primary and secondary education in the Isle of Man. It details the Department’s aspirations for young people, what is taught, how pupils learn, and the outcomes and impact teachers strive to achieve.
The re-imagined curriculum overview sees all parts of E4L centre around the Isle of Man learner, who this year has been characterised in a short animation featuring ‘Ella’. The animation explains what the Department seeks to deliver through learning on the Island, and how teachers can nurture attitudes and dispositions that are vital in supporting young people to flourish.
The animation is supported by an updated teacher networking portal, and new external E4L website – https://e4l.sch.im – designed to appeal to pupils, parents and other stakeholders with an interest in learning.
Organiser of the event, School Improvement Adviser Joel Smith, said:
'The re-imagining of Essentials 4 Learning came about following research and recommendations from staff across our education system. We believe E4L sends a strong message to our teachers, pupils, and parents, that as well as securing good academic outcomes, we are also committed to supporting vital skills, dispositions and attitudes in young people as they develop and make sense of the world as it is now and in the future.'
Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, Graham Cregeen MHK, added:
'The E4L symposium, and wider re-launch of E4L to the Isle of Man public is an exciting development for our teachers and learners. We wish for all of our young people to be successful and happy in their learning, and through E4L are committed to ensuring the standards of education in the Isle of Man remain high, whilst also supporting the growth and success of the Island internationally.'
