The Course

 Creative Connections courses aim to inspire creativity and personal development. They enable this through making links between arts, sciences, nature and culture in the context of outdoor experiences.

For teachers, it's Curriculum for Excellence in Action.

For writers, artists and others, it's simply inspirational.

The 2012 networking course was from Fri.10th - Mon.13th August

Originally based on a boat that voyaged through the Inner Hebrides, Creative Connections learning journeys have been land based since 2006. Courses have been held on Canna, Colonsay and Eigg, with Eigg the most frequent venue.

Eigg provides a remarkable mix of environments, people, history, story and possible experiences for course participants to enjoy. The island itself is a natural enhancement to the professional and personal learning journeys you will undertake.

The course helped participants to discover a variety of methods by which to record their experiences and learning through the week. Poetry, artwork, songs, stories and journal making were all part of this, giving relevance and appeal to artists and writers as well as educators.

For teachers, as we've said: The Course is Curriculum for Excellence in Action

It allows you to reflect on yourself as a learner. In that way, you can explore how meaningful learning can be expressed and recorded.

• The emphasis is on process, not product
• Participants are immersed in the natural world in an island environment with few distractions
• The focus is on experiential learning
• Variety of workshops and experiences in different locations is a key part of the week
• So too is the capacity to read, think and choose how to spend time at the Glebe Barn or wherever you choose (The Eigg Tea Room can offer a pleasing slice of island cafe culture)
• Professional discussions based on current articles and thinking, plus other educational and environmental resources, will help to stimulate ideas

Each course is not set in stone, but is a menu of possibilities

 

In this way, each participant can make the course unique, building on prior knowledge and adding fresh experience.

                 

---