Tourism in Scotland – Learning journey
Second level - Focus on Social Studies
Overview
This context for learning focuses on tourism in Scotland. By engaging with the social studies experiences
and outcomes within second level, learners will look at what attracts people to Scotland and the impact of
tourism on occupations and careers. Learners will be encourages to think about tourism in their own local
authorities
and how this compares to others across the country,
v
Learners will develop their skills in researching their local environment identifying areas of interest.
Collaboratively, the children will compare and contrast their surroundings with another setting within
Scotland. They will then consider their own unique qualities and begin considering their employability
skills.
Social Subjects experiences and
outcomes explored
I can discuss the environmental impact of human
activity and suggest ways in which we can live in
a more environmentally responsible way.
Responsibility of all areas, which
could be addressed in this learning
and teaching Idea
SOC 2-08a
I can use the terms profit and loss in buying and
selling activities and can make simple calculations
for this.
I can consider the advantages and disadvantages
of a proposed land use development and discuss
the impact this may have on the community.
MNU 2-09c
SOC 2-08b
Having explored my local area, I can present
information on different places to live, work and
relax and interesting places to visit.
I have carried out investigations and surveys,
devising and using a variety of methods to gather
information and have worked with others to
collate, organise and communicate the results in
an appropriate way.
MNU 2-20b
SOC 2-10a
To extend my mental map and sense of place, I
can interpret information from different types of
maps and am beginning to locate key features
within Scotland, UK, Europe or the wider world.
SOC 2-14a
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
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Interdisciplinary opportunities
In this Learner Journey links have been made
across;

Health and Wellbeing

Social Studies

Mathematics
Further links may be made in:

Literacy (research)

Science (National Parks/ Biodiversity)

RME (Study of places of worship)
Tourism in Scotland – Learning journey
Second level - Focus on Social Studies
Interdisciplinary Learning
Interdisciplinary learning is an important element within Curriculum for Excellence. It constitutes one of the four contexts for learning in 'Building the Curriculum 3':
o
o
o
o
Ethos and life of the school as a community
Curriculum areas and subjects
Interdisciplinary Learning
Opportunities for personal achievement
All of these contexts are crucial if the potential of children and young people as successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens is
to be fully developed.
Interdisciplinary learning enables practitioners and learners to:

Make connections across learning through exploring clear and relevant links across the curriculum.

Support the use and application of what has been taught and learned in new and different ways.

Provide opportunities for deeper learning, for example through answering big questions, exploring an issue, solving problems or completing a final project.

Focus on curricular areas where there are coherent links and an opportunity to deepen understanding, whilst building on children and young people’s prior
learning. A few experiences and outcomes should be carefully selected in relevant curriculum areas. It is important to build children and young people’s next
steps in learning into planning, to avoid a ‘one-off project’, which is not connected to prior learning.
On the next page, the summary of learning opportunities builds on the overview document and exemplifies possible starting points for an interdisciplinary approach,
which could be used to support planning. This links directly to the context and the experiences and outcomes explored. These suggested learning opportunities explore
only aspects of the experiences and outcomes identified. However, each experience and outcome should be revisited in other ways and contexts to ensure depth of
learning.
*These learning opportunities are further exemplified and broken down into the learning, skills developed and possible evidence on pages 5, 6 and 7.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
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Tourism in Scotland – Learning journey
Second level - Focus on Social Studies
Overview
This interdisciplinary approach shows some possible learning opportunities when the experiences and outcomes listed below are connected. These ideas are starting
points and could be used to support planning, depending on your context. In this example we have highlighted a lead curriculum area, however, other curriculum areas
can be included where relevant, based on needs and interests.
EXPERIENCES
AND OUTCOMES
EXPLORED
HWB 2-20a
SOC 2-10a
SOC 2-14a
SOC 2-08a
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Investigate the job opportunities in
hospitality and tourism.
SOCIAL STUDIES (Lead)
Investigate the employment in Scotland.
Consider why people live in Scotland.
(Brief consideration could be made here
to push and pull factors.) Then consider
why people visit Scotland.
Debate: Will the winning years of
tourism have a positive effect on
unemployment in Scotland? Consider
before, during and after the games.
In partnership with Visit Scotland
consider the main tourist attractions in
Scotland. Plot them on a map of
Scotland.
Using one career as an example,
consider which skills would be important
when applying for a career in tourism.
Through the winning years of tourism
consider they key places visitors will
attend. Compare this with trends in
tourism across Scotland.
SOC 2-08b
MNU 2-09c
MNU2-20b
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
Research the human impact of tourism
on the environment (e.g. litter, pollution,
infrastructure of events.)
Plan how tourism opportunities could be
more environmentally responsible. (Use
one example from the winning years.)
Consider the possibility of ground near
by your school being developed as a
Commonwealth Games venue. Consider
the advantages and disadvantages of
this proposed land use development.
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NUMERACY ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM
Investigate the revenue of tourism on
Scotland. (How much money does
tourism bring to the country.)
Using statistics track visitors to Scotland
and present this information in an
appropriate way.
Using projected numbers of visitors
during the Winning Years calculate how
many more tourists will come to Scotland
and the effect this may have on the
economy. E.g. will it be profitable for
Scotland? Consider job opportunities,
hospitality industry, cost of the events
etc.
Tourism in Scotland – Learning journey
Second level - Focus on Social Studies
Overview of learning in lead curriculum area
Possible Prior Learning
Learners may have had
experience in being a tourist
themselves.
Learners may have a tourist
information office in their
locality (perhaps a visit could
be arranged.)
Learners may be able to point
out the tourist attractions in
their area.
Learners may have studied the
environment and how to look
after it.
Skills for learning, life and
work
Possible learning
opportunities in lead
curricular area
Researching - through
investigation work
Consider ‘push’ and ‘pull’
factors for living in emigrating
from Scotland.
Comparing – Through
numeracy across learning
(trend in visitor numbers,)
Are the ‘push’ and ‘pull’
factors the same for visiting
Scotland? Going somewhere
else on holiday?
Comparison – Through
numeracy across learning
(trends in visitor numbers to
Scotland now and projected
visitor numbers during the
winning years.)
Research visitor attractions
using prior knowledge and
explore Visit Scotland and
Historic Scotland. Plot these
attractions on a map of
Scotland.
Employability Skills – through
solving problems, considering
greener trading and planning.
Consider the impact during
the winning years – Will
visitors be visiting similar
places or will there be a
greater pull towards other
areas?
Consider the environmental
implications.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
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Possible evidence
Wall display of ‘push’ and ‘pull’
factors
Learner journals/ logs
containing notes and research
Map of Scotland containing the
key visit points
Eco Schools work
(environmental factors and
implications of tourism.)
Tourism in Scotland – Learning journey
Second level - Focus on Social Studies
Learning opportunity A: ‘Push’ and ‘pull’ factor: Consider why people live in Scotland and why people visit Scotland
Possible Starting Points
Skills
Mind map of why people live in Scotland (modelling/
interviewing of Staff, pupils and parents may be required.)
Researching
Communicating
Mind map of why people visit Scotland. (visit tourist
information and or Visit Scotland website.)
Working with others
Learning
Possible evidence
There are ‘push and pull factors’ with encourage people to
emigrate. (‘push’ factors are reasons people want to leave a
place, ‘pull’ factors are reasons people want to go to another
place.)
Wall display – ‘Push’ and ‘pull’ factors, research notes, mind
maps.
Many people visit other countries because they are different
from their own.
Resources
Scotland : The official gateway to Scotland – Living in Scotland
http://www.scotland.org/work/living-in-scotland/
Scotland is a visitor attraction for a number of reasons:

Landscape

History

Sport

Food

Affordable
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
The Scottish Government: Publications – Experiences of people who
relocate to Scotland
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/10/09120617/4
Visit Scotland
http://www.visitscotland.com/
Historic Scotland
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
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Tourism in Scotland – Learning journey
Second level - Focus on Social Studies
Learning opportunity B: Job Opportunities in Hospitality and Tourism
Possible starting points
Skills
Create a ‘Day in the Life of a Tourist.’ Explaining what
happens when you leave home to when you go to sleep at
night in your holiday accommodation.
Problem solving, investigating, organising, evaluating,
Learning
Recordings of discussions – A Day in the life…
There are many jobs in hospitality and tourism that add to the
experience of tourists in this country:
List of careers in the hospitality industry
Possible evidence
Mind map of key skills in one career

Airport/ Aeroplane staff

Welcoming staff

Tourist information

Hotel/ Accommodation staff

Restaurateurs

Chefs
Resources
Gov.uk – Finding a job
https://www.gov.uk/browse/working/finding-job
Visit Scotland
http://www.visitscotland.com/
 Waiting staff etc
Many of them rely on key skills e.g. interpersonal,
organisational, problem solving. Many of the careers rely on
key knowledge e.g. health and safety, food and hygiene etc.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
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Tourism in Scotland – Learning journey
Second level - Focus on Social Studies
Learning Opportunity C: Using statistics
Possible starting points
Skills
Using Why people visit Scotland mind map from Opportunity
A, begin to hypothesise which visitor attractions may be most
popular and why.
Data handling
Learning
Possible evidence
There are many tourist attractions in Scotland
Some tourist attractions are more popular than others
Differentiated graphs (depending on expertise e.g. trend graphs, bar
graphs, pie charts, comparison graphs per year,) top 10 places to
visit poster, presentations, note taking, regarding tourist sites.
Why some tourist attractions are more popular than others
e.g. in the capital city, well known/ Iconic, historic and heritage
implications etc
Resources
There are reports to track the visits to attractions in Scotland
There are many ways this data can be collected.
Comparing and contrasting
Visit Scotland – Visitor attractions
(Much of the information is quite tricky – it would require breakdown
before sharing with class.)
http://www.visitscotland.org/research_and_statistics/tourism_sectors
/visitor_attractions.aspx
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
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