Tag Archives: SSERC

What’s New on Full STEM Ahead – November Round Up

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 What’s New on the Site

We have a new page on the site for Case Studies, which you’ll find under General Support & Reference in the top menu.  We have also added links to:  The STEM Education and Training Strategy for Scotland (October 2017); Internet safety for children and young people: national action plan (April 2017); Plickers;  Topical Science Updates; Science on the Web;  Reach Out CPD; Reach Out Reporter; Really Small Science; Early Years Science Ideas;  Terrific Scientific; STEM Learning

Sharing Good Practice

We are great believers in not ‘reinventing the wheel’, and will shamelessly steal good ideas when we find them.   From time to time we will be sharing examples of good practice via case studies; we hope you’ll find them a source of ideas and inspiration.  You’ll find them on the Case Studies page of our site, and also in the Files tab of our Yammer group ‘D&G Full STEM Ahead’.  This month’s case studies are:  Case Study – STEM in Action at Shawmhor Early Years Centre; Case Study – Code Club

STEM Strategy Published

The STEM Education and Training Strategy for Scotland, which plans for “Scotland to forge a future of excellence and equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)” has been published.  “The strategy, spanning 2017 to 2022, outlines actions designed to inspire enthusiasm for STEM among all sectors of society.  Key measures include strengthening the delivery of STEM education, addressing unconscious bias and gender stereotyping, and ensuring the development of skills that meet employers’ needs.”  You’ll find it on our Education Scotland & Scottish Government page.

Latest SSERC Bulletin

The Winter 2017 bulletin is now available from SSERC.  This month’s focus is on the reflection of light and the activities included will support not only science at second level, but also maths from early to third level.

This Will Make You Think!

If you are looking for an example to share with your 2nd/3rd level pupils to highlight science skills and scientific method then take a look at the experiment done by a group of Dutch pupils .  It’s really quite remarkable and has attracted the attention of universities who are now planning to replicate their work.  It would be very simple to try it with your own class, and it will certainly make you look at your phone and modem in a whole new way!

Christmas Shopping STEM Style

Looking for the perfect gift this Christmas for a budding young engineer … then how about some Lego celebrating the Women of NASA.  Nice to see a toy company addressing the gender gap in STEM.  Why not see if Santa will bring some for your classroom?

Topical Science

This month why not share the following with your class:  Drones being used to search for water leaks

Up For A Challenge?

Applications are open for two Young Engineers and Science Clubs Scotland competitions:

Don’t Waste A Drop! is their annual STEM challenge for 2017-18.  Suitable for both primary and secondary schools, teams have to design and build a pump and pipeline to transfer water from a reservoir at ground level to a container positioned on a platform … while minimizing any leakage!  (Could be a possible link to the work by Anglian Water, sponsors of this competition, who are using drones to search for water leaks.)  There is a small free starter kit and guidance notes available (one per school).  Schools will be invited to test their model at one of the Regional or National Celebrations of STEM, where prizes will be awarded.

Another computer for both primary and secondary is Knots to Watts, which aims to inspire schools to research
innovative offshore wind technologies and use this knowledge to design, build and test a floating wind turbine which generates electricity.  Schools will be invited to present their research portfolio and test their models at their National Celebration of STEM which will be at the Glasgow Science Centre on 8 June 2018.

You can find out more about both of the competitions and register here.

If you have P5 or P6 pupils, you may also be interested in the Glasgow Science Festival:  Creating Engineers Challenge 2018.  (You may know this one better as the K’nex Challenge.)  Applications are now open and the closing date is Friday 12 January 2018.  Find out more and register here.

Reach Out

Tig Tag, in partnership with Imperial College London, have developed Reach Out Reporter and Reach Out CPD.  These are free to use and don’t depend on you having an account with TigTag/Twig.  The Reporter is a weekly e-bulletin that share topical science updates along with suggested activities; and, Reach Out CPD is a free online resource to help primary school teachers with the science curriculum.

 

 Quote of the Month

Our current expectations for what our students should learn in school were set fifty years ago to meet the needs of an economy based on manufacturing and agriculture. We now have an economy based on knowledge and technology.”

Bill Gates

(obviously before the introduction of  the refreshed Technologies outcomes!)

What’s new in Teaching STEM

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September Round Up

We’re even bigger and better

This month we’ve introduced a whole new look to our site – what do you think of the new look header?  You’ll still find all the original content, but we have expanded to include pages for Science and Maths.  This made our menu a rather crowded so we’ve tidied it up a bit- just hover over a menu item to reveal any subpages.  The subject pages are all organised to support the organisers within Curriculum for Excellence, and over the coming months we’ll be adding more and more resources to support your teaching.  It’s going to be a big task, but you can help by letting us know about your favourite links via the Contact Us page.

New Content

This month we’ve added links to: SSERC (Scottish Science Education Research Centre); The Royal Society of Chemistry; Royal Academy of Engineering; BP Educational Services; CREST Awards; ZU3D Animation Software; Young Engineers & Science Clubs Scotland; My World of Work; Digital World; Marketplace; MakeyMakey; Explorify; Generation Science; e-Bug; Google for Education; Raspberry Pi Pioneers; The Universe of Engineering; Lego WeDo and Mindstorm; Food Standards Scotland.  They all have some great teaching materials for both primary and secondary.  Why not take a few minutes to check them out now – it could save you hours of planning time in the future!

Hello World!

Have you read Hello World! yet?  It’s the digital magazine from Raspberry Pi and BCS/Computing At School for computing and digital maker educators across primary and secondary.   It’s published 3 times a year and is now on issue 3 (back copies are still available).  It’s free to UK educators and you can subscribe here for either digital editions or a print subscription delivered straight to your door (for those of  you who prefer to read it old school style on the sofa with a cup of coffee).

Funding Update

Dumfries and Galloway schools can again apply for Edina Trust funding of up to £600 in session 2017/18 (that’s £100 more than last session); and if you applied last session the good news is you can apply again.  It is really (and we mean REALLY!) simple to apply; and the best thing is that as long as your project is science based you are GUARANTEED the money.  Yet some schools didn’t apply last session.  Don’t loose out this year!  If you need any help with your application please get in touch with one of the RAiSE Team – we’d love to help.

We have also added a link to a new crowd-funding platform called Rocket Dog, which specialises in helping schools raise funds to buy technology.  Find the link on our Funding  page.

Citizen Science

Have you heard of ‘citizen science’?  Wikipedia describes it as: ‘ scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by amateur (or nonprofessional) scientists.’   In other words …  getting your pupils involved in gathering scientific data for real research projects.  You will probably have heard of, and hopefully participated in, the Big Garden Bird Watch organised by the RSPB, but there are lots of other opportunities out there.  This month we have added a link to the Royal Society of Chemistry.  In their Experimentation Hub they are currently running Mission: Starlight – a global experiment on UV protection.  This involves quite simple experiments to find out which materials would be best to protect an astronaut from UV rays in space.  The only specialist equipment you need are UV sensitive beads which you can buy for under a fiver on Amazon.  It would be fantastic activity for any class but especially if your are going to be doing Space this session.

Internet Safety

Did you take part in Safer Internet Day last session?  This session SID will be on Tuesday 6th February 2018 (registration will open in October).  We really hope you will all pop that in your diary, but it is still sometime away.  Cyber resilience and internet safety is something we should be reinforcing throughout the year, so if you haven’t visited this topic with your class for a while why not check out the resources on our Cyber Resilience & Safety page.  There are plenty of resources there to get you started.

2 Simple

Most schools in D&G have 2 Simple software installed on their network (you’ll find the folder in your Programmes Menu).  It’s often used at early and first level, but there are also some aspects that will challenge older pupils.  To see how you might use it across the stages, check out their scheme of work here.

Coding at Home

Many of the online coding platforms offer home access for pupils.  One of these is Kodable, and if you aren’t already using this feature you can find out how to here.  Please remember that if you are using any online platform that requires you to create accounts for your pupils then you should complete a Privacy Risk Assessment and get Parental Permission.  We are adding forms for the most popular sites (including Kodable) to our General Support & Reference page.  If there is a site you would like to us to create a form for please let us know using the Contact Us page.

Digital Schools Awards Expands

So far 2315 primary schools have registered for the Digital Schools Award programme with 468 successful having achieved the award – including our own Calside Primary in Dumfries, the first D&G school to gain the award.  This month the programme was extended to include Secondary schools – well done to Sanquhar Academy for being one of the first to register.  You can find out more about the programme here; and remember the RAiSE team will be happy to advise or support any school who is going through the award or thinking of registering.

Dumfries House

You may have heard of Dumfries House, the stunning and recently renovated 18th century country house near Cummnock, and may even have visited it.  But, did you know they have an amazing educational programme to support STEM education?  This month the RAiSE Team visited the centre and were very impressed with the range and quality of their facilities.  As well as educational visits of the house itself, there are six different training centres located on the estate providing learning experiences in:  engineering; traditional and craft skills; hospitality and catering; gardening and food production; art and drawing; and, a residential ourdoor centre.  With programmes suitable for both primary and secondary pupils they are worth a visit.  You can take part in a day of activities for only £3 per pupil, and they may be able to help with transport.  Find more information at their website here, or download their education flyer here.

Outdoor Classroom Day

Thursday the 12th October is Outdoor Classroom Day.  There are lots of ways you can teach STEM outdoors and it’s a great way to enthuse your pupils.  If you’re looking for  ideas check out the Outdoor Learning Day site.  There is inspiration from schools across the world, as well as resources with lesson plan ideas (we’re tempted to try Double Double Embroiled in Bubbles!), and you can even down load a certificate to record pupils’ participation.  So far 19 schools in D&G have signed up; if you’re not one of them why not do it now?  Get in touch with the RAiSE team if you want any support with your day.

Run the Solar System

Looking for a fun way to link H&WB to STEM?  Then why not sign up to Run the Solar System?  Run the Solar System is a ‘virtual race’ which involves journeying across the Solar System from the Sun to Neptune in just 10 kilometres, accompanied by music and audio commentary from science broadcaster Dallas Campbell.  Take part wherever you like, whenever you like, and at whatever speed you like, with no time limit!   It’s App based so it does depend on having access to Smart phones, however, it might be something you want to do personally as a fun way to increase your knowledge of the solar system while getting fit.  Or share it with parents to use with their children (it could be done along side Beat the Street).  If you do the daily mile then 10k would be the equivalent to just less than 7 sessions.   It may be possible to share your audio commentary with pupils if you can connect your phone to a small speaker as you walk, or back in the classroom.  Get started by downloading the free Racelink app for iPhone or Android.

Full STEM ahead!