Author: Tim Pickering

Outdoor Learning Manager

Free Learning for Sustainability Training for Teachers

Edinburgh University and The British Council are offering free places to teachers on a professional on-line learning course. The course starts on the 20th April 2018 and it will take about two to three hours of your time each week to take part in discussions and activities.  To book a place Click Here

This is a fantastic opportunity as it is a GTCS accredited course and by The Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL).

The Benefits of the course

Scotland is unique internationally in having a requirement for all teachers and education professionals to address Learning for Sustainability (LfS) in their practice. This fully funded professional learning has been developed by experts in online learning and is based on the most up-to-date methodologies.

It will:

  • support you to create an enabling environment for pupils’ Learning for Sustainability, with a focus on critical thinking and problem solving and citizenship;
  • help you to meet the GTCS Professional Standards, contributing to Professional Review and Development and Professional Update and contributing to a whole school approach to learning for sustainability;
  • offer the opportunity to meet and share ideas with other like minded professionals across Scotland
  • offer flexibility for you to participate at a time that is convenient to you
  • give access to an international network of like-minded teachers
  • provide support for British Council Professional Partnerships with schools overseas.

 

There Be Dragons

Tim and Andrew were asked to come into Stornoway Playgroup with the fire pan to do a session with the young people on fire. In their project they have been talking about the enchanted forest, dragons and how they breath fire.

Tim and Andrew set up the fire pan down the side of the Scout Hall, where the playgroup happens and lit the fire. The young people were put into groups of about seven and they came out with coats and hats on.

When each group came out Tim asked them what the knew about fire, all the groups told him ‘it was hot’, ‘it would keep you warm’ and you ‘can use it to cook’. Tim then introduced the idea of the three things which a fire needs; fuel, spark and oxygen. They pointed out the wood is fuel and Tim explained about air is full of oxygen and because it was cold they were able to puff out vapour, like a dragon breathing smoke. Tim then showed them a flint and steel and the spark it produces. Each young person was then able to have a go striking and creating sparks.

The fire was then used to ‘cook’ grapes on the end of a skewer which the young people had chance to eat.

Tim and Andrew always love the opportunity to hear small dragons roar round the fire.

Learning For Sustainability : Connecting Classrooms Free ONLINE Course January 2018

Learning For Sustainability : Connecting Classrooms Online Course, January 2018

Over the weekend an invitation to sign up for this event arrived, this is a great opportunity run by the British Council and the University of Edinburgh. It is a facilitated online learning course which is free and is a GTCS accredited course (General Teaching Council for Scotland).

Learning for Sustainability (LfS) is one of the Standards for Career Long Professional Learning set out in the GTCS standards. The course is also endorsed by The Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL).

The course starts on the 19th January so sign up soon.

If you answer YES to any of the following questions, then you should be seriously considering this course:

  • Are you interested in Learning for Sustainability and implementing it in your school?
  • Do you need practical help and support?
  • Would you benefit from sharing your ideas with other professionals?
  • Are you interested in developing or extending a British Council Professional Partnership with a school overseas?

The Course will help you with think about the following:

  • Critically consider the nature of teaching and learning within the context of Learning for Sustainability, which includes Sustainable Development Education, Outdoor Learning, and Global Learning.
  • In the context of the British Council’s ‘core skills’, reflect critically on developing the skills and dispositions required of teachers and learners related to Learning for Sustainability.
  • Apply in practice, and reflect upon the impact of, principles and practices of and approaches to Learning for Sustainability.
  • Work together towards the development of a Learning for Sustainability professional network for practitioners to support teacher learning and practice in Learning for Sustainability.

This is a fantastic opportunity and we recommend considering taking part.

National Navigation Awards Scheme – On Going Staff Training

Just before Christmas we were lucky to have a member of the National Navigation Awards team come to Harris to deliver a train the trainer course for us, Dorothy Breckenridge from C-n-Do Scotland was visiting Harris and offered to provide the course.  Adam Johnson from Sir E Scott School in Tarbert joined us.

Looking at how a three dimensional object can be shown in two dimensions

The National Navigation Award Scheme is a great way to introduce people to the skills of navigation in a non threatening way. It takes a stepped approached to navigation pioneered by Nigel Williams of Glenmore Lodge. By breaking the training down into easy manageable stages which can be easily related to the real world is a key component.

It is not a leading award but a recognition of your ability to navigate and there are three different levels bronze, silver and gold.

If you would like us to come and do some training with you so you can deliver the award in a school or group we would be very happy to do this just contact Isi or Tim.

Opportunity to study Learning for Sustainability

In our quest to share the resources we receive, we received an e-mail from Learning for Sustainability Scotland and the fully funded courses in Learning for Sustainability (LfS) they are offering.

The courses are being run by the British Council, University of Edinburgh and Learning for Sustainability Scotland and they are accredited by the General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS) and Scottish College for Educational Leadership.

They are offering a great opportunity to consider the difficulties of what Learning for Sustainability means and how do you integrate it into your practice.

Link to Fully Funded courses in Learning for Sustainability

Opportunity to study Learning for Sustainability

To look into the background of this the University web site and the Learning for Sustainability Scotland sites are both excellent resources.

If you are struggling for time, Tim can to come to schools and deliver twilight sessions on LfS as it is part of his Masters Degree.

 

Training and Development

At this time of year we are a little quieter so there is time to pause and take breath. Andrew is going to be working with an S2 elective in the Nicolson Institute and he is planning to do a session on outdoor cooking. When he was working in America they made chocolate oranges on the fire, so to make sure it fitted with our operating procedures he set up the fire pan near the office and set about practicing.

With the fire lit, he mixed the chocolate cake batter. Carefully cut the top of the orange and scooped out the inside of the orange. He spooned the batter into the hollowed out orange until it was just over half full. Put the top back on the orange and wrapped it in tin foil to make a nice parcel. This was then put into the embers of the fire for about fifteen minutes to cook.

With care the parcel it taken out and opened, it is hot! and the delicious chocolate sponge flavoured with orange is devoured.

Next time we think bigger oranges would be good so we get more sponge.

Please come and talk to us about coming and doing some cooking over a fire which can be connected to among others Health and Wellbeing experiences and outcomes.

Resources – John Muir Award

Various resources arrive in our in-tray, here in our hidden office, some of them we think are worth sharing. So occasionally we will put up short posts on things we think are worth a look at.

We received an email from the John Muir Trust about their Literacy and Nature Resource Guide. It is a file with some good links out to other sites and files, what we think useful to teaching staff here in the Outer Hebrides, is the John Muir Award and the CfE document which has details of how the John Muir Award can be linked to the Curriculum for Excellence.

There is their promotional film explaining the Trust and the Award:

If you would like to use the John Muir Award please contact the Isi or Tim and we can help you to set it up and deliver it.

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