Category: Early Level

Update on our Teaching for Deep Learning Programme

Yvonne McBlain from Falkirk’s Curriculum Support team has now created a page for each of our Teaching for Deep Learning sessions here in Glow. Five of our secondary schools have used, or are beginning to use these sessions as content for their Teacher Learning Communities and working groups. Nineteen of our primary schools have already accessed at least one of the sessions – sometimes as a whole staff, and other times within smaller collegiate groups. We have 18 TfDL (Teaching for Deep Learning) facilitators who are being trained to deliver the sessions – some want to do this in their own schools only, whereas others are happy to make themselves available across the authority where needed. Four of our secondary schools are modelling a whole range of Donaldson Review recommendations regarding professional learning in their use of the programme. Most have recruited teachers interested in becoming facilitators within their schools, who then attend an information session (Click to view) on the programme from Yvonne. Each school is then deciding how they can enable staff to identify which sessions should be priorities for their professional learning this session. Once these decisions are made, teacher learning communities interested in the same sessions can be formed. The same model of distributed leadership (facilitators) and professional autonomy through self-evaluation is being taken forward by some of our primary schools “in house” too. Feedback from participants of  sessions so far confirms the value of the programme as one of the ways in which we can move Falkirk schools from Good to Great.

Active Literacy Workshop for Parents and Carers

Sharon Wallace, Curriculum Support Officer of the Curriculum Support Team has developed some helpful materials to support Falkirk establishments in sharing the learning at home. This active literacy workshop provides parents, carers and extended families with an overview of the active literacy strategies and methodologies from P1 to P7. It looks at the areas of spelling and phonics, reading and writing and how children can be supported with these at home.

Parents and carers are also invited to be ‘reciprocally taught’ by their children in a series of different workshop activities which include:

  • phoneme stories
  • Elkonin boxes
  • rainbow writing
  • spell-er-cise
  • diacritical marking
  • fun spelling tasks

So far this session, the following schools have already hosted workshops:

  • Maddiston Primary
  • Shieldhill Primary
  • Kinneil Primary

 

These workshops are accompanied by parental leaflets aimed at P1-3, P4-5 and P6-7 parents.

For more information, please contact Sharon Wallace.

Satisfying the yearning for mobile learning!

Stuart Lennie and Malcolm Wilson of the Falkirk Council Education Services Curriculum Support team have been working to create a Mobile Devices in Falkirk Education Blog.

The blog is designed to support Falkirk Council education establishments in their use of mobile devices in learning and teaching.

Beginning from September 2013, this site will develop to have further materials as work develops in establishments.

Click here to visit the blog: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/fa/mobiledevices/

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Westquarter Primary School – Better Movers, Better Thinkers

Karen Thomson, Morag Simpson and Morag Young, Physical Education Lead Officers, Falkirk Council Curriculum Support Team visited Wesquarter Primary School for some Better Movers, Better Thinkers Sessions on Friday 30th August 2013.

Better Movers and Thinkers (BMT) is an innovative, exciting and challenging movement and learning programme for Physical Education, that focuses directly on enhancing links between movement and thinking, and how these critical elements scaffold the development of physical performance and learning across the curriculum.

Parents were invited in during family time and joined in with an introductory session of BMT.  The turnout of parents was exceptional – well done to everyone who turned up and took part.  Westquarter staff are keen to incorporate this strategy into their Physical Education lessons.  A follow up session with staff is planned for 13th Setember 2013.

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Glenbervie Kindergarden – Outdoor Learning

Karen Thomson, Senior Early Years Offcier, Falkirk Council Curriculum Supoprt Team has been supporting Glenbervie Kindergarden who are the latest private partner nursery to start using NHS Larbert Woods on a regular basis.  Following a parent session on 14th August children aged 3 and 4 are now accessing the site weekly.  The children walk from the nursery and stay on site for approximately 2 hours before begnning their walk home.  Staff were amazed how well the children have managed this and noticed an increase in their stamina and energy even at the end of a busy session.

During the session on 21st August the children explored the environment and found some very interesting features to play – especially a large puddle.

The staff are also listening to the children’s interestes and some of the children found a hole which they believed to be a fox hole.  A conversation about other nocturnal animals then evolved with all children taking part – this is now something that the nursery can take forward as a topic and be able to make it relevant for the children because of their visit to the woods.

All children had great fun – although I am sure the washing machine might have been pushed to the limits!

Sharing the Learning with Parents and Carers at Shieldhill Primary School

 

Sharon Wallace, Curriculum Support Officer of the Curriculum Support Team has recently been working with a group of children from P2 to P4 in Shieldhill Primary School. The children were very enthusiastic and keen to be helping out at an upcoming session for parents and carers. Pupils demonstrated their knowledge of active literacy strategies and methodologies with confidence. They are very much looking forward to being ‘reciprocal teachers’ to their visitors at the active literacy workshop.

The children were able to eloquently explain about a range of strategies including: the five finger strategy, Elkonin boxes and diacritical marking.

Other activities on the agenda for the workshop are spell-er-cize, fun spelling tasks for their common/ tricky words and looking at their favourite ‘texts’.

Edinburgh International Book Festival Outreach Programme

Edinburgh International Book Festival

Yvonne Manning, Principal Librarian, Curriculum Support Team, Falkirk Council Education Services has arranged for author Pippa Goodhart and James Carter to visit Falkirk Council in August 2013 as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival Outreach Programme. Pippa Goodhart has written many wonderful picture books, including ‘Just Imagine’ and ‘You Choose’. She is also the author of the very popular books ‘Winnie the Witch’, written under the name Laura Owen. James Carter is a poet and brings his poems alive with music at his appearances in nurseries and schools. His books include ‘Hey Little Bug, Poems for Little Creatures’. Yvonne is working in partnership with Community Learning and Development and Pippa will be leading a session with young families from adult learning groups, while James will be visiting Denny Nursery.

Glenbervie Kindergarden Outdoor Learning

Glenbervie Kindergarden are the latest nursery to embark on Outdoor Learning for their children.  Karen Thomson, Senior Early Years Officer, falkirk Council Curriculum Support Team held a training session for staff on 12th June at Larbert Woods NHS Site.

This session gave staff the opportunity to take part in practical activities as well as discuss any logistic issues they will face in getting the children out to access this exciting space. 

Watch this space for details of their first visit.

Bookbug

Carolyn Sharp, Early Years Librarian, Curriculum Support Team Falkirk Council Education Services, in the past year has gifted 1906 Baby Bookbug packs, 1954 Toddler Bookbug packs, 1934 Pirate Bookbug packs and 1947 Primary 1 family packs to children in the Falkirk area.

Bookbug provides free book packs for every child in Scotland from birth to primary 1 (5 year olds).  Each local authority area has a Bookbug co-ordinator who tries to ensure that all children in their area receive their packs. The Bookbug programme is operated by the Scottish Book Trust.  For more information about the Scottish Book Trust and the Bookbug programme please visit the Scottish Book Trust website.