All posts by Olivia Wexelstein

Assessment, Creative Learning, Creative practitioners, Creativity, Curriculum for Excellence

Brewstometer – new online creativity measuring tool

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Creativity is increasingly recognised as an essential higher order thinking skill for learning, life and work. A new online creativity measuring tool,Brewstometer, was launched at SLF.

The Brewstometer introduces the principles of creativity and helps learners reflect upon and evaluate any creative experience they had recently, this could include a lesson, a workshop, a performance, a gallery visit or project.

As an online resource you can use the Brewstometer as best suited to your learning environment needs, whether it be a whole class or small groups or one-to-one. The Brewstometer has been developed by Creative Scotland and Education Scotland as part of Scotland’s Creative Learning Plan

Creative Learning, Creative practitioners, Curriculum for Excellence, Education Scotland, Social Studies, Studying Scotland

Great Scots learning resource

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This new addition to the Studying Scotland website was launched at SLF 2013.  Practitioners will find it useful if they are preparing teaching materials for the 2014 Year of Homecoming.

Learning journeys for the broad general education covering all eight curriculum areas will become available in the near future. This first release has learning journeys on historical figures David Livingstone, Robert the Bruce, John Muir and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Contemporary inspirational Scots include Paul Lawrie, Evelyn Glennie, Theresa Breslin and Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow.

Click here for the resource.

CPD, Creative Partners, Creative practitioners, Opportunities

Dangerous June 2014

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The Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2013 was delivered over nine days in June, with 30 CPD events offered in eight different geographical locations, in partnership with 12 organisations, which were free to anyone who was interested in the future of education.  Please view the animated summary.

Plans are already underway for next year – please put ‘dangerous June’ in your diary for 2014!

Key themes will be:

  • Small nations, big ideas for education
  • Games for learning
  • Businesses doing it for themselves: If the trend is for businesses to offer their own degrees, academies and training, what does that say about state funded education?
  • Enterprising, entrepreneurial or excluded: What skills do young people really need?
  • Engaging learners: do lecturers and teachers have the required youth work skills?
  • Research: dangerous ideas from theory to practice.

Interested in holding an event as part of the festival? Visit the website and complete the Event Submission Form.

Got a dangerous idea you want to share? Get involved via Facebook, Twitter, blog andLinkedIn.

Competition, Creative Partners, Creative practitioners, Creativity, Literacy and English

National Poetry Day

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Scottish Poetry Library have announced National Poetry Day will take place on Thursday 3 October 2013.

The theme for this year is ‘Water’, and they are delighted to be working in partnership with Scottish Water to provide a great range of teaching resources to support.

Online resources are now available free on www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/learn and include:

·         a set of teaching notes for each poem

·         a pdf poster of each poem (doubles as a larger print text) to download and print

·         a pdf poster to advertise National Poetry Day

Scottish Water’s updated education materials, including a range of activity-based modules all about water for early, first, second, third and fourth level are now available free onwww.scottishwater.co.uk/education

Creative Partners, Creative practitioners, Creativity, Events, Glow TV, SLF13

Glow TV events from SLF

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SLF 2013 – Technologies: what’s on the third horizon?

25 September 9.30

http://bit.ly/1eBgmI8

Come and join in a conversation about the future of technologies.

Hosting the conversation is Alison Drever, Education Scotland’s new Senior Education Officer for Technologies. We will look at how the curriculum, learning and teaching are evolving in response to learners’ needs in a changing world. We will look at innovation and its impact on learning and teaching.

SLF 2013 Keynotes – Wednesday 25 September

25 September 10.30

http://bit.ly/19sy9eO

Join us on Wednesday 25 September for:

Cabinet Secretary Keynote Opening Address – 10.30am

Hear the Cabinet Secretary, Michael Russell, deliver the opening keynote address at SLF 2013.

SLF 2013 – Glow in the Classroom

25 September,13.45

http://bit.ly/16sql9C

Glow is currently being used nationally in a variety of different ways enhancing the learning opportunities for young people across Scotland through interdisciplinary learning.

This seminar will look to showcase two examples of how innovative and creative practice is enabling young people to engage with Glow to achieve this.

SLF 2013 – Game On Scotland – the education programme for Glasgow 2014 and its legacy

25 September, 15.00

http://bit.ly/18QABJV

In July 2014 the Commonwealth Games, one of the biggest sporting events ever hosted in Scotland, will become the focus of attention for many people both at home and abroad. This session outlines the opportunities of the Games as a rich context for learning across the curriculum and the potential inspirations for learners of all ages and abilities. The workshop will include a presentation of resources and engagement opportunities linked to Game On Scotland and allow for a wider discussions about its content.

SLF 2013 – Glow is changing – see the evolving solution

26 September 10.45

http://bit.ly/14ywZyI

The past year has been an exciting one for Glow with the migration of user content and the introduction of new tools and services. Work continues and this seminar provides the opportunity for delegates to hear about these new tools and services and the roadmap for Glow.

SLF 2013 – Online professional learning communities on Glow

26 September 13.15

http://bit.ly/16AKqM0

Before the session, we will ask you to look at a short, online thought piece on Teaching Scotland’s Future.

During this session, we will discuss:

• how online communities contribute to professional learning; and

• how we can track impact of PL on young people’s lives and learning.

After the session, we will follow up on the impact of the seminar.

SLF 2013 Keynotes – Thursday 26 September

26 September 14.30

http://bit.ly/19w8pgf

Join us live from the Scottish Learning Festival 2013 for our final Keynote speech from Dr Pasi Salhberg, Director General, Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation, Finland who will be discussing ‘Finnish Lessons: What can Scotland learn from educational change in Finland?’

For full details of these and other events, please log in to Glow and view the current schedule:

(Glow log-in and password required).

Creative Partners, Creative practitioners, Creativity

Scottish Enterprise Educators Programme

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The SEE programme was developed by CREATE, the Highland Centre for Enterprise and Innovation at Inverness College UHI in association with the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education.  The Scottish Funding Council has awarded funding to support regional participation in this highly innovative educator development programme which will be run in association with College Development Network.

It will be of benefit to experienced educators or curriculum leaders (from head of section to senior management team) with the energy and entrepreneurial drive to develop the college sector of the future.

The programme will begin with a full-day seminar focusing on enterprise and entrepreneurship in education, particularly but not exclusively in the UK. This will be followed by a three day residential which is designed to develop group relationships, provide challenging immersive experiences and opportunities to develop as a professional entrepreneurial educator. The programme closes with a final day to consolidate learning and plan for the future.
You will find further information about the programme and application process on the College Development Network website.  The closing date for applications is Friday 11 October 2013.
Art, Art and Design, Creative Learning, Creative Partners, Creative practitioners, Creativity, Curriculum for Excellence, Expressive Arts, Opportunities

Ideas and Sketchbook Development workshop

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2 day workshop title ‘Idea and sketchbook development’ at the Off the Rails Arthouse in Ladybank, Fife onMondays October 7th and 14th, 9.00am – 3.00pm.

One of the most important aspects of a students’ portfolio is demonstrating their potential and their commitment to art outside of the classroom. Working on self motivated ideas is a really important indication of this potential and commitment.

For this reason and following the success of our first workshop in July, Portfolio Oomph is running a second‘Ideas and sketchbook development workshop’ at Off the Rails Arthouse in Ladybank especially for school pupils wanting to apply to art college this year.

Participants will learn how to generate and explore individual ideas through the creative process in your sketchbook. Looking at research, development and introducing you to some exciting new artists. Ideal for those students applying to art college next year or those who want to add to their higher or advanced higher portfolio. A sketchbook and some materials will be provided.

Portfolio Oomph was established in 2012 by artist and lecturer Julie Read who has worked at F.E and H.E. for 17 years and has interviewed 100s of candidates for Edinburgh College of Art first year.

‘I enjoyed the relaxed but proactive atmosphere, learning new techniques and the tutor support when feeling stuck. I feel quite excited to take what I’ve learnt here further and do more workshops. I would definitely recommend Portfolio Oomph.’ Margaret Hume (workshop participant, July 2013)

‘Looking at different techniques and being in good creative company were the highlights of the workshop, as was working in the open, relaxing and stimulating atmosphere. The workshops were a great kickstart and I have had a couple of productive days this week. A mentoring workshop on a regular basis would be excellent. Zoe Darbyshire (workshop participant, July 2013)

NOTE: Portfolio Oomph provides links to useful creative industries websites, examples of artists and designers working in the industry, active blog and social media that informs and challenges concepts and ideas surrounding the creative arena, FAQ’s on the art college application process and development of portfolios. Our affordable downloadable products include eBooks and eCourses that take students through the process of creating and developing a portfolio and guidance through the UCAS application process.

http://www.portfolio-oomph.com/sketchbooks/sketchbook-workshop2/

Competition, Creative Partners, Creative practitioners, Creativity, Literacy and English

Edinburgh International Book Festival / ScottishPower – Calling All Writers Of The Future

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A search is on to find the school with the most creative minds.  The annual Story Generator competition is a national writing competition which invites young people across Scotland to collaborate and create their own stories.

The school that has written the best book will win a collection of books from the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with a printed copy of their Storybird online book included. The Pupil who devises the best page wins a Kindle which will come loaded with their own online book.

To find out more and to register your school, visit www.storybird.com/scottishpower

Creative Partners, Creative practitioners, Creativity, Music

YMFS Feedback: Forums

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You are invited to attend:

YMFS Feedback: Forums

Thursday 26 September, 2013 from 5:00 PM—5:30 PM

Livestream Link: http://bit.ly/ForumsFeedback

Join us online for the fifth episode of ‘Feedback’, our series of monthly live streamed broadcasts, led by Youth Music Forum Scotland and broadcast via Livestream, exploring current topics in youth music from all across the country.
For this episode, focussing on ‘Forums’, we are joined by special guests and forum leaders Jess Abrams from Edinburgh Youth Music Forum and Iain Bruce from East Lothian’s ElJam.
The live discussion will look at different types of youth music forum, how they are run and the benefits and opportunities they are providing for young people. We also hope to be joined by a few forum members who will be able to give us a special insight into being part of a youth music forum and the activities involved.
Take part in the conversation live online where you can ask our guests any of your questions on youth music forums and find out all about what’s happening in youth music in Scotland this month. Pose questions to the guests in advance of the event by emailing, hello@ymfs.org.uk or on Twitter (Twitter.com/YMFScot) or at Facebook.com/YMFScot or alternatively, you can call the Inner Ear office and ask to speak with Benny or Anny, on 0141 226 8808.

The live stream discussion will run from 5:00—5:30 PM on Thursday 26 September 2013, join us on Livestream and take part…