All posts by S. Bullock

Languages and Literacy

Edinburgh’s Green Pencil Award in search for young creative writers

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A creative writing competition for Edinburgh children has been launched at the Hermitage of Braid with pupils from Pentland Primary School (Wednesday 29 August).

The theme of this year’s ‘Green Pencil Award’, which is run by The City of Edinburgh Council for children in the P4 – P7 age range, is ‘Birds & Beasties’, encouraging entrants to write about wildlife they encounter in their garden, local park etc.  The competition, run by Edinburgh City Libraries and Eco-Schools in Edinburgh seeks to: promote literacy and creative writing; demonstrate care and understanding of environmental issues; encourage learning; link to Curriculum for Excellence aspirations and strengthen partnership working between libraries, schools and other partners.

Participation is invited through local libraries, schools and the Council website with a closing date of Friday 12 October.


http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/982/green_pencil_award_branches_out_in_search_for_writers

Mathematics and Numeracy, Sciences, Technologies

Young bright sparks get into engineering

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In a move to spark youngsters’ interest in engineering, East Ayrshire Council has teamed up with a trailblazing national organisation to bring a new educational programme into schools.

Pupils will work on design and make projects, supported by professional engineers from local industry who will offer a ‘real-world’ context for the learning, while acting as role models for the budding young scientists.

Primary Engineer, founded in 2005, already supports schools throughout the UK and will now be working with local pupils and teachers. They will help girls and boys from a very early age to aspire to become Scottish engineers of the future

Executive Director of Educational and Social Services Graham Short said: “The idea is to stimulate in children an interest in engineering, which will also lead to a new understanding of science subjects and mathematics”.

Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Spokesperson for Lifelong Learning, said: “This exciting development brings a new dimension to linking schools and industry.

“The programme will be of long-term benefit to young people, as they approach an increasingly competitive jobs market in the future.”

Susan Scurlock, Primary Engineer Chief Executive, said: “We believe that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are key subjects in securing positive opportunities and career paths for future generations – and that this begins in primary school.

“We look to provide a rich learning experience for pupils. Our Leaders Award scheme helps to bring professionals into the classroom to provide a link to the wider world and to encourage young people to take part in STEM activities”.

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Creativity Toybox – now live on the Creativity Portal

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Log on to the Creativity Portal to find 21 very short creative thinking exercises for use with whole groups of young people in the classroom or community setting.  These are great warm up/warm down/filler activities that develop creative thinking skills and can be used as a one off exercise or one a day for several weeks. Get your pupils and young people developing their creative skills right now!

The Creativity Toybox films are available now on the Creativity Portal: http://creativityportal.org.uk/?q=&t=,creativity-toybox

Sciences, Technologies

Robots and CPD

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Teacher open evening event, Thursday 30 August, 4 pm – 6.30 pm http://www.sensation.org.uk/ <http://www.sensation.org.uk/>

Dundee Science Centre is hosting an open evening for all teachers and educators, showcasing the work of the Science Learning Team and the opportunities available to schools throughout the coming academic year.  The centre will be open from 4 pm and there will be the chance to see the Robot exhibition and see the range of science resource boxes available for loan.  This is a free event.

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Complete the survey about playing and free time

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Playday is asking anyone aged 5 to 18 years old to tell them about play and free time in the Playday online survey. Encourage children and young people to take part and help to build a picture of what play and free time is like for children and young people across the UK. Playday is the national day for play, a celebration of children’s right to play and a campaign that raises awareness about the importance of play in children’s lives. The survey is also available as a document to print off and Playday has also created slips to give out to publicise the survey at an event or in your setting.


http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/newsandevents/educationnews/2012/educational/august/news_tcm4729824.asp
http://www.playday.org.uk/playday_campaigns/playday_2012_get_out_and_play/playday_2012_survey.aspx

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Developing learners’ essential skills in Scotland conference (25 September)

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Education Scotland, in association with Scotland’s Colleges <http://www.scotlandscolleges.ac.uk/> , is presenting this national conference on how well colleges and schools develop learners’ essential skills, building upon their prior experiences and preparing them for further learning or employment opportunities. The keynote speakers will be Michael Russell MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education, and Ian McMillan CBE, Director of CBI Scotland. With Curriculum for Excellence as the focal point, the conference workshops will explore planning, and learning and teaching approaches to develop and recognise learners’ essential skills.


http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/newsandevents/events/2012/eventgeneral_tcm4727005.asp

Social Studies

Mural is history in the making

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A stunning mural depicting the role of Polish troops in the Second World War has been unveiled at Biggar High School.  The work of art was completed by lower school students at Biggar High School in conjunction with street artist Frank Carty.  The students’ inspiration came from their history lessons where they learned that Polish troops had been billeted in their school in October 1940. And the hunt for more information led them to seek the help of local historian Charlie Rigg and his daughter Suzanne who is the curator of the local Moat and Gladstone Museums.

http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/press/article/590/mural_is_history_in_the_making

Additional Support for Learning

Autism-friendly screenings at Glasgow Film Theatre

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Autism-Friendly Screenings

Access Take 2: September – December 2012

Dear friends of GFT,

We’ve just announced our next programme of Access Take 2 films, our monthly autism-friendly screenings.

Forthcoming films include:

Each film and the cinema environment are suitable for children with autism spectrum disorders and/or sensory hypersensitivity.  Our selection of films have no subtitles, are played with the volume reduced and the house lights on low, while children are free to make noise and move around. Children, family members and adults with other disabilities are welcome to attend the screenings too.

All of our autism-friendly screenings take place in GFT’s Cinema 2 on the first Saturday of each month at 12.30pm.

Glasgow Young Scot or Kidz Card holders and an accompanying adult get in FREE to these shows.

We also have an exclusive autism-friendly screening of The Lorax for ASL schools this November as part of National Schools Film Week 2012. Click here for more details on how to reserve free places.

Glasgow Film: GFT and Glasgow Film Festival / 12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB / Box office: 0141 332 6535
Health and Wellbeing, Sciences, Technologies

Going Viral at Glasgow Science Centre – innovative art and science exhibition

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GOING VIRAL – A SYNOPSIS
The British Society of Immunology is putting on an art-science collaborative exhibition entitled Going Viral in Glasgow this September.  Going Viral is an innovative art-science project.  It is the culmination of a collaborative programme of work undertaken by 6 artists and 4 immunologists. Through their joint exploration of key functions of our immune system – and the daily battles it fights – Going Viral artists have produced artworks that consider, question, interpret and present the immunology they have researched.
Going Viral begins as an exhibition comprising stories, film, sculpture, images and music. The experiences and encounters of those who visit it will spread, virus-like, across real and virtual networks and will continue to grow beyond the life of the exhibition.
Some examples of the art are:
Artist Trevor Cromie is focussing on a representation of the patient’s progression through a life-threatening severe immune response (e.g. anaphylaxis), recovery and its aftermath – and how immunology has made survival possible.  His focus is on the ‘emotional’ impact caused by anaphylaxis.
Jo Hodges is working with a participant group of organ donor recipients to identify an object that they associate with their transplant and take fragments from these objects and image them using scientific techniques and then represent them as artworks. Further to this she will also be exploring the patient’s relationship to immunosuppressant drugs.
Jacqueline Donachie is working with a long term MS patient to explore the prevalence of MS in Scotland, evidence of the impact of sunlight deprivation and family history on the individual’s condition.
Hugh Watt is focussing on the instruments of science, and has developed film and sculpture to explore the unity between science, creativity and the everyday.
Pete Baynes has created a dialogue between the artists and scientists, and has written several songs about things immunological, written to inform, entertain, and open up the world of the immune system.
Architect Ewan Imrie has created a ‘host body’ within which to stage the exhibition.
Going Viral will be at the Glasgow Science Centre from 6th September – 21st October 2012. It is funded by the British Society for Immunology <http://www.immunology.org/> (www.immunology.org <http://www.immunology.org> ), who commissioned Sound Strategies <http://www.sound-strategies.co.uk/> (www.soundstrategies.com <http://www.soundstrategies.com> ) to develop and implement the project.
Please see www.bsigoingviral.org <http://www.bsigoingviral.org> for more information or follow us on twitter @bsigoingviral.