Category Archives: Attention All

Office Surfing – experimenting and exchanging workplaces

March 27, 2015 S. Bullock Leave a comment

Office Surfing

The Dangerous Idea …

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in a very different environment from your usual workplace? Would you like to try it out and become an office surfer? Would you like your organisation to Host and office surf? Would you like to meet people from other professions and sectors? What? … Spend some time in a different work environment, doing your work or work as a host, welcoming a surfer to experience your working environment.

Why? …

Two reasons (among many!):

To become more aware of the physical work environment, and the effect it has on your work. Does your workplace help you to be creative? How is the new environment different? What about it is helpful? Any ideas you could take back and implement in your own workplace?
To meet new people and have interesting conversations. The random coffee scheme that was organised by Education Scotland has put hundreds of people together for interesting conversations, and ideas have grown out of it.

Benefits?

As a Surfer you get:

the chance to see what working in a different environment feels like, and how it suits – or doesn’t – your work and your style
to benchmark your own work-space against the one you are visiting, and against best practice, and come away with ideas for improvement.

As a Host you get:

feedback on your work environment from a fresh pairs of eyes, based on rigorous research rather than just personal preference

You both get and interesting and unexpected connection.

The Emporium of Dangerous Ideas gets:

stories, photos and videos from surfers and hosts about their experiences
the assessment of what makes a creative environment
lots of great learning to share

Results of the office surf will be shown at the Emporium Finale in an exhibition of creative change. This will take place on Friday 19 June 2015 view programme and book online. If this sounds like a Dangerous Idea that you would like to be a part of, please contact Dawn Brooks dawn.brooks@cdn.ac.uk for more information on how to take part. Any responses should be in by Thursday 30 April 2015.

Art and Design, Community Learning and Development, Primary, Secondary

Learning Through Exhibitions Resources for teachers and community leaders

March 17, 2015 S. Bullock Leave a comment

The Learning Through Exhibitions series helps schools and community groups to explore exhibitions before, during and after a visit to The Fruitmarket Gallery. They can also be used for arts activities at any time alongside our other resources documenting the exhibition. The series suggests ways to think with and through art and be inspired to make it. Creative Challenges are open-ended and adaptable to any age group.

Download Learning Through Exhibitions: Stan Douglas http://fruitmarket.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/Learning-Through-Exhibitions.pdf

Download Learning Through Exhibitions: Possibilities of the Object http://fruitmarket.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Learning-Through-Exhibitions1.pdf

Community Learning and Development, Early Learning, Primary, Research and Strategy, Secondary

Creative Conversation – Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire

March 17, 2015 S. Bullock Leave a comment

Forth Valley Creative Learning’s second Creative

Conversation for 2015 is happening tomorrow, Wednesday 18th March,

4.30pm – 6.30pm.

There are still a few places remaining if you would like to come along

or if any staff are interested in attending.

Design Thinking – Solving Problems and Challenges using Creative

Approaches

Led by Dr Scott Sherwood – Live Think Design

Makers Gallery and Bistro, Alloa, Clackmannanshire

www.themakersvillage.com

Wednesday 18th March 2015

4.30pm – 6.30pm

Doors open at 4pm for refreshments and registration and time after for

networking and refreshments until 7pm

All welcome.

After February’s sold out conversation exploring De Bono’s lateral

thinking theories we continue our focus on creative problem solving.

We are looking forward to welcoming Dr Scott Sherwood who will lead a

participative and engaging 2 hour workshop sharing some tools and

exercises you can use to consider new thinking about existing issues in

school, community or work.

This session will introduce design thinking, a rigorous creative

process that enables individuals and organisations to identify and

articulate the challenges they face, while also enabling them to create

feasible and viable solutions. Using design thinking tools and

methodologies, individuals and organisations are able to develop empathy

for the people they are designing for (i.e. pupils, students, teachers,

lecturers, staff etc), challenge their own assumptions and understand

their underlying motivations.

Dr Scott Sherwood is a widely published academic and has led

organisational change initiatives, including the innovation programme in

the Technology Strategy Board’s £24 million Future City Demonstrator.

This workshops is open to head teachers, teachers, SLA’s, education

officers, early year’s educators, lecturers (FE and HE), students,

arts development officers, CLD officers, youth workers, community

workers etc. This workshop would also be of interest to creative

practitioners working in a learning / community context. All welcome.

If you would like to join us please book free tickets via:

www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1299170

Forth Valley Creative Learning is a collaboration between Education in

Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire, creating together opportunities

to explore creativity and creative learning.

Kind Regards

Clare

Clare Hoare

Senior Practitioner (Creative Learning)

Education

Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils

Teith House

Kerse Road

Stirling

FK7 7QA

Mon – Wed: Tel: 01786 274000 (Tolbooth)

Thurs – Fri: Tel: 01786 233226 (Teith House)

Mobile: 07876 877004

Email: hoarec@stirling.gov.uk

The aims of the Creative Learning programme and Forth Valley Creative

Learning are to support, increase and enhance participation in a wide

range of cultural and creative learning activities both within and out

of schools through the development and support of imaginative projects,

programmes and activities in collaboration with schools, creative

practitioners, local and national arts organisations and other partners

such as Creative Scotland and Education Scotland.

Forth Valley Creative Learning network is open to anyone with an

interest in creative learning for children and young people. In

partnership with Falkirk Council Education we host a number of talks and

professional development opportunities during the year. If you would

like to find out more or join our mailing list please email

creativelearning@stirling.gov.uk

Art and Design, Primary, Secondary

John Byrne Drawing Competition update

March 4, 2015 S. Bullock Leave a comment

Friday 6 March is the date for final entries for the John Byrne national drawing competition to arrive at Education Scotland offices in either Dundee or Glasgow. We have had an excellent response from schools so far but there are still four days to go until the competition ends!

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/eslb/2015/03/02/john-byrne-drawing-competition-update/

Dance, Secondary

Delivering a high quality Dance experience – free CPD opportunity

March 4, 2015 S. Bullock Leave a comment

Day of Dance – Delivering a high quality Dance experience in a 21st century curriculum, Saturday 21 March 2015, Denny High School, Falkirk

This is a free event, open to teaching staff across all sectors. This will be of particular interest to schools who have started their learning journey through dance and wish to develop their confidence and competence in a variety of learning contexts. Participants will have the opportunity to attend a variety of practical workshops delivered by teachers. These workshops will showcase innovative learning approaches in dance and will demonstrate how these can be incorporated into practice.

Drama, Secondary

Inspire your whole school with Shakespeare Schools Festival in Scotland!

March 3, 2015 S. Bullock Leave a comment

Shakespeare Schools Festival is the UK’s largest youth drama festival, we work with over 1000 schools and 140 theatres across the country, and we hope you will join us this Autumn to make the 2015 Festival the biggest and best yet!

What is Shakespeare Schools Festival?

SSF is a charity that gives primary, secondary and special schools across the UK the opportunity to perform a 30 minute abridged Shakespeare play on a local, professional stage, alongside other local schools. We provide the training, resources and structure that enables you to direct a cast of up to 30 students to perform your chosen play in a non-competitive, celebratory night of Shakespeare in the Autumn term. For more detailed information please visit www.ssf.uk.com/howitworks.

Here is the full information leaflet: Info for Scottish schools – updated

This year in Scotland we will host the Festival at the following theatres, the Platform Theatre in Glasgow, The Church Hill Theatre in Edinburgh, Eden Court in Inverness, The Lochgelly Centre in Fife, Falkirk Town Hall and ACT Aberdeen. The performances will be in November, with additional training dates earlier in the year.

Spaces are limited, so do contact us via the details below as soon as you can if you are interested in hearing more!

Jenny Rush-Cooper

jenny.rushcooper@ssf.uk.com

020 7601 1933

Additional Support for Learning, Early Learning, Primary, Secondary, Technologies

Creative Use of Tablets in Schools – free European online course

March 3, 2015 S. Bullock Leave a comment

The European Schoolnet Academy is happy to announce that its Spring courses of 2015 are now open for enrollment. Join us on two exciting MOOCs this April, designed by teachers for teachers.

The first course to launch on the 13th April is the Creative use of Tablets in Schools course. Join us on this exciting learning journey that aims to guide teachers in their use of tablets and inspires them to use tablets to foster innovative teaching and learning. In 4 modules it gives a general introduction to the use of tablets in schools and discusses how tablets can support new learning approaches such as content creation, collaborative learning, personalized learning and flipped classroom. You can enroll on the course here: http://www.europeanschoolnetacademy.eu/web/tablets-in-schools. If you use social media, please also join the course Facebook group and help us spread news about the course via Twitter using the course hashtag #tabletscourse.

Community Learning and Development, Dance, Drama, Early Learning, Music, Primary, Secondary, THIS IS A TEST

Imaginate Festival & Delegate regestration is now open!

March 3, 2015 S. Bullock Leave a comment

Why register?

This year, you must register as a delegate in order to book your tickets from our Festival and delegate events programme and to be included in the delegate manual. For more information and to download the full festival and delegate events programme, click here. Registration gives you:

Priority booking opportunities across the whole Festival programme.
Access to all the free delegate-only event.
The Imaginate Festival delegate manual.

All performances, events (and transport) are ticketed and subject to availability. Early booking is recommended, so register now in preparation for on sale day. Tickets are available to registered delegates from Monday 9 March at 12 noon. Best wishes The Imaginate team

Schools/Groups booking is open now.

The school performance programme is made available to schools for booking in advance of the public programme on sale date and also offers FREE performances of award-winning theatre from the UK for schools that do not have the resources to independently support visits to the Festival.

Here is the full link to the full information pages: http://www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/?utm_source=Imaginate+mailing+list&utm_campaign=0f2c1cc900-Imaginate_Festival_Delegate_events&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_16095e5529-0f2c1cc900-435383277

Colleges, Community Learning and Development, Languages and Literacy, Primary, Secondary, THIS IS A TEST

Gaelic Creative Writing Competition

February 24, 2015 S. Bullock Leave a comment

Donald Meek Award 2015

The Gaelic Books Council is inviting submissions for the Donald Meek Award 2015 which aims to encourage new and creative writing. This may be poetry, short stories, novels or drama. Academic works and research studies written in English related to Gaelic are also invited.

For more information, please contact janice@gaelicbooks.org or www.gaelicbooks.org. Applications must be submitted no later than Friday 3 April 2015.

News, opportunities, research and strategy relating to creative teaching and learning in Scotland