Category Archives: Interdisciplinary Learning

Shape the Future competition – improving the lives of women and girls worldwide

School should be aware of the upcoming second Shape the Future competition which will be launched on the 28 April 2014 across the UK. The competition will be open to all UK schools and will ask young people (aged 11-16) to outline and present on their priorities for improving the lives of women and girls worldwide. Following a judging panel, the winning pupils will be invited to attend and present their ideas at a global summit hosted by the Prime Minister in July.

The themes of this short group project fit into subjects across the curriculum, including Modern Studies, RME, Geography, History, English and PSE as well as lending itself to a context for inter-disciplinary learning.  A dedicated ‘Shape the Future’ website will provide teachers with a range of resources to guide pupils through the competition.

Education Scotland has provided a Learning Journey considering aspects of gender equality which will be a helpful resource to schools.  Last year Promoting  Diversity and Equality: Developing Responsible Citizens in 20th century brought to the fore exemplars of good practice and resources to assist in taking forward approaches to diversity and equality.

On 7 May Game On Scotland and Education Scotland  have organised a conference for Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games: Promoting Equality and Diversity it will reflect on the three core values of the Commonwealth Games Federation, humanity, equality and destiny.  The conference will provide delegates with a speakers and workshops focused on values education in a global context as well as the inclusion of all.

Inspired by my Museum, International Writing Competition

An encounter with a museum can be a life-changing experience, a realisation of the past or an inspiration for the future. If you have a poem, short story or reportage inspired by a museum you have visited, tell us and your words could be selected for publication.

http://www.sampad.org.uk/learning/opportunities/competitions/

It could be the space, architecture, design, an object or objects in the museum or even the museum/exhibition curator who has inspired you.

  • Further to the overwhelming response to the launch of the competition, we have now extended the age limit so that any writer from anywhere in the world from the age of 16 upwards can take part.
  • Entries can be up to 400 words.
  • Only ONE entry is allowed per person
  • LAST DATE FOR ENTRIES IS MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2014

Kids in Museums – Takeover Day Scotland 2013

Takeover Day Scotland 2013

On 28 November Scotland’s museums are being taken over. Will you be inviting children and young people to be in charge of your museum?

Takeover Day Scotland is a celebration of children and young people’s contribution to museums, galleries and historic homes. It’s a day on which they are given meaningful roles, working alongside staff and volunteers to participate in the life of the museum.

inGenious competition brings STEM classes to life

A new competition has been launched to inspire the most creative teaching minds to translate their passion for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects into exciting classroom experiences.

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/about-nfer/media-and-events/ingenious-competition-brings-stem-classes-to-life.cfm

The inGenious competition – co-ordinated in the UK by Futurelab at NFER – calls for all teachers in Europe to help their pupils better see the link between their passions, the set of skills which make them possible, and the education paths leading to those skills.

The inGenious competition is open to all teachers at primary and secondary school level. Applications are open until 28 February 2014, and 30 finalists will be invited to attend the inGenious European Award Ceremony in Brussels later in the year.

Young People’s Photographic Competition

The Economic and Social Research Council is running a competition which challenges young people aged between 14 and 18 to produce a picture on the theme of “Where do I belong” – thinking about dimensions such as community, family, friends, country, beliefs, etc. Full details on the ESRC website

Deadline for entries – 9 December

Animation Competition 2014

Red Kite Animation and Edinburgh Museums & Galleries have launched their Animation Competition 2014.
Deadline for Entries: end March 2014.
The competition is open to any schools or youth groups in Scotland who are invited to create an animation based on an imagined backstory about any object in the Edinburgh Museums & Galleries collection.
You might find your inspiring object at the Museum of Childhood, the Writer’s Museum or any of the other 12 venues and then imagine how it might have been used or what happened in its history.
The winning animations from the 2013 competition are currently in an exhibition at the City Art Centre on Market Street in Edinburgh. The exhibition is on the first floor and runs through until 12th January 2014.
Download the following documents here:
Competition poster – Competition Rules
At a glance rules – At_a_Glance_Rules 2014_HEADED
Rules in full – Competition Rules

Look, Capture, Create – national Glow creativity project

Glow Learning Experiences – Week beginning 13 May

The ‘Look, capture, create’ interdisciplinary learning experience takes place over four weeks and is aimed at second level learners. Developed in partnership with Dundee Contemporary Arts it explores the use of designer/illustrator Johanna Basford’s exhibition ‘Wonderlands’ to improve understanding of the importance of Scottish biodiversity through skill development in art and design and science creativity challenges.

These experiences have been planned to coincide with Scotland’s Nature Festival and Walk to School Week. The first 10 schools to sign up for two or more creativity challenges on the Glow TV schedule will receive 20 black ink pens, as recommended by Johanna Basford and a copy of her latest book ‘Secret Garden – An Inky Treasure Hunt’.

The ‘Look, capture, create’ National Glow Group (Glow login required) provides more information.

Scottish Natural Heritage reports that it is clear that for 10-17 year olds the importance of the natural environment appears to drop with age. Around 30% of 10-17 year olds have some knowledge of biodiversity, landscapes and special places for nature, while significantly more claimed knowledge about climate change.  Young people are an important biodiversity audience both now and in the future. By engaging with them today it is hoped the biodiversity message will be inherited by the next generation and so on.

This interdisciplinary learning experience will give learners direct access to illustrator/designer, Johanna Basford, a storyteller from the Scottish Storytelling Centre, artists from the DCA Community and Education team and a scientist from Dundee University to enable them to explore a series of creative challenges to learn about biodiversity, pattern and relationships in nature, visual elements and enterprise. Learning experiences will focus on improving observation skills in art and science, developing a curiosity and love of natural Scotland and an understanding of the importance of biodiversity. These experiences will culminate in the co-creation of a design to promote awareness of the importance and beauty of Scottish biodiversity.

Magical Thinking – Tapestry Masterclasses 2012-13

Tapestry Partnership has launched a programme of Masterclasses taking place between November 2012 and September 2013 which offer examplars from Scotland and elsewhere of meaningful and lasting change in learning. If offers snapshots of approaches which are “making a difference” and where change is progressive and the direction for the future is ambitious and challenging.

The programme explores areas such as unlocking potential, improving schools, interdisciplinary learning, and making thinking visible. For more information download the programme here:

Magical Thinking – Tapestry Masterclasses 2012-2013

TESS features Creativity

Creativity is the central theme running through September’s edition of TESS. Click on the following titles to view each article:

‘Creative sparks can fire up the curriculum’

Editor Gillian MacDonald highlights projects which are stimulating the imagination and encouraging new thinking in schools and local authorities.

Joan Parr

Joan Parr, portfolio manager for education, learning and young people, Creative Scotland is featured, talking about the national drive for creativity across learning.

‘Step Forth into the Creativity Portal’

The new-look Creativity Portal is reviewed, including an overview of its new features and feedback from teachers using the site.

‘Away with the Fairies’

Project Dream, is a collaboration between City of Edinburgh’s Arts and Learning Team, the Lyceum Theatre and Edinburgh schools in which teachers and pupils are coming off timetable to immerse themselves in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Mining history for great ideas

East Lothian has used some of its Creative Learning Networks funding to support a number of  Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. One of these KTPs has inspired a partnership project between local primary schools and Prestongrange mining museum. Pupils from two schools designed new products to solve some of the dangerous problems miners face and presented their ideas to each other in a Dragon’s Den style Glow Meet. To find out more, read Douglas Blane’s article in TESS.

Click here to find out more about East Lothian’s Creative Learning Network