STEM Blog

Careers carnivals will be running throughout STEM Ambassadors in Scotland week (31 January – 4 February) aimed at upper primary and secondary teachers and learners, and featuring live streamed presentations and Q&A sessions across various STEM sectors.

The dates and links to these events are below:

• Tech & Digital 31 Jan, 12noon -1pm
• Forestry 1 Feb, 2 – 3pm
• Construction 2 Feb, 3.30 -4.30pm
• Renewable Energy 3 Feb, 4 – 5pm
• Research 4 Feb, 10.30 – 11.30am

STEM passport

Primary schools can take part in completing a STEM passport and receive a certificate once they have completed this, details on the website

British Science Week

Find out more information on plans for British Science Week at the information session for practitioners 25 January 4pm – 4:45

Ambassador help

STEM Ambassadors in Scotland would like teachers to list activities they need ambassador help with on their database and will pledge to match them with ambassadors, more information here

Or go ahead and list an activity adding British Science Week or BSW in the title before 11th February and STEM Ambassadors in Scotland will aim to match them with ambassadors.

Information session on the STEM Ambassador programme on 7^th February specifically for schools in Tayside.

In response to your feedback, Education Scotland are offering a range of webinars to support the delivery of the sciences. With input from practitioners and other partners, we can support staff with implementation of new
qualifications and provide opportunities for networking

Shape the network…    Set the narrative…    Share good practice

ALL WELCOME

SSN events calendar 2022

Throughout last session, the Secondary Sciences Network (SSN) supported and connected with colleagues, listened and acted on feedback from practitioners: as a result we are delighted to share with you our plans for the new year.

Science Blethers

The week beginning January 17th 2022, we will be hosting informal Science blethers, providing practitioners with the opportunity to connect with other subject specialists, share how they are doing and identify any support needed for this session. Details will be posted on the SSN Teams page, and each meeting will take place in the relevant channel. If you haven’t already done so, please join us on the Secondary Sciences Network Teams page by clicking the link here or by using the following joining code uh9sf32. You will need to join the Team to access the Blethers.

SSN Webinars

You asked for more information about ways to broaden the curriculum within Science and in response to this, we will be hosting a range of webinars through our Teams page starting with An Introduction to Lab Skills on Tuesday 1st February, 4:15pm – 5:15pm. Hear directly from practitioners who have implemented this course and the impact on learning and teaching. There will also be advice on delivery, assessment and evidence gathering.

Sign up via Eventbrite here

We also have Webinars planned on Employability, NPA’s & FA Scientific Technologies, Skills for Work Courses and ASN provision in the Sciences. Dates/times are still to be confirmed, however a draft calendar is available; you can access this on the SSN Teams page.

STEM skills and knowledge helps us all make sense of the world around us and STEM is also a key part of the economy across the Northern Alliance and Scotland as a whole.

To support practitioners from ELC, Primary, Secondary, Post-16 and CLD  we have a number of STEM professional learning opportunities to explore the inspirational experiences, connections and opportunities for all our learners. Although primarily aimed at practitioners in the Northern Alliance region these will be delivered as webinars and as such are open to anyone in Scotland.

Please go to Education Scotland Events and search for STEM to see all of our events and the EventBrite sign up links:

Wednesday 19 January: STEM in the North Special: STEM & DYW Connect Tuesday 25th January: Planning STEM learning
Tuesday 8 February: Creative industries partnerships
Tuesday 8 March: Play pedagogy in STEM
Tuesday 26 April: Global Goals & STEM
Tuesday 10 May: Building STEM Capital
Tuesday 17 May: Inequalities in wellbeing, participation, attainment and achievement
Tuesday 7 June: Summer STEM Activities

In addition in STEM Industry in the North we will hear from regional employers in key STEM sectors about their jobs, the skills involved, pathways including apprenticeships and future direction of the industry.

Wed 26 January: Energy
Wed 23 February: Agriculture
Wed 23 March: Forestry
Wed 27 April: Technologies
Wed 18 May: Life and Chemical Sciences
Wed 8 June: Food and Drink

The Northern Alliance Early Years STEM Network launched in September in Microsoft Teams in Glow .

This network builds on local, regional and national activity including Education Scotland’s national series of STEM webinars for ELC practitioners which took place in session 2020-21.

Recordings of ES National Early Years STEM Sessions:

• Session 1 Resources: STEM Early Years – YouTube
• Session 2 Grants: EY STEM network – YouTube
• Session 3 STEM Nation Award: Stem Nation Awards – YouTube
• Session 4 IGBE: Gender stereotypes Unconscious bias ELC – YouTube
• Session 5 Outdoor Ideas: Early Years Summer Tips – YouTube

We meet informally on the last Thursday every month: at our next session at the end of January we plan to focus on Science and Engineering skills and dispositions – how do we help children to recognise these when they are exploring the world through play?

Please get in touch with Mark Irwin or Janey Irving if you are a practitioner in the Northern Alliance region and would like to connect with us about STEM or LfS.

We would also like to thank our STEM partners and Northern Alliance and northern ES colleagues who have supported STEM in the North over 2021!

STEM Ambassadors in Scotland Week is 31 January – 6 February 2022.

Now available – a practitioner handbook for this event listing all activities and resources that will be available during the week.

Teacher information session  – 24 January 4:30 – 5:15 (online) to let practitioners know more about STEM Ambassador in Scotland Week.

Also coming up – STEM Ambassadors information session  particularly for schools in Tayside on 7 February 4:30 – 5:30pm.

🎄Welcome to the Christmas edition of our fortnightly STEM planner. Keep reading to find out more about exciting STEM developments across Scotland. Please feel free to share this planner with colleagues and school partners.🎄

🎄 STEM Practitioner Professional Learning Survey

Please take a few moments to complete the STEM Practitioner Professional Learning Survey and help us to help you access high quality professional learning that meets your needs.

STEM Practitioner Professional Learning Survey

🎄 Nuffield Research Placements

Nuffield Research Placements provide engaging, hands-on research projects, where S5 pupils have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution towards the work of a host organisation through a well-supervised but independent research collaboration relating to an area of science, quantitative social science, computing, technology, engineering or maths (or a combination). Placements will take place during the summer of 2022, with 2 weeks in-person working with an industry or university/college partner and up to 2 weeks online completing additional planning and research work. This online session is aimed at secondary school teachers and DYW Co-ordinators and will cover an introduction to Nuffield Research Placements, outlining key dates and what it involves.

More information and book here.

🎄TechFest 24 Days of STEM

An interactive advent calendar for the classroom and at home. Facts, activities and STEMspiration each day till 24th December.

Sign up here – TechFest’s 24 Days of STEM!

🎄 SUSTEMABILITY Challenge 2021

There are still places available for primary schools to compete in North East Scotland College’s SUSTEMABILITY challenge.  The programme is designed to inspire pupils to play an active role in the focus on sustainability.

More information and register here.

🎄 National Numeracy free online training

CLD practitioners in Forth Valley and West Lothian area – are you interested in finding out ways to ease anxiety around numeracy and Maths with the young people and the families you work with? The STEM Ambassadors in Scotland Hub has partnered with charity National Numeracy to offer a series of 3 free online training sessions for CLD practitioners to help you learn how to help young people and their families to be more comfortable with Numeracy and Maths. STEM Ambassadors will take part in the course too so that they can support you after the training. The programme is not about teaching Maths, but focuses on supporting people who feel negatively about numbers to develop positive attitudes.

Training will take place on Wednesdays 12^th, 19^th, 26^th January 4-6pm covering

• Numeracy: understanding the numeracy issue
• Supporting positive attitudes in children
• Supporting parents, carers & families

It’s first come first served, with 20 spots for CLD practitioners in Forth Valley and West Lothian area. Please note that you need to be able to attend all 3 sessions and complete a quick survey prior to the course.

To register for a place please sign up Forth Valley & West Lothian BaNC Sign Ups

If you have any questions please contact aileen.hamilton@sserc.scot

The course has just finished in West Partnership and South West Collaborative areas and all participants found it extremely useful. One participant said “I was unsure whether to join or not. I am so pleased that I did.  I have found it really interesting and engaging.”

Sharing teaching practice

Organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University

Tuesday 7th December, 4 – 5 pm

Virtual Event – MS Teams

Register for this next session Planned in Scotland for Scottish teachers – Sharing teaching practice

Register to present at the TeachMeet session

Recording for previous Planned in Scotland for Scottish teachers – classroom questionings session here .

Download the full presentation here .

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS)’s FREE Science Summer School this year has 80 free places available to 16-18 year olds.

This week long course has been held for school pupils during the summer holidays at Edinburgh Zoo or the Highland Wildlife Park since 2006. Ideal for any student keen on pursuing a STEM career wanting to gain experience in the fields conservation, behavioural research, animals welfare or zoo design. It is genuinely a free course delivered onsite, for the purpose of inspiring the next generation of conservationists, free from financial barriers. Over 1000 students have benefitted since the course began back in 2006, however places are limited and it is regularly oversubscribed, so please encourage your student(s) to take their time when completing their application form.

The application process is open already ahead of the March 7th application deadline ahead of it running in August 2022, and interested students can apply here.

On-site visits at both sites are picking up again also for anyone interested/able to venture out.