STEM Blog

July 8, 2021
by C. Gillespie
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Craft Scotland CLPL programme

Craft Scotland announce a brand new and FREE CLPL programme specifically aimed at supporting educators at secondary level. This is a mentoring initiative to help teachers develop creative ways of delivering craft and design in relation to STEM subjects. Successful schools will be awarded £100 towards materials and equipment.

Dates for you diary:

  • Introductory online talk by designer Jeni Allison: Tuesday 7th September 2021, 5-7pm (bookings by Wednesday 1st September at 5pm)
  • Mentoring Applications Open: Wednesday 8th September 2021
  • Deadline for Applications: Wednesday 29th September 2021

 

More information via the link below:

CLPL Teaching Contemporary Knitwear in relation to STEM

June 29, 2021
by C. Gillespie
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Blyth Energy Challenge

This challenge is a collaboration between Orkney International Science Festival and Orkney Renewable Energy Forum, to design, make from recycled materials and test a device that will capture wind energy for some defined purpose.

Entry is open to all ages as individuals or teams. Each entry should be accompanied by video footage, no longer than 2 minutes, showing your device in operation and including an audio description which includes the details listed in the Challenge Rules.

To submit your entry and access other resources, check the following link:
2021 Blyth Challenge

Closing date 18 October 2021

June 29, 2021
by C. Gillespie
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Orkney International Science Festival

This year’s Orkney International Science Festival will be delivered online 2-8 September. All events will be directly accessible live through the Festival’s YouTube channel and will remain there for future access.

This year’s programme will appear by mid-July on the Festival’s website .

This year’s themes include the continuing Year of Coasts and Waters and action to tackle climate change. Topics include tidal power progress, offshore wind, hydrogen for planes and ferries, plans to row the Northwest Passage, the science of sailing ships and much more.

Astronomy and Space will also be to the fore, with a stargazing evening, a look at the role of microbes in space exploration, the possibility of extra terrestrial contact, and the latest news of research on gravitational waves. The 190th anniversary of the birth of James Clerk Maxwell will be marked, arguably one of the three greatest physicists of all time.

Biological topics include new genetics research into why Covid-19 affects some people more than others, new ideas on evolution and the origins of life, and living bees through the microscope.

June 24, 2021
by C. Gillespie
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Blueprint 2030 – Future Voice competition

 

 

 

The Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) have announced a new competition, Future Voice, bringing together young people from schools across the country in an important and valuable discussion about the vision for Scotland’s future set out in SCDI’s 2030 Blueprint report.

New school year, a fresh start, and a chance to think about new ways of doing things in Scotland. Join via live stream at SCDI’s annual Forum where the new big ideas for Scotland’s future will be debated! SCDI want the voices of our future leaders to be heard at this event.

The Competition

The Blueprint 2030 document contains 12 big ideas about how Scotland can be a better place in 2030. SCDI want YOUR help in making these ideas even better.

Primary 7 pupils

  • What do you hope Scotland might have invented in 10 years’ time?
  • What kind of place to live do you think Scotland should strive to be?
  • What should school and learning be like in the future?
  • What do you hope will be better in the future?

Secondary pupils

  • Which 3 of the 12 asks should be the priority and why?
  • What do you think those in charge should be doing now to make these happen?
  • What role should businesses and the rest of us play?
  • How would you like your or the lives of others in Scotland to change in 10 years’ time?
  • What are the three words that you would like to be associated with Scotland?

Pupils are tasked to think about the above questions either individually or in groups and discuss their ideas.  Then make a short video/blog informing SCDI of your suggestions to make Scotland a better place in 2030.

Prize

6 winning entries (3 for primary and 3 for secondary) will receive £100 for their school.

What and when to submit

Please share any photos, videos, blog posts, and Tweets that demonstrate your Blueprint 2030 Future Voice project by 3 September 2021.

How to submit your entry

Entries can be uploaded to the YESC Microsoft Teams channel, or sent by email or WeTransfer (for large files) to yesc@scdi.org.uk – Please remember to include your school name. Judging by the expert business panel will take place in the week commencing 6 September with winners announced at the SCDI live event.

Any questions

Please email melanie.riddell@scdi.org.uk with any questions.

Registration

Register your interest here.

June 24, 2021
by I. Menzies
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STEM professional learning gets a £430,000 boost

Education Scotland is pleased to announce that £430,000 is being awarded to support professional learning in sciences, technologies, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This Scottish Government funding is being provided to support the recommendations of Scotland’s STEM Education and Training Strategy, the Making Maths Count Report and the actions outlined in Education Scotland’s thematic review, Multiplying Skills, Adding Value. Over £200,000 of the fund value is being allocated to support specific improvements in numeracy and mathematics.

This third round of funding will enable an estimated 11,000 practitioners from 740 establishments to access high-quality professional learning to further enhance teaching skills. Education Scotland’s Enhancing Professional Learning in STEM Grants Programme builds the confidence and skills of practitioners in a wide range of sectors including: early learning and childcare, primary, additional support needs, and secondary. School-based technical support staff and practitioners in community learning and development settings will also benefit.

There continues to be a very high level of interest in the STEM Grants Programme with over 190 applications being received this year. A total of 84 bids are being supported across Scotland in 2021/22 which offer a wide range of local, national and online professional learning opportunities including:

  • Training for teachers in Cumbernauld Cluster in North Lanarkshire Council to help them teach STEM through outdoor and environmental approaches, including Learning for Sustainability (LfS).
  • Support for Glasgow English as an Additional Language Service to upskill practitioners so learners who have English as an additional language, or who are asylum seekers or refugees, can develop STEM-related skills and be prepared for the world of work.
  • An online programme of professional learning led by e-Sgoil in Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to build capacity for practitioners participating in a Gaelic Early Years STEM network.
  • A programme led by the four local authorities in the South West Regional Improvement Collaborative to train community learning and development practitioners to inspire families by using fun and relevant contexts for learning mathematics.
  • Support for learning and teaching in numeracy and mathematics in Angus Council, with resources made available digitally so many teachers can benefit.
  • A professional learning programme led by the Scottish Technicians Advisory Council and SSERC which will benefit up to 1000 school-based technicians across Scotland.
  • Support to allow primary and secondary science, maths and technical teachers in Fraserburgh cluster to engage in professional learning alongside college and university staff to better prepare learners, especially those most in need, for the STEM industry in the North-East.
  • Training for community learning and development staff in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to help them tackle gender bias in STEM learning and to lead inspiring STEM activity with minority ethnic groups including New Scots; those in recovery; people who have lived experience of disability and those supporting care experienced young people.
  • A programme of professional learning in digital skills for teachers in Morgan Academy in Dundee and its associated primary schools to improve their understanding of emerging technologies.

This latest round of the Enhancing Professional Learning in STEM Grants Programme builds on two previous rounds of funding. Since the grants programme started in 2018, a total of just under £3.5 million has been awarded. Upskilling our teaching staff and practitioners is a key strategy to help Scotland become a leading STEM nation and to ensure our learners have the skills required to access a wide range of exciting and rewarding STEM jobs.

June 8, 2021
by C. Gillespie
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Fortnightly Planner – 8/6/2021

Welcome to our fortnightly STEM blog post. Keep reading to find out more about exciting STEM developments across Scotland. Please feel free to share this post with colleagues and school partners.

National Education Officer – RAiSE

The Wood Foundation and Education Scotland are seeking a National Education Officer to lead the development and delivery of its Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAiSE) programme.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the continued successful delivery of the RAiSE programme which has engaged 16 local authorities to date.  The post-holder will be based in Education Scotland, reporting to a Senior Education Officer, and will be line managed by The Wood Foundation.

Deadline for applications 4pm Friday 11 June.

New National e-Learning Offer website is now live!

The new National e-Learning Offer website is now live: National e-Learning Offer | Education Scotland.

Developed through a partnership involving Education Scotland, e-Sgoil and ADES, all content previously hosted on Excel NeLO spreadsheets is now available through this new platform.  Content includes lessons, videos, calculations, assessment materials, West OS videos, Scholar, BBC Bitesize and e-Sgoil content and more. 23,000 resources are available with over 5000 sciences resources. Sciences and STEM teachers, networks and partnership organisations have played an enormously important role in initiating and supporting this work. Thank you from the STEM Team at Education Scotland – it has been a pleasure working in partnership with you. Further developments are being planned – please send feedback, suggestion and ideas to: stem@educationscotland.gov.uk

Scottish Learning Festival 2021

This year’s Scottish Learning Festival (SLF) will take place on Tuesday 21 – Thursday 23 September. For the first time ever the festival will be an entirely virtual event, offering an amazing 3D experience over 3 days.

Each year we try to explore, review and adapt SLF to ensure we bring an event that’s current and inspiring. This year you will be able to enjoy the ever popular conference programme through a range of live and recorded sessions, take a tour around the exhibition area and find a space to network with colleagues in a fantastic digital arena – all from your own device. Find out more on our website.

SSERC STEM bulletin

SSERC STEM bulletin Summer 2021 – with a Chemistry Map of Scotland, Young STEM Leader Programme case study and more.

STEM Online Resource

Science Planning Resource – Context Planners & Remote Learning Resources

These planners were created to help develop rich contexts for learning.  There are examples for early, first and second level.  The planners follow a natural theme and weave in relevant curricular areas.  Care was taken to consider activities and approaches which could be shared in the classroom, alongside learning that could be delivered remotely.

 

Dates for your diary

11 – 13 June  G7 Summit, Cornwall

23 June  International Women in Engineering Day

28 – 30 September  UN Youth COP26 Milan

11 – 24 October  UN Summit on Biodiversity China

1 – 12 November  UN COP26 Glasgow

1 November  10th anniversary of One Planet Schools Working Group

4 November  Outdoor Classroom Day

As we are approaching the end of term, this is the last fortnightly planner this session.  Have a well earned rest, enjoy your summer and see you back in August.

May 28, 2021
by I. Menzies
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New National e-Learning Offer website is now live!

Education Scotland is delighted to pass on the news that the new National e-Learning Offer website is now live: National e-Learning Offer | Education Scotland. This has been developed through a partnership involving Education Scotland, e-Sgoil and ADES.

All the content that was previously hosted on Excel NeLO spreadsheets is now available through this new platform including West OS lessons, videos, calculations, assessment materials, Scholar, BBC Bitesize and e-Sgoil content and more. In all, there are 23,000 resources available with over 5000 of these being sciences resources.

Education Scotland has also worked in partnership with BBC, Napier University, IoP, Strathclyde University and SSERC to produce 149 practical NQ sciences videos and supporting assessment resources. Many of these are already available and we’re putting the finishing touches to the rest. Over the summer we’ll be doing more filming for the BGE phase. We are also planning future improvements and developments to NeLO over the course of this year.

Education Scotland’s STEM Team like to give a very special and personal thanks to all the teachers and partner organisations who supported this work by sharing their resources freely and by participating in the working groups and curation groups. Sciences and STEM teachers and networks have played an enormously important role in initiating and supporting this work throughout. Having the chance to work in partnership with you to support this work has been a real highlight for the team at Education Scotland, in what was otherwise a very challenging year.

We really hope this resource is of great use to you and your learners over the coming years. We’re looking forward to making further improvements to NeLO in the year ahead. Feedback, ideas, suggestions for the next stage of development are all welcome and should be emailed to: stem@educationscotland.gov.scot

May 27, 2021
by C. Gillespie
0 comments

Fortnightly Planner 27/5/21

Welcome to our fortnightly STEM blog post. Keep reading to find out more about exciting STEM developments across Scotland. Please feel free to share this post with colleagues and school partners.

National Education Officer – RAiSE

The Wood Foundation and Education Scotland are seeking a National Education Officer to lead the development and delivery of its Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAiSE) programme.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the continued successful delivery of the RAiSE programme which has engaged 16 local authorities to date.  The post-holder will be based in Education Scotland, reporting to a Senior Education Officer, and will be line managed by The Wood Foundation.

New National e-Learning Offer website is now live!

We’re delighted to pass on the news that the new National e-Learning Offer website is now live: National e-Learning Offer | Education Scotland. This has been developed through a partnership involving Education Scotland, e-Sgoil and ADES.

All the content that was previously hosted on Excel NeLO spreadsheets is now available through this new platform including lessons, videos calculations, assessment materials, West OS videos, Scholar, BBC Bitesize and e-Sgoil content and more. In all, there are 23,000 resources available with over 5000 of these being sciences resources. Sciences and STEM teachers, networks and partnership organisations have played an enormously important role in initiating and supporting this work throughout. A massive thank you from the STEM Team at Education Scotland – it has been a pleasure working in partnership with you. Further developments are being planed – please send any feedback, suggestion and ideas to: stem@educationscotland.gov.uk

Chemistry Festival

The inclusive and accessible Salter’s Chemistry Festival is running on-line on June 15 from 1-3pm, aimed at pupils working at third level. To book a place please email festivals@salters.co.uk . For any questions, please email the organiser, jane.essex@strath.ac.uk . This year’s theme is ‘the chemistry of a chocolate caramel wafer’ and there are a series of investigations for participants to carry out before the event. The investigations require ordinary kitchen equipment, so are suitable for groups who don’t have access to a lab.

STEM Conference

Dumfries & Galloway’s fourth annual STEM Conference focussing on all aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics is now available.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s event is an online conference.

With keynote addresses, workshops & marketplace on all aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics – STEM Conference 2021 Participants.

All conference materials are available within Glow throughout Term 4 and into next session.

Dumfries and Galloway STEM Conference 2021 Access Guide.

Travel in(to) the Future

University of Dundee School of Science and Engineering with the Tayside & Fife branch of the Institution of Civil Engineers, have launched this year’s annual STEM poster competition aimed at primary and secondary school students. The topic is “Travel in(to) the Future”.

There are prizes in each category, in the form of Amazon vouchers.

The competition closes on 16 June 2021 (midnight).

STEM Online Resource

Improving Gender Balance and Equalities Resources

A range of resources to help improve gender balance, equity and equality.

 

May 25, 2021
by C. Gillespie
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National Education Officer – RAiSE

The Wood Foundation and Education Scotland are seeking a National Education Officer to lead the development and delivery of its Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAiSE) programme.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the continued successful delivery of the RAiSE programme which has engaged 16 local authorities to date.  We have the ambition to work with the remaining authorities in Scotland over the next five years, as appropriate. The post-holder will be based in Education Scotland, reporting to a Senior Education Officer, and will be line managed by The Wood Foundation.

A key responsibility will be to provide strategic support to a network of Primary Science Development Officers (PSDOs) based in local authorities. The post-holder will also work closely with other partner organisations.

Additional key responsibilities include:

  • Project manage the RAiSE programme and lead on national evaluation and reporting requirements.
  • Be responsible for the distribution of the RAiSE programme funding and work with local authorities to report on programme spend, ensuring value for money.
  • Provide regular updates to funders on the administration of the funding.
  • Provide high-level support to local authorities to support their planning and development of action plans and to engage with schools’ leaders and strategic decision-makers.
  • Develop and share case studies nationally to highlight effective practice in science and STEM.
  • Work alongside The Wood Foundation Learning and Evaluation Manager to develop local authority evaluation with consideration of how to measure impact and continually evolve the programme offer and support.
  • Provide guidance to participating local authorities to support learning, teaching, and assessment in STEM.

The successful candidate will display the following competencies:

  • Leading others
  • People management
  • Improving performance
  • Communications and engagement
  • Analysis and use of evidence
  • Financial management

Essential criteria for this role include:

  • Excellent knowledge of science and STEM within the context of Curriculum for Excellence
  • Proven track record in a leadership position within an education sector organisation
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, confidence in dealing with a range of contacts
  • Experience of partnership working with the ability to build and maintain strong and effective working relationships
  • Previous experience of managing the progress, delivery and budget of key education projects.

Deadline for applications:       4pm on Friday 11th June 2021
Interviews to be held:              Wednesday 23rd June 2021

Contact info@thewoodfoundation.org.uk for an application pack.

Please read the job description and programme briefing for additional information before applying.

May 20, 2021
by Hazel Gardner
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Survey results show increase in engagement with STEM partners

Earlier this year Education Scotland published a report presenting the key findings from the 2018/2019 Annual STEM Practitioner Survey for teachers and ELC practitioners. The survey provided valuable insights into the professional learning needs of practitioners; the challenges they face in accessing professional learning and their professional learning priorities.

A key finding from this survey was the significant increase in settings engaging with STEM partners. 42.1% of survey responses indicated that their school/ELC setting had established a partnership with one or more STEM partners from the private, public or third sector. This is an increase of 16.2% from the 2017/2018 survey. Furthermore, an additional 26.5% of 2018/2019 responses stated that their school/ELC setting hoped to have established a new STEM partnership by the end of the following academic session.

 

 

Over 200 practitioners reported that they found out about partner organisations through STEM Ambassadors with personal contacts and networking/collegiate events being the next two most popular responses. Educational settings looking to establish a STEM partnership can do so by contacting the following organisations:

You may also wish to view the infographic on the STEMnation.scot online resource to find out more about the professional learning opportunities available for STEM and DYW.

You can read more about the survey findings in the National STEM Data section on the A summary of STEM resources National Improvement Hub page. Education Scotland uses this data to help shape the national professional learning offer, including the projects supported through the . A wide range of partner organisations have also used the survey findings to help them align their professional learning programmes and strategies to the needs of practitioners.

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