STEM Blog

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:

• STEM Ambassadors in Scotland (see the Teacher Handbook and Youth Leader Handbook for more information)
• DYW Scotland (where you will be able to access contact details for the Developing the Young Workforce team in your region)

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.

Education Scotland hosted a series of webinars in May 2021 for secondary sciences teachers to support the SQA Alternative Certificate Model. The webinars provided practitioners with the opportunity to share practice and approaches with their peers. Attendees were also signposted to resources designed to support the SQA Alternative Certification Model (ACM).

The PDF document at the foot of this post contains some of the PowerPoint slides used to direct teachers to key sources of support and guidance including:

• SQA Alternative certification model
• SQA Academy
• SQA Understanding Standards FAQ and ACM FAQ
• National e-Learning Offer (NeLO)
• West OS Revision resource for Higher Chemistry/Higher Biology
• Digilearn.scot blog: Support for digital quality assurance

We’re grateful to all the teachers that attended and shared their approaches to verification and cross marking in the break out room discussions. Feedback from attendees was that they found this to be reassuring and supportive. Teachers were also offered support for further networking and matching up to other schools, where required, to support QA processes.

Some of the approaches discussed were:

• Reviewing and discussing the Understanding Standards materials and SQA Academy
• Standardising the marking scheme within our individual departments, peer assess papers within the department then verify a sample of papers externally across the cluster.
• Cross-marking and verification internally and across the authority
• Ways of chunking or splitting paper and subsequent decisions around grade boundaries

During the sessions, teachers identified areas where further detail would be helpful. Education Scotland collated these questions and shared them with SQA colleagues. The responses provided by SQA to these questions are attached below.

Downloads

Sciences SQA ACM Support May 2021

SQA Responses to ACM Questions 17May21

Funding available to educational establishments from the British Education Research Association. £5000 is available for projects looking at the theme of Race, Diversity and the Curriculum.

The establishments bid will be expected to:

• • Identify an issue impacting on the development of Race and Equality in Education in their school/college;
  • Design, implement and evaluate a response to the issue identified;
  • Disseminate the processes and outcomes of the inquiry/investigation within the school/college;
  • Develop a strategy to sustain curriculum investigation/inquiry within the school/college;
  • Contribute to research and scholarship in the study of the curriculum

More information and how to apply on the BERA website.

Closing date 7 July 2021.

Webinar – How does gender inequality affect attainment, wellbeing and participation?

This webinar is an introductory session, or a refresher for people who have attended one of our sessions in the past. Relevant to all settings, we will explore the impact of gender inequality, gender stereotypes and unconscious bias on children and young people, with particular focus on attainment, participation and wellbeing

Wed 26 May 16:30 – 17:30  – Sign up via Eventbrite

Thur 17 June 18:00 – 19:00 – Sign up via Eventbrite

If you can’t make one of the professional learning sessions, why not give our Improving Gender Balance and Equalities podcast a listen. This podcast is intended to give a brief introduction to gender stereotyping and unconscious bias as well as explore the impact of gender stereotyping on wellbeing, confidence, participation, attainment and achievement – listen here (28 mins).

Webinar – Introduction to gender stereotypes and unconscious bias

Strategies for addressing gender stereotypes and unconscious bias including the impact on participation in STEM and learner pathways.

Tuesday 1 June, 4:00 – 5:30 pm, Microsoft Teams

Click here to register via Eventbrite

We invite newly qualified teachers and ELC practitioners from across the Tayside region to join us for this introductory session.

This webinar will be relevant to all settings. We will explore the impact of gender inequality, gender stereotypes and unconscious bias on children and young people. We will also highlight strategies and practical approaches that help to address this including examples of good practice.

This session will be delivered by Mhairi Brodie (IGBE Education Officer) and Hazel Gardner (STEM Education Officer) from Education Scotland Tayside Regional Improvement Team.

Contact STEM@educationscotland.gov.scot for further information.

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.

Outdoor Classroom Day – 20 May

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to make time outdoors part of every child’s day.  On two days of action each year in May and November, teachers take children outdoors to play and learn. Being outdoors and active is a vital part of growing up and living a healthy and fulfilled life; learning outdoors has benefits for children, young people and adults alike.

Four outdoor learning webinars are coming up this term – find sign up details of these on Education Scotland Events.

Glasgow Science Centre – free online festival

Glasgow Science Centre is holding its second online festival from May 19 – 21, and everyone aged 10 and upwards is invited to attend.

Curious About Innovation will celebrate the innovative spirit in all of us, and how that spirit can change the world. The three-day programme of live talks, interviews, games and resources will reveal how technology and innovation are solving global challenges.

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).

Science Planning Resource

Supporting learning, teaching and assessment of science in early learning and childcare settings and primary schools, this resource has been developed through the RAiSE Programme with support from Education Scotland and Scottish Government.

This resource supports planning for science around the experiences and outcomes from early to second level. These activities and approaches should be viewed as useful starting points and suggestions.

Dates for your diary

National Numeracy Day – 19 May

Outdoor Classroom Day – 20 May

World Environment Day – 5 June

International Women in Engineering Day – 23^rd June

Outdoor Classroom Day- 20 May

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to make time outdoors part of every child’s day.  On two days of action each year in May and November, teachers take children outdoors to play and learn. Being outdoors and active is a vital part of growing up and living a healthy and fulfilled life; learning outdoors has benefits for children, young people and adults alike.

Events and resources for Outdoor Learning

Four outdoor learning webinars are planned for Term 4; you can find sign up details of these on Education Scotland Events.

Check out the recordings from our Outdoor Learning webinar programme. We have been delighted to deliver these with partners in local authorities, government departments and organisations such as Learning through Landscapes and Nature Scot.

Updated guidance on school visits and trips is available on the Scottish Government website

Our Outdoor Learning Wakelet has a great collection of resources – easy, one stop shop access to resources and support.

Our professional learning activity on supporting outdoor learning,  developed with SAPOE and supported by the Scottish Government, is the online portal .

A course on outdoor learning for support staff and partners is also available on the SAPOE website.

Find your local greenspace using the Outdoor Learning map developed by ENFOR (environment and forestry) staff in Scottish Government. Put in your establishment’s postcode and find local green space, with the “5 minute walk” filter a great addition. You can also use the map to discover green spaces near your home- ideal to share with parents and carers.

Let’s see some of the exciting learning taking place in your setting on Outdoor Classroom Day.

Share them with @STEMedscot using #Learnoutdoors #Outdoorclassroomday

Dumfries & Galloway’s fourth annual STEM Conference focussing on all aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics will launch on Friday 30^th April.

Due to the ongoing nature of Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s event follows a similar format to last year’s successful online conference. It is hoped that the keynote addresses, workshops & marketplace will provide practitioners with continued learning in all aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics – STEM Conference 2021 Participants.

All conference materials will be available from Friday 30^th April within Glow. These materials will be available throughout Term 4 and into next session to support all practitioners to meet the aspirations of both the STEM Education & Training Strategy for Scotland, and the Dumfries & Galloway Regional STEM Strategy.

Guidance information on how to access and navigate the conference OneNote –

Dumfries and Galloway STEM Conference 2021 Access Guide.

New webinars from PSTT

The Primary Science Teaching Trust has a new series of webinars this term:

12th May: The Geological Society, with the PSTT’s Ruth Shallcross
19th May: The WWF, with the PSTT’s Ruth Shallcross
9th June: The Natural History Museum, with the PSTT’s Ruth Shallcross
16th June: The Royal College of Pathologists, with the PSTT’s Kulvinder Johal
30th June: Leicester City in the Community, with PSTT’s Sarah Eames

Each webinar will be delivered via Zoom and begin at 4pm, lasting around 1 hour .

Check PSTT’s social media accounts for updates:

Facebook: @primaryscienceteachingtrust
Twitter: @pstt_whyhow

Dates for your diary 

Deaf Awareness Week – 4 -10 May

Walk to School Week – 17 -21 May

National Numeracy Day – 19 May 2021

Education Scotland is running a series of webinars to support the SQA Alternative Certification Model for NQ Sciences. The purpose of these sessions is to support curriculum networks to share practice and quality assurance approaches. All sessions will run from 5-6pm.

Biology/Human Biology – Biology: SQA Alternative Certification Model (ACM) – Sciences support – Biology, Wed 28 Apr 2021 at 17:00 | Eventbrite

Chemistry – Chemistry: SQA Alternative Certification Model (ACM) – Sciences support – Chemistry, 4 May 2021 at 17:00 | Eventbrite

Physics – Physics: SQA Alternative Certification Model (ACM) – Sciences support – Physics, 5 May 2021 at 17:00 | Eventbrite

Environmental Science – Environmental Science: SQA Alternative Certification Model (ACM) – Sciences support – Environmental Science, 10 May 2021 at 17:00 | Eventbrite

Please complete the following: https://forms.office.com/r/qau435C2BH  prior to attending the session – this will support sharing practice during the session under the following themes:

• QA Approaches being used/plan to use
• Challenges and Solutions
• Types of support needed

For further information about the full suite of SQA – ACM Webinars please see the ES digilearn blog

On Thursday 13 May Education Scotland and SQA will host an online briefing session for FE/HE admissions tutors regarding the new SQA Higher Applications of Mathematics qualification.

The new Higher will provide progression from National 5 Applications of Mathematics which has been growing in popularity since it was introduced a few years ago. The Applications of Mathematics qualification provides learners with knowledge and understanding in statistics & probability, mathematical modelling, managing finances and planning & decision making in real-life contexts. It also supports learners to use digital technology within Mathematics.

This new qualification is being introduced in academic session 2021-22 and will be of interest to a wide range of FE/HE departments where statistics and/or finance are core components. This includes STEM subjects but also a wide range of other courses including business, psychology, economics, medicine and healthcare etc.

The webinar for FE/HE admissions tutors will take place from 16:00 to 17:00 on Thursday 13 May 2021.

In the webinar, SQA colleagues will provide an overview of the content and skills that will be developed through the new Higher Applications of Mathematics qualifications. Education Scotland will also explain how the new qualification is likely to be introduced within schools. Participants will also be provided with the opportunity for discussion and questions around the implications for admissions to FE/HE courses.

To register for the event, please visit: https://forms.office.com/r/ag5PfnezdE

If you have any questions prior to the event then please email: mathematics@educationscotland.gov.scot