November 29, 2018
by User deactivated
0 comments
Help us track progress in the provision of career-long professional learning in STEM so we can meet your needs and ensure equity of access and provision.
November 19, 2018
by User deactivated
0 comments
Does your organisation provide career-long professional learning support in STEM (sciences, technologies, engineering, mathematics) and digital skills to any or all of the following groups and/or sectors?
If so, then we’d be very grateful for your support in helping us to recognise the contribution your organisation makes to this.
2.Why are we asking for this data?
In 2017, the Scottish Government published the STEM Education and Training Strategy for Scotland. A key ambition of the strategy is to enhance the provision of high-quality career-long professional learning (CLPL) to the groups listed above.
Education Scotland consulted many of the target groups to find out more about their STEM CLPL needs and the findings are now being used to shape the national offering. A new Enhancing Professional Learning in STEM Grants Programme has recently been launched by Education Scotland to promote innovation in this area and build further delivery capacity.
On an annual basis, we will be gathering data to track progress against the following STEM Strategy Key Performance Indicator: Increase the cumulative hours of STEM professional learning accessed by early years, schools, college and CLD practitioners annually. If your organisation provides STEM CLPL to the target groups listed above, then we’d be very grateful for your support in helping us measure progress against this KPI.
The commitment in the STEM Education and Training Strategy is to enhance the existing provision of professional learning in STEM. As we progress with our plans we want to be sure that there is an equity of provision across all sectors and geographical areas and that the needs of various groups are being met. The tracking process and annual return survey will help us to allocate resources to where they are needed most to address gaps and imbalances.
What will we do with this data?
We will produce an overall analysis of the data provided to us and will be sharing this with key partners such as Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council to inform decision-making and planning in relation to the STEM strategy. The analysis will also be shared widely with the education system through Education Scotland’s communication channels.
The data provided by your organisation will not be identifiable from the analysis. However, you will be given the option of being listed as one of the participating organisations.
3.About the tracking process
The following two-step process is designed to make the on-going capture of this data as easy as possible. If you already have systems in place to capture the relevant data (as outlined in Appendix 1 in the attached Guidance notes) then please disregard Step 1 and proceed straight to Step 2.
Step 1: Collate your STEM & digital skills CLPL data throughout the year
Step 2: Enter your cumulative CLPL data totals in our annual return survey
4. Help us to establish a baseline with your retrospective CLPL data
We are also keen to establish a baseline of activity for academic year 2017/18. We, therefore, would be very grateful if you could provide us with retrospective data for STEM CLPL you provided between 1 August 2017 and 31 July 2018. We appreciate that this may be a challenge given the time that has elapsed since then, so we have created a simple survey to capture this data. We are happy to receive estimated figures.
The survey can be accessed at: https://forms.education.gov.scot/s/STEM20172018/
We would be very grateful if you could complete this retrospective survey by the new extended deadkline of Friday 11th January.
This online survey also asks if you would like to be included in this annual data return process so that the contribution your organisation makes to STEM learning in Scotland can be captured on an on-going basis. If you would like to be involved in the coming years, then please complete the relevant section to ensure that we have the most up-to-date contact details.
You may be interested to know that we also have issued a survey to practitioners in early learning and childcare settings and schools to capture information about the professional learning they have accessed and to identify their priorities for the year ahead.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for the support you provide for STEM learning in Scotland. If you have any questions then please get in touch.
Click on the following links to access the Tracker and Guidance notes referred to in this document:
November 5, 2018
by I. Menzies
0 comments
Education Scotland is pleased to announce the launch of a new grants programme to support professional learning in sciences, technologies, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
This programme is one of a range of initiatives being launched to further the aims and ambitions of the STEM Education and Training Strategy for Scotland.
The grants programme has been established to meet the professional learning needs of practitioners in a number of sectors including: early learning and childcare, primary, ASN, secondary and community learning and development. School-based technical support staff are also a key target audience for the scheme.
The grants have been developed following extensive consultation with practitioners and technicians regarding their priorities. Surveys and focus groups in 2017 revealed a clear demand from practitioners for more localised support and more opportunities to work collegiately within their schools and clusters. Working in partnership with employers, colleges and other providers over a sustained period was also recognised as having a high impact on practitioner confidence. In addition, there was strong support for modular, online learning to give technicians and practitioners easy access to the professional learning they need, at a time that suits them.
Engagement with stakeholders has helped to identify a number of priority themes for professional learning activities such as:
In the initial phase of the grants programme, bids for funding are being invited from organisations and providers that can deliver professional learning support strategically at regional or national level. Should further funding be available in financial year 2019/20 then it is hoped the grants programme can be opened up to school clusters and other organisations to bid for funding.
To find out more about the Enhancing Career-Long Professional Learning in STEM Grants please refer to the grant Guidance document.
To bid for funding, please return your completed grant Application Form to grants@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk by 09:00 on Monday 26 November 2018.
Any questions about the grants programme should be directed to Ian Menzies, Senior Education Officer, Education Scotland on email: ian.menzies@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or Tel: 0131 244 4799.
Downloads
Enhancing STEM CLPL Grant Guidance
Enhancing STEM CLPL Grant Application Form
October 11, 2018
by User deactivated
0 comments
Tomorrow’s Engineers Week provides a unique opportunity for engineers, employers, universities and schools to help inspire the next generation of engineers.
Download toolkits of ideas on how to take part.
This year’s plans include the first Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Big Assembly; offering schools across the UK the chance to take part in the same assembly at the same time.
October 11, 2018
by User deactivated
0 comments
The PSTT Children’s Conference at PSEC is an exciting and unique opportunity for schools to participate in a dedicated primary science conference. The event will take place on Friday 7th June 2019 at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre as part of the international Primary Science Education 
Conference (PSEC).
The theme of the conference is Climate Change, Sustainable Living and Environmental Science. Schools will be encouraged to develop their own projects focused on finding a local issue and developing solutions for it and then share their work: either by attending the Conference or submitting a poster/film of their activity.
Schools can register their Interest at https://www.primaryscienceconference.org/childrens-conference and download the free Climate Change Teachers’ Project Pack. The pack has ideas for projects in ten different areas; as well as advice on developing partnerships, planning projects and a Climate Change Special Topical Science Update.
Look out for more information in late 2018 when schools will be able to apply to present their projects at the PSTT Children’s Conference at PSEC in June 2019.
Keep up to date with what’s going on:
Follow @pstt_whyhow on Twitter
#PSECchildrensconf
Join our ‘PSTT Children’s Conference at PSEC’ Facebook group
September 16, 2018
by I. Menzies
0 comments
I’m a postdoctoral researcher (and STEM Ambassador) working on antibiotic resistance and drug discovery at the University of Strathclyde. I’m very honoured to have been selected as part of Homeward Bound, a year-long, global women in STEM leadership initiative culminating in a 21 day voyage to Antarctica with 80 other women from across the planet. The programme will enable me to build skills in leadership, science communication and visibility. It will enhance my capacity as a microbiologist working in Scotland and enable me to be a more effective leader and communicator – skills that will also help me in my role as STEM Ambassador. Part of my reason for doing this program is to inspire young people that they can do anything they want to do and that anything is possible – I never believed I would go to Antarctica as a little girl from small west coast town in Scotland.
As part of my Homeward Bound mission in relation to science communication and visibility, I would like to collect questions from school children (primary and secondary) relating to STEM subjects, climate change, sustainability and Antarctica. I will take these to Antarctica and try to answer the questions in a video. Anything goes really. If I don’t know the answers I will interview one of the 80 other women on the ship with me. When I come back in February (we have no internet in Antarctica) I will upload the videos to Vimeo and send the link to the schools so they can get their answers.
For more information and to submit questions, see below:
September 7, 2018
by I. Menzies
0 comments
Education Scotland is looking for individuals who are passionate about equality and equity to join our exciting new team.
Our Gender Balance and Equalities Team will comprise six posts, including one Education Officer and five Development Officers. The successful candidates will play an important role in meeting the ambitions of the national STEM Education and Training Strategy, in relation to equality and equity.
Their key task will be to ensure that the learning from the successful Improving Gender Balance pilot programme is embedded in all early learning and childcare establishments and schools by 2022. The officers will be expected to work in close partnership with the Regional Improvement Collaboratives and other key partners to lead and coordinate professional learning programmes and to support effective cross-sectoral collaboration.
Important aspects of the programme will be as follows:
· Helping practitioners to challenge stereotypes and address unconscious bias.
· Challenging gender-based decisions around subject choices, learner pathways and career ambitions.
· Supporting efforts to improve gender balance in Foundation Apprenticeship and Modern Apprenticeship routes.
· Building collaborative networks of practitioners who will come together to learn, share and develop effective approaches.
· Enabling practitioners from early learning and childcare, additional support needs, primary, secondary, community learning and development and further and higher education to work together to ensure a consistent approach to gender and equality across a learner’s journey.
· Helping settings and schools to engage effectively with parents and their wider community in relation to gender balance and equality.
· Promoting effective whole–establishment approaches to equality and equity.
To view the suite of Improving Gender Balance resources developed in partnership with Skills Development Scotland and the Institute of Physics, please visit: http://bit.ly/NIHIGB
To apply for the above posts please visit the following pages on the Work for Scotland website:
· Education Officer, Improving Gender Balance and Equalities
· Development Officer, Improving Gender Balance and Equalities
These posts can be based in any of Education Scotland’s offices located across Scotland. These are 47 month fixed-term and pensionable appointments. Candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria will be invited to the assessments. The closing date is Tuesday 2nd October 2018 at midnight.
August 27, 2018
by I. Menzies
0 comments
In June 2017, Education Scotland issued an online survey to the early years, primary and secondary sectors to find out more about the STEM career-long professional learning (CLPL) landscape and to identify the needs and priorities of practitioners and school-based technical support staff.
The survey findings provided important information and evidence which helped to shape the development of the national STEM Education and Training Strategy. This was published in October 2017 and is available from the following link: http://bit.ly/STEMstrategy
Key findings include:
· Lack of funding, time, workload and geographical barriers remain the biggest barrier to practitioners and technicians accessing career-long professional learning
· Strong support for online learning and modular learning to allow people to access professional learning flexibly anytime, anywhere
· More localised support including from mentors would be welcomed
· Practitioners and technicians want more opportunities to learn and collaborate with peers in their schools and clusters
· Partnerships with employers are an important source of professional learning and learning about STEM careers is seen as a high priority.
The information provided by practitioners and technicians through the survey responses has been extremely valuable. The findings have helped to inform decisions about the ‘coherent national offer’ of professional learning that is being planned in relation to STEM subjects.
Education Scotland is excited about the potential for increasing support in relation to STEM over the course of this academic year and beyond. We are already in the process or recruiting a team of new STEM Education Officers and Numeracy officers to support this. We are also just about to recruit a new team of Improving Gender Balance and Equalities officers to provide further support within the new Regional Improvement Collaboratives.
We’ll be releasing further details in the months ahead as plans are finalised and approved and as new resources and programmes go live. In the meantime, we’d like to give a sincere ‘thank-you’ to all those who promoted and completed the survey. In doing so, you have played a significant role in shaping the plans and decisions that will help to make Scotland a STEM nation.
Download the key findings:
August 22, 2018
by User deactivated
0 comments
SLF 2018 is taking place this week and we cannot wait for our STEM Live Expo! – a fantastic new, interactive experience with STEM demonstrations and inspirational keynote speeches.
SLF 18 STEM LIVE Demo Programme
Please note: the sessions below may be marked as ‘full’ when you register but stand-by places are usually available – just stand outside the relevant room on the day to make use of the free spaces!
Hosted by award-winning science communicator, Dr Heather Reid, the action starts at 09.30 on Thursday 20th September in the Lomond Auditorium, and the programme is as follows:
09.30 – 10.15: ‘Making Scotland a STEM Nation’
Hear the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Mr Richard Lochhead MSP, set out the Scottish Government’s vision for STEM and the ambitious plans in the national STEM Education and Training Strategy published last year.
You’ll also hear from three inspiring young people who’ll share their STEM experiences with you.
10.45 – 11.30: STEM Expo – Part One
Get STEM-inspired! Take part in our wide range of STEM demonstration sessions; hosted and delivered by children, young people, practitioners and experts from across Scotland. In a first for this festival, these sessions are packed full of practical ideas to inspire and motivate STEM learning across early years, primary, secondary and community learning settings.
12.00 – 12.45: ‘Improving engagement with STEM: A science capital approach’
How do we improve, increase and widen engagement with STEM – particularly once learners leave formal education? Join Professor Louise Archer from University College London to hear more about an exciting ‘science capital’ approach which is having a significant impact on young people’s understanding of and engagement with STEM.
13.15 – 14.00: STEM Expo – Part Two
If you enjoyed Part One, then be sure to come along to Part Two to take part in even more interactive demonstration sessions from another selection of inspirational children, young people, practitioners and experts from across Scotland.
14.30 – 15.15: ‘The Art of Science Communication’
Join Dr Jamie Gallagher – scientist, science communicator and salsa dance teacher – as he explores how to make STEM subjects memorable, exciting and accessible for all. Discover how fusing STEM with storytelling, art and dance can empower everyone – including even the most STEM-phobic learners and practitioners! – to connect with STEM in new and interesting ways.
15.15: Closing remarks
STEM Live! 2018 will be brought to a close by Gayle Gorman, the CEO of Education Scotland.
Click here to find out all you need to know about STEM Live! and the 2018 Scottish Learning Festival.
August 20, 2018
by User deactivated
0 comments
Just weeks after unveiling the outcome of a £2M fundraising campaign, in the form of a new exhibition and science learning suite, Dundee Science Centre has secured £1.45M to transform the visitor attraction into an even more accessible community hub.
The Inspiring Science Fund is co-funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Wellcome. The scheme supports science centres to rethink what they do and what they offer to the public. Dundee Science Centre is currently fundraising for an additional £340K to reach its ambitious targets.
The news comes hot on the heels of the re-opening of the top floor following an ambitious redevelopment which doubled the upper floor space through a mezzanine extension, now housing the Medical Marvels exhibition and much improved facilities for the Science Learning Institute.
This latest tranche of funding will transform Dundee Science Centre into an inspiring community hub and lifelong learning resource which brings people together and attracts new audiences within the region. The spaces and programmes will be co-designed with communities from the design stage right through to prototyping and testing, and influenced by their needs to ensure it will feel welcoming, safe and accessible for people of all backgrounds.
Rebecca Erskine, Head of Development, Dundee Science Centre said, “We are incredibly excited to build on our existing relationships with our dynamic partners and community groups and invite in new audiences who may feel as though science isn’t for them to join us on a journey to truly shape and co-design exhibits, environments and programmes which are all influenced by their needs.”
Not only will the ground floor be developed into a custom-built hub with improved scope for events, talks and workshops celebrating community work, but made more user-friendly to those affected by sensory and other conditions.
The transformation will also see the creation of a brand new welcome / reception area, dedicated under 7’s exhibition area focused on child development, a sensory zone and new exhibition space with exhibits which encourage social interactions.
The coffee shop will also be replaced by ‘The Gathering Place’ where visitors can socialise and relax with intriguing injections of science, again all shaped by the community.
Linda Leuchars, CEO, Dundee Science Centre said, “We are absolutely delighted to have secured this new funding which will allow us to take all the work we’ve done over the last 18 years to the next level. We are already proud to be leaders in the field of community engagement but now it’s about exploring where we can take that, and really pushing the barriers of science engagement.”
Echoing the sentiment of inclusion is Paul Clancy, Executive Director of Children and Families Service from Dundee City Council, one of Dundee Science Centre’s partners – “Dundee Science Centre’s ambitious plans will play an important role our aims to tackle social inequalities and provide our children and young people with the best start to life. CONNECT will be an excellent opportunity for Dundee Science Centre and Dundee City Council to explore new and greater ways of working together and to learn from each other’s practice. CONNECT will firmly place Dundee Science Centre and science within the tourism, education and cultural fabric of the city and we are excited to be involved in this journey.”
In addition to the physical transformation, a new website will also be developed, again underpinned by the themes of CONNECT – inclusion, accessibility and diversity. The Science Centre team will also be trained by specialist organisations to ensure that the products and programmes on offer are fit for purpose, accessible and address local needs.
It is hoped that talks with local community groups will commence during Dundee Science Festival in October 2018. The new look Centre should be unveiled in Spring 2021.
The project partners bring expertise from a range of sectors from community learning and development, academia, formal education and health care. They are – Dundee City Council, Education Scotland, Dundee and Angus ADHD Support group, V&A Dundee, University of Dundee, Abertay University, University of St Andrews, Dundee and Angus College and NHS Tayside.
For more information, telephone (01382) 228800 or visit www.dundeesciencecentre.org.uk.
Glow Blogs uses cookies to enhance your experience on our service. By using this service or closing this message you consent to our use of those cookies. Please read our Cookie Policy.