“Apps for Good is an education technology movement that is transforming the way technology is taught in schools, turning young tech consumers into tech creators. Apps for Good aims to unlock the confidence and talent of the next generation of problem solvers and digital makers: young people who are ready to tackle the 21st century workplace and are inspired to create new tech ideas that can change their world for good.
In partnership with Samsung, Apps for Good are pleased to be running two Regional Roadshows in Scotland in September, with a theme around ‘Bringing the real world into the classroom’. Join Apps for Good at the roadshow to learn more about:
Utilising industry Experts in the classroom
Advice about integrating student led learning into the classroom
Hints and tips for student assessment
How you can deliver Apps for Good in your school/college
There will also be an opportunity to network with fellow Apps for Good Educators and share best practice and the chance to hear from our External Partners, Code Club and CoderDojo Scotland.
Welcome to our e-bulletin for sciences, technologies, engineering and maths (STEM). Please forward to those who may be interested.
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Sciences
• Award-winning online resources available until June 2016 – add Twig, Tigtag and Reach Out CPD tiles to your Launchpad in Glow
• Higher Physics professional learning videos now online
• Statistics for school biology experiments and Advanced Higher projects – SSERC guide
• 13 – 19 year olds can win a trip to New York City through the Junior Academy STEM competition
• Enter the 2016 Our Environment competition run by SEPA
• Get Learning section of Scotland’s Environment website launches soon – data about climate change, water, rivers and more Technologies
• Register your school to receive BBC Microbit pocket-sized computers for coding
• The National Technologies Network Glow community will keep you up to date
• New engineering science materials on the Glow NQ site
• CPD for Engineering Science – Advanced Higher writers day on the 17 September 2015
• Dunoon Primary beats 300 UK schools to win Kodu Kup
• Open University research project on use of mobile technologies – get involved!
Numeracy and mathematics
• BBC News report on supermarket pricing
• Mathematical Association conference for teachers of secondary mathematics
• The National Numeracy Progression Framework has progression pathways for all numeracy organisers
• Register for Progression Module to be delivered via the National Numeracy and Mathematics Hub from 25 August
• STEM precision farming event for secondary STEM teachers – Perthshire, 7 November
Did you know…….?
The Developing Young Workforce programme will be transforming the way that STEM is delivered in Scottish schools.
Professional learning
Reviewing the requirement for high level STEM skills – UKCES report
Video Inspiration
Make a 3D Hologram projector using a mobile phone app and CD case.
We’ve got loads more news to share! See our STEM blog for the latest updates.
Education Scotland Updates
Education Scotland Email Updates Now Available
Education Scotland offer a number of free email updates and news alerts to keep you informed of the latest developments and events in Scottish education.
We’re delighted to offer you a range of publications with a focus on specific areas, sectors and topics. These all include the latest news and key information along with links to new resources and support materials all in one place and relevant to your area of work.
You can sign up to as many email updates as you like, they are free and delivered straight to your inbox. Visit the Education Scotland website for the full list of publications available and sign up today.
Scottish Learning Festival 2015
SLF is the biggest education event in Scotland, bringing together thousands of educational professionals from across Scotland and beyond. Taking place on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September, the theme of this year’s event focuses on raising achievement and attainment for all.
SLF is free for everyone to attend and gives you access to inspirational keynotes, over 100 professional development seminars, lively debate at the professional discussion sessions, Scotland’s largest education exhibition and opportunities for professional networking with peers and colleagues from across Scotland.
Book now to guarantee your place at SLF. Visit the SLF website to browse the full conference programme and book your place today.
Network and hear from organisations including Scottish Food & Drink Federation, College Development Network, Queen Margaret University, Scottish Qualifications Authority, Education Scotland and industry partners regarding careers in food and drink in Scotland. There will also be an opportunity at the end to visit the Lifting the Lid exhibition currently on at the venue.
Fat is an important nutrient in our diets, but there’s a lot of talk of different types of fats, and whether these types are beneficial or harmful to our health. These different fat classifications have their roots in chemistry – and chemistry can also help explain their effects. This graphic takes a look at the different classifications, their sources, and briefly about how they act in our body.
Food and drink offers an engaging and practical context for learning within Curriculum for Excellence and provides opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and for rich and meaningful partnerships between schools, the food and drink organisations and other partners such as academia and research organisations. This event aims to further explore these links and demonstrate to practitioners how to use food and drink as a context for delivering a range of subjects.
Recommended for: primary and secondary practitioners with responsibilities for sciences, technologies, food & health and business studies planning for learning and transition experiences from second level to senior phase.
Twig and Tigtag have been procured by Education Scotland for a further 12 months through to July 2016.
These award-winning online resources will continue to be available to all local authority practitioners and learners for this time through the Scotland Launchpad and the App Library on Glow.
See our simple guide to find out how to add the Twig, Tigtag and Reach Out CPD tiles to your own Launchpad in Glow.
SSERC recently announced the publication of ‘Advanced Higher Project Investigations’ by Jim Stafford. Jim has teamed up with Professor Graeme Ruxton at the University of St Andrews to produce a new publication ‘Statistics for School Biology Experiments and Advanced Higher Projects’. Copies of this new resource can be downloaded from the Biology Resources section of the SSERC website (www.sserc.org.uk/index.php/biology-2/biology-resources/higher-biology-revised). As was the case for ‘Advanced Higher Biology Investigations’, a printed copy of this resource will be sent to all schools and colleges in the near future.
The list below outlines the professional learning opportunities for next school session being organised by Education Scotland’s Sciences Team.
Please note that events may be subject to change due to availability of venues. Further events may be added to the calendar as the session progresses. Links for registration and venues will be sent out closer to the events.
Local authorities are also able to request support for their own events or to meet particular needs. We also welcome requests from local authorities to support citizen science, learning for sustainability and community resilience activities. To request support please email: ian.menzies@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk
Supported by SQA colleagues, the event will provide delegates with the opportunity to review the key messages from the CfE Higher assessment for each of the sciences. Following an evening of input delegates will then have a full day to co-develop resources for Higher Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Human Biology, and Physics in light of the needs identified.
Target audience: experienced secondary sciences FH and PTs who have been nominated by their authority.
October
28th Sharing Practice Network – raising attainment
This network was set up to explore strategies for raising attainment in the sciences. Our first raising attainment network event was on 11th November 2014. At that event, delegates chose a strategy to develop and trial over the next few months. At the follow up event, as well as some examples of interesting practice, returning delegates will give short presentations on their findings.
Target audience: secondary science FHs, PTs and practitioners. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
November
12th NQ Cross-authority Writing Group
Supported by a number of partner agencies, this event will reflect on the implementation of Advanced Higher and look to generate further resources to support learning and teaching. This event will have places for biology, chemistry, environmental science, human biology, and physics practitioners. Environmental science delegates will concentrate on other levels of NQ.
Target audience: experienced FH and PTs who have been nominated by their authority.
18thNational Early Learning & Primary Science Network
Following on from the two day residential held in June 2015, this event will draw on the collective strengths and expertise of participants to co-develop resources and approaches to share nationally, supporting the on-going development of early learning and primary science. The purpose of this network is to:
develop a common understanding of standards and progression in the sciences
build capacity nationally amongst practitioners to support learning and teaching in the sciences
create a national model for moderation
co-develop resources to support the planning, teaching, assessment and moderation of the sciences curriculum within the Broad General Education.
Target audience: experienced early learning and primary PTs and practitioners who have responsibilities for science and who have been nominated by their authority.
December
8th Sharing Practice Network;
Flexible progression routes from BGE to senior phase
This network was set up to explore progression pathways through the BGE in preparation for the senior phase in science. The first event was held on 27th February. At that event, delegates learned of different strategies to develop over the next few months. At the follow up event, as well as some examples of interesting practice, returning delegates will give short presentations on their developments.
Target audience: school leaders as well as secondary science FHs, PTs and practitioners. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
January 2016
19th Cross-authority Writing Group – BGE (secondary)
Supported by a number of partner agencies, this event will reflect on learning and teaching in the BGE and look to generate further resources and strategies to support learning and teaching.
Target audience: experienced secondary FH and PTs who have been nominated by their authority.
27th Sharing Practice Network – meeting learners’ needs
This network was set up to investigate strategies for learning and teaching in classroom where more than one NQ level is being taught at the same time. Our first meeting learners’ needs network event was on 31st October 2014. At that event, delegates chose a strategy to develop and trial over the next few months. At the follow up event on June 8th, as well as some examples of interesting practice, returning delegates gave short presentations on their findings. This event will look at further developments made, celebrating success and learning from our experiences.
Target audience: school leaders as well as secondary science FHs, PTs and practitioners. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
February
25thNational Science Network – Early to Fourth Level
Building on the achievements of the early learning and primary science network and the cross-authority BGE (secondary) events, this event will bring both networks together to co-develop resources and approaches to be shared nationally.
The purpose of this network is to:
develop a common understanding of standards and progression in the sciences
build capacity nationally amongst practitioners to support learning and teaching in the sciences
create a national model for moderation
co-develop resources to support the planning, teaching, assessment and moderation of the sciences curriculum within the Broad General Education.
Target audience: experienced early learning and primary PTs and practitioners who have responsibilities for science and who have been nominated by their authority. Also, experienced secondary FH and PTs who have been nominated by their authority.
March
1st NQ Cross-authority Writing Group – National 3 & 4
Supported by a number of partner agencies, this event will provide practitioners with opportunities to co-develop classroom resources and approaches to support learning and teaching in National 3 and 4 sciences qualification.
Target audience: experienced secondary FH and PTs who have been nominated by their authority.
Junior Academy is a virtual program for exceptional students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Successful applicants gain access to an exciting community of student peers from across the globe, as well as mentoring from leading STEM practitioners. Each year, Junior Academy students compete in global challenges to solve real-world problems with the chance to win cash prizes and an all expenses paid trip to New York City for a two-day summit. The Junior Academy aims to network thousands of the world’s most promising young STEM talent and provide them the support they need to stay engaged and eager to excel. The program is open to students ages 13–19 from around the world.
This free program is sponsored by the PepsiCo Foundation, ARM, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and others. We are currently recruiting students for the program which begins this autumn; applications are due on August 31, 2015.
Education Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance and SSERC has developed a series of nine professional learning videos focused on new content in Higher Physics.
Featuring some of Scotland’s most talented physicists, they have been designed to provide high quality, accessible professional learning. The videos cover Special relativity, The big bang, Gravitational waves, Collider physics, The standard model, Hubble’s law and nuclear fusion along with two providing guidance on experiments for the Higher Physics assignment.
These videos are available from Education Scotland’s NQ Higher Sciences website.
Included in the resource, kindly shared by SSERC, are the videos of two recent SSERC meets on Hubble’s law and Collider Physics.
Education Scotland would like to thank all of the contributors who gave so freely off their time.
“Apps for Good is an education technology movement that is transforming the way technology is taught in schools, turning young tech consumers into tech creators. Apps for Good aims to unlock the confidence and talent of the next generation of problem solvers and digital makers: young people who are ready to tackle the 21st century workplace and are inspired to create new tech ideas that can change their world for good.
