STEM Blog

February 15, 2013
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Electric Car Charging Points Plan for Scotland

Something topical in last week’s news, if you’re working with the Electric Transport context from STEM Central. Charging points for electric cars are to be installed across Scotland’s road network, so that you will never be more than 50 miles from a charging point.

Will this be enough? Our previous post on motorists’ “range anxiety” may be of interest.

Will this help us progress to our low carbon future? Considering where our energy comes from is a theme for learning within the “Energy Security” advice, guidance and exemplification published last year.

Further learning journeys for electric transport, for early to second level, will be published later on in 2013.

February 13, 2013
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Planning for learning and teaching around the Commonwealth Games: The Maths of Medals @DundeeSciLearn

With last night’s session on cycling sciences and technologies fully booked, and primary and secondary practitioners working together with the Dundee Science Centre team, and School of Education at University of Dundee to share innovative practice, and challenge thinking on learning and teaching, I thought it might be worth blogging to say we’ve a few places remaining on next week’s one!

The Maths of Medals: Is it the winning or the taking part that counts? The maths behind sporting competition for second and third level

Wednesday 19 February 2014 1615 – 1830

Who topped the 2012 London Olympic Medal table? Can we predict which nation will perform the best in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow? How on earth is international trampolining, high board diving or equestrian scored?

Data, analysis and ideas of chance and uncertainty come together as we consider this engaging context for mathematics and its impact on the world, past, present and future.

Recommended for: Practitioners planning for learning and teaching at second and third level in mathematics

This event will be held at Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN. This event will be held at Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN. A number of charitable trust funded places are available. If you are interested, please contact us on learning@dundeesciencecentre.org.uk. The session runs from 1630 – 1830 with arrival for registration and refreshments from 1615.

February 8, 2013
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Water Security, Food Security…and beans on toast?

STEM Central’s water context is being extended to incorporate learning journeys for early to second level, and we are currently in process of developing our new context for the broad general education “Food Security”. Can’t wait? Why not take a look at this Beans on Toast activitiy from The James Hutton Institute (www.hutton.ac.uk). Just how much water goes into making a simple meal like beans on toast?

As the world’s population continues to grow the issues of food, water and energy security are becoming more and more important. By examining the amount of water required to make the food we eat every day you can discover just how vital access to safe and secure water supplies is.

First of all the different components of the meal were weighed before being dried in an oven at 70°C so their dried weight could be measured. This showed the water content of beans and toast to be 60%.

However the water content of the meal itself is just a small proportion of the water required to grow or produce all the different ingredients in the meal and the second part of the activity looks at the many different stages of the production process that need water.

Suggestions and further information on how to conduct your own beans on toast project can be found on the Living Field website http://livingfield.hutton.ac.uk/people/beansontoast . The original beans on toast project was funded by the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) www.crew.ac.uk and conducted by student Sarah Doherty, who was supported by artist Jean Duncan during her visits to schools.

February 8, 2013
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Comments Off on Hope Beyond Hype: a story of stem cells from discovery to therapy

Hope Beyond Hype: a story of stem cells from discovery to therapy

If you are looking for an introduction to stem cell science, research and issues for use with secondary age learners, or for your own learning, the  Hope Beyond Hype graphic story may be of use. It can be viewed in a variety of formats, making it flexible and accessible, or can be ordered in print. The people who produced it, EuroStemCell, a group formed in March 2010 to unite more than 90 stem cell and regenerative medicine research facilities across Europe, are interested to hear from young people using the resource.

If you do make use of the resource, whether you are a young person or a practitioner, why not share your thoughts by commenting on this post?

January 29, 2013
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Passeport pour la Francophonie and All U Need is Space

Education Scotland’s Passeport pour la Francophonie website resource, published in September 2012, takes you on a voyage of discovery through the French speaking world, through the eyes of children:Aude from France; Assouan from Egypt; Nyanga from Gabon; Menabe from Madagascar; Takakoto from Polynesia; with Angus from Scotland as our guide.

The sciences are explored through a number of learning journeys. In one journey, about space research and space junk, the children put forward their points of view which learners can use as the basis for debate “Space Research: is it worth it?”.

If you’re planning learning around space research or more widely with space as a context, the e-comic “All U Need is Space”, recently published by the European Commission, and accompanied by a website “Your Learning Space” may provide a stimulus for learning, along with useful information and videos to support and enrich learning and teaching.

This image is reproduced from the e-comic “All U Need is Space” published in Luxembourg by the Publications Office of the European Union Copyright European Union 2012.

January 11, 2013
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Comments Off on STEM Central and IDL

STEM Central and IDL

STEM Central contexts present ideal opportunities for an interdisciplinary approach to learning, and the learning journeys exemplify what IDL can look like in practice. STEM Central can be used in conjunction with Education Scotland’s recently published Curriculum for Excellence briefing on interdisciplinary learning to plan for meaningful and effective IDL in early years, primary and secondary.

What’s on STEM Central:

Contexts for learning with learning journeys, videos and interactives: Renewables, Water, Electric Transport, Energy-Saving House, Bioengineering, Sound and Games. Our new context “Rescue Vehicles” will be published soon.

December 16, 2012
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STEM Central and Electric Transport “Range Anxiety”

If you’re using the STEM Central Electric Transport context with your learners, videos from the Guardian’s Newton channel may be of interest. In this recent video “Electric car school helps motorist conquer ‘range anxiety'” , Physicist and science communicator Dr Melanie Windridge finds out more about the technologies of the electric car.

December 13, 2012
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Comments Off on Energy Security as a theme for learning in the Senior Phase

Energy Security as a theme for learning in the Senior Phase

If you are planning learning and teaching associated with Energy Security for Physics in the senior phase, today’s news about fracking, reported by the BBC Minister’s approve shale gas fracking may be of interest. The BBC has also published a number of useful articles and video clips for understanding more about fracking.

What if fracking and why is it controversial?

Fracking: Untangling fact from fiction

Fracking: Lancashire villagers anxious after tremors

What is fracking? The process explained in 15 seconds

“UK will run out of gas without shale development”

Find our advice, guidance and exemplification around Energy Security on the Education Scotland website.

November 27, 2012
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Food Security: a context for learning at all levels

If you are using the advice, guidance and exemplification associated with Food Security for National 4 and National 5, or looking forward to the new STEM Central context on this theme, the Global Food Security blog may be of interest. Is food security only an issue for developing nations? Should we stop fishing? Lots of ideas to explore science and ethics.

November 22, 2012
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Forensic Rookies, Transition and the AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust: Scottish Islands and Mainland ICT and Science project

We’ve been keeping you up to date with this inquiry based science project since last December, through STEM Central in Motion and a session at SLF2012.

The teacher materials associated with the project written by Susan Rodrigues, and practitioner participants in the project Janette Kean and Diane McMichael, are now available as a free downloadable ebook .

There have been a series of videos made using learners and practitioners and these will are available via the ScienceEdResearch channel on YouTube.

The individual vodcasts for each school:

Brae High; Blairgowrie; Coupar Angus; Inveralmond Community High; Urafirth; Westfield

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