Category: Forth Valley and West Lothian

Spotlight on: Supporting our Families, Young Children and Staff Digitally.

Bathgate Early Years Centre, West Lothian, has always demonstrated a strong supportive ethos for our families, young children and staff. We have aimed to continue this during this uncertain time. One of the essential focuses has been mental wellness; we created this Mental Health Awareness Sway as a reference point for anyone who may need ideas to help regulate emotions and feelings for themselves or children and access helplines or websites for support. This is continually being updated each week.

We communicate regularly with parents/carers through the Online Learning Journal message feature where we provide the opportunity for a chat and suggest try at-home activities to help keep the children busy and active.  Staff members regularly film themselves reading their favourite stories to the children ensuring the children are still seeing our familiar faces and hearing our voices. We then document these activities through our Glow blog and Twitter account @WLBEYC.

Our young children have always been co-creators of the learning in our Early Learning and Childcare Setting and during this time it has been no different. Following learning from home we currently have a Planting & Growing Project Sway and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Sway. These are filled with activities set from staff members and also include lots of fantastic input from our families.

Bathgate Early Years Centre was awarded a Digital Schools Award a few years ago now, and our digital journey is constantly adapting and changing.  During this time our staff team have really supported one another to adapt to working from home. We discuss and communicate every day using Microsoft teams and have weekly meetings using the video call feature. Digital Technology really has brought us all together and we are continually working together to support every staff member develop their digital thinking and skills.

West Lothian Digital Learning Team are always on hand to support us and regularly share practice using their Twitter account @wldigilearn,  and via Yammer and the WL Digi Learn SharePoint.

Email: tayloranne.kelly@westlothian.org.uk

twitter: @Taylor_BEYC

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West Lothian Early Years Learners Blog

Our ELC blog was set up to support and maintain relationships with our children and families while spending time at home.  It is vibrant and updated daily to provide opportunities for children to be curious, creative and inquiring.   

We offer a variety of: 

  • Activity Ideas  
  • Daily Challenges 
  • Useful Websites  
  • Useful Apps 
  • YouTube links to support learning 
  • COVID-19 Support Resources for Children 

During this time, Digital Technologies have been the core to learning with ELC staff sharing ideas and activities to their families through the use of Sway, Twitter and Microsoft Teams, embracing a sense of community across West Lothian.  

 

You may also be interested in previous blog posts sharing practice from primary 1 and ELC digital learners:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/digilearn/2020/05/21/p1-transition-support-strathburn-primary-aberdeenshire/

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/digilearn/2020/05/22/flipgrid-in-the-remote-p1-classroom-riverbank-school-aberdeen-city/

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/digilearn/2019/12/11/early-years-digital-learners-at-bathgate-early-years-centre/

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/digilearn/2019/12/11/staff-digital-skills-development-at-bathgate-early-years-centre/

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Distance Learning: Examples of Practice from Falkirk

Practitioners from across Falkirk have collated examples of how they are using digital tools for distance learning.  The document contains examples from primary and secondary educators and the tools and strategies that they are using to engage learners.

  • Victoria Primary School
  • Westquarter Primary School
  • Maddiston Primary School
  • Drumbowie Primary School
  • Carmuirs Primary School
  • St Marys Primary School
  • Kinneil Primary School
  • Dunipace Primary School
  • Bantaskin Primary School
  • Larbert Village Primary School
  • Deanburn Primary School
  • Carrongrange High School
  • Falkirk High School
  • Graeme High School
  • Grangemouth High School
  • Larbert High School
  • St Mungo’s High School [read more]
  • Denny High School

Distance Learning Examples of Practice from Falkirk

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What distance learning looks like at St Mungos High School, Falkirk

St Mungo’s High School in Falkirk have produced a Sway illustrating what distance learning looks like in the school.

“We have shifted the emphasis during this period to digital applications that can be accessed and engaged with easily using a smart phone or tablet. We have also moved more towards creating videos as a way of communicating with our pupils and sharing content.”

The Sway has a number of short video examples from across the school faculties including Creative, Modern Languages, Health and Well Being, Science, Technologies and Pastoral.

Practitioners from across Falkirk have also contributed to a document illustrating what distance learning looks like in the authority. Find out more here.

https://sway.office.com/s/cKyrnndWhzvw7F3V/embed

Sway Link