Scottish Education Awards

The Scottish Education Awards celebrate the hard work and success which takes place in Scottish education. They recognise the achievements of people who dedicate their lives to children and young people and showcase the valuable work and innovation in Scottish classrooms. Nominations close on Friday 2 March 2012. Visit the Scottish Education Awards website for more information.

MLPS resources and ideas

I met yesterday with our colleagues at SCILT as a member of their MLPS short working group.  Laura Stewart,who chairs the group,  has posted some really excellent resources and ideas that will help those of you who teach a modern language in primary schools.  To access the correct page please click here.  Have a look at the posts on the notice board but also click on the Glow groups and documents tabs to find loads more interesting  examples and materials.

Free ebook from Radio Lingua – Focus on French

The kind and talented people at Radio Lingua launched the first in a series of ebooks aimed specifically at secondary-aged learners. It’s called Focus on French and is available in the iBookstore, so any student with an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad can download the content. It features a young native speaker who introduces each chapter with a video and there are audio clips for all words and phrases contained in the book. Best of all, Focus on French Conversation is entirely free and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store. Search for “Focus on French” and learners can download the book straight to their devices. Focus on French Conversation is the first in the series and they are currently in production for two further titles in the series focusing on S3-4 vocabulary – “Focus on French Vocabulary – Sport and Leisure” and “Focus on French Vocabulary – Education and Work”. There’s more information at Radio Lingua’s website.  To visit it please click here  or contact Mark Pendleton directly at 

mark@radiolingua.com

STEM Central and STEM Careers

With announcements like those below indicating the health of Scotland’s renewables future, what better time to explore the contexts in STEM Central for use with learners?

This Interactive Map of Renewable and Alternative Energy projects in the UK would make a good starting point for discussion.

Osborne unveils £103m renewables funding for Scotland

Renewables growth ‘to continue’ in Scotland during 2012

Samsung wind turbine project to create 500 jobs in Fife

A Right Wee Blether

A RIGHT wee blether, a creative conversation led by Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People ran from 12th September – 31st October 2011. 

The Commissioner, Tam Baillie, has a responsibility to promote and safeguard the rights of children and young people in Scotland.  A RIGHT wee blether encouraged children to creatively express how they feel by answering five key questions:

  • How are you feeling today?
  • What makes you smile?
  • Who is special to you?
  • You are given a special star, where will you put it? 
  •  What would you like to change?

The views and experiences of children have been captured and summarised. These responses, in addition to the consultation with school age children a RIGHT blether, will inform the Commissioner’s work over the next four years.

  • To find out more about the work of Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People and a RIGHT wee blether please visit http://www.sccyp.org.uk/.
  • You can also see an example of  how this was put into practice by visiting St Joseph’s Nursery website.