Psychology Conversation Day: Invitation to apply for a place at this event

Education Scotland will be hosting one of its popular Conversation Days on Tuesday 2 September 2014 at Denholm House, Livingston. This is an opportunity for members of the psychology teaching community in Scotland’s schools and colleges to come together and share ideas, good practice and talk through what’s happening in the subject.

The event is limited to 40 delegates and places will be allocated to ensure a good balance of school/college representation as well as a good geographical spread of delegates. The event is free and lunch is provided!  If you would like to apply for a place at this event, please contact Joe Walker, Senior Education Officer for Psychology at the email address below with your details and a short note about why this event would be of benefit to you.

Closing date for applications is noon on Friday 15 August. You will be notified shortly after this date as to whether you have been allocated a place.

Further details and draft programme are available from joe.walker@educationscotland.gov.uk

What issue should science solve next? Ask the Longitude Prize challenge champions.

Water. Paralysis. Food. Flight. Dementia. Antibiotics. Which challenge should science solve next?

In 1714 the UK Government offered £20,000 to the person who could solve the Longitude problem. In 2014 the prize fund has increased to £10,000,000 and the public get to decide what challenge needs to be solved.

I’m a Scientist get me out of here are giving the public the chance to ask before they vote with our Longitude Prize Zone. Until Wednesday June 25th anyone can quiz their champions to help decide which challenge to vote for, at:longitude.imascientist.org.uk

Physics resources for N4 and N5 from Aberdeen City Council

Many thanks to Aberdeen City Council for sharing resources.
These materials are provided to support staff who are delivering programmes of learning in Physics National 4 and National 5. Staff are encouraged to draw on these materials, and existing materials, to develop their own programmes of learning which are appropriate to the needs of each individual school.

The materials include National 4 and National 5 teacher guide and a complete set of problems and answers for:
•Electricity and energy
•Waves and radiation.

They are available in the NQ Sciences Glow Portal.

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nqcoursematerials/subjects/p/nqresource_tcm4817069.asp

Chemistry resources for N4 and N5 from Aberdeen City Council

Many thanks to Aberdeen City Council for sharing resources.

These materials are provided to support staff who are delivering programmes of learning in Chemistry National 4 and 5. The materials include teaching and learning activities for:
•Chemical formulae and reaction quantities
•Acids and alkalis
•Neutralisation
•Rates of reaction
•Energy changes
•Atomic structure
•Chemical formulae and equations.

They are available in the NQ Sciences Glow Portal.

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nqcoursematerials/subjects/c/nqresource_tcm4749193.asp

Composition Working Group – June

The composition working group met for the second time on June 10th. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the findings of the online survey which gauged the nature and need of support for composition in the classroom. The link to the survey was highlighted in our on line blog and through social media and ran from the middle of April until May 9th. Using these findings, the working grouped consider best ways of moving support for composition in the classroom forward.

The findings of the survey are illustrated in the graphs below, but it is clear that further support in developing compositional practice in the classroom would be welcomed by practitioners.

The group considered the need for building a strong foundation through early, first and second levels and the importance of developing spaces for learners to explore their own creativity. Recognition was also given to the importance of ensuring composition is relevant to the learner and that learners are able to take ownership of their work.

The group also discussed the work undertaken by Dr Michele Kaschub and Dr Janice P Smith – Composing Together Website – who have developed tools and strategies for facilitating creative approaches to composition in the classroom. Their work demonstrates how tensions in music are key to compositional success and how this looks in practice across the developmental stages most learners will go through.