I came across this interesting video from a 1947 classroom which gives teacher tips on managing pupil behaviour. Have a wee look:
Some questions to reflect on:
Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days, where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.
Key aspects for development emerged, which included:
“In the primary sector and at the early stages of secondary school, there is generally less emphasis in the key area of Topical Science than on the other four organisers……. In these cases, children and young people do not have enough opportunity to discuss and debate a range of ethical issues.”
To address this aspect the Sciences team hosted a “Topical Science and Partnerships” Glow Meet .
To Watch Again : https://meet.glowscotland.org.uk/p5rd5cx8od8/
Each glow meet is complimented by a series of professional learning twilight sessions.
Please register through: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TwilightSessions2015
Breakout sessions will be provided by Dynamic Earth, The Royal Society of Chemistry, Glasgow City of Science, Stem Ambassadors and The English Speaking Union.
Education Scotland will also be delivering sessions on Citizen Science, Community Resilience, Food and Science and Social Studies and Science.
The previous Commander of the International Space Station delighted, entertained and inspired us with his videos detailing life in space. He showed us how to make a sandwich in space, how he brushed his teeth, and even recorded his own version of a famous David Bowie song, Space Oddity.
On Tuesday March 24th at 2.30pm, Commander Hadfield will be on Glow TV answering pupils’ questions about science, space and the Universe.
What was his most terrifying moment in space? What does flying a rocket feel like? How has he adjusted to life back on Earth?
We will be selecting the best questions and these pupils will have the opportunity to ask questions live directly to Commander Hadfield on the day!
Submit your questions to glow.connect@glowscotland.onmicrosoft.com before 20th March with the title “Ask an astronaut”. Don’t forget to include your pupils’ names, ages and school. To register for the event, click here (Glow log-in required).
Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days, where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.
Key aspects for development emerged, which included:
“In the primary sector and at the early stages of secondary school, there is generally less emphasis in the key area of Topical Science than on the other four organisers……. In these cases, children and young people do not have enough opportunity to discuss and debate a range of ethical issues.”
To address this aspect the Sciences team hosted a “Topical Science and Partnerships” Glow Meet on Wednesday 4th March
To watch the meet again : https://meet.glowscotland.org.uk/p5rd5cx8od8/
The glow meet will be once again be complimented by a series of professional learning twilight events.
To register :https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TwilightSessions2015
Breakout sessions will be provided by Dynamic Earth, The Royal Society of Chemistry, Glasgow City of Science and Stem Ambassadors.
Education Scotland will also be delivering sessions on Citizen Science, Community Resilience, Food and Science and Social Studies and Science.
Join us for a lively Scots language poetry reading session with poet Stuart Paterson on Thursday 5th March at 1.30pm.
Scots poet Stuart Paterson will be joining us live in the Glow TV Studio to read you some rhymes for bairns. Find out what makes him ‘squeamish’, where ‘The Tobermory Dodo’ went to and what he thinks about the ‘Houlit’ Join in and learn new Scots words or add even more to your vocabulary and learn some great new poems.
Register to take part in Glow TV – Scots Language Poetry with Stuart Paterson
To address the aspect of Topical Science the Education Scotland Sciences team are hosting a Glow TV event on Wednesday 4th March at 3.45pm entitled “Topical Science and Partnerships”
Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days, where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified. Key aspects for development emerged, which included: “In the primary sector and at the early stages of secondary school, there is generally less emphasis in the key area of Topical Science than on the other four organisers……. In these cases, children and young people do not have enough opportunity to discuss and debate a range of ethical issues.” Young people are increasingly surrounded by scientific issues in the media and their everyday lives. By considering current issues through topical science, learners increasingly develop their understanding of scientific concepts and their capacity to form informed social, moral and ethical views. They reflect upon and critically evaluate media portrayal of scientific findings. To address this aspect the Sciences team are hosting a Glow Meet entitled “Topical Science and Partnerships” which will be complimented again by a series of professional learning twilight sessions. Contexts for delivering topical science and methods for planning topical science will be addressed.
Register now in Glow TV – Topical Science and Partnerships.
Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.
Key aspects for development emerged, which included primary and early years practitioners requiring guidance and exemplifications for assessment in the sciences.
To address this aspect the sciences team hosted a Glow Meet, Assessment in the Sciences, which was complimented by a series of professional learning twilight sessions across Scotland.
Practitioners have asked that the Meet be run again, therefore join us on Tuesday 10th March 3.35-4.45 pm in Glow TV.
Participants should be familiar with the Assessing Progress and Achievement Overarching Paper.
We will also be using a highlighted Assessing Progress and Achievement in the Sciences curriculum paper, Sciences Progression Framework and an Annotated Exemplification which can be downloaded through the blog link upon registration for the Glow Meet.
To register https://meet.glowscotland.org.uk/assessscience2/event/event_info.html
Join Frances and Katie from Unicef UK to find out more about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Outright.
Frances Bestley and Katie Cox from Unicef UK will be talking about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and how in a rights respecting school children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted. They will also look at some of the other activities that rights-respecting schools get involved with like Outright, speaking out about children’s rights and Day for Change raising money to support Unicef to help children realise their rights across the world. You will also have the opportunity to watch the response by Fiona McLeod MSP to the many letters that were send in during the Outright initiative.
Join us live in Glow TV on Wednesday 25th February at 11am. – Register for UNICEF UK – Find out More!
Calling all educators!
Welcome to Build-a-space live from Lockerbie!
You too can have the online learning space of your dreams! Maybe it’s a space for your class, your CfE projects, your parents? Whatever it is, we will do our very best to make it happen.
We have assembled a ‘crack team’ of experts from the Digital Learning & Teaching Team (Pam Currie, John Sexton, Ian Stuart, oh and me, Con Morris!)
The team will be assembling (some online and some in person on Lockerbie campus) on Thursday, 5th March to support you and build your spaces until all our pointers are exhausted.
How to take part
You may have heard of TeachMeets, where teachers take turns to share their practice? Well, the learners of Brydekirk Primary in Dumfries and Galloway Council are running their own LearnMeet.
Hosted by Mr Archibald, the Brydekirk learners will take turns to ‘pop-up’ and share the whats and whys of their favourite learning. It takes place on Thursday 5th March and kicks off at 11am.
There are two ways that learners and educators from all over Scotland can join in using their Glow access:
One – Post messages for the Brydekirk young learners using the tag #learnmeet on the Glow Learners’ community at http://bit.ly/learnershome
Two – Take part in the event live via Glow TV – Register now in Glow TV to take part.
The learners of St Michael’s primary in Dumfries and Galloway Council are delighted to do their bit for #digilearnscot week!
Supported by Mrs Cubbon, they will be the first class to take up the Digital Storytelling Challenge on Monday 2nd March
On Thursday 5th, the St Michael’s team will be doing yet more storytelling and taking the time to present and record some of the ways that they use technology in their learning.
There are two ways that learners and educators from all over Scotland can join in:
One – Post messages for the St Michael’s young learners using the tag #stmichaels on the Glow Learners’ community at http://bit.ly/learnershome
Watch for the contributions on the Digilearn wiki as soon as possible
Today the Primary 4 learners of Lockerbie Primary School issue a challenge to all learners across Scotland. Tell us what you want from Glow!
Just reply to their post on the Glow Learners Newsfeed (http://bit.ly/meandglow) or use the tag #meandglow in your own Glow discussions.
These P4 learners will gather up all the comments and pass them onto their teacher, Mr Anderson.
“So what?”, says you. Well, Mr Anderson is a member of the National Digital Learning Forum. The Scottish Government set the forum up to help us all learn better using technology, so your suggestions will be heard!
Oh, by the way, no teachers to post please but do pass on the message to your learners! That shortlink again? http://bit.ly/meandglow
Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days, where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.
Key aspects for development emerged, which included:
“In the primary sector and at the early stages of secondary school, there is generally less emphasis in the key area of Topical Science than on the other four organisers……. In these cases, children and young people do not have enough opportunity to discuss and debate a range of ethical issues.”
Young people are increasingly surrounded by scientific issues in the media and their everyday lives. By considering current issues through topical science, learners increasingly develop their understanding of scientific concepts and their capacity to form informed social, moral and ethical views. They reflect upon and critically evaluate media portrayal of scientific findings.
To address this aspect the Sciences team are hosting a Glow Meet entitled “Topical Science and Partnerships” which will be complimented again by a series of professional learning twilight sessions.
Contexts for delivering topical science and methods for planning topical science will be addressed.
Join us on Tuesday 4th March at 3.45 – 4.45 pm in Glow TV to find out more.
Register now to take part.
https://meet.glowscotland.org.uk/topicalscience/event/event_info.html
Date and time:
Saturday 21st March, 2015
9:30 – 15:00
Where:
Stirling Management Centre, Stirling Court Hotel
Organised and funded by Education Scotland, the day aims to engage practitioners in lively professional dialogue about the success and challenges of using digital learning in the Social Studies classroom. Download the full programme here: http://bit.ly/Ddayprogramme
There are 50 places available on a first come, first served basis and the day is open to all primary teachers and secondary Social Subject teachers. Book your place now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2STXHJS
This is a free event, including a free lunch. However, delegates will be required to meet their own travel costs.
Keynote Speakers
1) Active History
Russel Tarr – Head of History at the International School of Toulouse
Russel will share the digital applications and programs he has developed for his websites www.classtools.net and www.activehistory.co.uk. All of these have been designed for the students in his own history classroom.
2) Digital Commonwealth 2104
Professor David McGillivray – Chair in Event and Digital Cultures
School of Media, Culture and Society, University of the West of Scotland
Jennifer Jones – Project Coordinator, Digital Commonwealth 2014
David and Jennifer will share the success of the Digital Commonwealth to engage learners in developing and applying skills in digital media.
3) Digital Learning with the BBC
BBC Learning Online
Learn about new online resources to support CfE, the success of School News Report and the creativity of BBC Scotland’s L.A.B.
4) Reconnecting with Glow
Glow Futures Team, Education Scotland
The Glow team want to highlight some of what’s on offer and would like to invite delegates to have a fresh look at how Glow can help support learning and teaching.
Workshops
As one of Microsoft’s Innovative Educator Experts, Annette will share her passion for digital learning through using a variety of apps on tablets and ipods that integrate ICT seamlessly into her lessons, as well as creating class textbooks in OneNote.
A former Senior Lecturer on Glasgow University’s Initial Teacher Education programme, Philip has long been a passionate innovator and exponent of digital technology in the classroom.
Delegates will learn simple but powerful methods for pupils to use Digital Video to reinforce curricular learning across all ages and contexts of Social Studies. Delegates will develop skills in voice overs, selecting still and moving images, and using video editing software.
Online mapping can be the starting point of any lesson that has place as a concept. Carol will show delegates how to get pupils to be creative and present information to demonstrate their understanding of something they are being taught.
A team from Sky Skills Studio will show delegates how to combine a range of digital and presentation skills to develop learners abilities to research, debate and report on news and politics.
Directions:
http://www.stirlingcourthotel.com/stunning-location/Getting-Here/
Generation Science (GS) – the largest science education outreach programme in the UK – is once again hitting the road as its 2015 tour gets under way, with science shows and workshops visiting Primary Schools the length and breadth of Scotland.
This Generation Science tour is set to be one of the biggest ever, with visits to all 32 of Scotland’s Local Authority areas scheduled, travelling from the Borders right up to Shetland. The 2015 tour also sees the addition of two brand new workshops to the GS stable, Fuel Hunters and Lego Mindstorms Advanced.
In Fuel Hunters pupils take on the role of exploratory engineers as they learn about geology, where fossils come from, and how oil and gas are formed over millions of years. They then form a team to build their very own 6ft oil rig platform – it’s exploration on a brand new level!
Lego Mindstorms Advanced sees pupils join ‘Mission Control’ to learn about the amazing real-life robots currently operating in space, before programming their own robots on a rescue mission to another planet, as we aim to inspire the computer scientists of our future.
Each year Generation Science tours all around Scotland from February until May, reaching around 60,000 children aged 5 – 12 years all over the country, where teams of skilled science communicators will bring science and technology to life across a range of subjects through 17 shows and workshops.
Visits are designed specifically to support and supplement the Curriculum for Excellence and introduce children to ideas in science and technology in a fun and immersive way. The programme also aims to inspire tomorrow’s scientists, by alerting young girls and boys to the possibilities of a career in science and technology.
For more information about the programme visit generationscience.co.uk.
Education Scotland will publish the report of the Technologies Impact Review, “Building Society: young people’s experiences in the technologies”, on 9th March 2015. This report continues the series in which Education Scotland evaluates the quality of young people’s learning and achievements, in this case in the technologies. The report contributes to the overall picture of what it is like to be a learner in a Scottish early years centre or school in this second decade of the 21st Century.
Education Scotland have organized a launch event for this report and the college aspect report Computing and Digital Media.
Making tomorrow happen: technology education in Scotland
will be held in Celtic Park, Glasgow on 9 March 2015.
The event has been organized to raise awareness of the reports and to discuss the implications for future developments in the Technologies area of the curriculum.
It would greatly assist the organisation of the conference if you could send your nominees to Kenneth Rae – Kenneth.Rae@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk by 27th February 2015, stating their name, role and email address.
Scientists in the Serengeti need your help to classify all the different animals caught in millions of camera trap images.
Zooniverse have just launched season 8 of Snapshot Serengeti, and you can now classify hundreds of thousands of amazing new images from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. In addition there are some brand new features in the project, such as a checkbox for images with fire in them, and six new species to identify! They have also updated the site to make it easier to use on your tablet or smartphone.
An interesting way of engaging learners in conservation and environmental issues.
http://www.snapshotserengeti.org/
On Wednesday 18th February at 10am join over 80 primary schools in Fife for the final of the amazing BIG Book Brains Quiz, organised for the sixth year running by Fife’s Public Library Service.
Reading Challenges and Quiz Heats have been taking place across Fife since last September and now we have over 80 school teams who will come together to compete for the title of BIG Book Brains 2015. As well as winning some fabulous prizes, our champions have the chance to be ‘Librarians for a Day’ and select £500 worth of books for their school library sponsored by Scotia and Chameleon Books in Kilsyth.
You are all invited to tune in and rise to the challenge as you pit your book knowledge against the teams who have won through to the final in Rothes Halls, Glenrothes. Compered by Jonathan Meres, hilarious author of The World of Norm books, all schools joining us on Glow will have the chance to send a shout out to wish our teams good luck and the chance to win some great spot prizes. Don’t miss it!
The event runs from 10am – 12pm with a break for lunch then we’ll be back at 1.30pm we announce the winners at our 2015 Award Ceremony.
Register to take part live in Glow TV – Fife’s BIG Book Brains Quiz Final 2015
We’ve received a fantastic number of entries for the Scottish Education Awards but times running out now. The awards showcase and celebrate the hard work and dedication across Scottish education.
To be in with a chance of winning make sure you’re entries are in before midday on 16 February.
A full list of categories and details on how to enter are on the Scottish Education Awards website. Get you’re entry in now and good luck.
Participating in the Food for Thought project provides opportunity to raise awareness of STEM careers in the food and drink industry, one of our key economic growth sectors.
Recent figures estimate that 170,000 employees with STEM skills are required by 2020.
Apply now and take STEM forward in your establishment.
Applications can now be made to the Food for Thought: Education Fund Phase 3. The fund aims to support practitioners to build their confidence and capacity and to improve learning and teaching within food education in Curriculum for Excellence. Awards of up to £3000 per project are available. Apply now.
This year we are looking for schools to plan food education projects that:
Proposals must be submitted by Sunday 29 March 2015. You will receive a confirmation email once your application has been submitted.
Read also our news release: Food for Thought Education Fund serves up another course of funding.
Many governments and organisations are concerned that not enough young people are choosing to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) after the age of 16.
There is also widespread concern that the profile of those who do go on to study STEM subjects and pursue STEM careers is too narrow, with women, working-class and some minority ethnic groups remaining under-represented, especially in the physical sciences and engineering.
Particular STEM fields are predicting or already experiencing significant STEM skills gaps that may impact negatively on the economy. There is also a pressing need to improve the spread of scientific literacy across all societal groups.
The ASPIRES study sought to shed new light on our understanding of how young people’s aspirations develop over this 10-14 age period, exploring in particular what influences the likelihood of a young person aspiring to a science-related career.
The project is a five-year study funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of its Targeted Initiative on Science and Mathematics Education (TISME).
In addition to researching influences on students’ aspirations, the project also worked with a small group of teachers to develop approaches for integrating STEM careers information into science lessons.
Access the report through http://bit.ly/1fkDdDy
Save the date! From 2 – 6 March 2015 all educators in Scotland are invited to take part in the Digital Learning Week. This is your chance to find out what is happening in Scottish schools in relation to digital learning. Explore how you can integrate digital learning into your classroom. Join our TeachMeets or take part in our Glow TV events. You can decide to join with your colleagues or your cluster, locally and nationally and have a digital learning focus for the week. Tell us all about it and what you plan to do next through our Professional Learning Community. Talk to and learn from others who have a similar focus.
What will you do for DigiLearnScot week? #DigiLearnScot
Further information click here
The Scottish Learning Festival (SLF) 2015 will address the theme of raising attainment and achievement for all, with a focus on maximising educational outcomes through:
* local partnerships and collaboration – to share approaches that lead to better outcomes
* self-evaluation – to ensure creative and innovative approaches to sustained improvement
* work-related learning – to improve transitions into sustainable, productive employment.
Is your establishment delivering Learning for Sustainability (LfS) that you would like to showcase? Are you able to share your approaches to promoting local partnerships and collaboration? Would you be willing to help others make the connections between the different aspects of LfS; including global citizenship, sustainable development education, outdoor learning, international education, children’s rights and play?
If the answer to any (or all) of these questions is “Yes”, we would love to hear from you. Please consider submitting your seminar proposal by Friday 27th February 2015.
Another phase of funding has been announced as part of The Food for Thought Education Fund to support schools across Scotland to develop and improve learning and teaching around food education.
Schools are also required to identify and work in partnership with a local business to enhance their project and to develop skills for learning, life and work. In Phase One, 176 different businesses engaged with schools. The value of their time, resources, advice, expertise and volunteering was estimated by Scottish Business in the Community to be worth £300,000, which is very close to match funding the £358,618.61 awarded to schools as part of Phase One.
Now in its third year, the aim of the Food for Thought Education Fund is to support schools to use food and health as a context for learning across Curriculum for Excellence, to improve teacher confidence in delivering food education and as a way to engage with parents and the wider community.
The Fund allows schools to apply for grants individually or in a joint application as part of a cluster of schools from their education authority. More information about applying for funding can be found on the Education Scotland website.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment, Richard Lochhead, said:
“In Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink I want to see more young people engage with the journey of their food and drink – but not only that: I want them to look to the future and think about the potential careers they could have in an industry that is full of promise – they can learn about business management and how to plan and promote events in the sector.
“I’m delighted that the Food for Thought funding has entered its third phase, with another £300,000 going towards developing and improving both teaching and learning around food education. Scotland’s food and drink industry is booming, and interest in what we have to offer has never been greater. This is a successful sector which Scotland can be – and is – proud of, and it’s really fantastic to see schools getting involved.
“This third round of funding is now open through the Education Scotland website and I would encourage more schools across the country to look at possible projects and get involved in helping Scotland to become a Good Food Nation. I’m also keen to see the private sector support this project – both to increase the funds available and to develop productive relationships between schools and local firms.”
Suzanne Hargreaves, Senior Education Officer for Health and Wellbeing at Education Scotland, said: “We are thrilled to be able to give schools the opportunity to apply for the third phase of the Food for Thought Education Fund, which is having such a positive impact in schools across Scotland already. Since the fund started we have helped support 9,143 learners get involved in new and exciting food education projects.
“One very interesting project we have supported is at Charleston Academy, Inverness where the school has had the help of world-renowned chef Albert Roux over the last five years with both culinary and financial support. The Food for Thought Funding combined with funding from Highland Council and the school’s own fund raising activities has allowed them to open The Albert Roux Training Kitchen at the school. We wish them all the best with this project and would encourage all schools to consider the great opportunities this funding could bring to their learners.”
A total of 232 schools were involved in the first phase of the fund, amounting to an average spend of around £1,532 per school across 25 local authorities, with 20 per cent of the fund targeted at schools to help learners from disadvantaged backgrounds
To enquire about applying for funding or to read a copy of the full evaluation report from Phase One of the Food for Though Education Fund, please contact the Food for Thought team. Schools who were awarded funds in Phase Two are currently evaluating the impact of their projects, and schools who have applied for funding in Phase Three will be notified if their application has been successful by June 2015.
Additional information:
•£358,618.61 of funding was granted in Phase One and £649,006.41 in Phase Two.
•232 schools were involved meaning an average spend of £1,532 per school in Phase One.
•A total of 9,143 learners were involved in Phase One.
•There were 61 successful applications across 25 Local Authorities, with 20% of the fund focused on the least advantaged areas in Phase One.
•There were 124 successful applications across 30 Local Authorities in Phase Two.
•176 different businesses engaged with schools, some with more than one school in Phase One.
•The value of the time, resources, advice, expertise and volunteering provided by the business who were engaged with schools in Phase One is estimated to be worth £300,000 according to Scottish Business in the Community.
•In Phase One 100% of schools reported that learners, staff and the local community benefited as a result of receiving funding.
Education Scotland has been working in partnership with a number of organisations and food education partners to embed food and health in the curriculum and produce resources, host career-long professional learning events and to provide guidance and support to schools developing their food education programmes. These partners include the Royal Highland Education Trust, Crofting Connections, Scottish Food and Drink Federation, Food for Life Scotland, Healthier Scotland Cooking Bus, Seafood Scotland, Chefs@School, Dumfries House, Young Engineers and Science Clubs Scotland, Quality Meat Scotland, Food Standards Agency Scotland and Eco Schools Scotland.
The new Primary Science Glow 365 site continues to develop.
Take a look at our blog page which is easily accessible and provides up to date relevant information.
Our latest blogs include how to participate in British Science Week and how to nominate an
establishment for the new STEM Scottish Education Award 2015
We also have a variety of resources and power points to support learning and teaching in the sciences.
To access the site http://bit.ly/glowsciences
#primaryscience
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
This year a new award category for STEM, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, has been introduced.
This category recognises establishments who are helping children and young people develop STEM skills and apply these across the four contexts for learning – curriculum, inter-disciplinary learning, ethos and life of the school and opportunities for personal achievement.
Nominations should be able to evidence the following questions and describe the impact on learners, the school and wider community:
Nominations for this year’s awards are now open.
Nominations close 12pm on Monday 16 February 2015.
#primaryscience
The Scottish Learning Festival is Scotland’s largest annual professional learning event, offering education practitioners a great opportunity to increase their knowledge, discover new work, and improve their practice. Delegates can take part in a range of Conference sessions (Keynotes, seminars, discussions and more) and meet Exhibitors from organisations with products and services which benefit learners.
Scottish Learning Festival 2015 will take place at the SECC in Glasgow on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th September 2015.
The theme of this year’s event is “Raising attainment and achievement for all”, with a focus on maximising educational outcomes through local partnerships and collaboration; self-evaluation; and work-related learning.
Education Scotland is inviting organisations to submit proposals for seminars that will become part of this year’s programme. Full details of the themes and the online submission form are available on the SLF website. The closing date for submitting proposals is Friday 27th February 2015.
In the Social Studies team we are keen that the final programme includes great examples of effective and stimulating practice from schools, including creative projects and fresh approaches to learning. We are interested in all the subject areas within Social Studies, and in any sector. If you would like to showcase some of the work that your school or class is undertaking, or an activity that supports the professional development of teachers, please do consider submitting a seminar proposal.
Do you have an environmental issue in your local area? Can you collect data about the issue?
Can you think of a solution to the problem?
Collect data about an environmental issue in your local area, propose a solution and submit your ideas and you could win £1000 for your school.
Ideas, resources and last years entries can be found here.
March 30th closing date
The team at Road Safety Scotland have been buried away over the last six months researching, testing and creating an exciting new app full of games for children aged 8-11. KLANG: The Road Home tracks the journey of an alien robot called Klang who’s been stranded on the strange and mysterious planet Earth and is in need of a few intrepid explorers to help him find his way home again. The app, which uses cutting edge technology and design, will help to teach children about road safety and encourage discussions and learning. This Glow TV broadcast will give you and your class the opportunity to learn more about the technology, the design and the story of Klang from two of the app’s creators. They will be answering questions and offering a sneak peek at the game before it goes live.
Join us in Glow TV on Thursday 5th February at 11.15am.
Register now to take part – New Road Safety Scotland App
SLF 2015 takes place on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September in Glasgow.
SLF provides high quality continuing professional learning and is a rendezvous for educational professionals both nationally and internationally, providing a unique platform to engage with a diverse range of experts, colleagues and suppliers.
We are now accepting seminar proposals for the 2015 conference programme which will feature around 100 seminars over the 2 days.
Is there a project you have been working on that could be showcased? Or perhaps you are aware of establishments that demonstrate good practice? We would encourage you to share this information with your colleagues and networks and submit relevant proposals for consideration.
The theme for SLF 2015: Raising attainment and achievement for all, with a focus on maximising educational outcomes through:
• local partnerships and collaboration – to share approaches that lead to better outcomes
• self-evaluation – to ensure creative and innovative approaches to sustained improvement
• work-related learning – to improve transitions into sustainable, productive employment.
Full details of the theme are available on the SLF website.
If you would like to submit a proposal for consideration please do so before Friday 27 February. Proposals received after this date will not be considered for inclusion in the conference programme. All proposals must be submitted online.
There is a robust review, evaluation and scoring system in place to help ensure that all submissions are treated equally therefore it is essential that all requests to participate go through the submission process and adhere to the timescales.
Last year we received in excess of 300 proposals which allowed Education Scotland to deliver a relevant and balanced conference programme covering all key areas of education. The 2015 conference programme and registration will be launched in May and will feature the sessions that have been submitted and selected for inclusion.
We look forward to receiving your proposals and hope you will contribute to SLF 2015 to help continue to deliver Scotland’s largest annual national education event. If you would like any further information about SLF 2015 please contact the SLF team.
This is the second post in a series which describes some of our work on ‘content-free’ templates for educators and learners to use in CfE learning.
This space is on Glow O365, so it is best to log into Glow (eg on the Learning Spaces Community) before you explore the links below
What’s the thinking behind the Learning Experience space?
This space helps learners and educators co-create a learning experience starting from a bundle of Experiences and Outcomes.
It follows closely the approached offered by the NAR flowchart. In fact, there is a behind the scenes planner which may reduce some of the workload associated with some other methods of planning learning.
What does it do?
For the learner, they can be involved in devising learning intentions and success criteria, talking about their learning, showcasing learning and getting support when needed.
For the teacher, it makes the planning and delivery of a BGE learning experience a wee bit easier.
How do I get it?
The Learning Space template is on Glow O365 and is available to any member of staff from their school site. See How to create a Learning Experience Space for more details
Summary of support available
The Society of Biology launched a project (June 2014 – March 2015) named “Biology: Changing the World”, funded by BBSRC and the National Lottery to promote and celebrate the lives and contribution of famous biologists to the way we live now.
The project utilises heritage plaques present on buildings nationwide to highlight famous biologists in local areas. A tablet based App (freely downloaded from App’s store) has been developed which locates plaques closest to the user giving information about the scientist, such as their life stories and their contribution to biology. Interviews with contemporary biologists are also included.
For schools, and in particular for children aged 7-10 years, there is a teachers booklet and poster available (free of cost) to explain the project with suggestions for workshops and lessons.
More details can be found on the website below.
http://biologyheritage.societyofbiology.org/bcw-schools
British Science Week (BSW, formerly National Science & Engineering Week (NSEW)) is a ten-day programme of science, technology, engineering and maths events and activities across the UK aimed at people of all ages.
Anyone can organise an event or activity, and the British Science Association helps organisers plan by providing free activity and support resources. It welcomes and supports any type of organiser, from schools to community groups and from parents to large organisations. The resulting programme of events is a hugely varied and eclectic mix.
Get lots of information about how to plan your events for British Science Week and find events you can attend near you.
For further information and details regarding registration click on the link below:
http://britishscienceweek.org/
Keep Scotland Beautiful is encouraging all beach visitors this summer to participate in the first citizen science Scottish Seashell Survey. A fun way to learn about the natural world while helping to collect useful information about the creatures that live around our coasts.
Join us as part of our Burns celebrations for a unique opportunity to sing along with two top Scottish singers as they teach you two songs that you can sing along live with us!
Join us as Glow TV celebrates Burns Day on Friday 23rd January at 10.45am with a unique sing along opportunity. Top Scottish singers Jenn Butterworth and Laura Beth Salter will teach you two songs that you can all join in with. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and to be part of a large online choir!
Register to take part in this exciting opportunity – Scotland Sings Burns
You may also be interested in our Burns Glow Showcase – https://glowscotland.sharepoint.com/sites/learners/burnsshowcase/SitePages/Home.aspx and our Scots Blether – http://bit.ly/scotsblether – Wa nae gie it a gang?!
This is the first post in a series which describes some of our work on ‘content-free’ templates for educators and learners to use in our learning.
This space is on Glow O365, so it is best to log into Glow (eg on the Learning Spaces Community) before you explore the links below
What’s the thinking behind it?
This space helps support the learning of a class throughout an extended period of time.
It covers the first 2 or 3 stages of the Salmon model reasonably well, helping learners with easy access to resources, encouraging socialisation and information sharing.
At the same time, it offers the potential for ‘flipping’ some of the teaching and learning .
What does it do?
It has a number of functions that will support class learners; teacher announcements, newsfeed, calendar and learning resource areas. The slides below will you give some idea of the functionality…
http://www.slideshare.net/ConMorris/intro-to-class-space
Ok, how do I get it?
The Class Space template is on Glow O365 and is available to any member of staff from their school site. See How to create a Class Space for more details.
Summary of support available
Thanks for reading!
A wee reminder about all the fabulous learning resources to support Curriculum for Excellence on the BBC.
BBC Scotland Learning are currently developing new CfE materials but are also looking at how they improve communicating with teachers about these resources. the BBC have put together a very short, multiple-choice survey that attempts to find out how they could be better at keeping teachers informed.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/997CYLT
Please share with your friends, neighbours and colleagues who teach. There’s also a box for further comments where any thoughts, gripes, requests or ideas are welcomed.
When you have completed the survey check out the revamped Bitesize site that has resources to support National 4, National 5 and Highers. BBC Bitesize
The fabulous new iWonder site, designed to ‘feed your curiosity’ has some brilliant thought provoking materials. Have a look at the various resources supporting History and the BBC’s Democracy Day.
The home of BBC Learning Scotland is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/learning/
Social Studies and Digital Technologies Day
organised by Education Scotland
Date: 21st March 2015
Time: 9:30 – 3:00
Venue: Stirling Management Centre, Stirling
Places: 40 – open to all primary and secondary practitioners
This is an excellent CLPL opportunity to refresh and learn new approaches to integrating ICT and Technologies through Social Studies.
There will be three exciting keynote speakers in the morning, followed by an afternoon session with a choice of three interactive workshops.
A complete programme for the day and the opportunity to book a place will be published in early February.
Glow Product Owner Ian Stewart is looking for teachers to come together and start developing multimedia textbooks based on OneNote. In his very own Glow blog, Ian explains:
“I am aiming at these at the National Courses as this is an immediate pressure point for lots of teachers. Several primary colleagues have said they would be interested but it’s not aimed at them.
They are right, what I have in mind is not aimed at them but if there is something they would like to develop one on (a particular topic, for example the Vikings). Why not join us and learn how to develop a notebook for this purpose, or as my wife says, keep us right.
This is a start, not a one off. This start will be in Microsoft Scotland’s Office in Edinburgh. On Saturday 31st January, we are looking to welcome people from 9 am with a kick off time at 9.30 with the space available till 4.30.
Ideally we want people to work together to form groups and set targets for themselves. I would hope these groups will continue to develop the Notebooks.
Also arrange more of these hackdays in different parts of the country.
Are you interested? Sign up on the Office 365 Spreadsheet (Glow login required). Speak to your colleagues and friends.
If you can’t make it on the day, that’s ok. You can join in online as the work continues.
The start of an exciting year.”
See the following blog for further information:
http://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ab/mainlandian/
The countdown is on for nominations to the Scottish Education Awards and your school could be the inaugural winners of the newly established Learning for Sustainability award. This award replaces the separate categories for global citizenship and sustainable schools. It aims to recognise the connections schools and centres have made between the different aspects of learning for sustainability (sustainable development education, international education, education for citizenship, global citizenship, outdoor learning, children’s rights and play) and how they have successfully implemented them across their schools and wider communities.
See our Conversations about learning for sustainability report for case studies of schools and centres that have demonstrated a commitment to learning for sustainability.
The full list of award categories is online, and we would encourage teachers, schools and local authorities to consider nominations before the deadline on Monday 16th February 2015.
Reminder – sign up to our new learning for sustainability ebulletin to keep up to date with the best news about new resources, professional learning and events.
Our Environment competition is now open for entry submission!
They want you to:
• find an environmental problem that you want to fix (or a potential problem you want to prevent);
• describe the problem;
• work out what you want to change, how that could make us healthier and happier; and
• work out how you are going to make it happen.
They are looking for ideas which:
• are ambitious & inspiring;
• are of high quality and well presented;
• engage with other members of your school or community; and
• have a legacy potential.
There is a £1000 prize for the best group entry from all the age categories, and a £100 prize for the best individual entry.
Find out more information on Scotland’s Environment Web.
Or on the Our Environment homepage to view other entries and get inspired!
The Ri and the Causeway Foundation are offering UK schools grants of up to £500 to host a show, talk, workshop, debate, challenge or other STEM activity to supplement their students’ classroom activities.
Grants of up to £500 are being offered to eligible state-funded schools, academies and FE colleges in the UK to take part in an Enrichment and Enhancement (E&E) STEM activity from the STEM Directories before July 2015. This is an exciting opportunity for students to take part in a mathematics activity and help integrate mathematics enrichment in school practice.
The Scheme is now open and the deadline for applications is 9th February 2015 at 5pm.
For more information and to apply, visit the STEM Directories website. Priority will be given to schools meeting certain criteria; please see the grant terms for more details.
If you have any questions relating to the grant scheme or the STEM Directories, please contact info@stemdirectories.org.uk.
Headteacher of the Year Award
The Scottish Education Awards recognise schools, centres and individuals that have developed a vibrant and progressive culture and climate of continuous innovation.
The award for the Headteacher of the Year recognises headteachers that provide inspirational leadership, who motivate and involve staff, children and young people across the establishment, bringing learning to life and inspiring all to fulfil their potential.
Do you know a headteacher that stands out from the rest? If so, can you answer the questions below? Then why not nominate them for the Headteacher of the Year Award?
• Is the headteacher in your establishment, or an establishment that you know, an inspirational leader who motivates children, young people and staff to achieve all they can?
• Can you give examples of why they are seen as an outstanding individual by children, young people, parents and staff?
• Can you describe how they work to develop and make the most of the leadership of others?
• Can you describe how they are good at involving parents and members of the community in the life of the establishment?
In what ways has this person made an impact on:
• children and young people
• the whole school community
• the wider community
Nominations close at midday on Monday 16 February 2015
NOMINATE TODAY AT www.scottisheducationawards.org.uk
The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) is the Government department for economic growth.
It works with further and higher education providers to give students the skills they need to compete in a global employment market and supports the UK’s science and research industry, which is important to economic growth.
The organisation has produced Project STEM, Book of Insights 2014 which details young people’s attitudes, beliefs, motivations and behaviours that affect their decisions on subject choice and career paths to add depth to the current understanding of how they perceive STEM careers.
The book brings together four phases of research activity with young people; qualitative, social listening, co-creation and quantitative research activities that ran between February and March 2014.
To complement the qualitative research, the researchers listened to young people’s social media conversations to understand their sentiment towards STEM careers and subjects.
To access the research document Project STEM, Book of Insights 2014
Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.
Key aspects for development emerged, which included primary and early years practitioners requiring guidance on and exemplifications for assessment in the sciences.
To address this aspect the sciences team will be hosting the second of three Glow Meets, complimented again by a series of professional learning twilight sessions.
The Education Scotland assessment support documentation will be explored, using exemplifications from the NAR, addressing particular science Significant Aspects of Learning.
The second Glow meet Assessment in the Sciences will take place on Tuesday 13th January 3.45-4.30pm
To register: https://meet.glowscotland.org.uk/e7wzsiv2uvs/event/event_info.html
Dates, times and venues for the complimentary twilight sessions to date are:
Dundee, Education Scotland Endeavour House, Monday 26th January 4-6pm
Dumfries, Lochside Education Centre, 27th January 4-6pm
Inverness, Mercure Hotel, Wednesday 28th January 4-6pm
Aberdeen, Satrosphere Science Centre, Thursday 29th January 4-6pm
Edinburgh, Dynamic Earth, Monday 2nd February 4-6pm
Glasgow , St Andrew’s Secondary, Thursday 5th February 4-6pm
Please sign up through https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/twilightsessions
Revisit the first Glow meet Supporting Primary & Early Years Science
Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.
Key aspects for development emerged, which included primary and early years practitioners requiring guidance on and exemplifications for assessment in the sciences.
To address this aspect the sciences team will be hosting the second of three Glow Meets, complimented again by a series of professional learning twilight sessions.
The Education Scotland assessment support documentation will be explored, using exemplifications from the NAR.
The second Glow meet Assessment in the Sciences will take place on Tuesday 13th January 3.45-4.30pm
To register
Dates, times and venues for the complimentary twilight sessions to date are:
Dundee, Education Scotland Endeavour House, Monday 26th January 4-6pm
Dumfries, Lochside Education Centre, Tuesday 27th January 4-6pm
Inverness, Mercure Hotel, Wednesday 28th January 4-6pm
Aberdeen, Satrosphere Science Centre, Thursday 29th January 4-6pm
Edinburgh, Dynamic Earth, Monday 2nd February 4-6pm
Glasgow, St Andrews Secondary, Thursday 5th February 4-6pm
Please register through survey monkey
Revisit the first Glow Meet
We’re delighted to announce that SLF 2015 will take place on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September in the SECC, Glasgow. SLF is the largest education event in Scotland and will focus on raising achievement and attainment. Those interested in presenting a seminar at the festival can submit a proposal in January, when further information will be available on the SLF website.
Registration for the SLF will open in May, look out for more information over the coming months and save the dates in your diary now.
We are also working with a range of partners to host a series of SLF Extra events in 2015. On 17 February, Aberdeen City Council in partnership with Education Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Council will host the Aberdeen Learning Festival in the AECC. The festival will include keynotes, workshop and an exhibition. More information about the event and how to register will be available in January.
On 27 February Children in Scotland, in partnership with Education Scotland, are hosting the first in a series of six free events for all those involved in education. The morning session will focus on pupil engagement and participation and the afternoon session will look at parental engagement. This first event takes place in Melrose and more information is available on the Children in Scotland website.
More SLF Extra events will be taking place in 2015, visit the SLF website for details.
Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.
Key aspects for development emerged, which included primary and early years practitioners requiring guidance on and exemplifications for assessment in the sciences.
To address this aspect the sciences team will be hosting the second of three Glow Meets, complimented again by a series of professional learning twilight sessions.
The Education Scotland assessment support documentation will be explored, using exemplifications from the NAR, addressing particular science Significant Aspects of Learning.
The second Glow meet Assessment in the Sciences will take place on Tuesday 13th January 3.45-4.30pm
To register: https://meet.glowscotland.org.uk/e7wzsiv2uvs/event/event_info.html
Dates, times and venues for the complimentary twilight sessions to date are:
Dundee, Education Scotland Endeavour House, Monday 26th January 4-6pm
Inverness, Mercure Hotel, Wednesday 28th January 4-6pm
Aberdeen, Satrosphere Science Centre, Thursday 29th January 4-6pm
Edinburgh, Dynamic Earth, Monday 2nd February 4-6pm
Glasgow , St Andrew’s Secondary, Thursday 5th February 4-6pm
Dumfries and Borders (tbc)
Please sign up through https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/twilightsessions
Revisit the first Glow meet Supporting Primary & Early Years Science
Two videos from our recent primary leadership conferences have been added to the Education Scotland website.
The first features headteacher James Wylie talking about his approach to structuring the P5-7 curriculum which is based on a faculty model.
In the second, headteacher Lindsey Watt describes the steps she has taken to ensure that the children in her school are helped to succeed and have the best possible chances in life.
The footage can be found here.
The Glow development team has set up a wee on-going competition to design a logo that will periodically replace the “Glow” in “Glow powered by Office 365″ you see on the top LHS of each Glow O365 page.
You may have noticed the poppy there during Remembrance Week and the competition follows on from a small trial for St Andrew’s Day for which the Glow logo was replaced by a pupils design from a similar competition.
This month’s competition is “Design a Christmas Glow Logo”. It is hoped that this competition will evolve into a series of “monthly” events to generate some further user input into glow. It would be great if you could publicise this competition with schools in your area. Further info on the competition can be found at – http://bit.ly/designaglowlogo (Glow login details required).
Yes it’s that time of year again when we welcome Santa back to Glow TV! Santa will be taking a break from making all the toys at the North Pole to come to a school in Scotland to answer all the questions that you might have about Christmas and Santa. He will be with us at 10am on Thursday 18th December.
How does he make all the toys? How does he deliver them all on time? What does he feed his reindeer? How does Rudolph help him with his red nose?
These and many many more questions will be answered in this very special Glow TV event.
Sign up and join us in Glow TV.
Glasgow Science Festival is pleased to announce the K’Nex Cluster Challenge for 2015. This annual competition is a chance for primary 5 and 6 pupils to apply their creativity and construction skills to various engineering based challenges, competing at three levels; classroom, cluster and area to become their area champion.
Over the past year at West Barns we have been developing a clearer rationale for our curriculum. From the outset it was evident that in order to move this forward we needed to work closely with our pupils and their families, staff and the wider community to define what kind of school we wanted at West Barns.
We felt it was important that the vision, value and aims reflected the views of our staff, pupils and families and defined the unique features of our school and its environment. We also wanted the whole school community to have a shared understanding of what we are trying to achieve.
Why ‘Team’ West Barns?
Over the past year we have been working closely with the whole school community to help us improve our school and provide a high quality education for all our learners. Developing a team spirit with pupils, staff, families and the local community has been an important underlying theme, and through this we have been able to move forward the learning and teaching as well as the life and ethos of the school.
This has included:
• Introducing cooperative learning to help pupils develop their group working and independent learning skills.
• Using school and house challenges and team sports to help build the school community.
• Providing all pupils and staff with more meaningful opportunities to develop the life and work of the school through School Committees.
• Working with outside organisations to ensure that our pupils have all the support that they need to do their best in school.
• Using Learning Journeys to help our pupils reflect on their learning and share their achievements with their families.
• Including parents and families in the work and life of the school through Parent Council, West Barns Helping Hands and other volunteering opportunities.
• Working closely with parents and families to keep them informed and find out their views on how we can develop our school.
• Finding more opportunities for the school to work with the local community.
• Working with local organisations to learn about and protect our local environment.
• Providing staff with opportunities to work together to help share good practice in learning and teaching.
• Developing closer working relationships with other schools through sharing good practice, joint professional learning opportunities, moderation and self-evaluation visits.
• Working collaboratively with other Head Teachers on curriculum development, professional learning and self-evaluation.
Using this as a starting point we began to develop a new vision, values and aims for West Barns that would support every child towards reaching their full potential and help them to develop the skills and confidence to face the challenges of the 21st Century.
From this starting point we have begun to evaluate our curriculum rationale, reflecting on our strengths and identifying those areas we now need to develop.
Coming soon – Developing a rationale for the West Barns Curriculum 2 – Pulling the pieces together.
Twig on Glow’s new Biology module, Animal Kingdom, has over 60 stunning films for you and your learners to explore.
Mapped to Biodiversity and Interdependence within Curriculum for Excellence, these captivating short films give learners an insight into the lives of some of the planet’s most unusual and exciting species.
Teachers why not try the Weird and Wonderful Animal Kingdom Quiz with your class? Submit your class’s answers via the online form and you could win £100 of Amazon vouchers for your school!
All you require is your glow log in https://www.twigonglow.com/
#primaryscience
Primary 7 pupils at Hermitage Primary School, Helensburgh took part in their Technology Challenge presentation evening on Thursday 4th December, which brought their interdisciplinary topic to a close.
The project incorporated all STEM subjects enabling learners to develop their knowledge and understanding of the concepts and skills in Technologies, Maths, Language and Science. This also included aspects of PSD.
The Technology Challenge required pupils to work in cooperative groups, to plan and design a working electrical vehicle which was supported by a good business plan. Their progress was recorded in the form of a booklet and i-pad presentation.
Vehicles had to move forwards, backwards and have working lights and were to be created within a given budget. In addition, pupils were granted an additional £10 by the Head Teacher in order to add extra technology such as LED lights, pulley operated doors, a working lift and even a moving dragon’s head!
Following weeks of hard work the 10 teams of 6 pupils spoke to a panel of 3 judges and an audience of invited guests.
Each team gave a presentation about their vehicle detailing their experiences of working as a team, planning and designing, working to a budget and what they felt they had achieved.
The judging panel were very impressed with the standard of work and the efforts of every team member and eventually selected U-PoP as the winning team.
U-Pop created a mobile recording studio which included a working recording and playback sound module.
The delighted team members were Max Kemp, Hamish Paterson, Annika Seitz, Shannon Beaton, Esther Lopez and Rory Frew.
#primaryscience
