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:
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.
Making your space work harder:
Using your school grounds as an outdoor learning resource
Free twilight professional review and development opportunity facilitated by Architecture + Design Scotland.
Venue: Delivered in your school.
Audience: Secondary teaching staff teams from all curriculum areas or cluster teaching staff.
Cost: Free
Date: Dates are available in March 2015
Are you using your school grounds effectively? Have you considered the outdoor learning opportunities on your doorstep? This session will provide you and your team with a space to develop creative ideas for outdoor learning using your current immediate outdoor environment.
Designed to address the GTCS Standards for Career Long Professional Learning the workshop will support participants to develop confidence and capacity in the delivery of outdoor learning.
Workshops will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
To book a workshop or for more information please contact Samantha.macdonald@ads.org.uk .
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.
Education Scotland’s Scots Language Coordinators Katrina Lucas and Simon Hall are looking for more schools who may be interested in taking part in a new scheme to promote the use of Scots Language in schools.
The Scots Language Ambassador scheme was launched in Edinburgh during Book Week on 24th November 2014. So far, Education Scotland has enlisted around 40 confident Scots speakers from different walks of life from all over Scotland who are willing to volunteer their time to work in partnership with a school, to encourage staff and pupils to use Scots within the classroom and raise the status of the language.
The Ambassadors will be expected to become champions of the Scots language, and work with schools for a period of three years to foster a love of the Scots language amongst learners. They will be expected to visit schools to learn about good practice in Scots education. They will also get involved with other activities within the school such as leading assemblies, writing a blog or newsletter, and acting as guest speakers or judges at school events.
A number of Ambassadors have already confirmed their involvement in the scheme including the cast of the Singing Kettle, Scottish Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2014 Robyn Stapleton, prizewinning author James Robertson and poet and Dundee Laureate W.N. Herbert. They will develop meaningful partnerships with schools that will provide a positive environment for Scots to flourish.
Dr Simon Hall, Scots Language Co-ordinator with Education Scotland, said: “We’re bringing together schools and Scots speakers from all over Scotland in order to celebrate and promote Scots language education. All of the Ambassadors and practitioners involved share a love of Scots and a commitment to providing young people with an understanding and appreciation of what is, after all, a priceless national treasure.
“The scheme works to create links between schools and Scots speakers within their communities to offer learners the chance to meet role models who use Scots, and show them that it can be used in their careers, and in their personal and professional lives. We want to celebrate and publicise good practice in Scots education and demonstrate that it is appropriate to be used in formal school and other contexts.
The introduction of the scheme is already proving popular amongst primary schools, with many considering Scots as a possibility within the 1+2 languages framework. Secondary schools are also getting involved to develop the new Scottish Qualifications Authority Awards in Scots Language to formally recognise learning in and about Scots.
If individuals or schools would like to find out more or to request a partnership with an Ambassador, please contact Simon Hall or Katrina Lucas at Education Scotland.
Do you want to become a teacher or know anyone that’s interested in a career in teaching? Then visit the Teach in Scotland website.
The website is a great resource for anyone wanting to teach in Scotland, with information about applying for Initial Teacher Education, advice on teaching specialisms and guidance for teachers qualified outside of Scotland. There are also case studies from probationer and newly qualified teachers working in Scotland today – you can find out why they chose teaching, what they did to quality and how they are enjoying their new careers.
There are also contact details for organisations offering information on teaching in Scotland, universities where you can study to be a teacher, local authority websites for local job vacancies and events where you can find out more about becoming a teacher.
Education Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Food and Drink Federation and Dundee Science Centre have create a series of Career Long Professional Learning events about Food Science. These events would be particularly relevant for those teaching N5 and Higher Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science as well as those teaching Higher Health and Food Technology and Hospitality.
1. Cooking Bus Career Long Professional Learning at Dundee Science Centre 10th – 14th November 2014
Free 3 hour CLPL sessions available during 10th – 14th November 2014 – open to teachers and support staff. For more information and how to sign up for a workshop.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CookingBusatDundeeScienceCentre2014
Please note the date and time you sign up for – your place will be confirmed in October.
2. Home Economics & Science staff Teach Meet Dundee Science Centre Tuesday 11th November
Teach Meet for Home Economics and Science staff offering support around Broad General Education, National Qualifications, positive destinations, progression with assessment. Presenters include Education Scotland, Scottish Food & Drink Federation, Food Standards Scotland, SQA, University of Abertay, SSERC & Dundee science Centre to name but a few.
Also included in the session will be a ‘Science of Gin’ presentation, discussing the use of botanicals to produce different styles.
TUESDAY 11th NOVEMBER 4.30pm – 7.30pm Dundee Science Centre.
Sign up here – https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/teachmeetDundeeScienceScentre
Education Scotland’s Teacher Education Team have been busy working with a range of partners.
The Teacher Education Team were recently involved in organising a Scottish Learning Festival (SLF) satellite event at Moray Council. John Carnochan, one of the Keynote speakers from the SLF, travelled to Elgin to speak to Headteachers and Local Authority staff on the topic of Leadership – ‘Leadership, it’s a personal thing’. Many members of staff spoke highly of John’s contribution and considerable dialogue took place after the presentation on the development of leadership capacity within the context of Moray Council’s schools. Following this presentation, colleagues from Moray will contribute to the Learning Festival which will be taking place in Aberdeen in February 2015, based on some of John’s ideas.
Work with Local Authorities and schools
Keen to develop our links with Local Authority and school personnel, members of the team have continued to offer support to various establishments around the themes of Professional Review and Development and Professional update, and Career-long Professional Learning. Recent input has been given to the staff of Paisley Grammar School on ‘A Coaching Approach’ to Professional Review and Development.
Storlann Conference
Continuing the theme of working closely with practitioners, the team was represented recently at an annual conference organised by Storlann – the organisation which has been charged with coordinating the production and distribution of Gaelic educational resources throughout Scotland. The conference in Aviemore, which was attended by a large number of Gaelic educationalists, offered a range of presentations and workshops for attendees. The Teacher Education Team – along with Beverly Leslie, a Head Teacher from Perth and Kinross Council – presented two workshops on Professional Learning to primary and secondary teachers.
Life, the world around us and the search for extra-terrestrials will be explored though a range of hands-on activities at Big Biology Scotland on Sunday 12th October 2014.
This free event for all ages, at Mugdock Country Park from 10:00-15:00, will include outdoor activities such as a Bug Hunt, Sun spotting, Rocket making and Bird ringing.
Inside the visitor centre, budding biologists can get busy making Crafty Critters and DNA bracelets. Older visitors can learn more about health with ‘Bacteria Combat’ and ‘Meet a GP’.
The theatre will host films and talks from ‘Meet the Scientist’ and the Cosmic Way Roadshow where you can explore the origins of life in the stars.
To celebrate National Fungus Day (also on Sunday 12 October) Mugdock park rangers will run a Fungi Foray from 13:00-14-30 and Jaw Brew and Battlefield Bakery will be on hand all day to show how the yeast fungus is vital to brewing beer and baking bread.
Big Biology Day Scotland is one of six science festivals taking place all over the country as part of Biology Week 11-18th October 2014, organised by the Society of Biology.
Dr Mark Downs, Chief Executive of the Society of Biology, says: “Biology affects us all: biological research has helped provide food, medicines, vaccinations, and much more. We have organised Biology Week to share our fascination with the world around us.”
For more information visit: https://www.societyofbiology.org/events?event_id=581
A one-day course for Secondary Teachers
Advancing Science, Technology and Safety
Imagine if we changed the way we used materials and energy. Imagine that instead of using things up, we designed objects so they were made to be made again. Firms have already begun to do this, and they are reaping the benefits of this ‘circular economy’ approach.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and SSERC are offering a professional development workshop designed to enable participants to learn about the circular economy, to investigate case studies of some companies that are adopting this model, and to look at some of the 700 teaching resources the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has produced.
The course will be of interest to those who teach about:
Industry
Energy
Raw materials
Food and textiles
New technologies
Design
Systems
Business and economics
Participants will be supported to develop an inter-disciplinary learning (IDL) project in conjunction with others attending the event. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation will support schools in implementing the IDL project. We strongly encourage schools to send at least 2 members of staff to the event.
Costs: The cost per participant will be £15 to include refreshments and course
materials
The closing date for booking is Monday 25th August.
For more information visit:
www.sserc.org.uk or
www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
