Category Archives: RME

CfE, Early Years, Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, Responsibility of All, RME, Sciences, Social studies, Technologies

Global citizenship online community – now LIVE

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Do you have an interest in, or remit for, global citizenship? Need some advice or want to share ideas with like-minded practitioners?

If so, then you’ll probably want to have a peek at the shiny new online community for global citizenship on CPD Central. Join now so you can brag to colleagues about how you were one of the pioneering members .

Why have we set it up? Well, there’s always a buzz of ideas and sharing at our face-to-face CPD events and we thought it’d be amazing if we could find a way of bringing people together again and again to keep the discussion and buzz going. Well we’ve found a way!  Here’s your bit:

Step 1 – Visit http://bit.ly/DGConline and add your picture (Glow log in required)

Step 2 – Share an idea or ask the audience

Welcome gift! If you join before Friday 17th February 2012 we’ll be happy to offer you a special gift to welcome you to the community – one of our highly-prized global citizenship wall calendars (these have been flying off our shelves!).

CfE, Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, Responsibility of All, RME, Sciences, Social studies, Technologies

Whitelees Primary School – Open Day

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School open day

Whitelees Primary School, North Lanarkshire Council

9:30am – 3.00pm, Monday 20th February 2012

Theme:  Sustainable Development Education

This event was originally due to take place on 8th December 2011 but had to be cancelled due to the severe storms. It has now been rescheduled for Monday 20th February 2012.

Whitelees Primary School hit the headlines in 2011 when it became the first primary school to be awarded five ‘excellent’ grades by the school inspectors.  This isn’t the first time their achievements have made news. The school’s accolades and awards include:

  • Finalist, Scottish Education Awards – Sustainable School category (2011)
  • Best Green School Award (2009)
  • Winner,  Scottish Education Awards – Best Enterprise category (2008)
  • Four Green Flags, Eco-Schools Scotland.

A key factor in the school’s success has been the way it has placed global citizenship and sustainable development education at the heart of the curriculum to provide exciting, relevant and engaging contexts for learning. This has helped to create, ‘Highly motivated, confident and ambitious children who are keen to learn and to make a difference in school and the wider community.’

This CPD event offers practitioners and school leaders from across Scotland the chance to visit Whitelees Primary School to meet with the Head Teacher, staff and learners and also tour the classrooms, buildings and grounds. A focus of the event will be to identify and share the practical lessons and ideas that have helped the school develop a successful whole school approach to sustainability and global citizenship including: 

  • A sustained commitment to pupil voice with learners being given real opportunities to shape the curriculum and school decision making
  • Effective use of the school grounds, nature and vegetable gardens to support outdoor learning and deliver the curriculum
  • The inspiring pupil rock band which has achieved notable success through their songs about fair trade and climate change.

Those participating in the open day will also have time to reflect and share their own experiences. 

Click here to download programme for open day

How to book

To book, please email: globalcitizens@educationscotland.gov.uk or Tel. 0141 282 5172.

Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. This is a free event!

CfE, RME, Social studies

Holocaust Memorial 2012

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Glow is proud to host two events to celebrate Holocaust Memorial 2012, which this year is on Friday 27th January.

The first is a live event from Eastern Primary in Dundee on Tuesday 24th January at 1.30pm. During this Glow Meet the Primary 7 pupils will be meeting those involved in the book and flim ‘Hana’s Suitcase’. This amazing story tells of how a suitcase arrived at a children’s Holocaust Education Center in Tokyo, Japan in March 2000 with Hana Brady written on the outside. Children who saw the suitcase on display were full of questions and the director decided to find the answers. The book and the subsequent film tells us what she found out!

At the event we will meet Fumiko, the director at the Holocaust Education Centre in Tokyo and Lara, George Brady’s daughter who also appeared in the film. George Brady, Hana’s brother will also be speaking and finally Larry Weinstein who made the film will be joining us in Dundee.

There will be plenty opportunity for questions for everyone as well. Sign up and join us on the day.

Finally on Thursday 26th January we will join the official Holocaust Memorial Event – Scotland 2012 live from the Caird Hall in Dundee. This event organised by ‘Speak Up Speak Up’ encourages young people to consider what they see and hear around them, and to use their voices to Speak Up against hatred and discrimination. The full programme and the opportunity to sign up and join in on the day is available in Glow TV.

Additional Support for Learning, CfE, Early Years, Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, MCMC/16+LC, Responsibility of All, RME, Sciences, Senior Phase, Social studies, Supporting Learners, Technologies, Universal Support

Global Citizenship – JOIN our Glow drop in session

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Developing Global Citizens through sustainable development education

Time:  3.45pm – 4.45pm, Thursday 26th January

Where: The shiny new Glow community for global citizenship

 2012 is a big year for Sustainable Development Education (SDE):

  • World leaders will gather in Rio to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 and decide on further action
  • 2012 is the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
  • We only have three years until the end of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development Education and there is a buzz of activity happening in schools and local authorities across Scotland.

If you’d like to tune into all that’s happening and are looking for inspiration and ideas to kick start 2012 then this is the Glow meet for you. The Developing Global Citizenship Team will be hosting this informal session open to any practitioner or school leader – just drop into the Glow meet to pick our brains, find out what’s coming up or tell us what you’re up to. If you missed the previous sessions then click here to see how they work.

Note: if you join us with a headset or webcam then it means we can have a good blether. However, if you prefer to type fast with wonky spellng then that’s good too!

One click (then another small one) to take part >>  http://bit.ly/DGCdropin3

National Qualifications, Religious and Moral Education, RME, Social studies

SQA Curriculum Event: RME and Social Studies

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SQA, in partnership with Education Scotland, are holding a series of curriculum area events to discuss the new national qualifications and give practical support on their implementation. The events are also an opportunity for practitioners to give their views on the new qualifications. Places have been allocated to local authorities and their schools, independent schools and colleges. The events are part of a range of support to help local authorities and individual centres prepare for implementing the new qualifications.

The RME and Scoial Studies day was on the 29th Novemeber. To view the Glow Meet recordings from the event click on the links below (you will need to glow log in to access the recordings):

Introduction and Question/Answers

To find out about other Curriculum Area Events during December via Glow TV click here.

Assessment, Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, National Qualifications, RME, Sciences, Senior Phase, Social studies, Supporting Learners, Technologies

Advice and guidance on new National Qualifications

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http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/nationalqualifications/nqframework/newqualifications/index.asp?dm_i=LQE,MDNO,3GU5HR,1T9Y1,1

Education Scotland is developing advice and guidance for practitioners on the delivery of courses within the new National Qualifications (NQ) framework. A new advice and guidance area within the NQ Support webpages is available, giving further information and linking to a new advice and guidance factfile and an online survey (http://newsletters-ltscotland.org.uk/LQE-MDNO-3GU5HR-8LLGF-1/c.aspx). As part of the ongoing development work associated with new National Qualifications, Education Scotland consulted key partners to determine the type and nature of supplementary guidance which should be developed to support the new NQs. The webpages explain the support that is currently in development and the form that this will take. This advice and guidance will be published in the spring.

CfE, Early Years, Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, Responsibility of All, RME, Sciences, Senior Phase, Social studies, Young people, children & families

Creativity in the Classroom – a call out to share what works

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Consider yourself creative?

The Creativity Portal is looking for examples of simple, short creative exercises that teachers and youth workers like yourself have used in the classroom and youth group settings.

It could be:

  • A creative chemistry experiment
  • The school’s fastest paper aeroplane contest
  • The imaginative alphabet
  • A 30 second dramatic warm-up

We would love to hear what’s worked for you. Get a mention on the national Creativity Portal and an invitation to future creative CPD. A wee bit of text is all it takes.

Add to the Creativity Archive here within Glow.

Or email Stephen.bullock@educationscotland.gov.uk

Adult Learning, Assessment, CfE, Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, National Qualifications, RME, Sciences, Senior Phase, Social studies, Supporting Learners, Technologies

New Qualifications – November Update

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http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/47993.html

 More detail about how each new National 5 Course will be assessed is now available. Draft Course Assessment Specifications for National 5 have been published on the SQA website and define the mandatory assessment requirements for Courses at National 5.

The purpose of the Course Assessment Specification is to ensure consistent and transparent assessment year on year. It describes the structure of the Course assessment and the mandatory skills, knowledge and understanding that will be assessed.

 Find out more about the qualifications development stages.

 Draft Unit Specifications have also been published for new Higher Courses. 

Feedback on these documents can be given via Have Your Say until 31 January 2012. The final versions of all SQA draft documents will be published in April 2012.

Assessment, Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Literacy, Literacy and English, Mathematics, Modern Languages, National Qualifications, Religious and Moral Education, RME, Sciences, Social studies, Technologies

Curriculum Area Events on Glow TV

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SQA, in partnership with Education Scotland, are holding a series of curriculum area events to discuss the new national qualifications and give practical support on their implementation. The events are also an opportunity for practitioners to give their views on the new qualifications. Places have been allocated to local authorities and their schools, independent schools and colleges. The events are part of a range of support to help local authorities and individual centres prepare for implementing the new qualifications.

The events will take place on 29 November, and 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 13 December. Each event will be streamed live on Glow via the SQA Glow Group.  Most events and workshops will be shown live and recorded for watching again later.

A number of resources will be available following each event, including opportunities to hear some of the discussions from the day.

Expressive Arts, Literacy and English, Mathematics, Responsibility of All, RME, Sciences, Technologies

Curriculum Update at Glow Key Contacts

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Today I went along to the Glow Key Contacts Meeting to give an update about new resources from the Curriculm Team  at Education Scotland. 

You will find the presentation I used here. (Glow log in required)

The resources I highlighted included:

Education Scotland’s Learning Blog

Chalkface Blog

STEM Central

Marks on the Landscape

Literacy, Religious and Moral Education, Social studies

Resources for St. Andrew’s Day

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St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. Find out more about the Saint, view an animated version of his story, and discover why the Saltire is Scotland’s national flag. Find out more information on Education Scotland’s Celebrating St. Andrew’s Day Website.

Click here to find St. Andrew’s Day resources.

On Monday 28th November, the annual St Andrew’s Day debating championship will be held in the Scottish Parliament with students and senior pupils from universities and schools across Scotland competing in debating heats covering a range of issues important in today’s society. To find out more click here.

Other Education Scotland resources include:

Scotland’s Songs

Scotland’s Stories

Health and wellbeing, Religious and Moral Education, Sciences

Talking STEM Cells

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Scottish Stem Cell Network (SSCN) have been running a series of interactive workshops on the topic of Stem Cell aimed at S5 Higher Human Biology/ Higher Biology classes since the summer and two new ones have now been scheduled.

The workshops are delivered live by scientists enhancing the class room experience and providing a unique opportunity to explore science as a career.

Resources address key objectives by setting up scenarios to encourage interdisciplinary learning specifically addressing areas of Science, RMPS together with issues from Health and Wellbeing. The resources are designed to develop skills in group work within and across schools and critical analysis skills where the students will be assessing the moral and ethical issues associated with scientific advancements based on factual information validated and delivered by experts in the field.

The workshops are lead by a stem cell scientist, making use of a mix of presentations, interactive quizzes, video and web based activities and cover:

• A basic introduction into stem cells, the science.
• How can we use Stem Cells
• What does the future hold
• The Ethical questions
• Careers in the Stem Cell Industry

The two new sessions are identical in content but are on different days and times to hopefully suit the S5 timetable in your school.

Sign up and join us on either Wednesday 16th November live from 1.15 – 3.30pm or on Friday 25th November from 9.55-11.55am. Talking STEM Cells – 16/11 OR Talking STEM Cells 25/11

Health and wellbeing, Literacy, Religious and Moral Education, Religious Education in Roman Catholic schools, Responsibility of All, RME, Social studies

Edinburgh Interfaith Week

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Edinburgh Interfaith Week Programme has been launched and offers an ideal opportuntiy for those in and around the Edinburgh Area to find out more about faith and belief and its relevance to the world today.

 EIFA Inter faith week

Assessment, Expressive Arts, Languages, Mathematics, National Qualifications, RME, Sciences, Senior Phase, Social studies, Technologies

SQA Update for New National Qualifications

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http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/47667.html

The Scottish Qualifications Authority has a number of resources to support teachers and practitioners to help them understand the changes to Scotland’s national qualifications. Read more in this update.

Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, Responsibility of All, RME, Sciences, Senior Phase, Social studies, Technologies

Global citizenship and sustainability – visit award-winning schools

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Following the tremendous success of earlier open day events, the Developing Global Citizens Team at Education Scotland are providing opportunities for school leaders and practitioners to visit three more schools to see first-hand how they have developed inspiring whole school approaches to global citizenship and sustainable development education. These include:

 Hamilton Grammar School, South Lanarkshire

Theme:  An integrated approach to global citizenship

  • Four Eco-Schools green flag awards; pupil voice; making the most of international links; promoting active and outdoor learning.

 Garrowhill Primary School, Glasgow

Theme: Sustainable development education

  • Winner, Scottish Education Awards (2011) – Sustainable School Category; pupil voice; outdoor learning and school grounds; embedding sustainability within the curriculum; Eco-Schools green flag.

 Whitelees Primary School, North Lanarkshire

Theme: Sustainable development education

  • Recently achieved five ‘excellent’ grades in their school inspection; Finalist, Scottish Education Awards (2011) – Sustainable School Category; Winner, Best Green School (2009); Four Eco-Schools green flag awards.

 How to book

To book, please email: globalcitizens@educationscotland.gov.uk or Tel. 0141 282 5172. Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. These are free CPD events.

 View the full programme of school open day events at http://ltsblogs.org.uk/globalcitizenship/2011/09/28/new-open-day-programme-201112/

 What others have said about the study visits:

‘The best CPD I have ever had.’

‘This was an inspirational CPD event and I found it all very useful and enjoyable – fantastic.’

‘My mind is going into overdrive – I plan to take everything you have given and use it!’

Religious and Moral Education, Religious Education in Roman Catholic schools, RME

Happy Diwali – new resource from @GuardianTeach

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Happy Diwali to everyone – today is Diwali and Hindus around the world are celebrating the return of Rama and Sita from exile as told in the Ramayana.

Guardian Teach has an excellent resource to use – have a look and if you wish to leave a comment below on how you have used it – feel free!

http://glo.li/scTSWl

CLD, Community Capacity Building, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, National Qualifications, Religious and Moral Education, Religious Education in Roman Catholic schools, Responsibility of All, RME, Senior Phase, Social studies, Young people, children & families

A Guide to Faith Communities in Scotland

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To advance public knowledge and understanding of the teachings, traditions and practices of the different faith communities in Scotland, SIFC has produced the above booklet. It has recently been reprinted in May 2011. It can be downloaded  here:

A Guide to Faith Communities in Scotland

Additional Support for Learning, Early Years, Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Literacy, Mathematics, MCMC/16+LC, Responsibility of All, RME, Sciences, Senior Phase, Social studies, Supporting Learners, Technologies, Universal Support

Glow Meet – Global citizenship DROP IN

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Every month the DGC team will be available on our new Glow TV channel to answer your questions about global citizenship and to signpost you to resources and ideas to help you embed global citizenship in the curriculum.  This is an informal session open to any school leader or practitioner in Scotland – just drop into the Glow meet to pick our brains, find out what’s coming up or tell us what you’re up to.

The inaugural session will take place from 3.30-5.00pm on Wednesday 26th October.  The theme for the first 45 minutes of this session will be A Games Legacy for Scotland and will showcase how the London Olympics 2012 and Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 can be used to create exciting learning opportunities for global citizenship activities and interdisciplinary learning.  Find out how to get free tickets to the Olympics, hear about the Forest Pitch football strip design competition and how the organisers plan to Get Scotland Dancing. 

A general Q & A/open floor session will follow from 4.15pm to 5pm. Put the day in your diary and join us for all, or part of, this event to discuss and share or get help with a particular issue. Visit Glow TV to register and take part on the day: http://bit.ly/DGCdropin

If you can’t make this one then the following drop in session will be on Tuesday 6th December 2011 from 3:30pm – 5pm. The theme will be: Developing a whole school approach to global citizenship.

RME

World Porridge Day

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World Porridge Day on Monday 10th October will see the celebration of a traditional Scottish dish and the chance to explore the work of the charity Mary’s Meals.

 To many in the UK, porridge is a hearty breakfast, but to over 479,000 school children in Malawi who receive a daily mug of maize-based likuni phala from Mary’s Meals, it is a powerful incentive to go to school, and the only guaranteed meal they will have each day.  Mary’s Meals provides a daily meal to chronically hungry children to attract them to school where they can get an education which could lift them out of poverty in later life. It costs Mary’s Meals just £6.15 to provide a daily meal for a child for a whole school year.

200 S1 pupils in Holyrood Secondary School Glasgow will be served porridge at the same time as pupils at the Catholic Institute Primary School in Malawi with a live link via Glow.  Join us and tell us how you are celebrating World Porridge Day and find out exactly what World Porridge Day means to the pupils in Malawi.

Join us for World Porridge Day on Glow TV

Hosted by Holyrood Secondary School, Glasgow

A live link with Malawi

Monday 10th October 2011

 10am

 To sign up for this event on Glow TV click here (Glow log in required).

To find out more about Mary’s Meals visit the Glow Group (Glow log in required).

Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, National Qualifications, RME, Sciences, Social studies, Technologies

Information on the New Qualifications

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Up to date information on the development of the new National Qualifications, including timelines, draft specifications and opportunities to be involved  and give feedback can be found on the SQA CfE website at:  http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/34648.2942.html.

Health and wellbeing, Religious and Moral Education

Glow TV – School’s Channel First!!

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Our first School’s Channel broadcast is coming live from Braehead Primary School in West Dunbartonshire. Headteacher Joanne Paton contacted us through Glow and now her pupils will be taking centre stage on Glow TV for a National Event.

Join us as the candidates for the Braehead Primary Pupil Council for 2011-2012 will be rounding off their election campaigns with their own election broadcasts outlining why they should be elected to the Pupil Council.
Watch the broadcasts and then have your own vote in school. You will be able to ask the candidates questions yourselves too! Find out the winners by logging on to the Braehead Primary website after the final vote on Tuesday 13th September.

Sign up in Glow TV and join us on Monday 12th September at 1.45pm to find out more!

Expressive Arts, Religious and Moral Education, Religious Education in Roman Catholic schools, RME

David Mach Exhibit

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Just to remind you that the David Mach exhibit is still on at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh. This exhibit uses the King James bible as inspiration and David has used sculpture and collage to convey his interpretations of classic biblical stories.

A Design challenge for both Art and Design and RME is being developed with kind permission from David himself – so look out for this in future as a way of linking together two subjects.

Religious and Moral Education, Religious Education in Roman Catholic schools, RME, Supporting Learners

RME: Belief in Dialogue

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The Scottish Government (with support from the Scottish Inter-faith Council has recently published “Belief in Dialogue” – this resource aims to provide guidance on interfaith dialogue and best practice when dealing with faith groups.

Belief in Dialogue

Religious Education in Roman Catholic schools, RME

RME and RERC Provision in Schools

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The Scottish Government has recently published new guidance on delivery of RME within all schools in Scotland. This guidance highlights the continuing statutory nature of RME and that it should be a core subject from 3-18 including delivery in S5 and S6. It also talks about the need for specialist subject teachers and how RME can contribute to IDL but should not be delivered entirely through IDL.

RME RERC Provision Letter