Category Archives: Literacy

Reading for pleasure – What difference does it make?

 

literacy logoThis is one of a series of thought pieces from the Literacy and English team at Education Scotland.  In this one, Helen Fairlie discusses some well-known research about reading for pleasure from the National Literacy Trust.

literacy trust reading for pleasure 2006The lead up to Book Week Scotland seems like a good time to consider how we motivate learners to read independently for their own enjoyment.  An equally important question for me, though, is why does the amount that we read for enjoyment make such a big difference to our learning?

This paper was published by the National Literacy Trust in 2006, however the research that it refers to still tells us a lot about the difference that reading for pleasure makes to our progress in literacy, as well as revealing a lot about how motivation to read works.

Get involved and join the conversation!

Please read the research, consider your own practice and what happens in your establishment.

Some questions to consider…

  • Do you recognise the benefits of reading for pleasure (p.8) in the learners that you work with?
  • Rewards and motivation – Do reward schemes have a positive or negative impact on young readers’ motivation?
  • Have cultural changes and technological advances changed children’s attitudes to reading? Are there ways to work with this?

Join the conversation on our Literacy community.

Find out how to get or update your Glow membership – How do I get a Glow login?

 

To find out more about Book Week Scotland (23rd to 29th November, 2015) go to the Scottish Book Trust website.

Book Week Scotland

 

 

 

Is famous the same as influential?

During the inagural Academic Book Week Darwin’s On the Origins of Species was voted by the public as the most influential academic book ever written.

A shortlist of 20 books was compiled, including among others Newton’s Principia, Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and Orwell’s 1984 to name but a few.

In the following post Emily Tee provides a rationale to her voting preferences. Her comments and the original shortlist lead me to ask the following questions:

Does the result of the vote reflect voting preferences based on the fame of a book or author rather than influence of the book?

Should 1984 have been included on the academic shortlist?

Which book would you have voted for and why?

Unfortunately, the vote is now closed but I would have opted for Newton’s Prinicpia. However, I may be biased being a physicist!

Please comment.

 

 

 

 

Test for Uplevelling

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Reflective Questions

https://glowscotland.sharepoint.com/sites/PLC/plsuperheroes/newsfeed.aspx?ThreadID=8.219755274974459fab72432fa9673eab.bba932cfec2b4cd48c11f06efcdc8564.219755274974459fab72432fa9673eab.c0817867563549c9a1ca47af29f4016d.446605b18c474ffda9511d27a5c6e26e.239.239.1

 

 

Topical Science and Partnerships Glow Meet – Wednesday 4th March 3.45-4.45pm

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 is hosting a “Topical Science and Partnerships” Glow Meet which will be complimented again by a series of professional learning twilight sessions.

Join us on Wednesday 4th March at 3.45 – 4.45 pm in Glow TV to find out more.

Register https://meet.glowscotland.org.uk/topicalscience/event/event_info.html

Register for the twilight session

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TwilightSessions2015

Sessions will include input from STEM Ambassadors, Royal Society of Chemistry, Citizen Science , Community Resilience, Creative Thinking and the Sciences  and Glasgow City of Science

Digital storytelling update – part 2

We told you last week about our Digital Storytelling exercise. Well, already there has been a major plot development!

Award-winning childrens’ author, Theresa Breslin, has kindly agreed to provide the story starter for Digital Storytelling 3.

Among the schools who will be taking part are Kilbarchan, Lochfield, Invergowrie, Pumpherston and Uphall Station primary schools.

The great news is that as of the time of writing this blog post, there are still slots available. So if you want to take part, get along to the storytelling learning space

<Please note, there are also still slots available for Storytelling 2 (for older writers) see Digital Storytelling 1 and 2 update for another surprise!>

Theresa_Breslin_400x400About Theresa Breslin

  • Carnegie Medal winning author of over 40 books
  • Her books include Divided City, Ghost Soldier and Illustrated Treasury of Folk & Fairy Tales
  • Her work has appeared on Stage, Radio & TV

You can keep up to date with Theresa’s work online:

Digital storytelling update – part 1

We told you last week about our Digital Storytelling exercise. These two stories haven’t even started yet and there has been a major plot twist!

Renowned Scottish childrens’ author, Cathy MacPhail, has kindly agreed to provide the story starters for both Digital Storytelling 1 and Digital Storytelling 2.

First to take up Cathy’s challenge will be the young writers of St Michael’s Primary in Dumfries. Of course, they won’t see Catherine’s starter until just before they start writing!

You can see all the other schools taking part in this particular challenge on Glow by going to the storytelling learning space

<Please note, Storytelling 1 is full but there are still slots available for Storytelling 2 and Storytelling 3 –see Digital Storytelling 3 update for another surprise!>

Cathy_MacPhailAbout Cathy MacPhail

  • Cathy is Patron of Reading at Falkirk High
  • She is also an Ambassador for Children 1st.
  • Her novel , Out of The Depths, was shortlisted for the Grampian Book Award and she is weel kent for her Tyler Lawless Mysteries.
  • Her novel, Another Me, is soon to be released as a film, Panda Eyes.

You can keep up to date with Cathy’s work online:

Digital storytelling

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Calling all learners!

From 2nd to 6th March, we’re going to co-create stories using Word Online on Glow.

Renowned authors, Theresa Breslin and Cathy MacPhail are providing the story starters!

These will be published at 9am on the 2nd March. At 9.30, the learners of St Michael’s Primary in Dumfries will write the first chapter.

Classes who sign up each get about an hour to write their chapter of the story. The twist is the storyline and characters have to flow, that’s the fun bit! Any learner or educator can ‘tune in’ and see the story developing live.

By the end of the week, we will have three fab co-written stories!

There are three separate storytelling experiences. To take part, you should ask your teacher to read the Teacher guide – storytelling for digilearnscot week and sign you up on one of the spaces on Glow

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Another learning experience brought to you by #digilearnscot

APPEAL FOR MORE SCHOOLS TO SIGN UP FOR SCOTS LANGUAGE AMBASSADORS SCHEME

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.

 

Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards

Now open for applications!

Scotland’s Finest Woods (SFW) and the Outdoor & Woodland Learning Scotland (OWLS) (formerly Forest Education Initiative Scotland) have once again teamed up to run an annual Schools Award in Scotland.

The Award is to encourage and reward schools that increase young people’s understanding and appreciation of the environmental, social and economic potential of trees, woodlands and forests and of the link between trees and everyday wood-based products.

Prize money and prestige to be won!  Closing date for entry – 31st March 2015

For further information click on this link – www.sfwa.co.uk/

Scottish Education Awards 2015 – now open for nominations

Nominations for the Scottish Education Awards 2015 awards are now open. Celebrating the hard work and success in Scottish education, the awards recognise the achievements of people who dedicate their lives to children and young people.

There are 17 awards available across a range of categories covering all areas of education. New awards for this year include learning for sustainability, making languages come alive and transforming lives through partnerships.

If you know of a school or teacher that deserves to be recognised for their hard work visit the Scottish Education Awards website for more information and to submit a nomination.

Nominations must be submitted by Monday 16 February 2015, good luck.

Supporting Outdoor Learning in Secondary Schools – Speyside High School, 15th November 2015

On Saturday 15th November the second of our ‘Supporting Outdoor Learning in Secondary Schools’ events took place at Speyside High School in Aberlour. The day began with an opening presentation from Nigel Engstrand, Head Teacher, Speyside High School who shared his thoughts on the relevance and importance of learning outdoors and discussed the commitment that Speyside High School has made to outdoor learning.

Throughout the day 12 workshops ran offering participants a variety of practical ideas on how to use outdoor learning approaches across the curriculum. Examples included using the outdoors to develop literacy skills, outdoor learning through physical education and physical activity, creativity in the outdoors, taking science outdoors and progression in outdoor learning from S1-S6. Many workshops also highlighted how partnership working had also helped enrich outdoor learning experiences. Details of all the workshops which took place can also be downloaded here: Workshops – Detailed descriptors

Representatives from 11 partner agencies also took part in the market place providing a wealth of information on further resources available to support outdoor learning.

But the undoubtable highlight of the day was the captivating keynote speech delivered by S4 Speyside High School pupil Zeki Basan. Zeki, a junior ‘Ray Mears’, provided a fascinating talk on bush craft (or the term he has coined ‘Bushology’) in which he shared his vast knowledge of the medicinal properties and practical uses of the wild plants and trees which exist in the local Speyside countryside. Most inspiring was Zeki’s candid account of how a meeting with Ray Mears together with his own passion for the natural world and thirst to learn more about it helped him to overcome his own personal barrier to learning.

Many thanks also to the other Speyside High School pupils Lee Tarling, Annemiek Daggert, Connel Laing and Elliot Gould who kindly gave up their Saturday to help meet and greet the participants and to share their experiences of outdoor learning at Speyside High School.

Feedback from the event has been very positive with many participants already making use of the contacts, resources and ideas they gained from the day:

“It was good meeting such positive teachers and outdoor learning providers. Seeing a school being successful in incorporating OL in the curriculum and not making it an add on.”

“Having young people involved and sharing their passion was the most engaging part of it.”

“I have already discussed using the local farming community with a geography colleague who wasn’t sure where to start.”

“I have an increased awareness of the value of outdoor learning within school and will work with others to improve, increase, support good practice.”

Participants have also had the opportunity to put forward suggestions for future outdoor learning events which will of great use in our planning.

Further information on this event including presentations and materials from the workshops and links to all of the partner organisations that took part can be found on the new Glow Outdoor Learning Community which can be accessed via: http://bit.ly/1umiCug. From here click on the tile ‘Previous events’ to access the sites for the Supporting Outdoor Learning in Secondary Schools events.

Many thanks to staff from Moray Council, Speyside High School, Banchory Academy, Kemnay Academy, Grantown Grammar School, Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET), The National Trust for Scotland, Horseback UK, Cairngorms National Park Authority, The John Muir Award, Field Studies Council, OPAL, Grounds for Learning, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Adventure Aberdeen, Classroom Outdoors, The Outward Bound Trust, Abernethy and Angus Education Service.

Forest Kindergarten Training

The Forestry Commission Scotland offers training for early years’ staff in developing forest kindergartens. The training consists of a one day taster course for Heads and Managers of nurseries and a three day training course for nursery teachers and early years practitioners.

One Day Taster Course – The taster course gives promoted staff an introduction to the philosophy of Forest Kindergartens, an opportunity to consider controlled risk taking and discussion of the value of learning in nature using natural materials in woodlands or other green spaces. The content of the course consistently refers to the Early Years Framework and Curriculum for Excellence. This course gives promoted staff the opportunity to consider their role in supporting staff in developing forest kindergartens and sharing information with parents and the wider community. Part of the day is held indoors and the remainder outdoors.

Three Day Course – This course is designed to support staff in embedding forest kindergarten as part of their Pre-Birth to Three and Curriculum for Excellence practice. The course gives staff the opportunity to share their hopes and concerns, discuss controlled risk taking and understand how this approach embraces the Rights of The Child. Participants learn about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, challenging outdoor experiences that can be offered and ways that the Curriculum for Excellence supports experiential outdoor learning. The course gives staff a theoretical overview and the opportunity to engage in practical outdoor activities. Staff also visit an established forest kindergarten and discuss practice with staff who have completed the course and are now experienced forest kindergarten leaders. Part of the course gives staff opportunities to consider responsive planning approaches and ways in which woodland experiences can impact on indoor practice and the nursery outdoor environment.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the past three days. All my inhibitions and fears about taking children off site are well and truly gone. The course was delivered to a very high standard and I know I’ve learned a lot”

“I was not really a fan of getting outdoors and getting dirty but now I understand the benefits it has for the children and I am motivated and excited to get started”

Forestry Commission Scotland Support – Forestry Commission Scotland offers this course to all staff delivering the curriculum for Excellence at the Early Level in nurseries and schools. Ongoing on-site support continues from FCS to assist staff in identifying suitable woodland or green space and involve staff teams, parents and carers and the local community. FCS can also participate alongside staff to support them in developing the quality of their session. Each participant receives a training pack and pen drive loaded with essential information. This  includes awareness raising materials and activities to engage children, staff, parents, carers, and the local community.

A new Training for Trainers course is being prepared so that existing forest kindergarten leaders can deliver training alongside forestry commission staff within their own local authorities. North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire staff are currently co-presenting the 3 day course.

There is an opportunity for staff to continue developing their knowledge and skills through supplementary courses lasting one and a half days each to learn how to use ropes, fire and tools. In future a course on The Pedagogy of Forest Kindergartens will be offered

Forest Family Bags are also being created to support families using woodlands with their children and a Transition pilot programme is about to be developed to support the continuation of forest kindergarten into primary one.

For further information on any of the above please contact: Marian Cairns, Acting Central Scotland Education Officer, Central Scotland Conservancy Email: marian.cairns@forestry.gsi.gov.uk Tel: 01698 368553, Mob: 07747474790

Building the West Barns Primary School curriculum part 2

Developing the Life and Ethos of West Barns Primary School

Over the past 12 months at we have been working with pupils, families and the wider community to help us develop a clear rational for our curriculum based on shared values of respect, happiness, confidence, responsibility, safety and friendliness.  The school continues to develop open and supportive relationships with children and their families.  We are now beginning to see the impact of many months of hard work on the life and work of the school.

This year we have introduced Learning Journeys which will support pupils in reflecting on their learning and identify their next steps as well as recording their wider achievement.  We are sharing these with parents and families on a regular basis and encourage them to add their own comments, photos, certificates etc. and help their child set health and wellbeing targets.  This will provide parents with a great opportunity to become more involved in their child’s learning and achievements. By the end of this first term we are already seeing pupils engaging more in discussing their learning, identifying their strengths and next steps, thinking of strategies to help them move forward and evidencing their achievements.

Learning journeys

Parents and families also recently helped our Primary 4-7 pupils understand the importance that literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing skills will play in their adult lives.  Pupils interviewed adults as part of the Family Homework task (download parents survey). Pupils then worked together to process and present the information.  This gave our children a greater understanding of why it is important to master these basic skills during their school years.  Younger pupils have been thinking about what jobs they would like to do when they are older and which skills they will need.  Staff continue to make the links between the children’s learning and skills for learning, work and life.

Family homework task

This year we felt it was essential that we looked at how we could better promote emotional resilience in our pupils.  We are using a whole school approach to health and wellbeing through using Edinburgh City’s ‘Creating Confident Kids’ resources (http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20075/information_for_professionals/383/learning_publications ).  The Headteacher is working with all classes to develop a whole school approach through active learning and school assemblies.  The Playground Committee has also been looking at ways that we could better support pupils during break times through developing games and activities and have introduced their own Playground rules.

Playground rules

The whole school community are now working together to develop an ethos of positive behaviour to promote effective learning and wellbeing across the school.  This year, before choosing new House Captains, pupils were asked what attributes they valued most in a leader.  The results were unanimous – pupils wanted role models who showed respect, kindness and responsibility.  Candidates then used these findings to inform their election campaigns and now have a clear remit of what the school community expects from them in their new roles.

Most valued attributes in a leader

Our recent pupil survey showed us that our children wanted to contribute more to the life and work of the school.  We are now giving all our pupils the opportunity to exercise their responsibilities through playing an active part in one of our 4 school committees.  We have timetabled quality time and invested in resources to ensure that pupils have real opportunities to participate responsibly in decision-making, contribute as leaders and role models and offer support and service to others through meaningful projects that will benefit the school and our wider community.

Although we have an open door policy here at West Barns and welcome communication from parents, we were keen on trying to involve our parents more in the day to day running of the school.  Our Parent Council have recruited many volunteers through the West Barns Helping Hands scheme which involves parents, families or neighbours offering their help in a variety of different ways from creating resources, digging the garden, mending toys, making curtains and helping organise events.  We are seeing many more parents and families becoming involved in the school and we are making headway with many new projects thanks to their help.

Next month see how our curriculum rationale is being developed.

Ross Rocks Reading Launch Events

Ross Rocks Reading is an exciting and innovative challenge for schools and their communities to get more involved with reading.

Glow TV will be joining pupils from various primary and secondary schools in East Lothian as they tell us all about the books that they have been reading and what books they are looking forward to reading.

Join us to find out more about this exciting opportunity and how you and your school/community can become involved in your own Rocking Reading Challenge!

We are delighted to have two separate events on Tuesday 9th September – Primary Event at 9.30am and Secondary Event at 11am. Sign up and join us on the day or Watch Again if you are unable to watch us live!

Bookbug in the Home-Evaluation

Blake Stevenson and consultant Dr Suzanne Zeedyk recently undertook a year- long evaluation of the Bookbug for the Home training, which aims to expand the reach of the Bookbug programme (this encourages families to read with their children from a young age) to vulnerable families and those living in deprived areas. Professionals who work in families’ homes, such as social workers, are provided with the knowledge and resources to introduce the principles of Bookbug Sessions – talking, singing, cuddling and book sharing. 1,145 professionals have been trained over the last two years and 800 more from 8 local authorities in Scotland are signed up to take part this year.There was a noted impact on professionals who undertook the training, with 99% saying it was relevant to their role and a good use of their time and 71% stating that it had positively impacted on their professional practice.


Researchers found that parents who took part in Bookbug for the Home had developed closer bonds with their children, and felt more equipped to play, interact and read with them, with the number of people reading daily with their children increasing from 41% to 78%, and the number of people singing or rhyming daily with their children increasing from 53% to 78%. This in turn has had a beneficial effect on children’s confidence, social skills, speech and language development and positively impacted on parent and child attachment, with 98% of the professionals who undertook the training noticing a positive impact on the families involved in the programme. To read more about this positive evaluation and to learn more about the Bookbug for the Home programme please see link below.

http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/learning/early-years-professionals/assertive-outreach-evaluation

Bookbug is run by Scottish Book Trust and funded by the Scottish Government.

Languages and STEM skills, opening doors!

SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, is working with businesses and schools in Scotland to promote languages as a key skill for employment.

Operating effectively in a global economy relies on many skills and includes the right language skills. People who can communicate, at least conversationally, can make all the difference in the conduct of business, consolidating relationships with existing suppliers and customers and opening the way to new overseas contacts. When combined with STEM skills, the career opportunities in a vast array of sectors widens.

Key facts from the CBI Education and Skills Survey 2013

Seven out of ten (70%) businesses value foreign language skills among their employees

  • French(49%) and German(45%) are the leading languages in demand, but those geared to businesses in China feature increasingly prominently – of those valuing staff with foreign language skills, 28% value Manderin and 16% Cantonese
  • STEM skills are in high demand and nearly two in five firms (39%) are having difficulties recruiting staff. 41% expect this to persist over the next three years
  • Shortages of STEM qualified technicians (29%) and graduates (26%) are widespread among firms in engineering, hi-tech/IT and science areas
  • Businesses recognise that they have a key role in encouraging more young people to study STEM subjects, enthusing young people about STEM (55%) and working with Universities to ensure the business relevance of the course (50%).

Read about people who have combined their STEM and language skills in the pharmaceutical industry, technologies and the Scottish Football Association and find out why they consider that learning a language is really important.

http://www.scilt.org.uk/Business/Jobprofilesandcareers/tabid/2867/Default.aspx

Scottish Engineering Awards- Special Leaders Award 2014/15

lf you could be an engineer in Scotland – what would you do?

The Leaders Award for STEM is a Primary Engineer programme open to students from 5 to 19 years old. It is a fantastic way to increase their awareness of the breadth of opportunities open to them within STEM subjects. Students  have the chance to speak directly to professionals from different fields in STEM. This award is a great opportunity to engage pupils with real engineers who will convey the importance of STEM in their daily working lives. Schools will be able to develop relationships with industry, both local and worldwide, giving pupils a unique perspective of professions and their significance in the wider world.

The Challenge
Pupils are asked to research engineering and interview a practicing engineer to interpret the statement “lf you could be an engineer in Scotland – what would you do?”. Primary pupils are asked to illustrate their response, accompanied by 100 words. Secondary pupils are asked to illustrate their response, accompanied by 350 words.

The website contains resources and lesson plans which can help pupils get their research underway. Just visit the ‘Downloads’ section of the website at www.leadersaward.com.

All successful participants will receive a certificate and winning entries will be exhibited to the public at the Barony Hall, University of Strathclyde (date TBC).

Closing date: 10th February 2015

How to get involved
Register your school via the website www.leadersaward.com. Once registered, you will receive an application pack and further guidance on completing the award.

John Muir – Back to the Future

2014 has seen John Muir leap to prominence, with a Way, a Festival, a Conference…not to mention a recent trend for beards (coincidence?!).

But what does the younger generation make of a man who left Dunbar, East Lothian for America aged 10, became an adventurer and conservation visionary, helped set up the National Parks movement, and died 100 years ago?

The John Muir Trust asked them – and found out some fascinating facts, interesting insights, and whether Muir’s message has relevance to young people today.

Watch a 5 minute film created by the John Muir Trust at http://vimeo.com/95260067 .

“The film captures young people’s thoughts and integrates John Muir’s life story fabulously.” Koren Calder, Young Adult Project Manager, Scottish Book Trust

“A lovely evocation of the roots and the meaning of Muir set into teen parlance.” John Beatty

Forestry Commission Scotland – Woodland Workout

Forestry Commission Scotland is encouraging young people to feel the benefit of the Commonwealth Games with a new Woodland Workout pack. Targeted at 3-14 year olds the pack promotes opportunities for quality, fun and safe physical activity in the outdoors and includes ideas for games, physical activities and staging ‘adapted’ Commonwealth sports in the woodlands. The pack, complete with teachers’ guide, encourages young people to have fun but to also be responsible for their well-being and consider risk. As well as considering potential hazards in their activity space and taking risks with solving problems, it also allows children the chance to learn how to manage ‘failure’ through reflecting on performance to set new challenges.

The Woodland Workout, with Commonwealth Games supplement has been issued to schools across Scotland and is available to download.

Outdoor Learning online support

For information, resources, support, key organisations and national guidelines on taking learning outdoors click on the link below to access the Education Scotland outdoor learning online resource:

Education Scotland Outdoor Learning online resource

Key documents available on this resource include:

  • Outdoor Learning 3-18: Self-evaluation resource – this resource is specifically designed to support teachers and educators in pre-school centres and primary, special and secondary schools and Community Learning and Development (CLD) to evaluate the potential of their work to help children and young people learn outdoors.

A downloadable word document highlighting all these links is available here: Education Scotland Outdoor Learning online support materials

RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards

The RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate excellence, innovation and outstanding achievement in Scottish nature conservation. The Youth & Education Award celebrates a school or youth group who can demonstrate how they have made a real difference to the conservation and sustainability of Scotland’s wildlife and habitats.

This could be through fundraising for a conservation-related project, a school grounds development, partnership working or best practice in hands-on delivery of learning for sustainability, connecting young people to the natural world.

The awards are now open for entries.

Click here for further information: http://www.rspb.org.uk/thingstodo/natureofscotland

Sustrans – The Big Street Survey

Sustrans, the British charity which promotes sustainable transport, has developed a learning and teaching resource for P6-7 and S1-3 called The Big Street Survey. It is designed to get pupils thinking and learning about their local environments, how they make them feel and how they can go about developing a manifesto for changing their streets and making them healthier and safer places.

A series of free downloadable resources can be viewed here:

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/change-your-travel/children-and-families/schools/big-street-survey

These resources deliver various Experiences & Outcomes across Health & Wellbeing, Social Studies, Expressive Arts, Literacy and Numeracy.

Bookbug Week, 19-25 May 2014

Join us for Bookbug Week, 19-25 May

Celebrate Bookbug Week between 19 and 25 May, with a whole week of FREE, special events taking place all over Scotland for families with babies and young children.

This year’s theme is Bookbug’s Big Sports Day, and there will be a whole host of fun story, song and rhyme activities taking place in local libraries and community venues.
Bookbug is Scottish Book Trust’s Early Years programme, which encourages and supports parents to share books, talk, sing and cuddle their children from birth, and helps every child in Scotland to develop a love of reading.

Sharing books with children has many wonderful benefits and Bookbug Week is the perfect chance to get involved, meet other parents and get ideas to make sharing books, songs and rhymes with children a fun part of each day.

For details of Bookbug Week events in your area, visit www.scottishbooktrust.com/bookbug or ask at your local library.

Game On Scotland Event: 26 March, Dundee

Last in the series!

With just over 20 weeks to go before the biggest multi-sport and cultural event ever to come to Scotland, we invite practitioners to find out more on how the Commonwealth Games may provide a unique opportunities to create stimulating learning across the curriculum and beyond.

What will be delivered?
The event will showcase inspirational initiatives from schools across the spectrum and highlight a vast amount of resources and opportunities available to teachers ensuring that, together, we are able to deliver a lasting legacy for learning.

Addresses will be delivered by a wide range of inspirational speakers covering topics from international programmes to physical and Games related education.

A variety of engaging workshops delivered by practitioners and organisations will provide practical, hands-on exemplification on the impact of using the Games as a context for learning. Workshop sessions will include:

  • case studies from primary and secondary schools
  • inspirational address by people directly engaged with the Games and its legacy
  • international education and partnerships
  • funding opportunities around food education in the context of the Games
  • cluster and local authority initiatives

View the Game On Scotland Event DRAFT programme – 26 March, Dundee.

Who should attend?

Graph showing participant rating of previous eventsTeachers, lead staff and those with a whole school responsibility for Games Legacy, including cluster initiatives and wider curriculum remits related to the Games (e.g. active schools coordinator, health and wellbeing).

This is the third event of our CPD series, following events in Glasgow and Inverness. The previous two events were considered useful by over 98% of delegates attending.

How to register:

We invite you to join us for an inspirational day of sharing and collaborative thinking around a variety of exciting opportunities by registering for the event online or directly with Diane Carson: Diane.Carson@educationscotland.gov.uk

Cineworld Education Events

Cineworld has partnered with a number of organisations to create some unique learning opportunities this year.

First on 18th March at 10.30am we have a special schools encore screening of War Horse from the National Theatre. PG 8 cert 180mins

Substantial teaching resources are available at:

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/digital-classroom/resource-packs

On 31st March at 10.00am there is a live interactive Q&A with the author Michael Morpurgo and a screening of Private Peaceful. U Cert 180mins

Every child has the opportunity to submit a question to the author and will receive a free copy of his book A Medal For Leroy.

http://www.privatepeaceful.co.uk/

On 5th June we have a live presentation from the British Museum’s Viking exhibition, last years Pompeii presentation was very popular and this is sure to be the same and directly relevant to the curriculum. U cert 60mins 

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/vikings/vikings_live.aspx

Finally on 17th March at 7.15pm there is an opportunity to see the amazing documentary Hubble and hear a talk and Q&A by the wonderful Professor Martin Hendry from Glasgow University Astrophysics department.  U cert 90mins

http://www.cineworld.co.uk/whatson/hubble-qanda-with-martin-hendry 

 These events are only available in cinemas. For details of which Cineworld cinemas in Scotland are screening these events please see www.cineworld.co.uk.

For bookings and any other queries please contact Gow Gibson, Education Officer at gow.gibson@cineworld.co.uk   0141 419 1740 or 07815707921

The Daily What

This service is under review and no longer available. We are committed to procuring high quality content that aligns with Curriculum for Excellence and meets the needs and expectations of our key stakeholders. The Daily What has been available on Glow since August 2010. We are currently reviewing content available on Glow to ensure it meets the requirements of users.

Please tell us what you think by taking this short survey and by leaving any comments below.
Many thanks.

Get pupils excited about reading with Book Trailers

Creating Book Trailers is a fantastic way to enthuse your learners about reading and develop their critical skills. This year, Scottish Book Trust are running our first ever book trailer competition for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards, and have published a wealth of resources to help you get creative with trailers. Closing date for entries is February 7.

Make your pupils’ voices heard in the Scottish Children’s Book Awards

Every year thousands of children of all ages vote for their favourite book in the Scottish Children’s Book Awards. Why not get them writing reviews of the books to help them make their decision? Our review competition is a great opportunity to win some fabulous prizes, including book tokens and a visit from one of the shortlisted authors. You can find more details in the Get Involved section of SCBA. Closing date for entries is February 7.

Magnificent Microbes

What is the Magnificent Microbes project?

The Magnificent Microbes project is a joint venture between the College of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee and Dundee Science Centre Science Learning Institute.  The project, run in 2010 and 2012, has been received very positively by children and teachers alike, being described as “exciting”, “inspiring”, “a great way to understand more about microbes”. Teachers described the impact on children’s learning, and enthusiasm for science as a result of taking part. Participation provided teachers with opportunities for professional learning which had built capacity and improved their knowledge, understanding and confidence in learning around the Body Systems and Cells organiser within Curriculum for Excellence.

The project includes:

–       pre-visit activity (supporting literacy)

–       visit to Dundee Science Centre to participate in Magnificent Microbes day (themes: hands-on science, positive role models, cutting-edge research on the doorstep)

–       post-visit learning (supporting, literacy, numeracy and encouraging creativity)

–       post-visit opportunities to have scientists visiting the school

–       Celebration Day (sharing learning, supporting literacy)

–       display of children’s learning about Magnificent Microbes in the Prism at Dundee Science Centre in May / June 2014

Where does the Magnificent Microbes project fit within Curriculum for Excellence?

“At second level (SCN 2-13a), through practical activities carried out in a safe environment, learners can explore examples of microorganisms that are beneficial and harmful e.g. the use of yeast in bread making and the importance of bacteria and fungus in the breakdown of waste in compost columns. This can be further developed… to include practical activities to safely test for the presence of microorganisms in the local environment. The effects on growth of microorganisms of a variety of factors, such as temperature and disinfectants, can also be investigated. This leads on to the exploration of the use of microorganisms and enzymes in industry at fourth level.”

Education Scotland (2009) Concept development in the sciences paper

“Through research and discussion I have an appreciation of the contribution that individuals are making to scientific discovery and invention, and the impact this has made on society”

Education Scotland (2009) Curriculum for excellence: sciences experiences and outcomes

Participation in the Magnificent Microbes project supports development of the capacities of Curriculum for Excellence:

Successful learners

Attributes: enthusiasm and motivation for learning; openness to new thinking and ideas

Capabilities: use literacy, numeracy and communication skills; think creatively and independently

Responsible citizens

Attributes: respect for others

Capabilities: develop knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotland’s place in it; evaluate environmental scientific and technological issues

Effective contributors

Attributes: resilience

Capabilities: communicate in different ways and in different settings; work in partnerships and teams; create and develop.

Involvement in the project includes starter activities for use with learners, prior to the class to Dundee Science Centre. The project will be completed in the classroom following the Magnificent Microbes day in March 2014. These activities have been designed to be used flexibly, to ensure that they can be used to meet the needs of children in their own context, and to develop skills in literacy and numeracy appropriate to second level.

Literacy across learning

Participation in the project provides opportunities for learners to developing literacy skills through:

  • explaining their thinking to others (Listening and talking for learning, Literacy across learning: principles and practice);
  • finding, selecting, sorting, summarising and linking information  from a variety of sources  (Reading for learning, Literacy across learning: principles and practice);
  • making notes, developing ideas and acknowledging sources within written work, and developing and using effective vocabulary (Writing for learning, Literacy across learning: principles and practice).

Creativity in Sciences

After the visit

Within the class, we would like the children to create a piece which represents and communicates their learning.  Scientists from the University of Dundee would be delighted to come to each school to talk about this with the children. This provides the opportunity for learners to share their thinking and use others’ contributions to build on thinking.

From each participating class we would invite the children who created the work(s) to join us, with their teacher(s) and their families, at a Magnificent Microbes Learning Celebration at the College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee.

Numeracy in sciences

 “Having discussed the variety of ways and range of media used to present data, I can interpret and draw conclusions from the information displayed, recognising that the presentation may be misleading.

I have carried out investigations and surveys, devising and using a variety of methods to gather information and have worked with others to collate, organise and communicate the results in an appropriate way.”

Education Scotland (2007) Curriculum for excellence: numeracy and mathematics experiences and outcomes

At second level learners have an extended range of presentation methods, including bar and line graphs, from which they can select the most appropriate for presenting the data/information they have collected.  They identify the relationship between the variables and use this to draw an appropriate conclusion, consistent with the findings.

Education Scotland (2013) Assessing Progress and Achievement in the Broad General Education in Sciences

After the visit

Within ten days of the visit, we will send a photograph for each child of the microbe growth from their hands. We would ask the children to carry out a class survey and select the most appropriate method for presenting their data / information from which they can consider whether or not it is possible to draw any conclusions about gender differences in microbe growth. This activity provides opportunities to develop numeracy through appropriate interpretation of numerical information, using it to draw conclusions and make reasoned evaluations.

Celebrating learning

At the Magnificent Microbes Learning Celebration at the University of Dundee, the team from Dundee Science Centre and the scientists and researchers involved with the project will be joined by children from all of the classes participating in the project. We will use the children’s work to create a display about their learning. At this celebration, the children will have the opportunity to explain to the scientists at the University of Dundee what their work shows, why they have chosen to do the work as they have done, and why they chose that particular aspect of the learning. Through this, they will have the opportunity to organise their ideas in an appropriate way for the purpose, using suitable vocabulary for their audience.

Sharing their work with a wider audience

Following the Celebration Day, we will use the display created as an exhibit in the Prism of Dundee Science Centre, for families, visitors and other school groups to see. The children’s microbe sample images, along with samples from members of the public will also be included as part of the display. We hope this display will help others learn about Magnificent Microbes and be inspired to learn more!

What does participation involve?

 

4 February 2014 Project familiarisation: meet the team and find out more about the hands-on activities in the project
14 March 2014 Schools visit Dundee Science Centre
21 March 2014 Schools receive microbe handprints from University of Dundee
21- 25 April 2014 Researchers from University of Dundee visit schools (optional)
25 April 2014 Schools to return data presentations on microbe growth to University of Dundee
25 April 2014 Children to select who to represent their class at the Learning Celebration
6 May 2014 Learning Celebration at University of Dundee
9 May 2014 Deadline for return of teacher evaluations

How many children, classes and schools can be involved?

We have capacity to include 180 – 210 children in the project. The participation cost of the project per child is £50. Of this cost, the University of Dundee and Dundee Science Centre have sought funding to cover more than 90%. The participation cost is therefore £3.50 per child. For children attending schools in Dundee City Council, funding is available to support this participation cost.

Where Scottish Government funding is available to support travel, we will provide a travel subsidy to cover the full cost of transport. This is determined by criteria set by the Scottish Government.

Interested? Get in touch learning@dundeesciencecentre.org.uk

NLN Conference November 2013

The NLN Conference is taking place in Stirling Management Centre on Wednesday 6th November and for those of you who are unable to attend we will be broadcasting two sessions live from there on the day.

Our first live broadcast is a showcase from learners from Duncanrig Secondary School who will demonstrate how they developed and applied their listening and talking skills by participating in the School Radio Station.

This session will be broadcast from 10am – sign up and join us in Glow TV.

Our second live broadcast is the popular 5 minute presentation slot. Practitioners from a range of establishments will share ideas and practice related to Listening and Talking.

This session will be broadcast from 11.40am – sign up and join us in Glow TV!

We hope that you can join us live on the day but if not the recordings will be available in Watch Again.

Authors Live – Storytelling Relay

To celebrate the Queens Baton Relay setting off on its journey around the Commonwealth the Scottish Book Trust has brought together storytellers, Peter Chand, Lari Don and Mara Menzies (India, Scotland & Kenya) to share traditional tales from their homeland in this storytelling relay. This event will be taking place on the BBC Author’s Live website on Thursday 31st October at 11am and is suitable for Primary 4-7 or 8-12 years.

Find out more about this exciting event in Glow TV.

Tell-a-Story Day on 25 October 2013

What is Tell-a-Story Day?

Tell-a-Story Day is the national celebration of oral storytelling, when people all over Scotland make, share and listen to stories in schools, libraries, community centres, churches, hospitals, homes, gardens – and some more unusual venues!

Tell-a-Story Day is a great way of taking part in the Scottish International Storytelling Festival wherever you are and is a fun way of spending time with family and friends whatever your age.

Enter a magical world of enchanting fairy tales, scary Halloween stories or treasured family legends, and bring your community, workplace or family closer together on Tell-a-Story Day. Organising a storytelling event is easy, and the team at Scottish Storytelling Centre is at hand to help you with your planning. Find tips and advice from their professional storytellers, and download free resources and tales to help you prepare for the big day.

Register your TASD event here

Book a professional storyteller

Everyone is a storyteller and anyone can run a Tell-a-Story Day, but if you want to make your storytelling event extra-special you can book one of their professional storytellers to host your event, tell tales and encourage participation. Have a look at their Schools and Communities Outreach Programme to find out more.

Happy planning!

For more information and support in organising your event, please contact Davide Panzeri a call on 0131 652 3272.

Royal Horticultural Society – The Edible School Garden

Royal Horticultural Society

The Edible School Garden
Dumfries House, KA18 2NJ – Tuesday 19th November 2013, 10 am – 3 pm

Kilbarchan Primary School, PA10 2LA Thursday 28th November 2013, 10 am – 3 pm
To give teachers of all age groups the skills to confidently grow and manage a simple productive garden throughout the year. To ensure that produce is used in tasting, cooking and enterprise activities. Every school should be a food growing school.
Objectives
At the end of this course you will:
a) Have the knowledge and skills to sow and grow the RHS top 14 fruits, vegetables and herbs for the school garden, to provide a range of fresh, healthy produce throughout the school year
b) Get hints and tips on tasting and cooking with the produce, outside in the garden and in the school canteen
c) Know how to add value to your produce through correct harvesting and storage, preserving and other simple enterprise ideas.
Experience: Suitable for beginners and those with some experience.
CPD Provider

Angela Smith
angelasmith@rhs.org.uk

RHS Development Officer for Scotland

National Poetry Day 2013

Scottish Poetry Library have announced National Poetry Day will take place on Thursday 3 October 2013.

The theme for this year is ‘Water’, and they are delighted to be working in partnership with Scottish Water to provide a great range of teaching resources to support.

Online resources are now available free on www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/learn and include:

a set of teaching notes for each poem

a pdf poster of each poem (doubles as a larger print text) to download and print

a pdf poster to advertise National Poetry Day

Scottish Water’s updated education materials, including a range of activity-based modules all about water for early, first, second, third and fourth level are now available free on www.scottishwater.co.uk/education

Themed water-related resources for teaching activities – images, audio & film clips on subjects ranging from Puddles, Ponds, Reflections or Ripples to Waterfalls or Waves can be sourced free to establishments on www.scran.ac.uk

Edinburgh International Book Festival / SottishPower – Calling All Writers Of The Future

A search is on to find the school with the most creative minds.

The annual Story Generator competition is a national writing competition which invites young people across Scotland to collaborate and create their own stories.

This year, budding young writers from S1 and S2 are being asked to create a digital picture book about what life might be like in the future, using the first line of the George Orwell classic, 1984, as their inspiration: ‘It was a bright, cold day in April…

The school that has written the best book will win a collection of books from the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with a printed copy of their Storybird online book included. The Pupil who devises the best page wins a Kindle which will come loaded with their own online book.

To find out more and to register your school, visit www.storybird.com/scottishpower


LearnCat Tell a Story – Journeys At the Scottish Storytelling Centre

Join us in Glow TV for the third of our Tell a Story events with the Scottish Storytelling Centre. This event lets you find out more about ‘Journeys’

‘Tell a Story Day’ is celebrated across Scotland in October. In the 3 weeks leading up to this national event join Storytellers in the ‘bothy’ at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh via Glow TV.

Enjoy listening to the storytellers share tales about nations and territories within the Commonwealth, about personal challenge and achievement and memorable, adventurous and incredible journeys. ‘Journeys’ is the theme for this year’s event.

While listening, learn how to tell and perform oral stories. Then take the opportunity to ask the storytellers questions about their ideas and techniques to help you plan and hold your own ‘Tell a Story Day’ event. On ‘Tell a Story’ day we plan to broadcast your stories across Scotland via Glow TV. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/1dBZu1R

This Glow TV event is part of the Learning Experiences catalogue and a series of opportunities for Scottish learner to learn, create, make, build, bake, grow, collect, code tell stories and more. Learning experiences are set within contexts and many themes are interdisciplinary and take the form of learning spaces to connect learners and allow them to share, collaborate as well as a series of live events. Find out more about the Learning Experiences Catalogue here: http://bit.ly/1bx6c5B

Join us on Thursday 19th September at 11am – sign up and join us in Glow TV – LearnCat Tell a Story – Journeys At the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

Dinosaur Discovery

What kind of dinosaurs do you know about? Which was the largest, which was the smallest, which had the most horns, or longest neck, or which at the most food? How can we learn more about the dinosaurs that ruled the earth using evidence and fossils and what they can tell us about the history of the earth? What type of dinosaurs roamed the planet and where did they go?

Visit the National Museum of Scotland through Glow TV to be inspired and amazed by the fossil and bone evidence and go on a Dinosaur discovery. Explore some dino data to find out what we can tell about dinosaurs, their size, what they ate and who would be predator or prey. Meet the 12 metre long life-sixed cast of a T.rex to see the scale and power of the real thing and share your own dinosaur creations. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/18OIMsz

Play the Transformasaur game before the Glow TV event and adapt your dinosaurs characteristics and get your questions ready for the experts at the National Museum of Scotland!

This Glow TV event is part of the Learning Experiences catalogue and a series of opportunities for Scottish learner to learn, create, make, build, bake, grow, collect, code tell stories and more. Learning experiences are set within contexts and many themes are interdisciplinary and take the form of learning spaces to connect learners and allow them to share, collaborate as well as a series of live events. Find out more about the Learning Experiences Catalogue here: http://bit.ly/1bx6c5B

Curriculum links
SCN 2-01a
I can identify and classify examples of living things, past and present, to help me appreciate their diversity. I can relate physical and behavioural characteristics to their survival or extinction.
SCN 2-20a
I can report and comment on current scientific news items to develop my knowledge and understanding of topical science.
LIT 2-05a
As I listen or watch, I can make notes, organise these under suitable headings and use these to understand ideas and information and create new texts, using my own words as appropriate.

This learning experience is suitable for learners at second and third levels.

Join us on Friday 20th September at 1.30pm live in Glow TV – sign up and join us on our Dinosaur Discovery!

Outdoor Learning with the National Parks Inspiring Landscapes – Inspiring Learning

Senior Leaders Professional Learning Event – Dounans Centre, Aberfoyle: Friday 20th September 2013

A one day event for head teachers and deputy head teachers, focusing on whole school approaches, inspection and self-evaluation for school managers. Delegates will hear from senior managers, education officers and others with experience of outdoor learning in the context of school improvement.

Staff Professional Learning Weekend – Dounans Centre, Aberfoyle: Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd September 2013

This opportunity is aimed at staff from all schools and settings within the partner authorities, and will provide inputs from project and centre staff, from the National Park ranger service, and from Education Scotland staff to support you in embedding Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning in your school or nursery. As well as a variety of ‘sharing good practice’ sessions run by teachers across all sectors.

The weekend will provide staff with practical tools, ideas and inspiration for developing progressive and frequent outdoor learning opportunities for pupils which will support and enrich all aspects of their learning.

Spaces are still available on these programmes for further information contact

Joan.Reilly@educationscotland.gov.uk

Workshops Staff Professional Learning Weekend

Staff CLPL residential weekend 2013 – info for schools

Final Programme Staff PL Weekend

Final Programme School Leaders

Horrible Histories

Horrible Histories is coming to the Edinburgh Bookshop on Saturday 15th June to celebrate 20 years of brilliant books along the publication of Horrible Histories Cruel Crimes!

The event starts at 2:30pm and is free although they do ask that people book their tickets to ensure a place. They can do this by calling the shop on 0131 447 1917, or emailing Cat Anderson on cat@edinburghbookshop.com or by calling into the shop – they’re at 219 Bruntsfield Place. The actual event itself will be held in the Christ Church hall across the road from the shop.

It promises to be a fun-filled couple of hours with songs, storytelling and book signing and are suggesting an age of 6+ for this event, just as guidance.

Scotland’s Biggest Book Swap – Get Involved!

ScottishPower in conjunction with the Edinburgh International Book Festival is celebrating the fifth year of Swap Shop – an award winning project that encourages primary school children to read more and recycle old books.

Swap Shop is great fun and importantly really easy to run. Each pupil is encouraged to bring in a book, which they then swap with their schoolmates. This provides a perfect opportunity to get the whole school together, swapping books and sharing stories.  Many pupils might want to swap their books for ones from the class above, developing their literacy skills and enabling them to discover new stories. Five lucky schools will also get the chance to win an exclusive visit from a children’s author attending the Edinburgh International Book Festival. 

A key aspect of Swap Shop is to encourage awareness amongst school pupils about the work being done by Scottish charities. For the third year, children’s charity Aberlour has been selected as the official charity partner. Aberlour operates across Scotland, providing a range of services, support and advice for vulnerable children, young people and families. All monies raised by children taking part in the 2013 Swap Shop will go directly to the charity.

To be in with a chance of winning one of five author visits, schools are invited to complete their Swap Shop by the end of the summer term. For further information on registration which closes on Friday 24th May and taking part please contact Emma Paul at Stripe Communications on 0131 561 8628 or swapshop@stripecommunications.com.

SSLN Professional Learning Resource

The Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN) is a sample survey which monitors national performance in literacy and numeracy, in alternate years, of school children at P4, P7 and S2. It also provides information which will inform improvements in learning, teaching and assessment at classroom level. This SSLN was the first to assess literacy, and took place in May 2012. The full report on the survey was published on the 24th of April 2013 and can be accessed via this link – Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy.

The survey is designed to assess the wide range of knowledge, skills and capabilities across learning identified in the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). The tasks were also designed to reflect some of the CfE requirements that pupils should have achieved in breadth, challenge and application of their learning.
To accompany the report, Education Scotland has produced professional learning resources to support learning and teaching – Professional Learning Resources

The full resource consists of listening and talking: group discussion, reading and writing materials.
The listening and talking: group discussion resource:
• explores and exemplifies key skills
• exemplifies discussion tasks and contexts
• describes effective learning and teaching approaches
• shows group discussions across levels
• provides links to existing high quality materials.

The reading resource:
• explores and exemplifies key skills;
• describes effective learning and teaching approaches;
• exemplifies reading activities; and
• provides links to existing high quality materials.

The writing resource:
• explores key skills;
• describes effective learning and teaching approaches;
• exemplifies tasks and contexts for writing across curriculum areas;
• gives examples of writing from across levels; and
• provides links to existing support materials.

The resource is designed to encourage professional reflection and dialogue.

Once you have used the resources, please let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Virtual Glow Roadshow

Glow is packed full of educational resources and national communities where teaching staff can collaborate with colleagues across Scotland. To showcase some of these great resources RM is hosting a week of Glow Meets featuring a few of these. These 30 minute sessions are being run twice so sign up for the time slot that suits you best!

Twig on Glow – Over 1500 high quality films covering Maths, Science, Geography and Health – complete with support resources matched to the curriculum of excellence levels 2,3 and 4.

Join us either on Monday 22nd April at 8.15am or Thursday 25th April at 3.45pm

Just2easy is an online blogging tool. Children can create, sharing and learn in an esafe environment.
Join us either on Monday 22nd April at 3.45pm or Wednesday 24th April at 8.15am

Scran is a charity & online learning resource base with over 360,000 images & media from museums, galleries, archives and the media. These resources can be downloaded and used copyright free.

Join us either on Tuesday 23rd April at 8.15am or Wednesday 24th April at 3.45pm

The Daily What News is an online news service provided for Scottish Schools supporting the development of literacy and language across the curriculum. The site also provides a wealth of support materials.

Join us either on Tuesday 23rd April at 3.45pm or Thursday 25th April at 8.15am

Featured community – Literacy

A year ago, in March of 2012, Claire Hancox and Hilary Bombart of Education Scotland approached me with their plans for a Literacy Unconference. Taking its lead from TeachMeet and other educator-led CPD models, there was to be minimal talking from the front, lots of impromptu 5-minute slots and ‘co-create sessions’. All participants had to commit to joining an online community and sharing online the impact of the event. And so the Literacy professional learning community on Glow was born!

It now features a grand collection of professional learning and classroom resources as well as:

  • videos of the all the 5-minute slots at all Literacy events since May 2012
  • co-created collections focusing on wider texts, critical literacy and research skills
  • contact details for over 220 literacy champions from across Scotland

The Literacy community now has offshoots such as the National Literacy NetworkLibrarians and the Moray Literacy hub (but more about these in future posts!)

Claire moves on this week to a new depute post in East Dunbartonshire but she will continue to be active in the #literacy community, and maybe all its various offshoots! I wish her all the best in her new post!

Like all of the PL communities on Glow, colleagues on this community are making their professional learning visible for the benefit of other educators. You can find the community on the drop-down on http://bit.ly/plcommunity or go straight to http://bit.ly/lithome

Wise Up Wednesday: Early Years In Edinburgh

Colleagues from the City of Edinburgh Council have shared news from their annual Early Years conference on the City’s Children and Families blog.

Over 300 delegates from Early Years establishments attended the at Hibs Stadium and Lesley McDowall, Quality Improvement Officer for Early Years, introduces a report from the event, with feedback from delegates. Dr Margot Sunderland from the Institute of Child Mental Health in London made a keynote presentation on “Working with Children with Difficulties and Challenging Behaviour” which seems to have made quite an impact judging by the delegate comments.

The conference also saw the launch of new resources to support literacy and health and wellbeing.

You can read the full report and see the photographs here.

Were you there? Why not leave us a comment to let us know what impact the day has had on your practice?

We’d love to hear more about what is happening to support the development of Early Years, Children and Families in other parts of the country. Have you had an event, shared some learning, or developed practice? Why not get in touch and share it with others?

Remember that Glow users can share, discuss and ask for support from other practitioners on the Early Years Professional Learning Community at http://bit.ly/earlyhome .

Wise Up Wednesday: World Book Day

Polly Dunbar and Long Nose Puppets

Did you know that tomorrow is World Book day?

As part of the celebrations the Scottish Children’s Book Awards Ceremony is being streamed live from the Caird Hall in Dundee on Thursday 7th March. This is likely to be suitable for learners in P1 to S4. You can find out more about the event of glow tv here.

In April there is a treat for the children in the early years – Polly Dunbar and the Long Nose Puppets. There are 2 parts to this – the first is a live stream from the BBC. More information for Glow users can be found here. If you don’t have access to glow you can check it out on the Scottish Book Trust website here.

After the BBC live stream glow users will be able to access a question and answer session from the Glow TV Studio. You can register for this here.

How are you celebrating World Book Day with children and families? Let us know in the comments!

Scottish Children’s Book Awards Ceremony

Join us in Glow TV on Thursday 7th March at 1.30pm to celebrate World Book Day with the 1000-strong audience in the Caird Hall for the 2012 Scottish Children’s Book Awards Ceremony live.

There will be readings, music, illustration, Oscar-worthy drama performances, song, readings, interviews, all of the shortlisted authors and illustrators and of course, the announcement of the wining books as chosen by over 32,000 children across Scotland.

Like the awards, the event is suitable for children in P1-S4. This event is a live web stream from the event and the link to this and to sign up is available in Glow TV.

Promoting Diversity and Equality

Promoting Diversity and Equality: Developing Responsible Citizens for 21st Century Scotland

This publication aims to support schools and centres in promoting diversity and equality through all aspects of planned learning.

Diversity is about recognising and valuing difference, where everyone is respected for who they are. Equality is about creating a fairer society, where everyone can take part and where everyone has the opportunity to be all they can be.

Curriculum for Excellence challenges schools and communities to develop children and young people as responsible citizens who:
• show respect for others
• understand different beliefs and cultures
• are developing informed, ethical views of complex issues.

All involved in successful learning need to understand themselves what it means to live in this diverse society, and to help children and young people understand what it means for them.

Taking a closer look at the National Assessment Resource: A professional learning resource

Education Scotland have recently developed this professional learning resource.  It provides an opportunity to reflect on effective practice in learning, teaching and assessment, drawing on the work published on the National Assessment Resource (NAR).  It also provides a structured look at the NAR flow chart as a tool for planning effective learning, teaching, moderation and assessment.

The resource can be used by individual practitioners keen to reflect and improve on their assessment practice as well as pairs, groups of practitioners, associated school groups (ASGs) or clusters working collegiately to reflect on and improve practice.

It is available to download from the Education Scotland website and welcome section on NAR.  There will be a Glow meet on Wednesday the 13th of February at 8:20am and Thursday the 14th at 4:15pm to explore the resource further.

Glow Exclusive

Finalist in the Scottish Children’s Book Awards, Catherine Macphail, in conversation with young readers on Friday, 1st. February 2013 at 2.30pm

Do you like reading spooky stories and thrillers?

Do you like books with characters who could be people in your school?

Want to know what it feels like to be nominated for a national award?

Want to know how it feels to see your writing turned into a film?

Want to know how authors get their ideas?

Well join us for a Glow Exclusive event for an opportunity to talk to Catherine Macphail, Finalist in the Scottish Children’s Book Awards.

Catherine MacPhail has won lots of awards for her writing and has won the Royal Mail Book Award twice. One of her most popular books, “Another Me” ,a spooky story about a girl who seems to have a doppelganger, is currently being made into a film-called “Panda Eyes” starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Rhys Ifans and Sophie Turner – which will be released some time in 2013. Look out for the Librarian-she’s called Mrs. MacPhail!

The Scottish Children’s Book Awards recognise and celebrate the wonderful talents seen in Scottish writing and illustration for children and arethe largest children’s book awards that Scotland has to offer. One of Catherine MacPhail’s books Out of the Depths (Bloomsbury) has been nominated for an award in the Younger Readers (8-13) category . The winners will be announced on World Book Day(7th. March,2013).

Sign up and join us in Glow Tv
and if you are unable to join us live make sure that you catch up with the recording in Watch Again!

Paper Creativity Challenge – Building With Paper


Our successful Paper Creativity Challenge continues and this we are challenging you to build structures with paper. Once again we have a range of exciting Glow Meets that you can become involved in – find out more….

Paper Structures – Monday 28th January at 11am

Join Syrah live from the Dundee Contemporary Arts activity room where she will demonstrate three examples of origami folding.Firstly the 3D tree using a recycled magazine, secondly the flapping bird a classic origami design with great decorative possibilities, and lastly the Kusudama flower ball. Sign up in Glow TV and find out what materials you will need if you want to work along with Syrah – Paper Structures

The Great Paper Caper – Tuesday 29th January at 11am

Once again join our Paper Princess Margo from West Lothian for an exciting reading! This time listen to the mystery of the Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers and find out about this week’s creativity challenge. Sign up and join us in Glow TV – The Great Paper Caper.

Scratch – Thursday 31st January at 10am
Join Derek Robertson and pupils from Newburgh Primary School, Fife for an introduction to Scratch and to learn about the launch of a Scratch Glow TV channel.

Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art – and share your creations on the web! Sign up and join us in Glow TV – Scratch

Remember if you have missed any of the challenges then please go to the Watch Again section in Glow TV and view the recordings of all the events that have already happened in the Paper Creativity Challenge.

Julia Donaldson Event – Running on the Cracks

The Tron Theatre will stage an exciting new show Running on the Cracks , an adaptation by Andy Arnold of the Julia Donaldson book of the same name. This new show will be staged in February 2013 and is a co-production with Pilot Theatre Company, York. Running on the Cracks is a fast moving new play about runaways, identity, survival and how friendships can develop in the strangest situations.

Join Julia Donaldson, children’s laureate for a Glow Meet live on Tuesday 29th January at 1.45pm from the Tron for this exciting event. Julia will discuss her inspiration for the book and will answer your questions. Don’t miss this opportunity to speak with one of the UK’s leading children’s author.

Sign up and join us in Glow TV!

Scottish Chamber Orchestra – A Little Book of Monsters

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Family Concert on Saturday 9 February features a new song book for a chorus of 300 children – A Little Book of Monsters. With lyrics by Matt Harvey and music by Stephen Deazley the book is full of songs about the kind of creatures that live under your bed….

Join Stephen Deazley and Matt Harvey for an exciting Glow TV event on Tuesday 29th January live from Broomhouse Primary in Edinburgh at 9.30am where you’ll get the chance to ask questions, take part in creative interactive activities and find out what it is like to be a composer or poet!

Sign up and join us in Glow TV!

Wise Up Wednesday: National Storytelling Week

Picture of logo for National Storytelling WeekThe  Education Scotland calendar gives details about celebrations, awareness days and action weeks all covering topical issues relevant to childcare and education settings.

National Storytelling Week starts on 26 January and you can learn more about it and find relevant links on the calendar here.

We’d love to know how you use the art of story telling to make a difference to children’s learning. Why not share your practice in the comments?

Wise Up Wednesday: Santa Glow Meet

Never used Glow meet before? Now is the ideal time because Santa Claus is coming to town!

Don’t delay – tune in and join the Christmas fun!

Santa Glow Meet, 14 December, 11 am http://glo.li/UBQXTZ

For full details of this and other events, please log in to Glow and view the current schedule:

https://portal.glowscotland.org.uk/establishments/nationalsite/GlowTV/tvpages/Schedule.aspx.

(Glow log-in and password required).

Wise Up Wednesday: Free Bookbug for the Home Training

Bookbug Session for the Home training is suitable for professionals already working with vulnerable families in their homes.

The training will provide professionals with the knowledge, tools and resources to incorporate the core principals of Bookbug sessions (talking, cuddling and sharing books, songs and rhymes) into their home visits. The training focuses on how to sensitively and practically encourage parents and carers to engage with children in the home.

Bookbug for the Home training is available on the following dates and locations.

Dundee

28/11/2012 Education Suite, Dundee Heritage Trust 4-6.30pm

Glasgow

28/11/2012 Blythswood Room, Mitchell Library, Glasgow 10am-12.30pm

05/12/2012 Bridgeton Library, Glasgow 10am-12.30pm

16/01/2013 Bridgeton Library, Glasgow 10am-12.30pm

23/01/2013 Bridgeton Library, Glasgow 10am-12.30pm

West Lothian

19/11/2012 Conference Room 3, Civic Centre, Livingston 2 – 4.30pm

West Dunbartonshire

24/01/2013 Alexandria Library tbc

Bookbug for the Home is being delivered as part of the Bookbug Assertive Outreach programme to reach vulnerable families. This is taking place in the following authorities over 2012/13: Argyll and Bute, East Renfrewshire, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverclyde, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian. Subsequent training dates in all of these authorities will be offered in due course, and the Scottish Booktrust are very happy to put on bespoke dates on request.

To make a booking or for more information contact Kirsty Sinclair, Early Years Outreach Co-ordinator at Scottish Book Trust on 0131 524 0179 or e-mail kirsty.sinclair@scottishbooktrust.com

Wise Up Wednesday: Every Day’s A Learning Day Parent Questionnaire

  

 

This year Education Scotland, produced two booklets for parents, “Every day’s a learning day – birth to 3 years” and “Every day’s a learning day – 3-6 years.”The booklets are being distributed to parents of new born babies and children beginning their pre-school education aged 3, in the Scottish Book Trust’s Book Bug Bags. Filled with lots of ideas to help parents support their child’s learning in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing during everyday experiences; the booklets show parents how easy it is for them to make a difference. Practitioners may also find the booklets useful when working with groups of parents. 

You can read and download the booklets here

If you have contact with parents of children under the age of 6 we would be grateful if you would let them know about our short survey and encourage them to share their views. Their feedback will, along with other information, help us decide how best we can support the parents of young children in the future. 

Thank you.