Nominations are now open. The SQA’s annual Star Awards are a unique way to celebrate success, triumph, achievement and recognition of the best in education and training. Behind every success story lies motivation and commitment, pride and self-esteem and, of course, sheer hard work.
See the stars come out – nominate your stars today www.sqa.org.uk/star
Closing date for entries is Friday 27 June 2014.
Registration for SLF 2014 is now open at www.scottishlearningfestival.org.uk
The theme of SLF 2014 is raising achievement and attainment for all with a focus on maximising educational outcomes through:
• early intervention and prevention – for children, young people and adult learners in order to maximise educational outcomes;
• health and wellbeing – ranging from physical education and sport to the full range of health and wellbeing subjects which are the responsibility of all practitioners;
• employability skills – to secure a highly educated, well prepared and well-motivated young workforce able to compete in a global market.
SLF 2014 is free for everyone to attend and gives you access to:
• Inspirational keynotes from Michael Russell MSP, Dr Frank Dick, Prof Alma Harris and John Carnochan;
• Over 100 professional development seminars where you can engage in activities and learn from practitioners and young people;
• Lively debate at the professional discussions led by Sir Ian Wood, Chair of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce, Sir Bill Gammell, Chairman and Co-founder of the Winning Scotland Foundation and Kenneth Muir, Chief Executive of the GTCS;
• Scotland’s largest education exhibition with over 100 exhibitors showcasing educational resources;
• Opportunities for discussion and professional networking with peers and colleagues from across Scotland.
Book Now
To guarantee your place at SLF 2014 and your choice of seminars book now, as many sessions do fill up before the summer break. Visit www.scottishlearningfestival.org.uk to browse the full conference programme and book your place today.
Leaders Award for STEM is a fun and rewarding way of finding out about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). We also play host to additional Special Leaders Awards which run throughout the year, each having a particular focus.
If you could be an engineer in Scotland – what would you do?
We challenge Primary and Secondary school pupils in Scotland to research and interview inspiring engineers!
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. Our website contains resources and lesson plans which can help pupils get their research underway. Just visit the ‘Downloads’ section of our 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.
The Challenge
Pupils are asked to research engineering and interview a practicing engineer to interpret the statement “if 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.
Register your school via the website www.leadersaward.com. Once registered, you will receive an application pack and further guidance on completing the award.
For more information about the Scottish Engineering Special Leaders Award, please visit www.leadersaward.com
The Inter-Authority Skills Network convened for the second time this year on April 19th at Denholm House, Livingston. A key focus for the meeting was discussion of the recommendations from the Wood Commission’s interim report “Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce.”
Keynote presentations were made by Neil McLennan, co-chair of RSE Young Academy of Scotland, Excellence in Education group and Louise Harley from ‘Inspiring the Future.’
Neil described work undertaken by the Excellence in Education group in taking forward the skills agenda, including developing the ‘numeracy counts’ area of the group’s website.
Louise discussed the range of work undertaken by “Inspiring the Future” focussing on the area of employer engagement.
Details of these presentations and notes from discussions are linked within this post.
Notes from Inter-Authority Skills Meeting – 19th April
Documents shared by local authority representatives and partners – to follow.
I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! have been producing a series of science debate kits for some years now. They contain a detailed lesson plans and online resources. They are simple and ready to use educational resources that are good for small groups or a whole class.
Their latest free debate kit is on the topic of Electricity Distribution. It gets secondary students thinking about how electricity distribution is a major engineering and technical challenge. Teachers can sign up to receive this kit and future ones here: debate.imascientist.org.uk/electricity.
Nesta are running a one day digital creativity CPD event for primary school teachers. Find out more about digital activities you can introduce into your own classroom. Choose from four workshops on website creation, animation, Scratch and Kodu. No previous experience is necessary.
Date: Saturday 10th May
Location: University of Glasgow
To book go to onedaydigital.eventbrite.com
One Day Digital Workshops
Web development with CoderDojo
CoderDojo is a global movement inspiring young people to get involved in coding. At a CoderDojo you learn how to develop websites, build apps, design games and more. CoderDojo makes development and learning to code a fun, sociable, kick ass experience. This workshop covers the history of the world wide web, and how it is fast becoming the most exciting platform for digital making. The workshop will give participants the chance to learn about coding for the web, and build their own digital creation using the latest web technologies including HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript.
This workshop is suitable for those with a little experience of using a computer.
Creating, Editing and Sharing Content on the iPad
The iPad’s not just for capturing content; it’s an editing suite and means of sharing on the move. This session will give you a taster in photography, film-making, animation and audio, as well as manipulating, editing and sharing. While you can share this content with the world, more importantly you’ll leave equipped to share your knowledge with your class!
This workshop is suitable for complete beginners.
Scratch
Scratch is designed especially for ages 8 and over but is used by people of all ages. With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations and share your creations with others in the online community. This workshop will focus on the importance of computational thinking and how to deliver these within the Curriculum for Excellence for upper primary school classes. The workshop will first look at the background issues followed by an extended hands-on session using MIT’s free Scratch software – an entertaining and engaging graphical programming environment for learners.
This workshop is suitable for those with a little experience of using a computer.
Kodu
Kodu is a visual programming language from Microsoft specifically designed for the creation of games. It can be used to teach creativity, problem solving, storytelling, as well as programming. This workshop will introduce you to the different Kodu tools that allow you to build engaging 3D worlds in which to situate your game, as well as learning to code the different objects in the world. The workshop will be very much hands on and you will make a range of worlds/games that will develop your confidence to take Kodu into the classroom. You will also be able to use the materials provided in class and how to deliver these within the CfE.
This workshop is suitable for those with a little experience of using a computer.
To book go to onedaydigital.eventbrite.com@onedaydigital
The third Skills Conversation Day will take place at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness on Thursday 5th June 2014. Education Scotland are delighted to host the event with our education partners Highland Council and Skills Development Scotland.
The event will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to continue the conversations started at Loch Leven Community Campus in September and December 2013. The focus was on exploring the issues around developing a common language and understanding of skills and local approaches to engagement with employers, including contrasting rural and urban opportunities for work experience.
The key area of focus for the third event in the series will be how schools are planning for and recording progression in the development of skills. The conversations will pick up some of the inter-linked threads from previous events and weave these through the day’s presentations and activities.
The outcomes, materials and suggested actions generated from the day will be posted on the Education Scotland Learning Blog.
Special Seminar for Teachers – 3.30pm Friday 25th of April Royal Highland Centre
Need a greater understanding of the automotive industry to pass onto your learners? Transport Scotland, the Energy Saving Trust and their partners will provide an insight into the developments within the automotive sector and how Scotland is helping shape the future, with specific focus on low emission transport including low-carbon, hybrid, electric and hydrogen vehicles. The seminar will include case studies and examples of innovation to help shape courses and prepare learners to take advantage of this newly emerging and rapidly changing market. Please register your interest by emailing charlotte.cassar@psigroupltd.co.uk
Or you can just come along and enjoy the EVOLUTION show on 26th April and test drive new generation cars. FREE entry. Register at: www.evolutionshow.co.uk
The Sustainable Learning Partnership, in association with our partners The Crown Estate, welcomes teachers, school leaders, educational professionals and learners to this progressive, interdisciplinary learning and teaching resource – the first in a planned series – founded upon the principles and practices of 21st Century Learning and designed to help young learners prepare for life and active participation in a global society that is safe, just and sustainable.
The Creativity Portal is now 3 years old and we would love to hear from anyone who has used it – has it challenged your idea of creativity? Have you found it useful? Did it lead you to any inspiring resources, research or contacts?
If you have ever visited the Creativity Portal please take the time to answer a 5-minute questionnaire that will allow us to build a picture of what impact the Creativity Portal has made and give direction to its development in the future. Your responses will be invaluable in taking Education Scotland’s support of creative teaching and creative learning forward.
To access the questionnaire click the link below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/creativityportal2014
Your responses will form a vital piece of evidence for an independent evaluation of the Creativity Portal, led by Consilium Research and Consultancy, which will be published on the Creativity Portal in April/May.
If you have yet to use the Creativity Portal go to http://creativityportal.org.uk/
There are still places available at Education Scotland’s Community Resilience Conversation and Networking Event on Monday 17th March.
The day is aimed at members of the Scottish Government, emergency planning and civil contingencies teams from local councils, representatives from local education authorities, and members of other key organisations to consider community resilience as a rich and exciting context for teaching and learning.
Conversation activities will provide delegates with opportunities to network with one another and engage in professional dialogue in relation to preparing for emergencies and developing resilient communities. Selected examples of good practice will also be shared through engaging presentations delivered by government, local council and school representatives.
We would like to invite you to take part in the event at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel on the 17th March 2014 to explore how we might take forward resilience education in schools and consider important developments in teaching and learning.
We would be grateful if you could register online at http://svy.mk/Mb8ZM7 by end of day Thursday 13th March 2014 to confirm your attendance and inform us of any special dietary or access requirements you may have.
Time: 09:30 (for 10:00 start) – 15:00
Venue: Glasgow Hilton Hotel, William Street, Glasgow, G3 8HT
Education Scotland is excited to be hosting its first community resilience conversation and networking event with a view to developing a shared, partnership approach to provide 3-18 resilience education opportunities.
The day aims to bring together members of the Scottish Government, emergency planning and civil contingencies teams from local councils, representatives from local education authorities, and members of other key organisations to consider community resilience as a rich and exciting context for teaching and learning focusing on a range of contexts such as flooding and other forms of extreme weather and their impact on our lives.
Conversation activities will provide delegates with opportunities to network with one another and engage in professional dialogue in relation to preparing for emergencies and developing resilient communities. Selected examples of good practice will also be shared through engaging presentations delivered by government, local council and school representatives.
We would like to invite you to take part in the event at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel on the 17th March 2014 to explore how we might take forward resilience education and consider important developments in teaching and learning. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. There is no cost to attend.
We would be grateful if you could register online at http://svy.mk/Mb8ZM7 by Monday 10th March 2014 to confirm your attendance and inform us of any special dietary or access requirements you may have.
Education Scotland has uploaded some new materials illustrating good practice on to the Studying Scotland website.
Discover how primary teachers at Eaglesham Primary School used the Statistical Accounts of Scotland to further enhance their learning. Learners used these primary sources to make a connection with the past through their interdisciplinary Victorians project. Watch the video to find out how the pupils used a variety of approaches to learning whilst undertaking their focus on the history of their community including Outdoor Learning, Rights Respecting Schools as well as Learning about Scotland.
The Inter-authority Skills (Emerging Practice) Network meeting took place at Optima, Glasgow on Thursday 30th January 2014. The meeting was very productive and all the materials shared and a note of the key discussion points are linked within this post.
Note of meeting – Note of meeting on 30th Jan 2014
Representatives at the meeting agreed to respond to the SDS “Employer Engagement Framework” draft document by Friday 14th February 2014.
Documents shared by local authority representatives and partners:
SDS “Employer Engagement Framework” draft document – Employer Engagement Framework Draft
Strategic Skills Pipeline presentation by Hazel Mackie – Strategic Skills Pipeline Presentation
Video link to Falkirk’s School-College Opportunities to Succeed (SCOTS) programme – SCOTS Programme
Scottish Councils Enterprise in Education Network (SCEEN) statement on work experience – SCEEN Statement on Work Experience
OECD strategy paper: “Better skills, better jobs, better lives” – Better skills, better jobs, better lives
The date of the next Inter-authority Skills (Emerging Practice) Network meeting is Thursday 24th April at Optima.
‘Game On Scotland’ Special:
Holly Cram – the Game On Scotland Ambassador live on Glow
30 January, 10.00
Join here: http://bit.ly/1eDHCnt
Holly, a Scottish International Hockey player with over 140 caps, has join the Game On Scotland Team as official ambassador to assist schools in making the most of the exciting opportunities the 2014 Commonwealth Games offer young people.
Holly will tell you about her exciting career as a international hockey player and share some of her insights into what makes a successful team player. She will also answer any questions you always wanted to ask a top athlete!
See you all on Thursday! Game On!
Education Scotland has entered into dialogue with a range of stakeholders to highlight key issues surrounding skills for life, learning and work. As part of this we have been running a series of conversation days which allow key issues to be identified and discussed across sectors, and enable focussed action planning. We have also developed a skills blog where a range of useful resources and links can be found. The link below will direct you to the blog. Please browse the site and we would welcome both your comments and the sharing of your experiences of skills across the curriculum.
http://skillsconversations.wordpress.com/
Our first skills conversation day was held on September 5th in Loch Leven Community Campus, Kinross. The morning provided stimulating conversation pieces, and facilitated discussions among delegates to identify key issues for the afternoon session. Three issues were identified and taken forward to the ‘implemento’ table discussion in the afternoon, these were:
• Develop common language and understanding of skills
• Effectively plan for progression in the development of skills
• Ensure employers are fully engaged in young people’s learning
An outline of the range of discussions and subsequent actions can be found under the ‘skills conversation session 2’ using the link below.
http://skillsconversations.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/collated-feedback-and-actions-from-conversation-day-1/
Please feel free to leave comments as we would very much value your thoughts and ideas on the above points.
Further to this, the blog also contains a selection of presentations from each of the conversation pieces from a range of stakeholders from schools to Scottish Government.
Midlothian Council has kindly agreed to share some videos they have created which feature learners discussing profiling. These videos were recently shown at the Education Authority Assessment Forum and can be downloaded from the National Assessment Glow Group by clicking here.
