The February/March 16+ Learning Choices newsletter is available here (Glow log in required)
In addition to articles from Skills Development Scotland, this edition contains news from a number of local authorities, including, Argyll and Bute, Falkirk, Renfrewshire, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Shetland and Fife.
Building relationships for the future – A Discussion Event for Teachers.
Glow TV is delighted to be returning to the Traverse Theatre once again on Monday 23rd April at 4.30pm.
Join Artistic Director (and former Drama Teacher) Orla O’Loughlin and Head of Traverse Learning Noëlle O’Donoghue, as they highlight how the Traverse Theatre can support schools to deliver the new curriculum and how we hope to engage with you and your pupils during our 50th anniversary in 2013.
The session will feature an informal Q & A so come armed with your questions!
The Artist Man and the Mother Woman by Morna Pearson
Director Roisin McBrinn
Join us on GlowTV, Thursday 19th April 2012 @ 16:00h
Forty-three year old art teacher Geoffrey still lives with his mother. He decides it’s about time he got his first girlfriend.
Come and see a Traverse Rehearsal in action!
When the Traverse commissions a writer, we work closely with them to develop the best version of the play they want to write.
Open View is your opportunity to observe this normally very private process, and see script development as it happens, at the source.
Sign up and join us for this Glow TV first! Find out more here
Enquire’s March e-newsletter is now available online.
It includes two useful articles on how Speech and Language Therapists and Learning Assistants work with children who have additional support needs. It also includes a section called ‘ASL Myths’ which aims to clarify and simplify additional support for learning. This month’s myth looks at Co-ordinated Support Plans.
Are you working with STEM Central to explore the role of STEM subjects in sustainability. Or looking ahead to the implementation of Senior Phase, and planning for learning and teaching around Energy Security for learners working towards new national qualifications in Environmental Science, Science or Physics.
Is the future interconectedness?
Perhaps you are working with learners exploring food security as a context for learning? The 6th World Fisheries Congress is opening its doors to the fisheries scientists of the future. With the world population increasing to 9 billion within our lifetime and a rapidly changing global climate, the science needed to deliver sustainable foo from our seas, rivers and lakes is becoming increasingly important.
From 8-11th May 2012 Edinburgh will host the 6th World Fisheries Congress that with address “Sustainable fisheries in a changing world”. The Congress, the first ever in the UK, convenes only once every four years, and gathers the world’s most eminent experts on all issues that relate to wild capture and aquaculture in freshwater and marine ecosystems.
The Congress will open its door to the scientists of tomorrow to provide an insight into the exciting and rewarding challenge of ensuring sustainable world food supply.
The Congress is inviting applications from secondary schools in Scotland to send up to five Higher level learners plus on teacher to the event with free registration for the learners and the teaching.
The detailed programme can be found at www.6thwfc2012.com. Applications should be submitted no later than 19th April 2012 to info@6thwfc2012.com with the e-mail subject Secondary Schools WFC and should include the following information:
Name of the school
Location of the school (e.g. town and local authority)
Name of teacher accompanying learners
Names of learners
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Please indicate which days you would like to attend (delete as appropriate those not attending)
Tues Wed Thur Friday or all days
Compete the following sentence using no more than 20 words:
“We want to attend the 6th WFC because…”
Engaging young people in a dialogue around substance misuse and effective substance misuse education, and providing credible information to young people is key to the prevention arm of the Scottish Government’s national drugs strategy – The Road to Recovery: A New Approach to Tackling Scotland’s Drug Problem.
As part of this Young Scot was asked by the Scottish Government to consider the views of young people throughout Scotland on peer led approaches to substance misuse education. Throughout this piece of work it was important that young people were regarded as part of the solution and not part of the problem.
The report below details the background and purpose of the consultation, the methodology used to complete the consultation, and the outcomes of young people’s views.
The report is available at the link below:
If you are interested in signing up for the World of Work Wednesday Glow meet on 9th May at 2pm on Working in Life Sciences, these articles from The Independent “Scientists rewrite rules of human reproduction” and “Eggs unlimited: an extraordinary tale of scientific discovery” may be of interest. This article describes the ground breaking work with stem cells taking place at the University of Edinburgh in partnership with Harvard Medical School, and ties in perfectly with the contexts for forthcoming advice, guidance and exemplification for new NQs in Biology.
Wednesday 9th May at 2pm
You don’t have to do the traditional route of university, and a PhD to have a career in science. It maybe seems like the kind of job for which you have to spend years and years qualifying and training. Well, this is not always the case. Young people, some not long out of school, are working in science right now and you could be too.
Science requires individuals with many skills and interests – and not all scientists work in a laboratory. The panel for this session all have different jobs and their qualifications, training and experiences are varied.
With Life Sciences, you are already at an advantage when it comes to employment opportunties. Scotland is regarded as one of the most successful countries in the world for Life Sciences. The Scottish Government have made Life Sciences a Key Priority Industry, which means that they see it as a means of us expanding our economy in the future. The industry has roles in sales, business development, research, clinical trials and many more.
Click here to sign up to the event (Glow log in required).
Are you working with the STEM Central to explore the role of STEM subjects in sustainability? Are you looking ahead to the implementation of Senior Phase, and planning for learning and teaching around Energy Security for learners working towards new national qualifications in Physics? Recent news articles provide a way of keeping the learning and teaching topical and relevant, providing inspiration for exploration through open ended investigative practical or research work e.g.
Survey Finds Scottish Home Running Costs at 10 year high
Fife Energy Park to host new offshore turbine concept
New UK attempt to capture carbon
Coal fuelled power station plans for Grangemouth
Samsung wind turbine project to create 500 jobs in Fife
Scotland’s nuclear stations could stay open
Salmond Hails Hydrogen Energy Facility in Fife
The BBC’s Bang Goes the Theory episodes The Human Power Station and Exploring the Science of Fuel may also provide useful enrichment for learning and teaching.
Listen to an interesting talk by Carol Craig from the Centre for Confidence and Wellbeing on how materialism has undermined our wellbeing in scotland.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQel6t784W0&list=PLD653EAC9A01E75E6&index=6&feature=plpp_video
Wednesday 9th May at 2pm
You don’t have to do the traditional route of university, and a PhD to have a career in science. It maybe seems like the kind of job for which you have to spend years and years qualifying and training. Well, this is not always the case. Young people, some not long out of school, are working in science right now and you could be too.
Science is part of our everyday life and Life Sciences are particularly important, with stories on the news nearly every week telling us about new medical technologies and treatments for diseases.
Science requires individuals with many skills and interests – and not all scientists work in a laboratory. The panel for this session all have different jobs and their qualifications, training and experiences are varied.
With Life Sciences, you are already at an advantage when it comes to employment opportunties. Scotland is regarded as one of the most successful countries in the world for Life Sciences. The Scottish Government have made Life Sciences a Key Priority Industry, which means that they see it as a means of us expanding our economy in the future. The industry has roles in sales, business development, research, clinical trials and many more.
This World of Work Wednesday comes at an ideal time to enhance practitioners knowledge and understanding of this area of work, to tie in with the forthcoming advice, guidance and exemplification for new NQs associated with health and disease, and inheritance.
Click here to sign up to the event (Glow log in required).
Education Scotland has launched a national challenge for learners to design a double-sided billboard to be seen by people entering and leaving Scotland.
The challenge is aimed at those working within second, third and fourth curriculum levels.
The challenge can be incorporated into planning for a number of curriculum areas including art and design, social studies, religious and moral education, technologies and sciences, and the themes of sustainability and global citizenship.
To find out more about the challenge click here.
The Spanish Consejeria de Educación in Scotland, together with the University of Dundee and SALT, have put together a variety of Spanish Workshops in Scotland for 2012.
Following on last year’s successful experience, they will be offering special workshops both for Primary school teachers as well as for Secondary, Higher and Further Education teachers. In an effort to come closer to teachers from different regions all over Scotland, this year the workshops will be held in Dundee on the 12 May 2012.
This is a unique opportunity to get some new ideas, share good practice and catch up with colleagues. The teachers who successfully complete these workshops will receive a certificate. For further information, please, click here to access the programme and application form (deadline 27 April 2012). You will need your Glow password.
Are you looking for some revision pointers or support? Log in to Glow and make use of the Numeracy & Mathematics National Glow Group for pupils.
Find out more in the Glow Group, click here (Glow log in required).
We would like to invite you to the next National Training and Development network event at the Stirling Management Centre on Thursday 3 May. Up to this point a small group has been involved in planning the purpose and focus for the network. The purpose of the network is to provide a platform whereby those who are responsible for developing CPD within the context of CLD in Scotland, can be actively involved in developing a sustainable learning culture. This will contribute to the CPD framework that is currently under development to support the CPD Strategy for the sector.
We would like to invite you to register your interest in this open network to:
For more information contact Mandy Toogood, Development Officer Upskilling mandy.toogood@educationscotland.gov.uk or Neil McIntosh, Development Officer Youth Work neil.mcintosh@educationscotland.gov.uk
To register please click on the link also attached is a draft programme.
Building the Curriculum 4: Moving into the Senior Phase. How Skills for learning, life and work develop within qualifications
Wednesday 18th April 2012 @ 16:00 on GlowTV
This Glow Meet is appropriate for all practitioners in secondary schools, and a recording of the session will be made available shortly after the event for practitioners in colleges and community based settings
Building the Curriculum 4 supports the planning, design and delivery of the curriculum in early years’ establishments, schools and colleges. It sets out skills for learning, life and work showing the importance of developing them for all Scotland’s learners.
How can we build on skills learners have from their broad general education when they move into the senior phase? Should they be ‘naturally occurring’ or are they too important to leave to chance? During the session we will discuss how they feature in the new National qualifications, think about how they are/might be incorporated in subject areas to develop what learners need for their life now and in the future.
A key aim of this Glow Meet will be to promote discussion and to inspire practitioners to explore different approaches to skills development in the senior phase. Participants will have a key role in this session – to share enthusiasm, ideas and practice.
To sign up for the Glow TV Event click here (Glow log in required)
To read Buliding the Curriculum 4 click here.
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Here’s the recording of the Glow Meet…
…and you can click here to get the PowerPoint which was used.
Education Scotland has purchased a licence to allow all Glow users to use all Just2Easy’s online tools from 8th March 2012 for 18 months.
To find out more about the tools in Just2Easy read this Glow Scotland Blog post.
The Literacy across Learning (Un)conference will be held at Stirling Management Centre on 25th May. This free event will build a community of educators who want to develop 21st century learning and literacy skills. Come prepared to share experiences, practice and resources and to contribute to the learning. More information and sign up details below.
Launched at the 2012 Enquire National Conference, the film looks at a variety of key themes, including: –
You can watch ‘The Learners’ Perspective’ here.
Enquire is the Scottish Advice Service for Additional Support for Learning. They can help you understand children and young people’s rights, to get extra support to enable young people get the most out of their education.
The “Cut It Out” programme is two school periods long, (one hour and fifty minutes in total), and covers the main contributory factors in Road Traffic Collisions such as speeding, drink/drug driving and seatbelt use. It aims to raise awareness and challenge attitudes in young people with regards to the dangers associated with our roads.
The programme has been designed in conjunction with education, road safety departments, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Strathclyde Police, West of Scotland Road Safety Forum, NHS and Scottish Ambulance Service and in such a way as to be delivered by specially trained fire service personnel in partnership with other emergency services. It is a curricular based, interactive, multi-media programme designed for S5 and S6 pupils.
The programme, which relies heavily upon the interaction between students and facilitators, requires students to ultimately take on different roles and ‘investigate’ the cause and problems associated with a Road Traffic Collision. They are also asked to look at how the incident could have been avoided and to report their findings back to their peers.
If you want to know more about “Cut It Out” or want to book the programme then please contact your local Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Area Headquarters or Service Headquarters for details.
These FREE interactive workshops will introduce participants in some detail to the SCQF and the criteria which will determine whether a learning programme is suitable for Credit Rating. It is designed to support individuals and organisations who are developing, or who already have, a learning programme which they are considering having Credit Rated for the SCQF.
The workshop will provide key information about the SCQF, how it can be used, and how Credit Rating processes are carried out. It will consider the development of programmes which are suitable for Credit Rating.
After completing the workshop, participants will have a sound knowledge of the SCQF and will be able to make an informed decision about whether a learning programme is suitable for Credit Rating and the next steps they need to take. No detailed knowledge of the SCQF is required to take part in this workshop.
The workshops will be held on:
The booking form is available here.
Studying Scotland is a resource that will help build confidence in the learning and teaching of Scotland within the curriculum, making it a rewarding and valuable experience for both learner and practitioner.
The resource includes new and exciting learning and teaching ideas as well as resources for learning. There are ideas on how to teach about Scotland within the Early Level.
There is also a Glow page on the Early Years National site which has gathered together all early years relevant resources on this subject.
Visit today and be inspired!
What is the difference between an outcome and an output? This half-day workshop is for you if you have just started a new project or piece of work and want to set your outcomes. Or maybe you’ve been working for a while and thought you knew what your outcomes were but have got confused!
At this workshop you will:
Staff or volunteers from voluntary organisations
Friday, June 01, 2012, 9.30am to 1pm
Where?
Edinburgh
How much does it cost?
£66.00
How do I find out more?
To enquire about this event please email: info@evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk
Education Scotland is today launching an exciting new design challenge. Aimed at 2nd to 4th curriculum levels, the challenge can be incorporated into planning for a number of curriculum areas including art and design, social studies, religious and moral education, technologies and sciences, and the themes of sustainability and global citizenship.
Learners are invited to create a design for a 2-sided billboard to signal the entrance and exit to Scotland. The work should offer different perspectives for people who are arriving and people who are leaving. Themes might reflect why people need to leave their native countries or why they would want to come and live in Scotland today.
Support materials and further instructions for this challenge can be found on the Marks on the Landscape website. Entries should be submitted by 21 June 2012.
A number of the learners’ designs will be displayed on the Education Scotland website.
For further details please contact:
Pat Campbell Pat.Campbell@educationscotland.gov.uk
An expert panel discusses the main issues around food security and how science might help fill your plate in future. Part of Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Food shortages, price rises, civil unrest and riots are all real threats as demand for food rises and the amount of land suitable for food production decreases. Journalist and broadcaster Viv Parry will lead our panel – Professor Julie Fitzpatrick (Moredun Research Institute), Professor Peter Morgan (Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health) and Professor David Hopkins (Head of Life Sciences, Heriot Watt University) – in an accessible and interactive exploration of the main issues around food security and how science might help secure the future of our food. Presented by Moredun Research Institute and the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health.
This event is also being run in Aberdeen as part of the British Science Festival on Saturday 8th September. The panel will be the same with the addition of Dr. Cesar Revoredo-Giha from SAC.
Phone: 0844 557 2686
Website: www.sciencefestival.co.uk
As a development officer in health and wellbeing with responsibility for substance misuse education, I am often asked by newly qualified teachers and more experienced members of staff about the delivery of effective drug education. Staff sometimes lack confidence in this particular area as they don’t feel well-informed about drugs and worry that children and young people know more than they do. On Tuesday 27th March at 4pm Constable Dougie McClounie from the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency will be delivering a CPD session on Drug Education. This is a great opportunity to hear the key messages and dispel some of the myths surrounding current issues. Dougie is also keen to answer any ‘tricky’ questions that may arise from this input.
The Glow meet will be of interest to everyone working with children and young people.
You can sign up here.
The Early Years team are busy preparing for our Pre Birth to Three conference taking place on Thursday 29th March at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. We are looking forward to hearing about ‘Creating Nurturing Environments’ and ‘Supporting Parents’ just to name a few of the presentations that will take place.
If you would like to learn more about Pre Birth to Three visit:
…and on Glow…www.bit.ly/PB23Glow
In the meantime keep an eye out for:
9:30am – 3.00pm, Thurs 10th May 2012
Theme: Sustainable Development Education and Education for Citizenship
St Paul’s High School is an inspiring example of a school that has adopted a whole school approach to global citizenship. The school’s achievements in this regard have earned it national recognition as a finalist in the 2011 Scottish Education Awards (Sustainable School Category) and as a winner of the 2009 Scottish Education Awards (Active Citizenship Category).
The school’s approach and vision for global citizenship has made an identifiable impact on learners, helping them grow in confidence and providing them with real-life opportunities to develop their skills and transform their local community. The school has supported a wide range of activities to achieve this, most notably:
This CPD event offers practitioners and school leaders from across Scotland the chance to visit St Paul’s High School to meet with the Head Teacher, staff and learners and also tour the classrooms, buildings and grounds.
Those participating in the open day will also have time to reflect and share their own experiences.
Download Programme for St Paul’s Open Day >>
How to book
To book, please email: globalcitizens@educationscotland.gov.uk or Tel. 0141 282 5172.
Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. This is a free event!
School open day – using international education to develop a whole school approach to global citizenship
Venue: Bo’ness Academy, Falkirk
9:30am – 3.00pm
Thursday 17th May 2012
Note: this event was due to place at an earlier date in the year but has now been rescheduled for the date above.
Theme: International Education
This CPD event offers practitioners and school leaders an exciting opportunity to visit Bo’ness Academy and attend Falkirk Council’s Global Citizenship Showcase Event.
Bo’ness Academy is an inspiring example of a school that has used international education as a vehicle to engage the whole school in global citizenship activities. Through the Comenius Programme and other well established links the school has developed a rich international programme connecting it to countries across the world including: The Gambia, The Netherlands, China, France, Germany and The Czech Republic.
A focus of the event will be to identify and share the practical lessons and ideas that have helped the school move forward on its journey including:
Participants will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the Head Teacher, International Coordinator, staff and learners and also tour the classrooms and school. Time will also be set aside for participants to reflect and share their own experiences.
Download Programme for Bo’ness Academy Open Day 17May12
How to book
To book, please contact Megan Farr, Policy Officer, Falkirk Council. Email: megan.farr@falkirk.gov.uk or Tel. 01324 506671.
Places for the open day section of the event are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. This is a free event!
An ideal tie in between the STEM Central Bioengineering context, and learning around STEM Cells which ties into our forthcoming advice and guidance to support new NQs, the latest in the BBC’s Bionics Series. We face a shortage of organs for transplant, could this area of work be the key?
The Overall Winner of this year’s National Youth Worker of the Year Awards was New Spin Project Team from Citadel Youth Centre & Pilmeny Development Project from Edinburgh.
Please click here and visit YouthLink Scotland’s website for a full list of all the successful winners and runners up.
Remember nominations for next year’s Awards will open on 1 October 2012!
Shakti Women’s Aid have organised a series of road shows exploring Honour-based violence and Gender-based violence with a special focus on BME Children and Young People in different cities in Scotland.
The first road show will be held at the Auchterderran Centre in Fife on 13th June 2012
The event is free but booking is required: for more information & booking contact Ola on 0131 475 2399 or email info@shaktiedinburgh.co.uk
The CHANGE sex and relationship pack includes 5 accessible books on a variety of SHRE Topics
The books encourage understanding of sexuality and awareness of safe sex and can be used to support open discussion about all aspects of sex and relationships.
The books are accessible which can be used as a useful tool for people with learning disabilities, people who speak English as a second language or people who find reading difficult.
CHANGE is a leading national human rights organisation, working for the rights of all people with learning disabilities. They also employ people with learning disabilities on an equal, living wage to produce accessible resources and deliver training.
The books are available either as a pack or as individual books from the CHANGE website
| Places are still available at the time of writing for the Digitally Agile Scotland seminars organised by The Scottish Community Development Centre, Youthlink Scotland and Learning Link Scotland. The project involves research and case studies of good and interesting practice in the use of social media and new technology in the community learning and development field. The programme is being supported by Education Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government.
The 3 seminars are in Aberdeen – 22 March 2012, Edinburgh – 27 March 2012 and Glasgow – 29 March 2012. The seminars are for people working in adult learning, youth development and community capacity building and are designed to allow participants to hear about interesting practice involving social media and new technology. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from others, share practice and exchange experience and knowledge. You will also have the opportunity to have your say about the challenges and the importance of guidance in being digitally agile for your personal and professional development. The seminars are free of charge but places are limited. To book you place on the either one of the 3 seminars please click on the link below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DACLDseminar. If you require further information about the programme please contact Paul Nelis paul@scdc.org.uk In addition, the following items might be of interest to anyone thinking about using social media in the contxt of community-led health or community development:
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| Skye and Lochalsh Council for Voluntary Organisations have developed this online reference tool for community groups of all sizes – from small clubs to larger social enterprises. Containing information on a wide range of topics, the Community Toolkit guides you through consultations with your local community, setting up a group or project, managing and developing your activities and looking after the people that use your services. The Community Toolkit also includes a section on Generating Income and a funder’s database to help you find suitable funding sources. Find your local Community Toolkit at http://community-toolkit.org.uk/local-toolkit.htm. |
Substance Misuse is a problem in many schools across Scotland but do you know what the signs might be and what to look out for? Possibly not so this special CPD event is aimed at you.
Constable Dougie McClounie from the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency will deliver this Glow Meet on Tuesday 27th March from 4pm looking at the key issues surrounding drug education in Scotland.
He has wide range of experience including community policing and supporting young people in further and higher education. He was the drug awareness officer for Glasgow city centre and west end where he delivered a wide range of drug related presentations including inputs to all schools in the division.
Constable McClounie is now a member of the Interventions team at the SCDEA. He has a great interest in delivering drug education and awareness to support young people in making the correct choices in life. He also works in the planning teams for both Choices for Life and Shared Responsibility.
This Glow Meet will be useful to all practitioners working with children and young people. The importance of effective partnership working in substance misuse education will be discussed and there will be an opportunity to ask ‘tricky’ questions.
Sign up and join us in Glow TV – Health and wellbeing – Substance Misuse
Do you have an interest in archaeology and want to learn more? Why not join us for a Glow TV session on Thursday 22nd March at 4pm which introduces participants to archaeology and takes a step by step exploration of the work of an archaeologist.
The session will demonstrate how archaeology can support teaching of the curriculum, especially with regard to multi-disciplinary study and cross-curricular themes, such as numeracy, literacy, Health and Wellbeing and Outdoor Learning. It will finish with practical examples of archaeological activities which can be used in the classroom and resources which are available, including ways in which Archaeology Scotland can provide support.
On completion of the course, participants will:
• Be aware of the resources and support available to them by Archaeology Scotland
• Have gained information and ideas on how to use archaeology across the curriculum
• Have gained information and ideas on how to use archaeology to support outdoor learning in and around school
• Have gained practical examples of archaeological activities which can be used in the classroom.
So why not sign up and join us on the day in Glow TV – Archaeology – An Introduction
Join us for the first two Glow TV events in a series looking at outdoor learning and skills for work.
Our first session comes live from Hermitage Academy on Thursday 22nd March from 11-12pm where pupils will be meeting two employees of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park to give you an insight into the pathways to and the roles of a planner (particularly around the built environment) and a ranger (with roles in education and conservation). You will learn what qualifications, skills and areas of expertise are required and developed in both roles and have opportunities for questioning our experts.
In our second session on Tuesday 27th March from 2pm join our panel of experts, including some pupils involved, to learn about rural skills. A similar session to the one on Thursday 22nd March is featured, along with footage of a rural skills course in action with interviews from pupils, teacher and National Park ranger delivering the course.
Hear about the skills for work opportunities and how a course such as this helps the development of a suite of ‘soft’ skills which are transferable and support transition into work. There will be opportunities to interact and have your questions answered during both sessions.
Sign up and join us in Glow TV for Working in our National Parks – live from Hermitage Academy on Thursday 22nd and Working in our National Parks – Rural Skills on Tuesday 27th March. We look forward to seeing you!
Did you Sport your Trainers and get involved in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on 12th March? If you didn’t take part though it isn’t too late you still can by registering in the Sport Your Trainers 2012 Glow Group and letting us know how you will continue to take part.
We challenged you as a school to try and reach a partner country by Commonwealth Day on the 12th March of this year and show your support for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games by getting involved in this year’s Sport your Trainers campaign. You were free to choose what country you wished to partner from the Official List of Partners and then you needed to find out how far away they were from your school!
We now want to know what you did or are hoping to do as we will be keeping the challenge going!
You can take part by walking, jogging, rowing, cycling, and spinning or even skipping, the choice is yours and all activities count, so get creative!
Last year 820,000 people across Scotland pledged their support, and we want 2012 to be even bigger! By taking part in this fun challenge we’ll all be doing our bit to support the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Official Glasgow 2014 shoelaces are up for grabs for all schools that take part so you just need to sign up below to let us know that you are taking part!!
So what are you waiting for, get active!
Did you miss our Sport Your Trainers 2012 event in Glow TV – well Watch Again and check out the pictures on our Your Pictures and Resource page too!
A message from Children in Scotland in relation to the Doran Review
Doran Review: Have Your Say on Complex Additional Support Needs
Children in Scotland is inviting interested parties to a series of free half-day consultation events for parents, carers and support groups and would very much appreciate it if you could pass the information on to any parents, carers or colleagues you know who would be interested in contributing their views.
On behalf of the Scottish Government, Peter Doran is currently chairing a review of how best to provide education for Scottish children and young people with the most complex learning needs. The Doran Review will be providing recommendations to the Scottish Government in June 2012 on how the system can be improved.
These consultation events are to gather the views of both families and parent support groups on the key issues, which will be submitted to the Review.
You will be asked for your views on:
● how satisfied you are with the processes to identify your child’s care, health and learning needs
● how well informed you feel about schools and services that could help your child
● how well your child’s nursery or school and other services such as health and Social Work are meeting his or her needs
● how well supported you and your child feel when he/she is preparing to leave and settling in to a new school or leaving school to go on to adult services.
Dates and locations
22nd March, 12 noon to 3pm
Aberdeen Thistle Altens Hotel
27th March, 9.30am to 1pm
Edinburgh Hilton Grosvenor Hotel
29th March. 9.30am to 1pm
Glasgow Hilton Grosvenor Hotel
The events are open to parents, carers and support groups from across Scotland who have an interest in the provision of education for children and young people with complex additional support needs.
You can book online at www.childreninscotland.org.uk or by phone on 0131 222 2446
Literacy in Action: Supporting Colleges to Influence Early Years Practice
The Literacy in Action: Supporting Colleges to Influence Early Years Practice Conference took place at Stirling Management Centre on Saturday 25 February 2012. This event was organised by Education Scotland to give Further Education lecturers an opportunity to hear about the Scottish Government’s Literacy Action Plan.
View video of the keynote speakers here.
Enjoy!
The ICT development team from Aberdeenshire Council was one of the first to engage with the Consolarium and as a result of this a number of games-based learning projects were identified. The idea of using the context of Guitar Hero as the main driving focus in a collaborative story that would enable cross-curricular work was one of the ideas that we wanted to explore.
A Sony PS2, the game and the guitars were placed with a willing teacher in a P7 class after the Easter break. This was the last term for the class so the teacher decided to use this as the main driver for the remainder of the term. Having teenage sons who played the game the teacher quickly became familiar with how it worked and devised a series of tasks that she believed would enable ‘connected learning’ to take place.
We then left the class teacher and the class with the resource and returned in the last week of term to discover a rich seam of creativity, learning and engagement from a class who had lost themselves in the world of rock and roll …
Every Day’s a Learning Day
Two new books have been published by Education Scotland to help parents and carers of young children to make the most of the learning experiences that exist in everyday life.
‘Every Day’s a Learning Day (Birth to 3 years)’ and ‘Every Day’s a Learning Day (3 to 6 years)’ aim to help parents support their child’s development in the crucial areas of health and wellbeing, literacy and numeracy.
Both books are available in English and Gaelic language versions.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/everydaylearning
There will be a copy of each of the books with the next issue of Education Scotland’s Early Years Matters.
The books will be distributed in the Scottish Booktrust’s Bookbug bags. The Birth to 3 book will go to parents when they visit their health visitor for their child’s first vaccination from March onwards. The 3-6 book will be in Bookbug bags for children when they turn 3 and join nursery.
In the next few weeks we will begin working on a new context for STEM Central – Rescue Vehicles for second level. With learning journeys planned which incorporate forces and friction, based around boat design for stability, and looking at the RNLI vehicles and and helicopters used in rescues, sadly very topical in light of the tragic events of January’s cruise ship accident.
Dual post from Glow Scotland Blog.
Echt School, Aberdeenshire, is holding a Sustainability Event on March 16th 2012 to share and showcase the learning the children have been engaged in this term around Sustainability and Global Citizenship.
From Nursery to P7, they have been involved in setting up a wormery, looking after chickens and hatching eggs, looking at our school’s Food and Waste Footprint, finding out about making paper to make their own compostable paper bags, Fairtrade and finding out about solar energy.
Go to Glow TV to find out more – click here (Glow log in required)
Today I visited the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in Ayr to complete Technologies workshops with BEd3. We began by discussing the misconceptions surrounding Technologies within Curriculum for Excellence, and spent the rest of the time looking at draft second level learning journeys for STEM Central. The students thought the website was easy to use, and the ideas on the website made it easy to plan a lesson.
You can find the presentation here. (Glow log in required)
We ended by looking at some of the other resources available from Education Scotland to help with teaching Technologies:
Technologies Staffroom (Glow log in required)
Glow Science (Glow log in required)
CELCIS are organising the 12th European Scientific Association on Residential and Foster Care for Children and Adolescents conference.
The call for papers is open until 23 March and organisers are keen for Scottish practitioners, policy makers and academics to submit contributions of innovative practice, such as effective partnership work that supports young people in care, leaving care, foster care or through care, as this conference is an excellent opportunity to showcase work that is going on in Scotland.
Details of how to submit an abstract can be found here.
Information on the EUSARF 2012 Conference can be found here.
Just at the right time for the publication of our latest context on STEM Central – Bioengineering – the BBC has a fantastic series of articles, images interactives and video clips which could be used to enrich the context.
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
Did you know that 102,000 16 to 24 year-olds in Scotland were unemployed from October to December 2011? The employment rate was 52.9% in Scotland (50.2% for UK).
FEdS is organising a seminar on Youth employability: The opportunities and challenges of a changing recruitment market on 28 March at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange, involving Education Scotland as a FEdS member and recruitment specialist Bright Purple Resourcing. The seminar coincides with the first National Career Guidance Show to be held in Scotland, organised by Prospects and the Institute of Career Guidance. Follow the link for more information or contact coral.rayfield@feds.co.uk to book your place.
FEdS is a small, specialist organisation that provides a neutral space where senior, experienced people from business, education and government can think creatively and work collaboratively.
FEdS was established in 1996; it has a membership of over 50 organisations and a significant network of associates drawn from a wide range of sectors. FEdS aims to create greater understanding between business, government and education, leading to better policies and practices.
Climate Week is a national campaign to inspire a new wave of action on climate change. Culminating in a week of activities and events, Climate Week showcases the practical solutions to climate change being developed in every sector of society. By highlighting real examples, the campaign aims to inspire thousands more, renewing the ambition to create together a more sustainable, low-carbon future.
Just2easy is a set of online tools that can be used to create and edit a variety of content for publication on the internet.
The tools can be used in a range of contexts to suit many different aspects of the curriculum.
Nintendogs game for the Nintendo DS, has been used to create a rich, dynamic and inclusive educational context for learners as part of a game-based learning initiative run by Learning and Teaching Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council.
The initiative looks at how the challenging, demanding and appealing world of Nintendogs can help support effective teaching and learning in Curriculum for Excellence.
The initiative provided content for learning in a P2 class. The teachers involved in the initial project and subsequent teachers that have used Nintendogs, made the game the central focus for projects that created connections across learning.
Caring for and nurturing your virtual pet was central to this game. Teachers created purposeful and relevant activities that involved learning in Art & Design. The videos showcase in more detail accounts of what the teachers and the children did and how the game impacted on their learning.
Many thanks to Linda Stormonth at St Machar Academy, Aberdeen City who has very kindly been willing to share her Fair trade materials with the rest of us across the nation! they are well worth a look as they “raise the bar” in terms of the kind of language they exploit and exemplify ways of incorporating literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing into our lessons. A very motivating and grown up topic – these materials could easily be used as an interdisciplinary project.
To access the materials click here ( You will need your Glow password)
Schools and local authorities are working with the Assessment Team on continuing to develop profiling 3-18. In particular, 18 schools from across the country are going to be working on developing approaches to S3 profiling and profiles. In June, at the end of this supported development, materials will be published on NAR. Presentations made at the start of this development can be found on the National Assessment Glow Group.
Do you want a career with global opportunities? Are you interested in working for a pioneering industry? Do you want the chance to earn as you learn?
Join our World of Work Wednesday event to hear from oil & gas professionals to hear what types of jobs are available in the industry and what it’s is really like to be part of a dynamic sector that offers excellent rewards for hard work!
Also you’ll get the chance to ask real-life professionals anything you’ve ever wanted to know about oil & gas.
From HR to PR, drilling to design, accountancy to apprenticeships, onshore and offshore there’s something to inspire everyone.
So why not sign up and join us on Wednesday 14th March at 2pm to find out all about it?! – WOWW – Explore Your Future in Oil and Gas
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