I recently had the opportunity to visit the Craft, Design and Technology Department at Queen Anne High School to see how they used 3D modelling software in S1 and how this progressed into the Senior Phase.
To find out more about my visit view the video on the Chalkface Blog.
| The Review of the Community Learning and Development Strategy in Scotland |
| The discussion on the review of the CLD Strategy has now been widened and anyone interested can view the discussion paper and engage in the discussions online by going to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7T2R5CJ.
This is the route for formal written responses to the discussion, and is an opportunity to drive forward essential aspects of key agendas including Curriculum for Excellence, the Literacy Action Plan, 16+ Learning Choices, regeneration and community empowerment. The Scottish Government also sees the discussion as a way of developing shared thinking on key issues including post-16 education, college regionalisation and the Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill. |
On Wednesday (02/02/12) I had the opportunity to visit Kate O’Regan a Primary 7 teacher at Livingston Village Primary in West Lothian. The Primary 7 pupils were preparing for the opening of their Café the following day. They described the processes they went through to set up the Café and also explained the skills they developed.
To find out more about my visit view the video of Primary 7 on the Chalkface Blog.
To find out about the opening of the Café visit their blog.
24/02/12 – 11amEvery two weeks, on a Friday morning, Louise and Melisaa from our schools’ news service (The Daily What News- http://www.dailywhat.org.uk/) will introduce a fun-filled twenty minutes of news-related features.
This is the launch show, which will give Glow users a chance to meet Melissa and Louise and hear details of an amazing new competition they are launching. They will also give a tour of the site and discuss some of the most interesting stories from the past few weeks.
The show will continue on a fortnightly basis after that, with quiz features, special guests and lots of truly great learning opportunities. Teachers will be pleased to be reminded that every news story has a related blog post of teaching and earning suggestions, so there’s lots of ideas to take forward with classes.
You will grow to really like Louise and Melissa and what a great chance for Glow users to find out more about the news in general and certain stories in particular.
Edinburgh – Thursday 22nd March 2012
E-Safety Live, now in its 6th year, are landmark events bringing online safety providers, experts and global industry leaders together to participate and discuss with delegates the latest online safety topics.
Designed to aid practitioners in the UK to connect with providers, the events will focus on ways to better help safeguard children, as well as professionals, when online.
The workshops focus on four main topics:
• Classroom – Aiming to outline support & resources available to teachers to use in the classroom.
• Preparing Schools – Will offer advice & support to help schools manage and improve their e-safety provision.
• Training Professionals – Focusing on how professionals can manage their online professional reputation, as well as how organisations working with children and young people can engage parents
• Industry – Delivered by leading industry players, these workshops will provide an insight into technologies children love to use and demonstrate the tools or resources available for using them safely.
The Numeracy team at Education Scotland is hosting events for practitioners on Friday 16 March in the Drumossie House Hotel, Inverness and again on Saturday 17 March in the AECC, Aberdeen. The aim of the event is to support effective teaching and learning of number in early years settings and primary schools. Throughout the day there will be opportunities to participate in workshops, network with colleagues, share good practice and hear key messages in numeracy.
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/newsandevents/events/2012/eventgeneral_tcm4687535.asp (Inverness)
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/newsandevents/events/2012/eventgeneral_tcm4687537.asp (Aberdeen)
The event will be of particular interest to practitioners in early years settings and in primaries 1 to 3. If you are interested in attending this free event please email either staffdevelopmentunit@highland.gov.uk (Inverness event) or cpd@aberdeencity.gov.uk (Aberdeen event).
Visit the SSLA website for information about their spring conference on 28 April.
Glow Science is a great free resource offering rich engaging learning material for pupils aged 8-14. Inspire your pupils to engage with Science across the curriculum.
Glow Science is a stunning video-based learning resource designed for pupils aged 8 to 14 to engage their imaginations and enhance their understanding of Science in the modern world. Over 500 three-minute films and their associated learning materials (including quizzes, lesson ideas, extension questions, diagrams, images), cover Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science.
Topics in Chemistry and Physics include the Periodic Table and Newton’s laws of motion; Biology includes films about the brain, heart, pregnancy, senses, muscles, lungs, hormones; Earth Science covers a wide range of topics from volcanoes to renewable energy.
Glow Science can be used in many different ways to support the Sciences experiences and outcomes, as well as other areas of Curriculum for Excellence. It has been available free to all teachers in Scotland since April 2011 and is accessed using your Glow username and password.
Katy Sowden, principal teacher at Williamston Primary school in Livingston, has seen a marked improvement in levels of pupil engagement since she started using Glow Science as well as helping to deepen her own understanding of science concepts. You can read a cookbook of Katy and her pupils using the resource in class.
Glow Science answers pupils’ questions: “What makes our blood red? Why do some people see smells and hear colours? How does the largest mammal on earth hold its breath for up to two hours? It allows learners to journey from Earth’s core to land surface, examining the layers that make up our planet; they can discover how our DNA make us unique and understand the scientific evidence that supports the Big Bang theory.
New content is regularly added to Glow Science. The latest Biology module is called Healthy Living and covers Health and Disease, Substance Misuse, Fitness and Nutrition.You can download a list of over 500 films from the Glow Science website.
Health and Wellbeing Award
This category recognises schools and pre schools that are developing a holistic approach to health and wellbeing of children and young people, involving knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes necessary for mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing.
To nominate a school: http://www.scottisheducationawards.org.uk/index.asp
On Wednesday (08/02/12) I had the opportunity to visit Claire Grubb a Business Education teacher from Kincorth Academy in Aberdeen. Claire described how they have re-written their second year Business and Enterprise Course using the Technologies and Social Studies Experiences and Outcomes. She also describes how they assessed the learning.
To find out more about my visit view the video of Claire on the Chalkface Blog.
Wednesday 29th February
4.00pm – 4.30pm
On Wednesday (08/02/12) I had the opportunity to visit Elizabeth Still a Business Education teacher from Kincorth Academy in Aberdeen. She described to me their S1 Business Enterprise Course, this programme involves the class running a small enterprise activity.
To find out more about my visit, view the video of Elizabeth on the Chalkface Blog.
NHS Health Scotland’s EARLY YEARS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
1st March 2012
Getting it Right for Every Child – the Journey So Far
This event is now oversubscribed but you can still sign up to participate through webcast.
If you would like to participate through webcast, email : Lynn.Soutar@nhs.net
Find out more at the following links:
Maternal and Early Years Website for Early Years Professionals
www.maternal-and-early-years.org.uk/
Sign up for the National Early Years Network and receive the monthly e-newsletter
http://www.maternal-and-early-years.org.uk/mail-subscriber
Information for parents
Looking for a new idea to enrich the STEM Central water context?
A trickling burn, a flooded street, a horse’s trough or a grand Scottish loch – no matter what comes to mind when you think of water the Water Works competition wants your photographs.
The James Hutton Institute via the Centre of Expertise for Waters are running a year long competition aimed at raising awareness of water and water-related issues across both primary and secondary ages. The competition, with monthly prizes, aims to encourage learners to think about the natural environment and make the link between CfE curriculum areas Sciences, Technologies and Expressive Arts. The competition page gives background on the competition and entry instructions.
The Health and wellbeing team welcomed over sixty practitioners to our Showcase event. 
We had a packed day celebrating good practice across the health and wellbeing organisers. There was a marketplace where many of our partners were available to discuss how they can support schools, these included Active Schools, British Heart Foundation, The Red Cross, Organ Donation, Sustrans, Health Working Lives and Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.
Alison Hammerton from Outdoor Learning enthused with ideas that stimulated how schools can deliver health and wellbeing by taking the curriculum outside. Click here to go the Outdoor Learning Blog for updates.
We finished the day with a keynote speech from Craig Brown, former Head Teacher and current Manager of Aberdeen Football Club. He shared some tales of football fun whilst integrating the key messages of health and wellbeing and gave us all a laugh too.
We hope our delegates gain a lot from the day and would encourage them to sign up to our HWB Community where we will share the presentations from the day and partner contact information. Click here to sign up to the community.
Also don’t forget to join Education Scotland on Facebook and Twitter.
On Wednesday (08/02/12) I had the opportunity to visit Lauren Hay a Business Education teacher from Kincorth Academy in Aberdeen. She described to me their Enterprise Project with the Wood Family Trust. This programme focused on the entrepreneurship aspect of enterprise and intergrated entrepreneurship across the curriculum.
To find out more about my visit, view the video of Lauren on the Chalkface Blog.
The Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) is part of an important and long established series of national surveys on smoking, drinking and drug use. Information has been collected in Scotland from 1982 on smoking, 1990 on drinking and since 1998 on drug use. The latest survey was carried out during the autumn term of 2010 with a sample of over 37,000 pupils from S2 and S4 classes from across Scotland.
The report provides information on:
Prevalence of smoking, drinking and drug use
Frequency of substance misuse
Sources of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs
Pupils’ attitudes to substance misuse
The report makes very interesting reading and is useful point of reference for practitioners working with children and young people.
A summary of the report can be found at –
http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/salsus.htm
Yesterday (o8/02/2012) I had the opportunity to visit Kirsty McFaul, the Principal Teacher of Design and Technology at Hazlehead Academy in Aberdeen. During this visit Kirsty described how they redesigned their S1-3 curriculum for Design and Technology using the Technologies Experiences and Outcomes. One aspect of the course included an interdisciplinary project which involved the Maths and Art Departments. Kirsty also discussed how they used the National Assessment Resource (NAR) to help move towards a more formative assessment approach.
To find out more about this visit, watch the video on the Chalkface Blog.
Developing global citizens through sciences, social studies and technologies
Interdisciplinary learning for a low carbon and zero waste future
CDP event for practitioners in secondary schools
Menzies Hotel, Washington Street, Glasgow G3 8AZ
9:30am to 3:30pm, Friday 30st March 2012
Target audience: Practitioners, Principal Teachers and Faculty Heads of Technologies (e.g. CDT, Food and Textiles, Business and Enterprise), Sciences and Social Studies. Also local authority coordinators and QIOs.
Aim of the event:
This CPD event provides an exciting opportunity for secondary school practitioners to discover how cradle to cradle technologies and a circular economy can be used as a rich and stimulating context for interdisciplinary learning relating to sustainable development education and global citizenship within Curriculum for Excellence.
The Scottish Government is committed to a low-carbon and zero-waste economy, and the development of enterprise, creativity, STEM (Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Maths) and higher order thinking skills in young people are essential if we are to realise these ambitious plans for the future. The circular economy concept proposes the use of sustainable technologies, innovative design and production methods and systems thinking to minimise waste and reduce the exploitation of the Earth’s precious resources. This event will draw on practical and exciting developments within industry which are set to transform the way our economy operates in the decades ahead.
Education Scotland is working in partnership with The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the University of Edinburgh to develop strategies for professional development around sustainable development education and the circular economy to encourage the setting up of communities of practice among practitioners in Scotland. These will provide opportunities for ongoing, localised support and collaboration.
To find out more about the circular economy visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCRKvDyyHmI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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!
At the start of February I was blogging about the amazing breakthrough in brain computer interfacing, reported widely in the press, which links to our forthcoming Bioengineering context on STEM Central.
Turns out those clever folks at The Daily What read my mind to come up with this article and interesting lesson ideas and suggestions. The Brain Quiz (mind reading not required, just click the mouse) can be used to introduce or refresh prior learning on the brain and nervous system, with ideas for discussion topics and links to information and animations to support learning and teaching.
The workshops are delivered live by scientists enhancing the class room experience and providing a unique opportunity to explore science as a career. The scientists presenting this session are Dr Paul Shiels from Glasgow University and Dr Andy Downes from Edinburgh University.
Resources address key objectives by setting up scenarios to encourage Interdisciplinary learning specifically addressing areas of Science, RMPS together with issues from Health and Wellbeing. The resources are designed to develop skills in group work within and across schools and critical analysis skills where the students will be assessing the moral and ethical issues associated with scientific advancements based on factual information validated and delivered by experts in the field.
The workshops are lead by a stem cell scientist, making use of a mix of presentations, interactive quizzes, video and web based activities and cover:
• A basic introduction into stem cells, the science.
• How can we use Stem Cells
• What does the future hold
• The Ethical questions
• Careers in the Stem Cell Industry
These workshop sessions are aimed at S5 Higher Human Biology/ Higher Biology classes.
This event will be coming live from Forth Valley College on the day.
Click here to sign up and join in! (Glow log in required)
Please ensure that you have contacted Henriette Laidlaw prior to the event to ensure that you have the relevent materials – Henriette@sscn.co.uk
Schools across Dumfries & Galloway are giving every other school in Scotland the opportunity to join them as they broadcast lots of fantastic outdoor activities through GlowTV.
So what’s planned:
Monday 20th of February @ 9:30 – 10:15
Photography can be done by anyone, anywhere. What’s around your school? In this session, live from their local environment, the pupils from the Gatehouse Primary School camera club & the Forestry Commision will show you how.
Tuesday 21st of February @ 9:30 – 10:15
What’s around your school? What’s the space used for? Join St Mungo Primary in their outdoor classroom. Find out how they use their space and what activities they enjoy. You will have the opportunity to post your comments and questions.
Thursday 23rd of February @ 09:30-10:15
Join the pupils of Shawhead Primary learning how to encourage birds to come to their school grounds. Find out some amazing facts about the birdlife in their environment and learn how to build your very own nestbox.
Friday 24th of February @ 09:30-10:15
Do you enjoy playing board games? If so, why not join Tom, Liz and the pupils from Loreburn and Applegarth as they find out which environmental or wildlife themed board game will earn their school the title of ‘The Dr Finlayson Challenge Winners 2012′.
Monday 27th of February @ 9:30 – 10:15
Podcasting can be done by anyone, anywhere. If you have listened to the radio and wished you could have a go, you can! Ae Primary are going to demonstrate how they would report on the environment around their school. What’s around your school? What’s the space used for? When you’ve seen a live demonstration from a BBC Producer, you will have the opportunity to create and share your own podcast.
Tuesday 28th of February @ 9:30 – 10:15
The epic journey of the goose. The answers are –
1.Svalbard
2.48hours
3.Stormy weather
But what are the questions?
Join Wigtown Primary, Caerlaverock Primary and Longyearbyen Skole in Norway in partnership with Brian Morrell WWT Caerlaverock and Elizabeth Tindall D&G Ranger Service.
Wednesday 29th @ 9:30 – 10:15
Review & Share Time. If you have taken part in previous programmes of this series come and join in with the review and sharing.
So sign up to join in and find out more here
Nil By Mouth is a charity organisation which offers free services to all Scottish schools to challenge sectarianism. We provide workshops for all ages, primary and secondary.
They have recently launched the Nil by Mouth Champion for Change Accreditation Scheme. This accreditation will acknowledge and promote schools that are actively working to challenge sectarianism through the school and the wider community. Find out more on their National Glow Group.
Yesterday (08/02/12), I visited the University of Aberdeen to complete a Technologies workshop with BEd3 & PGDE students. 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, they liked how there were suggested learning intentions and success criteria and also felt that there was lots of ideas that they could adapt to their own lesson planning.
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)
Falkirk Council global citizenship showcase and school open day
Venue: Bo’ness Academy, Falkirk
9:30am – 3.00pm
This event will now take place on Thursday 17th May 2012
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.
Following the open day event, participants will also have the opportunity to attend Falkirk Council’s Global Citizenship Showcase event which will also be taking place in Bo’ness Academy from 4pm – 6pm. This will feature exhibitions and displays from leading organisations such as Eco-Schools and British Council and will showcase innovative global citizenship practice from many Falkirk schools.
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!
Amina – the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre is an organisation based in both Glasgow and Dundee that is willing to support schools in the teaching of Islam. They can offer a wide variety of services and workshops. They have worked with a number of schools in Dundee and have been well received and are looking to work with more schools across the country.
Please visit their website to find out more or look at the attached document.
Amazing Things 3 – a guide to the youth awards in Scotland – has been published
The next Centre for Confidence and Well-being event is with Jo Swinson MP who will talk about both her role as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary group on Well-being at Westminster as well as the Body Confidence Campaign which was set up in response to the growing concern that photoshopped media images are affecting people’s confidence – particularly young women’s feeling about themselves. This FREE event is on Wednesday 15 February from 5pm to 7pm in the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow. Please get in touch to register your interest as places are limited.
The Centre is also planning an event called Wanting, Watching and Well-being at the Aye Right! Book Festival on Wednesday 15 March at 7.30pm at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. The speaker is Professor Agnes Cairn who wrote the recent UNICEF report on young people’s well-being in the UK which suggested that materialism may be a major reason why the UK scores much lower in child well-being than other countries. Tickets available through Aye Right!
One of Barack Obama’s key aides will head the line-up for the Scottish Government’s 2012 National Food and Drink Conference.
Dr Janey Thornton, the US Department of Agriculture’s Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Service, will discuss the benefits of collaborative working for both Scotland and America at the event in Perth on March 7.
Also joining Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead on the conference platform will be Dr Joao Breda from the World Health Organization. He will assess how Scotland is progressing in relation to some of the world’s top food and drink issues.
Completing the line-up at the event – which celebrates Scotland’s high quality food and drink sector and its many innovative businesses and producers – will be one of Scotland’s top chefs, Nick Nairn, as well as entrepreneur Fraser Doherty of SuperJam, who turned his teenage hobby into a successful business.
Click here to download an application for the event.
As Scotland’s youth unemployment figures continue to rise, a new edition of flagship publication Amazing Things highlights the range of opportunities available for young people through Scotland’s youth awards.
The third edition of Amazing Things – a guide to the youth awards in Scotland, has been produced by the Awards Network, a forum of twenty-one providers of non-formal learning awards across Scotland.The Awards Network was established by Youth Scotland as part of the Scottish Government’s Volunteer Action Plan.
Amazing Things (Third edition) and the work of the Awards Network is in alignment with the Scottish Government’s strategy to tackle the national challenges of youth unemployment. Both recognise the significant role youth work has to play in supporting young people to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.
As well as providing an index of the awards available for young people aged 12 – 25, the publication celebrates the significant voluntary contributions that young people are already making in their own communities. It makes a clear link between use of the youth awards and an increase in young people’s ‘soft’ skills and employability levels.
A key publication for youth work organisations, schools, colleges, universities, and employers, Amazing Things (Third edition), is available to download for free here.
Working with the STEM Central Electric Transport context? Why not combine with exploring the role of Scottish Scientists like Professor Peter Bruce of the University of St Andrew’s, awarded the UK Science Award, for his work on new battery technologies.
The Tesco Bank Art Competition for Schools hopes to inspire children across the country with the National Galleries of Scotland’s superb collection of artworks.
This year’s winning works will be proudly displayed at the newly refurbished Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
The closing date is 4th May 2012.
See below for more details……Good Luck!!!
Adolescent Health and Risk Behaviours Symposium
Policy, Research and Practice
Wednesday 29th February 2012
Royal Society of Edinburgh, George Street, Edinburgh
9:30am – 3:30pm
If you would like to register for a place, please complete and return this form to Renee Ingram (renee.ingram@scphrp.ac.uk).
13th of June – 10am
Join us again this year for a fantastic opportunity to explore space travel and meet three exciting NASA guests all in one day. Find out more about what they’ve done, ask your own questions, take part in space quizzes and use this unique opportunity to enter the world of space exploration. Don’t miss out, you can sign up here now. More information about our exciting space guests and how you can all get involved in this Glow TV event will follow soon.
SCIPD Group Study Visit to the Netherlands
6th – 10th March 2012
Theme: The Circular Economy – Sustainable technologies, design, economics and production for the 21st century
Education Scotland is inviting applications from secondary teaching staff for a group study visit to ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands to investigate how cradle to cradle technologies and a circular economy can be used as a rich and stimulating context for interdisciplinary learning relating to sustainable development education and global citizenship. This visit has been arranged in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
The Scottish Government is committed to a low-carbon and zero-waste economy, and it is important to develop enterprise, creativity and STEM (Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Maths) skills in young people to ensure the realisation of these ambitious plans for the future. The circular economy concept proposes the use of sustainable technologies and innovative design and production methods that minimise waste and reduce the exploitation of the earth’s precious resources. Industrial companies in the Netherlands are at the forefront of developing products that mimic natural processes and that are designed for disassembly and reuse.
Education Scotland, in collaboration with The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is developing strategies for professional development around sustainable development education and the circular economy to encourage the setting up of communities of practice among practitioners in Scotland. These will provide opportunities for ongoing, localised support and collaboration as recommended by Teaching Scotland’s Future.
It is expected that the visit to the Netherlands will include:
– Orientation sessions with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Dutch curriculum agency SLO, to introduce participants to the model of the circular economy and brief them on the structure of the Dutch school system and curriculum
– Visits to businesses which have adopted cutting-edge approaches to circular economy principles
– Visits to schools to see how learning relating to the circular economy is being used as a theme for interdisciplinary learning around sustainability
Travel to the Netherlands will be on Tuesday 6th March, with three working days in the area, followed by return to Scotland on Saturday 10th March.
SCIPD funding will cover return flights to the Netherlands, airport to hotel transfers, and overnight hotel accommodation in ‘s-Hertogenbosch on a bed and breakfast basis.
Participants will be offered a pre-visit preparatory meeting, and a post-visit meeting to support follow-up activity and encourage wider impact.
This study visit is targeted at education professionals in Scottish secondary schools, particularly teachers of sciences, technologies, mathematics, business studies, economics and geography.
Expected learning outcomes
Participants will have an opportunity to:
Upon returning from the study visit, participants will be expected to:
Applicants may wish to use the experience of the study visit towards professional recognition by GTCS or simply to enhance their professional understanding and practice.
Applications are invited from suitably qualified members of Scottish school or authority staff, who should complete the Netherlands group application form available below or by email from Nick Morgan at nick.morgan@educationscotland.gov.uk
The closing date for applications is Tuesday 21st Feb 2012
Marine Scotland Science GLOW Meet
Everything you ever wanted to know about the marine environment but were too scared to ask….
11am – 12pm, Thursday 23 February 2012
Why are fish slimy? What is the weirdest sea creature? Which sea dad gives birth through its mouth? What yukky substance from the sea is used in lipstick?
Around one fifth of Scotland’s population live within a kilometre of the sea and our marine environment is one of the most diverse in the world – supporting over 48,000 species. Despite its importance in terms of our economy and biodiversity, we still know very little about marine life and the oceans remain one of the Earth’s last unexplored frontiers.
Join this interactive Glow meet for a whacky, fun and informative look at the science of our oceans and seas. This Glow meet will be aimed at learners in primary schools. The school submitting the best questions during the Glow meet will win a visit by the Edinburgh Science Festival Marine Detectives Workshop, complete with rock pool and live creatures.
Click here to watch recording of this Glow meet>>
Further resources about the marine environment are available on Glow at: http://bit.ly/marineresources
Environment Online – ENO is a global virtual school network for sustainable development.
Learning is student and problem-centred with both online and offline activities. At the end of each theme there is a campaign week during which the results of learning are raised in local communities and on the web. Students eventually become ambassadors for the environment of their respective local communities and regions. Regular themes and have been forests, climate change, ecological footprint and different cultural themes.
The success of the ENO Programme lies in the fact that it is run by teachers. Over 7000 from 105 countries are part of the ENO network. The ages of learners involved range from 12 – 18 years.
Objectives
Visit http://www.enoprogramme.org/ to find out more.
2pm – 3:15pm, Monday 6th February 2012
If the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is anything to go by then flooding, droughts, heat waves and extreme storms are likely to occur more frequently through to the middle of the century and beyond.
Are we powerless in the face of increasingly extreme weather or will human ingenuity, resourcefulness and spirit provide us with solutions to help us ride the storm? What steps are our government and public agencies already taking to prepare us for the changes coming? How can the poorest countries adapt with limited resources?
From floating houses to massive flood defence schemes there is already much work underway. Will it be enough? In this, the last in a series of three national Glow meets, learners will have a chance to air their views and put searching questions to our panel of experts including:
– James Curran MBE, Chief Executive, Scottish Environment Protection Agency
– Anna Beswick, Public Sector Officer, Adaptation Scotland
– John Sharp, Schools Education Officer, SCIAF
Visit http://bit.ly/climatedebatethree to register, post your questions in advance and join the Glow meet on the day. This Glow meet is aimed at learners in upper primary and secondary schools.
For resources and videos on climate change visit Weather and Climate Change, Exploring Climate Change, STEM Central and Climate Change on Glow.
Other events in the series included:
– Glow meet 1: Our changing weather and climate – view recording here
– Glow meet 2: Climate science – evidence versus controversy – view recording here
If you’ve been working with the STEM Central contexts, or perhaps want to find out more about potential careers in the Oil and Gas industry for advising learners, 
OPITO’s new careers website www.myoilandgascareer.com has arrived at the right time. The site is a one-stop-shop for information on careers within the oil and gas industry.
Myoilandgascareer.com is aimed at anyone looking to find out more about entry routes into the sector and details the breadth of careers available. As well as providing information on training and development; the site offers a range of education tools as well as an ‘ask a professional page’ which allows users to post a question to be answered by an industry representative within 5 working days. Filmed case studies focussing on what it’s really like to work in oil and gas (both onshore and offshore) are provided by industry employees – ensuring the site is informed by those who have first-hand experience of working in the sector.
The ‘Future First Survey’ shows 60% of young people choose career advice, work experience or employment skills as issues the education sector should focus on to better prepare students for future careers. This illustrates the vital service myoilandgascareer.com will play in opening up the wealth of opportunities available to young job seekers.
If you are keen to help learners explore their future and plan pathways into oil and gas, or to enhance your understanding of the STEM careers on offer in this industry, why not begin the journey at www.myoilandgascareer.com .
Following the popular competition on internet safety in 2010 the Scottish Government will this year run a similar competition to coincide with Safer Internet Day on 7 February 2012. The competition will run till 1 March 2012. The theme for this year is ‘Connecting generations so that we can discover the digital world together safely’. The theme aims to encourage you to think about your internet use, and how other age groups might also use the internet. Full details of the competition brief and internet safety information can be viewed here.
To view the Scottish Government Internet Safety Leaflet, click here.
Yesterday (31/01/12), I visited the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in Ayr to complete a Technologies workshop with BEd4. 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 available 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)
You can access the full document here: http://tinyurl.com/7prjx3r
As we approach publication of the new STEM Central context on Bioengineering which includes a learning journey on Brain Computer Interfacing, interesting scientific research featuring in the news today.
Does this raise the possibility of a prosthetic which allows communication for those with motor neurone disease, or stroke sufferers?
Mind-reading program translates brain activity into words
Science decodes ‘internal voices’
On Thursday 8th March, SSERC will be hosting another Cookalong in their tremendously successful series of innovative and accessible CPD. This is a second opportunity to join in the Outdoor Learning Cookalong. Andy Boswell, one of the SSERC Development Officers, will be looking at practical ways of exploring the environment, including observation and sampling. There will be links to CfE Science experiences and outcomes as well as lots of ideas for cross-curricular links. SSERC is pleased to be able to offer a limited number of free resource boxes to support the Cookalong and the implementation of the practical activities covered.
If you would like to participate in this CPD event, please contact hayley.sherrard@sserc.org.uk for an application form (deadline for submission is 29th February 2012). By confirming your participation, you will be entered in the ballot for a free box of resources which are specifically tailored to support the CPD activities on the day. Even if you are unsuccessful in getting a free box, you can still take part, whether you choose to source your own resources or not. Many resources are inexpensive and easy to source so we do not anticipate that this will be a problem. For those who wish to source their own kit you can find the recommended kit list on the SSERC Cookalong Glow group pages in due course.
You can make the most of this CPD by encouraging colleagues to help ‘cook along’ on this Outdoor Learning CPD session. Previous participants have arranged cluster schools to come together as well as colleagues from secondaries to assist with Primary-Secondary transition.
This course has no fee, all that is asked in return is that you and each of your colleagues fill in a short SSERC evaluation form in order that they can further refine and improve this exciting way of delivering CPD for the future. Please note that by submitting your application to receive a box you are committed to attending the Cookalong on the 8th March.
And don’t forget…even if you happen to miss a Cookalong, Glow allows for meetings to be recorded and watched back at a time to suit you! You can see the Cookalong again from the “Recorded Meetings” link on the SSERC Cookalong Lab (Adobe Connect) area of the Noticeboard within the Glow Group.
Are you doing something innovative in your school that promotes language learning? 
SCILT, the Scottish Centre for Language Learning is highlighting two awards for language learning and encouraging Scottish educational establishments to apply.
The European Language Label is a prestigious award that has been running for many years and is recognised across Europe. Applications are welcome from all stages of 
language learning and teaching, from early years to HE and adult education.
The British Academy Language Awards are a new set of awards open to secondary schools (11-16 yrs) and offer a substantial cash prize.
The application form and process for each award is very similar so SCILT suggests that schools who meet the criteria should consider applying for both.
The European Language Label is an award for innovative language-learning projects. It rewards creative ways to improve the quality of language teaching, motivate learners and make the best of available resources. To be successful, projects must demonstrate creative thinking and lead to improved teaching provision and learner achievement. They must be innovative, effective and replicable by others in the UK and other countries. If this describes your project, why not apply for an award?
Last year’s winners of this UK-wide award included two Scottish schools, St Roch’s Secondary School “skills for life and work” project won in the secondary catagory and Elgin Academy’s ‘Languages, local businesses and the community’ project, in which the school worked with local businesses in the north of Scotland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, was Highly Commended by the judges.
Winning projects may use European Language Label on stationery and websites. In addition, all winners receive prizes of books, vouchers or teaching materials from the sponsors. The awards will be presented at a prize-giving ceremony on European Day of Languages on 26 September. To access more information including an application form, please visit the SCILT website by clicking here.
The British Academy in collaboration with CfBT Education Trust has launched a new awards scheme to promote language learning and teaching in secondary schools in the UK. The British Academy Schools Language Awards is aimed at secondary schools in the UK and promotes language learning and teaching.
Two awards of £4,000 will be given to projects in seven UK regions, including Scotland – one for languages taught in mainstream secondary schools and one for complementary/supplementary schools. A National Award of an additional £4,000 will be given to the best overall project. Awards will be given to projects that promote language learning by finding creative ways to improve the quality of language teaching and motivating students.
Application for the Awards is now open and The British Academy will announce the winners in the autumn and present the prizes at a ceremony in London.
The deadline for applications is 2 March 2012. More information, including the application form and application criteria, is on on the British Academy website.
To access more information and download an application form please click here.
Good luck everyone!!!
Health and Wellbeing Event for Parents – Saturday 25 February 2012
The Health and Wellbeing team at Education Scotland is hosting an event for parents on 25 February at Stirling Management Centre. The event will start at 10 am and finish at 1 pm and is free to attend. The aim of this event is to outline the health and wellbeing entitlements for Curriculum for Excellence.
There will be lots of opportunities for discussion about the different aspects of the health and wellbeing curriculum and how parents can support their children with this. Partner agencies will also be attending to facilitate some group discussions. This event will be of interest to any parent with children in the early years, primary and secondary settings.
If you are interested in attending this event please register with Anne-Marie Lamont. Anne-Marie.Lamont@educationscotland.gov.uk
The Scottish Education Awards celebrate the hard work and success which takes place in Scottish education. They recognise the achievements of people who dedicate their lives to children and young people and showcase the valuable work and innovation in Scottish classrooms. Nominations close on Friday 2 March 2012. Visit the Scottish Education Awards website for more information.
I met yesterday with our colleagues at SCILT as a member of their MLPS short working group. Laura Stewart,who chairs the group, has posted some really excellent resources and ideas that will help those of you who teach a modern language in primary schools. To access the correct page please click here. Have a look at the posts on the notice board but also click on the Glow groups and documents tabs to find loads more interesting examples and materials.
The kind and talented people at Radio Lingua launched the first in a series of ebooks aimed specifically at secondary-aged learners. It’s called Focus on French and is available in the iBookstore, so any student with an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad can download the content. It features a young native speaker who introduces each chapter with a video and there are audio clips for all words and phrases contained in the book. Best of all, Focus on French Conversation is entirely free and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store. Search for “Focus on French” and learners can download the book straight to their devices. Focus on French Conversation is the first in the series and they are currently in production for two further titles in the series focusing on S3-4 vocabulary – “Focus on French Vocabulary – Sport and Leisure” and “Focus on French Vocabulary – Education and Work”. There’s more information at Radio Lingua’s website. To visit it please click here or contact Mark Pendleton directly at
With announcements like those below indicating the health of Scotland’s renewables future, what better time to explore the contexts in STEM Central for use with learners?
This Interactive Map of Renewable and Alternative Energy projects in the UK would make a good starting point for discussion.
Osborne unveils £103m renewables funding for Scotland
A RIGHT wee blether, a creative conversation led by Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People ran from 12th September – 31st October 2011.
The Commissioner, Tam Baillie, has a responsibility to promote and safeguard the rights of children and young people in Scotland. A RIGHT wee blether encouraged children to creatively express how they feel by answering five key questions:
The views and experiences of children have been captured and summarised. These responses, in addition to the consultation with school age children a RIGHT blether, will inform the Commissioner’s work over the next four years.
Click here to access the 2010 health profiles, along with complementary profiles focussing on children and young 
people. These profiles highlight the considerable variation in health between areas and help identify priorities for health improvement. The profiles give a snapshot overview of health for each area using spine charts (which show how the area compares to the Scottish average), and allow further understanding of the results via rank charts and trend charts.
We started off our new season of World of Work Wednesday events looking at Working in the Theatre and we now move to looking at other careers that you can have – and in particular working on the stage!
Artistic Director, Stage Manager, Marketing Manager are all jobs within theatre and roles you may have heard of. But what does it really take to do a job like this and how do you get a foot in the door? Join Andy Arnold, David Sneddon and Lindsay Mitchell from the Tron Theatre for World of Work Wednesdays. Don’t miss out on your chance to ask these professionals all about the different aspects of their jobs.
So why not join us on Wednesday 1st February from 1.45pm – Sign up in Glow TV.
Glow TV is delighted to announce that two further Chinese New Year events have been added to the schedule. On Monday 30th January at 1.20pm we will be coming live from the Confucius Hub at St Ninian’s High School in East Dunbartonshire with a Chinese New Year Show. Throughout the hour long show you will be entertained by Dragon Dancing, Chinese singing and dancing, Chinese drama and a live singing competition between 6 S1 classes!! Plus much much more. To finish the show the young people will be singing Auld Lang Syne in Mandarin and English. We hope that you can join us – sign up in Glow TV!
Then on Thursday 2nd February we will be continuing the celebrations with a recorded performance from a group from Shanghai who visited Scotland this week. As part of their brief visit to Scotland for the Chinese New Year a delegation from Shanghai performed in certain Confucius Hubs and also paid a visit to Education Scotland where we were lucky enough to have the event recorded.
The performance is beautiful and colourful and includes singing and dancing as well as Chinese drama. We invite you to join us for a Glow Meet with Fan Lin, LTS Confucius Institute Manager where you can watch the recording of the performance and then ask Fan questions about it and all other things that interest you about Chinese New Year!! Sign up in Glow TV for – Shanghai Delegation Perform Confucius Institute Spring Festival Performance 2012
And don’t forget our King of Masks event on the 6th February from 10.15am and later that day the 龙年大吉 Good luck with the year of dragon – Close of Celebrations events at 2pm!!
Last night I was lucky enough to win tickets to the Tells They Tell presentation at the 26 Treasures Exhibition at the National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh.
For this exhibition, the museum selected 26 objects from their Scotland galleries, which together trace Scotland’s history from its ancient geological roots to its technological future. Some are iconic, others less well-known, but all have a story to tell. The 26 writers from poets and novelists to screenwriters, journalists and academics. The writers were paired up with objects at random, and set the intriguing challenge of responding to their object in exactly 62 words.
Object number 26 was a Bionic Hand which relates to our up and coming STEM Context of Bioengineering. (Watch this space for more information on this context being released).
To read the poem Hand of the Future click here.
Remember to visit STEM Central in Motion to find out how practitioners are using STEM in the classroom.
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