Mathematics, Sciences, Technologies

STEM Ambassadors in Scotland

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If you haven’t tapped into the amazing, free resource that is the STEMNET  network of STEM Ambassadors, why not make a plan to explore using the STEM Ambassador scheme with STEM Central  to support, enhance and enrich teaching and learning in sciences, technologies, engineering and maths?

Tansy Hammarton, Principal Investigator, Wellcome Trust Centre For Molecular Parasitology at the University of Glasgow, is one of over 2500 STEM Ambassadors registered in Scotland. Tansy’s work as a STEM Ambassador was recognised at the House of Lords on 13th December 2011, where she was one of three UK finalists for the award of The Most Dedicated STEM Ambassador.

The Scottish STEMNET Awards will be run in the summer term. This is an opportunity for you to nominate Most Dedicated Teacher, Most Dedicated STEM Ambassador and Most Dedicated Employer in Scotland. For more information, see the 2011 Scottish STEMNET awards.

CfE, Expressive Arts

2012: An exciting year for Creativity in Education

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Not only is 2012 Scotland’s Year of Creative Scotland, but it will also be the first year of the United Nations/UNESCO endorsed International Week of Arts Education – the fourth week of May.

Let your colleagues know about the Creativity Newsfeeds from the Creativity Portal to ensure they keep up to date with the news and opportunities that will develop around these two initiatives. You can find full details on them and links to subscribe on the following post here in the Education Scotland Learning Blog.

Happy New Year!

Adult Learning, CLD, MCMC/16+LC, Senior Phase, Young people, children & families

Young Scot Extra

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 Young Scot is working in partnership with the Scottish Government to help increase young people’s confidence in being more financially capable by providing them with the information they need to make informed decisions and choices around money-related issues.

As part of this work, Young Scot is delivering four seminars to demonstrate how Young Scot Extra supports the senior phase of the Curriculum for Excellence, and how it can assist those working with young people post-school and involved in 16+ Activity Agreements in delivering financial capability information to young people. The seminars also aim to provide an opportunity for practitioners to get involved in the discussions around young people and financially capability, and to help shape the services and information Young Scot Extra offers.

The events will take place between 10am and 12pm on:

  • 18 January – The Mitchell Library, Glasgow
  • 19 January – The Discovery, Dundee
  • 20 January – Oasis Youth Centre, Dumfries and Galloway
  • 23 January – 6VT Youth Café, Edinburgh

Contact: Rachel Eddington at Young Scot, Tel: 0131 313 2488 [ e-mail | website ]

Adult Learning, CLD, MCMC/16+LC, Senior Phase, Supporting Learners, Young people, children & families

Promoting Youth Employability and Rights Conference (Glasgow)

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This free conference takes place on Tuesday 21st February 2012, 09:30-15:30 at the STUC Centre in Glasgow, and is a partnership conference between BEMIS, the Scottish Refugee Council, the Scottish Trades Union Congress / One Workplace Equal Rights (STUC), the Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO) Scotland, and the Scottish Inter Faith Council.  The conference has the following aims:

  • Raise awareness of employability opportunities, equality and rights for youth and potential employers
  • Provide a platform to address gaps in support of youth employment
  • Empower and present new opportunities in education, skills and build links with different sectors and industry in employment and help youth to exercise their right in breaking barriers and discrimination in the job market
  • Seek to develop a charter on supporting youth employment as well as engaging potential employers with regards to opportunities and responsibilities

Details of speakers and a full programme will be available in January 2012.

To register interest in attending, please send your details (name, organisation, email address and telephone number) to: conference@bemis.org.uk  or contact Tanveer Parnez, BEMIS, Centrum Building, 38 Queen Street, Glasgow G1 3DX, 0141 548 8047 / Fax: 0141 548 8284
Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Young people, children & families

Children and Young people’s Mental Health Indicators

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NHS Health Scotland has launched a new set of indicators for the mental health of children and young people in Scotland.  Updated every four years, the profile aims to provide a greater understanding of the current and changing picture of mental health within this population and the factors that influence it.

A briefing which contains the indicators is available from the Health Scotland website The indicators were launched at an event on 25th November at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The presentations are available here, and videos of the presentations will be added to this webpage shortly as will the final report from the project.

 
CLD, Community Capacity Building

Notes from Community Development Alliance Scotland (CDAS) Conference available

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Presentations and reports from the CDAS Conference held on 22 November 2011 at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh are now available to download.  The conference was entitled “Community Development: at the centre of the action”, and presentations were given by Alan Johnston, Deputy Director, Public Bodies and Public Service Reform, Scottish Government, Gerry McLaughlin, CEO, NHS Health Scotland and Gabriel Chanan, PACES (Public Agency and Community Empowerment Strategies).  Powerpoint slides from these presentations, as well as notes from conference workshops can be accessed here.
CLD, Community Capacity Building

New Better Community Engagement resources available

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The Scottish Government has made available learning and training resources produced as part of the Better Community Engagement (BCE) programme which SCDC helped to deliver nationally.  These include practical materials, training guides and resource packs based on the local BCE demonstration projects which were delivered through the programme. 

The programme was based on the Better Community Engagement Framework (Learning Connections, Communities Scotland, 2007) which sets out a framework of competences designed to enable the planning of learning in community engagement and was developed to build the capacity of practitioners in community engagement.

The aims of the programme were to:

  • establish one or more working models of effective learning for community engagement across Scotland
  • evidence how structured learning could impact or improve community engagement practice
  • provide an evidence base for future development of learning for community engagement

Examples of the kind of resources available include training material for community and voluntary groups, templates for needs assessments, training for trainers and a guide to better engagement between public agencies and faith communities.  These, and many other resources, can be downloaded from the Better Community Engagement section of the Scottish Government website.  Click here to find out more about the background to SCDC’s involvement in the programme.
Mathematics, Sciences, Technologies

STEMNET, STEM Ambassadors and Scottish Success

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It was an enormous privilege to be invited by our partners STEMNET to attend the UK STEMNET Awards Ceremony at the House of Lords in London on Tuesday 13th December 2011. Inspiring words from Rt. Hon Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, and from Lord Sainsbury of Turville, former Minister of Science and Innovation, about the economic importance of encouraging and inspiring learners to pursue STEM careers.

James Murphy, Head of Science from St Mungo’s High School in Falkirk, beat off stiff competition from over 150 nominees UK wide to receive the STEMNET “Most Dedicated Teacher Award”.

The Inspirational Technician Award, launched by STEMNET in partnership with The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, recognising the work of a technician who can demonstrate they have inspired young people to follow technician career routes, was awarded to Nikki Cusworth, from Paisley, who works for Rolls Royce, Inchinnan. Nikki described her passion for making young people  aware of the opportunities in STEM Careers, as a “fire in her belly” to make a difference.

James and Nikki happily agreed to talk further with Education Scotland about how we can share their inspiration and passion through STEM Central and STEM Central in Motion, our soon to be launched blog for partner and practitioner sharing. Don’t forget that you can use the STEM Ambassador scheme to support, enhance and enrich teaching and learning in sciences, technologies, engineering and maths.

Congratulations to all the nominees and award winners.

Adult Learning, CfE, CLD, MCMC/16+LC, Responsibility of All, Senior Phase, Supporting Learners, Young people, children & families

Making the Difference in Partnership conference, 3rd February 2012, Glasgow

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Making the Difference in Partnership is a CPD opportunity exploring collaborative approaches to improving outcomes of young people who are most disadvantaged and may require more choices and more chances.

Delegates will have the chance to participate in practice workshops, hearing how a range of providers are working in partnership to develop young people’s skills for learning, life and work.

Nominations for attending this event are being sought from a wide audience including: education authorities, schools, community learning and development and third sector organisations.

As you may be aware, Building the Curriculum 4 states that:-

Curriculum for Excellence can best be delivered through partnership working. All establishments should work with partners and share a common understanding and language around skills development and application. Together, they should plan and deliver learning and other experiences which meet the needs of individual children and young people.

This event will provide an excellent opportunity for delegates to find out about a range of partnership approaches to delivering this agenda that could be replicated in their area.

Please  use this link to complete the online booking form by 20th January 2011. Please note spaces for this event may not be allocated on a first come first served basis.

For more information please contact Neil McIntosh or Sheila Doogan.

Health and wellbeing, Technologies

Kitchenary!

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Students with an eye for design have the chance to grab a prize – by producing a logo for a logo for Scotland’s National Food and Drink Conference.  The winning logo will be printed on shopping bags and promotional material for the March conference.  And the winning student will receive £300 – with £100 each for two runners-up. 

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

“Scotland produces some of the world’s finest food and drink and the National Food and Drink Conference is a great opporutnity to highlight what we have to offer.

“This competition is a great opporutnity for young people to get involved in something which directly links food and learning.  Food and health has such a central place in Health and Wellbeing within Curriculum for Excellence – which takes a much wider approach across the whole schoolf rom 3 to 18 years.

“Through this competition, students will have the chance to showcase their creativity whilst helping us showcase our world class larder”

Click here to read more.

CLD, Supporting Learners, Young people, children & families

Child poverty toolkit

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This resource will support the development and implementation of Scotland’s Strategy for Child Poverty. The aim is to provide a single point of reference to assist those involved in tackling child poverty locally throughout Scotland.

View the Child Poverty Toolkit.

Adult Learning, CLD, Literacy, Supporting Learners

ESOL Workshops January – March 2012

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Education Scotland will provide opportunities to run ESOL Workshops to cover training around the national ESOL Initial Assessment Guide and to raise awareness of the Adult ESOL Curriculum Framework. If you are an ESOL provider and are interested in running a workshop for practitioners, please contact Mandy Watts.

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

Connect: Communities of Practice

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We are pleased to announce the launch of Connect, our new online communities of practice previously known as CoPAL (Communities of Practice in Adult Literacies). All the groups previously found in CoPAL have been retained but the online community now serves not just adult literacies practitioners but those working across a range of community contexts, from adult learning to work with young people to community capacity building.

If you are already a member of CoPAL you are automatically part of Connect so please continue to log on to the site as usual. The web address www.copal.org.uk remains active for the time being. However, a new web address www.cpconnect.org.uk is now live.

If you are new to Connect, and wish to become a member please go to www.cpconnect.org.uk and you will see an option to register for the network. Follow the online instructions to register and set up your password. Once you have gained access to Connect you will be able to join various themed groups and engage in discussions or find ideas for resources and much more.

Please contact Peter Lanigan if you need any further support to join Connect.

CLD, Young people, children & families

Bridging the Divide – Sailing with OYT Scotland

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Ocean Youth Trust Scotland have received a pledge of £3,000 towards fees for a week long residential voyage aimed at bringing together young people from across the sectarian divide.

The Trust would like to hear from youth workers who may know of young people who would be interested in this opportunity and be able to support the young people involved to fundraise remaining costs.

The voyage will take place from 4 to 10 June 2012. A total of 12 young people will sail together and learn from each other while working as a team and having a great time.

Contact: Jan at Ocean Youth Trust Scotland, phone: 01475 722722 [ e-mail | website ]

CfE, Young people, children & families

Young YMCA activists unite for climate justice

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Eighty young YMCA activists are spending five weeks traveling through six African countries by bus. Why? Because they believe in the urgency of mobilising people all over Africa to take a keen interest in the upcoming UN summit on climate change. click to read more

Adult Learning, CfE, CLD, MCMC/16+LC, Senior Phase, Supporting Learners, Young people, children & families

Promoting Youth Employability and Rights Conference

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Tuesday 21st February 2012, 09:30—15:30
STUC Centre, Glasgow. Free of charge.

A partnership conference between BEMIS, the Scottish Refugee Council, the Scottish Trades Union Congress / One Workplace Equal Rights (STUC), the Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO) Scotland, and the Scottish Inter Faith Council with the following aims:

  • Raise awareness of employability opportunities, equality and rights for youth and potential employers
  • Provide a platform to address gaps in support of youth employment
  • Empower and present new opportunities in education, skills and build links with different sectors and industry in employment and help youth to exercise their right in breaking barriers and discrimination in the job market
  • Seek to develop a charter on supporting youth employment as well as engaging potential employers with regards to opportunities and responsibilities

Details of speakers and a full programme will be available in January 2012.

To register interest in attending, please send your details (name, organisation, email address and telephone number) to: conference@bemis.org.uk

or contact Tanveer Parnez, BEMIS, Centrum Building, 38 Queen Street, Glasgow G1 3DX
0141 548 8047 / Fax: 0141 548 8284

Expressive Arts

Glow Does Panto! – Mister Merlin

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Join the Tron Theatre Glasgow Panto characters for a live Glow Meet.

Mister Merlin’s magic is mince if he doesn’t have his wand – a family heirloom handed down through many Merlin generations. The Great Bahooky’s magic has always been mince – so stealing Mister Merlin’s wand, helped (or is it hindered?) by his side-kick Bumble, is part of his cunning plan for wizard world domination.

What he didn’t bank on was Merlin having a guardian angel, in the guise of The Govan Fairy; or two plucky puppet pals Peter and Penny prepared to brave Clabber Castle’s haunted garden to get the wand back.

You will be able to meet the cast, ask them questions and find out all about the magic of Mister Merlin. –
Sign up now and join us in Glow TV on Wednesday 21st December from 1.45 – 2.30pm.

Social studies

您好 大熊猫– Nín hǎo Dà xióngmāo – Hello Giant Pandas!

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Having arrived safely at Edinburgh Zoo on 4th December the Giant Pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang (or as we know them Sweetie and Sunshine) are now ready to face their public! Having been lucky enough to see them last week I can tell you Yang Guang is already a media star – Tian Tian is still a bit shy though!

The enclosure will be opened to the public today (Friday 16th December) and we will be broadcasting live from the zoo the following Tuesday (20th December from 9.30 – 10.30am) live with the experts who have been looking after the pandas and with exclusive footage of them settling in to their new home.

Our expert panel comprises of Alison the Team Leader of Carnivores, who has responsibility for the care of pandas at the zoo, alongside their Chinese keeper, Scott who is here for a few weeks to help them settle in. We also hope to involve Prof Tang the Chinese vet who is also over here for a few weeks keeping an eye on the pandas with the zoo team.

So why not join us on the day and find out more out our exciting new Scottish residents?! – Sign up today in Glow TV.

Health and wellbeing, Technologies

It’s a cook-off!

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Eighteen youngsters from secondary schools across East Ayrshire recently competed in a hard-fought competition at The Cook School Scotland, in a bid to win a place in the all-Ayrshire final.

The cook-off was for S3 pupils studying Home Economics/Hospitality. In schools, budding chefs prepared a main course for two on a budget of no more than £5. Top two from each school were selected to compete in the East Ayrshire heat.

Click here to read more about this great example of partnership working.

Sciences, Social studies, Technologies

The Great Climate Change Debate – Join us on Glow

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A series of interactive and lively Glow meets  

In November this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change launched a report warning that climate change is likely to lead to more extreme weather. Within weeks of this launch, Scotland was battered by severe flooding and hurricane-force winds which brought much of the country to a standstill. Is our climate already changing? What will climate change mean for Scotland? How can we respond positively and adapt to the changes ahead? 

We’re inviting your school to join the great climate change debate. We’ll be bringing together a panel of scientists and experts to answer questions, spark debate and discussion and help learners navigate their way through climate fact, fiction and controversy.

 Each Glow meet will take place from 2pm to 3:00pm. These events will be aimed at learners in secondary schools and upper primary.

Please see links below for further details about each event:

GLOW MEET 1 Our changing weather and climate 23Jan12 – To view the recording click here

GLOW MEET 2 Climate science evidence vs controversy 30Jan12 – To view the recording click here

GLOW MEET 3 Adapting to climate change 6Feb12

For resources and videos on climate change visit STEM Central, Weather and Climate Change, Exploring Climate Change and Climate Change on Glow.

Health and wellbeing, Sciences, Technologies

STEM Central @ SSERC

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Lauren Boath, Development Officer (Sciences), attended the SSERC Physics Residential on Friday 2nd December. A fascinating insight into using physics in accident reconstruction from the Police, a hard hitting account of reconstruction of an accident in 2006 which claimed three lives. Lots of ideas for exploring applications of Physics with connections to health and wellbeing, and ethics. After an introduction to STEM Central, delegates had an opportunity to try out a kit which could be used within the technologies focussed learning journey from the Electric Car context. Once constructed, scope for open ended investigtion around relationship between battery voltage and motor speed, reversing direction of vehicle, design and aerodynamics.

Social studies

Please Vote For Me

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I am delighted to announce that on Wednesday the 25th of January 2012 at 10.30 am there will be a  free showing of Please Vote For Me at the Filmhouse, Edinburgh

This showing of Please Vote For Me (China 2010; English subtitles) is presented by Take One Action in association with SCEN and is suitable for all secondary pupils from S1-S6. It is especially relevant to the themes of global citizenship and democracy.

To book, call the Filmhouse on: 0131 228 6382

Please Vote For Me is an award-winning film about an experiment with democracy in China. In an elementary school in the city of Wuhan, three eight-year-old children compete for the position of class monitor. Their parents, each devoted to their only child, take part and start to influence the results. Further details and a trailer are available at http://www.whydemocracy.net/film/3 and http://pleasevoteforme.org. The film lasts for 52 minutes and there will be an additional 30 minutes of discussion and activity.

Technologies

Twit-test Competition 2012!

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Using Twitter, the twit-test is a contemporary take on the ‘Turing Test’ for artificial intelligence.

Working as individuals and as class groups, using a secure twitter stream, school pupils and their teachers will take part in a real-world experiment where they have to work out which tweets in a twitter stream are for real and which are fake – and they also have to work out how to fake it themselves!

With strong links to the Curriculum for Excellence, this competition has been developed by the Informatics Forum at the University of Edinburgh and delivered in partnership with the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Read more about the Twit-test in the leaflet below and find out the key dates, and information on how to apply.

twitter advert to schools

CLD, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Responsibility of All, Young people, children & families

Heart to Heart

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The British Heart Foundation Scotland is committed to educating young people about the importance of making healthy choices, at every stage of life from nursery school through into adulthood. This includes diet and physical activity, as well as smoking awareness and wider community involvement through initiatives like our Heartstart programme.

 There is a  whole section of their website dedicated to resources that are available to schools, including  a kids’ and schools’ catalogue.

Click  here to find out about loads of helpful resources from the British Heart Foundation.

Expressive Arts, Literacy, Literacy and English

New Video Resources for Scottish Theatre

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Visit the national drama teachers glow group

https://portal.glowscotland.org.uk/establishments/nationalsite/Staffroom/Drama%20Teachers/default.aspx

and you will notice new tabs at the top of the glow group entitled ‘Video resources’.  Joe Gallacher from Replico Theatre has kindly offered to share these videos with practitioners who are interested in Scottish theatre.  The documentaries feature a variety of Scottish plays first produced at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty first and include interviews with some of Scotland’s leading playwrights, such as Nicola McCartney, Ann Marie Di Mambro, Sue Glover, Liz Lochhead, Stephen Greenhorn, David Harrower and David Greig.

Sciences, Technologies

How far can an electric car go?

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If you are using the STEM Central Electric Transport context for learning you may be interested in this news article from the BBC where the BBC’s Brian Milligan has driven an electric Mini from London to Scotland, using only public charge points. Here is his diary of that journey.

Other related links include:

STEM Central Transport Futures

STEM Central erally Car

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

SQA Curriculum Events: Access 1 and 2

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

The Access 1 and 2 day was on the 13th Decemeber. To view the Glow Meet recordings from the event click on the links below (you will need to glow log in to access the recordings):

Introduction and Question/Answers

Workshop documents

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

Technologies

Higher Computing – pupil support and pupil voice

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Last session, the Computing Department in John Ogilvie High School, South Lanarkshire, decided to create a Glow Group to host all of the resources that pupils studying Higher Computing would need access to throughout the year. Joe Kane is Head of the Business Education and Computing faculty and undertook the task of building the Group.

Joe was keen to ensure that pupils studying Higher Computing had easy access to all information and resources they would need for the course and also would have a place where they could give feedback.

He wanted to simplify the look of the Glow Group and aid pupils’ navigation around it and so decided to use a graphical interface along with hidden pages.

On the Noticeboard page of the Group, Joe deleted the default web parts from the page, added a Text Editor web part and uploaded an image to it. He then created ‘hot spots’ on the image to provide links to each of the hidden pages.

See the Glow Cookbook here.

Mathematics, Sciences, Technologies

World of Work Online: Technologies

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World of Work Online aims to enhance and support work placements by enabling you to step into different workplaces through a computer, whether in school or at home.

Within this resource you can discover and explore a variety of job roles, some of which will be familiar to you and others that you might not be aware of.

To find out about construction and engineering job roles click here.

National Qualifications, Sciences

SQA Curriculum Events: Sciences

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

The Sciences day was on the 12th Decemeber. To view the Glow Meet recordings from the event click on the links below (you will need to glow log in to access the recordings):

Introduction and Question/Answers

Presentations and workshop activities

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

Technologies

Sharing School Improvement Plans

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On Wednesday, I visited West Lothian’s Learning and Teaching Development Team to investigate some of the ways they have been using Glow to help with communication across the Local Authority.

One of the ways they did this was to use a  Glow Blog to enable schools to share School Improvement Plans. The blog alowed school to categories their plans so that they were arranged in cluster areas and also they could tag their plans with their priorities.

To find out more about this visit, click here to visit the Chalkface Blog post.

To find out about other ways West Lothian have been using blogs to communicate click here.

Health and wellbeing

Ho-Ho-Ho Healthy

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The Health and Wellbeing Team have made an early resolution to eat only party food till the end of the year! 

However we might make some healthy swaps otherwise we might not need extra padding to dress up as Santa!

Click here for some simple snack swaps you can make.

Click here for some other ways you can stay healthy this Christmas, cooking safely, drinking safely and safer sex.

CfE

Is It Creative? A five day online networking event on creativity in learning

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This week, Education Scotland is inviting Creative Learning Networks, Creativity Portal Partners and colleagues to join us in an online discussion around creativity and learning.

This is an ideal opportunity to:

Gain experience and confidence in using Glow Meet and other Glow tools and technologies

  • Engage in discussions and contribute to the ongoing national debate on creativity in learning
  • Network with colleagues from Creative Learning Networks and national creative organisations, ‘face to face’
  • Share creative learning experiences, practice and ideas with colleagues
  • Leave a valuable resource behind for teachers and educators to reference when thinking about the role of creativity in their work

We’d love to hear from you – we’ll be online from 09.45 to 11.30 each day at:
https://portal.glowscotland.org.uk/establishments/nationalsite/Creative%20Learning%20Scotland/Is%20It%20Creative/default.aspx

Monday 12 Dec – Glow Meet Reminder

An opportunity to remind yourself how to use Glow Meet or try it out for the first time. Practice uploading powerpoints, sharing your desktop and collaborating with colleagues using the shared whiteboard. Bring your questions, share your experiences.

Tuesday 13 Dec – Creative Learning Networks Exchange

Find out how a number of Creative Learning Coordinators are developing Creative Learning Networks in their local authorities:

  • Scottish Borders is using strategic approaches working across the local authority to develop its network
  • Dumfries & Galloway will discuss how they are approaching creativity in outdoor learning
  • Aberdeen will talk about engaging parents in their children’s creative learning through the Big Creative Picnic for families

Wednesday 14 Dec – Creative use of Technology for Learning

What is the difference between a blog and a wiki? How can you improve your Glow group? This is a chance to bring any questions you have about Glow and social media tools and also to get a few inspiring glimpses into emerging technologies. Find out more about the power of technology for learning and share ideas on how to use it creatively.

Thursday 15 Dec – Creative Learning Snapshots

Share a snapshot from your experiences of creative learning. Take just a couple of minutes to share a creative learning experience – it could be an example of something that worked really well, or something that didn’t; a significant moment, or a really great creative activity. Use images or videos, just talk, or get your fellow Glow Meeters going with a creative challenge. We’ll also have an open floor discussion – a chance to bring to the table any burning issues you’d like to discuss.

Friday 16 Dec – Glow Meet Creative Challenge!

Join us for a creative finale to the week. All you need is yourself, your webcam, plug in earphones/headphones and laptop. All will be revealed on the day – we’re fairly certain this hasn’t been attempted before!

Assessment, Moderation, NAR

Using NAR to Support Local Moderation

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The National Assessment Resource contains a variety of support materials, one of which supports local moderation: Using NAR to Support Local Moderation: Planning for Learning, Teaching, Assessment and Local Moderation.

This support material is designed to aid practitioners in the process of local moderation, from the initial planning of the learning—through to evaluating the learning and the learner. 

This document is available for download from the National Assessment Resource homepage.

Mathematics, National Qualifications

SQA Curriculum Event: Mathematics & Numeracy

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

The Mathematics and Numeracy day was on the 9th Decemeber. To view the Glow Meet recordings from the event click on the links below (you will need to glow log in to access the recordings):

Introduction and Workshops

Presentations and Workshop Documents

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

Technologies

Using blogs to share the learning

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On Wednesday, I visited West Lothian’s Learning and Teaching Development Team to investigate some of the ways they have been using Glow to help with communication across the Local Authority.

One of the ways they did this was to change the West Lothian Glow Community. Instead of having a focus on Glow Groups, this area now has a focus on two blogs: Sharing our Learning and Staff CPD Share.

The Sharing our Learning blog is a public blog where teachers and the senior management team can share what is happening in their school, from awards to assemblies, events to an exciting lesson. The purpose of this blog is that as an authority West Lothian can share what is happening between practitioners, pupils and parents.

To view the Sharing our Learning blog click here. You can also find out how to create a blog similar to this one by visiting this Glow Cookbook.

Staff CPD Share is a Glow only blog for staff. In this blog CPD co-ordinators can advertise CPD events, staff can share Glow Groups, resources and tips, Network leaders and CfE co-ordinators can post updates, etc.

To find out more about by visit and the impact of using Glow to improve communication click here .

To find out about other ways West Lothian are using Glow to communicate click here.

Assessment, NAR

NAR 3B Development Event (2)

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Participants in NAR 3B met together yesterday at the Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow.  There were a range of presentations and workshops related to the theme of leading and managing change.  A good number of participants managed to brave the elements to attend this event, the material for which is on the National Assessment Glow Site.

Literacy, Literacy and English, Technologies

Driving Learning with Mario Kart

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Cross post from Consolarium Blog.

Derek Robertson (Consolarium Team) was contacted by Wilma Leaburn, a QIO from Renfrewshire and invited to a Mario Kart CPD evening at a school in Paisley. A number of teachers had taken this practice forward and a CPD session to share their experiences had been organised. The evening itself was a fantastic example of how creative teachers can be and how, when give the chance, their own idiosyncrasies can lead to wonderful learning experiences that meet the needs of their learners. At this event he met a teacher called Julie Paterson who invited me to Mario Kart open afternoon for parents and carers at her school, Bargarran PS in Erskine.

This series of posts will feature Derek’s observations at this event:

1/4 Driving Learning with Mario Kart: What’s in the box?

2/4 Driving Learning with Mario Kart: The buzz of learning

3/4 Driving learning with Mario Kart: The parents’ perspective

4/4 Driving Learning with Mario Kart: Healthy Eating and Grannie changes her mind

Mario Kart Leaderboards

Literacy and English, National Qualifications

SQA Curriculum Event: English/Literacy

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

The English/Literacy day was on the 8th Decemeber. To view the Glow Meet recordings from the event click on the links below (you will need to glow log in to access the recordings):

Introduction and Workshop

Presentations and workshop activities

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

Additional Support for Learning, Technologies

Using Glow to support ICT across a Local Authority

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Yesterday I visited West Lothian’s Learning and Teaching Development Team  to investigate some of the ways they have been using Glow to help with communication across the Local Authority.

One of the ways they have been using Glow, is that they have set up an ICT to Support Learning and Teaching Glow Group. Within this Glow Group practitioners can find:

– the ICT tools available on West Lothian laptops and computers

– video tutorials on how to use the tools

– how the tools can used to support learning

– case studies

– ideas for using ICT to support Additional Support Needs

To find out more about this visit click here.

Literacy, Literacy and English, Social studies, Technologies

Using Technologies for Learning

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Today I had the opportunity to visit Bridgend Primary School in West Lothian to find out how they had used Technologies for Learning during  their Interdisciplinary Topic of Orkney.

To find out how the teacher used Technologies for Learning during their topic click here.

To listen to how the class used a blog to communicate with a school in Orkney click here.

Karlie and her pupils presented on this project at the Scottish Learning Festival 2011, to find out more click here.

Additional Support for Learning, Adult Learning, CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, MCMC/16+LC, Senior Phase, Supporting Learners, Universal Support, Young people, children & families

Advancing Scotland as a Learning Society – CLD Contribution

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Advancing Scotland as a Learning Society: Report Published

A Community Learning and Development Contribution

http://www.cldstandardscouncil.org.uk/News_Events/News/Advancing_Scotland_as_a_Learning_Society_Report_Published

The Standards Council is pleased to announce the publication of ‘Advancing Scotland as a Learning Society: A Community Learning and Development Contribution’.

This report is a concise record of the Conversations project which took place across Scotland earlier this year. We spoke with over 200 activists and practitioners who practice in a wide range of contexts; the report is their collective voice. We hope you will recognise yourself here and encourage colleagues and partners to read and do likewise.

Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, National Qualifications

SQA Curriculum Event: Expressive Arts and PE

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

The Expressive Arts and PE day was on the 7th Decemeber. To view the Glow Meet recordings from the event click on the links below (you will need to glow log in to access the recordings):

Introduction and Question/Answers

Music Workshops

Art and Design Workshops

Drama and Dance Workshops

PE Workshop

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

Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Sciences, Technologies

STEM Central Electric Cars

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If you’re using the STEM Central Electric Car context, some interesting materials to support learning around vehicle and road safety from the BBC: crash-proof cars, and a map of road deaths from 1999-2010 with information on accident cause, weather conditions, injuries and fatalities searchable by postcode or local authority area. Would be ideally accompanied by work with the Desktop Road Safety Reaction Timer, developed by a partnership between Fifex, Renfrewshire Council and SSERC.

Literacy, Modern Languages

Storying Telling in French in Kilmodan Primary School

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I was lucky enough to visit teacher Gwen McCrossan in Kilmodan Primary school, Argyll and Bute so I could see how she uses story telling to teach French to learners in her P2-4 and her P5-7 classes.  Gwen made fantastic use of the target language and even learners as young as P2 use and understand classroom instructions in French.  She was using “La Surprise de Handa” and “Homme de Couleur” with the younger class and the film” Kirikou et la Sorcière” with the older learners.  Her pupils seemed to love learning a foreign language and enjoyed singing, dancing and acting out the stories.  One girl in P5 told me she loved learning French because “it’s just like playing, but you’re learning too!”  She went on to explain that they didn’t just do French at “Frenchtime”, they regularly used French in their numeracy lessons and in literacy too.  ” We watched video clips of French fables that were in French”, she explained, ” and then we wrote our own ones in English”. 

If you would like to hear Gwen talking about her approaches to teaching French then please visit my post on the Chalkface Blog by clicking here

If you would like find out more about Gwen’s lessons then click here to see her reading La Surprise de Handa”

If you would like to see her S2-4 pupils acting out the story then click here

Gwen has also very kindly shared her materials for the animated children’s film Kirikou et la Sorcière.  They are posted in the Modern Languages National Glow group in the resources for sharing section.  To find Kirikou please click here.  (You will need your Glow password)

Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Responsibility of All

A Healthy Lunch packs a Healthy Punch

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Pupils at Auchinleck Academy are getting arty… and their talent is on display for all to see.

A group of third year pupils recently created a huge, colourful mural for the school dining hall as part of a health & wellbeing / art project.

“The mural has really helped to create a better environment for pupils who take packed lunches in Auchinleck Academy and has boosted the confidence of our art pupils who created the work”.

For more information click here

Languages, Literacy and Gàidhlig, Modern Languages, National Qualifications

SQA Curriculum Event: Languages

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

The Languages day was on the 5th Decemeber. To view the Glow Meet recordings from the event click on the links below (you will need to glow log in to access the recordings):

Languages – Introduction and Question/Answers/Workshops

Gàidhlig Workshops

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

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

SQA Curriculum Event: RME and Social Studies

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

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

Introduction and Question/Answers

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

Literacy and English, Modern Languages, Sciences, Social studies

Panda-monium as Sweetie and Sunshine land in Edinburgh

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Our Glow TV team had an unusually early start to their Sunday as they braved the cold and snow and made their way to Edinburgh zoo for the arrival of two very special black and white guests. Known as Tian Tian and Yang Guang, or ‘Sweetie’ and ‘Sunshine’ the Pandas arrived just after lunchtime on Sunday 4th December to an excited throng of flag-waving well-wishers and a tartan-clad pipe band playing ‘Scotland the Brave’.

To find out more about the visit to the Zoo and about Glow activities your class can take part in click here.

Click here to visit the panda blog.

Additional Support for Learning, CLD, Early Years, MCMC/16+LC, Supporting Learners, Universal Support, Young people, children & families

Getting it Right for every child in Lanarkshire

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Getting it Right for Every Child is a national policy and programme. The following link to the GIRFEC in Lanarkshire website developed jointly by North and South Lanarkshire provides information on their programme and includes training materials and their Parenting Support Strategy.

Modern Languages

Exemplification of the Inferential Question at Advanced Higher – Modern Languages

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Exemplification of the Advanced Higher inferential question is now  available to download, via your SQA Co-ordinator, from subject specific pages on the secure website.

Language teachers of Advanced Higher candidates can ask their SQA co-ordinator to download the materials from the relevant pages of the secure site.  I’m sure that you will find them very helpful.  To go to the secure site click here.  (You will need an SQA login)

Literacy, Literacy and English, Technologies

There is still time to enter the Glovember competition

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Now that our amazing Glovember Author Events have finished, Education Scotland is giving you two more weeks to enter your stories, poems and illustrations for the Glovember competition.

All you have to do is go to the Glovember Glow Group within Glow, click on the competition page tab and upload your story, poem or illustration. Be sure to do this before the closing date of Friday 16th December.

Winners will be announced in January, after some of our authors have helped us with the judging.

Winning entries will be published in our eBook and read by one of the Glovember Authors.

Additional Support for Learning, CLD, Early Years, Supporting Learners, Universal Support, Young people, children & families

Supporting Learners information leaflet

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A new downloadable leaflet relating to the entitlement to (personal) support is now available to download from the Supporting Learners area of the Education Scotland website.
This downloadable leaflet provides an overview of the entitlement
It has three main sections looking at:
• who is entitled to support?
• what does this mean for my practice?
• where can I find the key facts?

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