Tag Archives: Learning for Sustainability

Uncategorized

Learning for sustainability hitting home?

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Profile 3The Scottish Household Survey is designed to provide reliable and up-to-date information on the composition, characteristics, attitudes and behaviour of private households and
individuals across the nation.

I’m really interested in the links between sustainability policy in education (i.e. every learner entitled to LfS) and some of the attitudes towards environment, climate change and access to outdoor space, as outlined in last year’s survey.

You can read Chapter 13 on the environment here (Scroll to Page 140)

SSH graph

Challenge Questions:

If “adults aged 16 to 24 and those aged 75 and over were least likely to consider climate change to be an urgent problem”, where are the opportunities to shift attitudes in our schools and communities?

If “households in flats are much more likely to dispose of their food waste mixed with their general waste (74 per cent)”, how can activities in schools help to bring about change?

What other behaviour can a 5p charge (as with plastic carrier bags) change?

 

 

CfE, Community Resilience, Sciences, Senior Phase

Humans are about to populate another planet and you could be part of it

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fuselab logo

We’re looking for participants for the 2015 Fuselab Go tour, an out-of-this-world experience where you’ll help plan the future of an as yet uninhabited world!

If you’re aged 15–18, this is your chance to learn about innovation and creativity and build the skills, networks and confidence that will help you thrive in a fast moving future.

WHAT IS FUSELAB?

Fuselab is an innovation and creativity bootcamp run by Edinburgh International Science Festival. Now looking to recruit the next group of pioneers, so if you’re aged 15-18 this is your chance to get involved!

Fuselab Go is an exciting new touring version of the original programme which was launched back in July 2013. It has been designed to take a fresh, fast and fun Fuselab learning experience to locations across Scotland in summer 2015.

This is your opportunity to think bigger than ever before on a completely blank canvas, developing out-of-this-world solutions to real world problems.

You’ll discover new approaches to challenges through workshops, skills sessions, talks and games that will encourage you to respond both individually and as a group, seeking out relevant skills among your colleagues and collaborating to design, prototype and test your ideas.

Check out the Fuseab website to discover more about the project –

sciencefestival.co.uk/fuselab

WHAT OUR FIRST PIONEERS THOUGHT ABOUT FUSELAB…

‘I have taken away from Fuselab an even bigger love of the sciences than Ialready had (…I didn’t know that was possible!)’

‘It really pushed me as an engineer and really made me work hard’

‘I loved every minute of it!’

2015 TOUR SCHEDULE AND INFORMATION

Fuselab Go is visiting a host of exciting venues across Scotland in summer 2015. There are 10 sessions in all, each session lasts for two days, happening in 6 cities. Check out the list below to see when the tour is coming to

a location near you:

Edinburgh – 6/7, 8/9 and 11/12 June

Greenock – 15/16 June

Inverness – 18/19 June

Aberdeen – 22/23 and 25/26 June

Dundee – 29/30 June

Glasgow – 4/5 and 6/7 July

You will be expected to make your own travel arrangements to attend each day, but Fuselab is completely free of charge and you will be provided with lunch and refreshments.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are open now! For your chance to be part of this exciting project, simply read the terms and conditions to ensure you’re eligible to apply and then complete the short application form available online at sciencefestival.co.uk/fuselab

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You will receive an automated response when we receive your application and successful applicants will be contacted by email by the end of May 2015.

If you have any queries about your application you can contact Fuselab on fuselab@scifest.co.uk but please be aware that due to the high number of applications we are dealing with it may take a few working days for us to respond.

Professional Learning

Global Learning Programme Scotland

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Global learning prog

Overheard conversation between two young learners in a Scottish primary school this week –  Learner 1: “I want to go to the rainforest and tell them to stop cutting it down.” Learner 2: “Don’t go yet. You’re too wee. Wait till we’re bigger and we’ll both go.” The potential of where this conversation and these aspirations will lead to is intriguing. Many learners are making connections between rich curricular contexts for learning and their own capacity to engage with the ever changing world around them.

To engage our learners in learning for sustainability requires teachers who can confidently weave a number of aspects, including global citizenship, sustainable development education, outdoor learning and children’s rights into their practice.

Global Learning Programme Scotland (GLP-S) supports the development of global citizenship through the curriculum and offers free professional learning for teachers. Click here to find out about the range of CLPL on offer from the six Scottish regional Development Education Centres.

You can also sign up for their online global citizenship magazine Stride at www.stridemagazine.org.uk

For more information contact Rachel Hamada at ideasforuminfo@gmail.com

Health and wellbeing, Uncategorised

International School Meals Day

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International Schoogdw_ismd_logol Meals Day is back on 5 March 2015, raising awareness of the importance of good nutrition for children, and healthy eating habits at home and at school. Celebrating culture through food is this year’s theme. Also, remember that Food for Thought funding applications can be submitted until Sunday 29th March 2015. This provides a great opportunity to make the connections between your existing work on learning for sustainability and food education.

Outdoor Learning, Sciences

‘Dams to Darnley’ Education Pack

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d2dlogo_big[1]The Dams to Darnley education resource offers an interesting range of outdoor learning activities for all practitioners. Each activity is linked to science experiences and outcomes from early to fourth level. Whilst the resource was produced by the countryside ranger service in East Renfrewshire, it promotes a number of engaging approaches which can be replicated within school grounds or country parks across Scotland.

Countryside rangers can lead activities, however, there are also self-led activites to allow teachers to take ownership within their own settings. The pack also contains helpful appendices with guidance on taking learning outdoors, templates for risk assessments and useful contacts and links.

Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Professional Learning, Responsibility of All, Teacher Education, Uncategorised

Secondary Schools – Outdoor Learning CLPL

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 Making your space work harder:

Using your school grounds as an outdoor learning resource

Free twilight professional review and development opportunity facilitated by Architecture + Design Scotland.

Venue: Delivered in your school.

Audience: Secondary teaching staff teams from all curriculum areas or cluster teaching staff.

Cost: Free

Date: Dates are available in March 2015

Are you using your school grounds effectively? Have you considered the outdoor learning opportunities on your doorstep? This session will provide you and your team with a space to develop creative ideas for outdoor learning using your current immediate outdoor environment.

Designed to address the GTCS Standards for Career Long Professional Learning the workshop will support participants to develop confidence and capacity in the delivery of outdoor learning.

Workshops will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

To book a workshop or for more information please contact Samantha.macdonald@ads.org.uk .

CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Primary, Professional Learning, Sciences, Skills, Social studies, Supporting Learners, Teacher Education, Young people, children & families

Scottish Learning Festival 2015 – Learning for Sustainability

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SLF_2015logoThe Scottish Learning Festival (SLF) 2015 will address the theme of raising attainment and achievement for all, with a focus on maximising educational outcomes through:

* local partnerships and collaboration – to share approaches that lead to better outcomes

* self-evaluation – to ensure creative and innovative approaches to sustained improvement

* work-related learning – to improve transitions into sustainable, productive employment.

Is your establishment delivering Learning for Sustainability (LfS) that you would like to showcase? Are you able to share your approaches to promoting local partnerships and collaboration? Would you be willing to help others make the connections between the different aspects of LfS; including global citizenship, sustainable development education, outdoor learning, international education, children’s rights and play?

If the answer to any (or all) of these questions is “Yes”, we would love to hear from you. Please consider submitting your seminar proposal by Friday 27th February 2015.

CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Health and wellbeing, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Senior Phase, Skills, Social studies, Young people, children & families

Learning for Sustainability – Professional Development Course (Friday 26th September 2014)

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LfS Scotland, in partnership with the Moray House School of Education, is now taking bookings for our new Leadership for Sustainability professional development course – a one-day course for Head Teachers, Depute Head Teachers and Principal Teachers in primary or secondary schools, and local authority officers with a key role in supporting Learning for Sustainability.

This highly interactive programme will highlight simple steps that school leaders can take to develop an effective whole school approach to Learning for Sustainability. It will enable you to effectively plan for and implement Learning for Sustainability requirements in your school in ways that will significantly enhance the educational experience of your pupils. A free follow-up twilight course is available to provide the opportunity for continuing collaboration with colleagues and for sharing insights from critical self-evaluation, reflection and enquiry.

More information is available here and to book a place, please contact Morag Watson

CLD, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Uncategorised, Young people, children & families

The Octavia Hill Awards 2014

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This year, the Octavia Hill Awards are looking for heroes who have helped children and young adults connect with the outdoors and wildlife – passing on their own experience, enthusiasm and love of nature. As many studies have shown, such connections with nature (even, or especially, in towns and cities) are essential for our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

Nominate your wild hero

Examples could include:

  • A teacher who makes a special effort to inspire their pupils to love and understand nature through outdoor classes.
  • An individual or organisation that has fought a campaign to save outdoor space to play in.
  • A conservation volunteer who gives up free time to take children and parents on field trips.
  • A national organisation that promotes the importance of children’s connection with nature.
  • An individual who teaches children outdoor skills, such as foraging, den-building, camping and birdwatching.

The closing date for nominations is midnight 31 May.

Further information can be accessed here:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1355831141395/ or

http://www.countryfile.com/octaviahill



CLD, Health and wellbeing, Literacy, Outdoor Learning, Sciences

RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards

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

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

The awards are now open for entries.

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