Author: I. Menzies

Are you passionate about Learning for Sustainability? Would you like to work with other practitioners to share practice, ideas and help build an exciting movement for change?

If so, then Education Scotland would like to invite you to apply to become one of our new Learning for Sustainability Peer Mentors.

Learning for Sustainability Action Plan

In June 2023, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills launched Target 2030: A Movement for People, Planet and Prosperity. This refreshed Learning for Sustainability action plan aims to ensure that:

• All learners receive their Learning for Sustainability entitlement
• All 3-18 learning settings and schools become sustainable by 2030.

The Learning for Sustainability action plan includes a focus on climate change education, outdoor learning, global citizenship, children’s rights, social justice, and equalities.

A national Call to Action was launched on 06 December to encourage people across Scotland to work together to achieve Target 2030.

What will the peer mentors do?

Education Scotland has been tasked with establishing a Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Peer Mentor Network to deliver on the ambitions of the Learning for Sustainability Action Plan. We are looking for peer mentors to work with early learning and childcare, primary, ASN, secondary and community learning and development settings to help them develop their practice and to support their journeys towards effective whole setting approaches to Learning for Sustainability. The period from 01 February to the 31 March 2024 is the pilot phase of the programme and the LfS Peer Mentors involved will play an exciting role in establishing the new national network.

Activities may include aspects of the following:

• Working with a small number of settings and schools locally to offer support and advice
• Providing advice and support virtually via email, online networks, online calls etc
• Supporting local and national LfS networks
• Facilitating the sharing of ideas, approaches and resources and supporting collaboration
• Leading open days and events.

Who should apply?

To apply to be an LfS Peer Mentor you should:

• Be passionate about Learning for Sustainability
• Have at least two years’ experience of leading LfS within an ELC, primary, secondary, ASN or CLD context
• Be available to undertake at least 4 days (or a total of 28 hours) of activity between 01 February and 31 March 2024. This could be made up of full days, half days, or cumulative hours of support.

Education Scotland will provide cover costs to settings to allow LfS Peer Mentors to be released. Alternatively, mentors may be commissioned to undertake work in their own time. Where relevant, please consult your headteacher, head of centre, line manager before applying to confirm that they are able to release you to undertake activities. FREE bespoke professional learning for mentors will be provided at training days on 06 and 07 February 2024.

Following the pilot phase, a short evaluation of success of the network will be conducted to inform decisions regarding next steps. Anyone involved as a mentor in the pilot phase will be contacted in due course to let them know whether a further opportunity to be involved beyond 31 March will be made available.

How to apply

To apply, please complete this short online form no later than 5pm on Friday 12 January 2024: https://forms.office.com/e/BEj2x97Gy6.

We will contact you early in the New Year regarding your application.

The Scottish Youth Film Foundation (SYFF) is taking 12 young people to the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Glasgow (COP 26) where they will report from one of the most important events ever to take place in Scotland.

Their aim is to link up young people in Scotland who care about the planet with other young people around the world with the same goals and ideas. The group, who have been recruited from all over Scotland, are creating COP TV, a daily online broadcast which from the 8th-12th November will air for an hour and let the world know what the young people of Scotland think about the climate crisis and the solutions being discussed at COP.

Programmes will feature live interviews, pre-recorded films and inserts produced daily to reflect the breadth of what’s happening.

Check out the COP TV Broadcasts via the following links:

Monday 08 Nov (Available to view) – https://youtu.be/DWcuBprRqqI

Tuesday 09 Nov (Available to view) – https://youtu.be/ObTppAtfwP4

Wednesday 10 Nov (Available to view) – https://youtu.be/tiGyBrxsB-s

Thursday 11 Nov (Available to view) – https://youtu.be/X5UtLnWoWgo

Friday 12 Nov (Tune in at 5pm to see the next broadcast stream LIVE – or use same link to watch later) – https://youtu.be/4JUPDvQoML4

AND Now, Education Scotland and SYFF are giving you a chance to engage with the team through COPTV EXTRA. The COPTV EXTRA sessions will run on MS Teams from 09:30 to 10:00 on 9^th to 12^th November.

The COPTV Extra sessions are aimed at upper primary and secondary pupils across Scotland and will give schools a chance to engage with the COPTV Team. Ask questions about the biggest event ever to land in Scotland! Shape the COPTV content for the day! And get a unique behind back-stage insight into putting COPTV together.

Register for COPTV EXTRA through this link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cop-tv-extra-tickets-202922616007

Please note: if you plan to attend on more than one of the dates then you’ll need to register separately for each day.

Find out more about COPTV

COPTV will be broadcast on COPTV YouTube channel from 5-6pm from the 8th to 12th November.

• Meet the team and hear about their plans: http://syff.scot/coptv/
• Subscribe to COPTV so you don’t miss out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAdqoEVozVbmVaqEb3ZsGkg
• Follow @SYFF on Twitter for the latest news: https://twitter.com/thisissyff

Please note: In-person tickets for this event have now sold out due to very high demand. However, there are an unlimited number of tickets still available for those who want to attend virtually (live on the day) or to access the recordings following the Educators’ Day.

Between the 3^rd and 11^th November the New York Times is taking over the SWG3 building on the Clydeside – right next to the official COP26 Green and Blue Zones at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. Their Climate Hub experience will be the biggest fringe event outside official UN COP26 negotiations. It will bring together citizens, scientists, inventors, academics, delegates and journalists from around the world to answer the most urgent question of our time: How do we adapt and thrive on a changing planet?

Educators are being invited to register for the New York Times Educate on Climate day on Friday 5^th November, for free! This one-day event has been designed by educators for educators and will seek to tackle some of the biggest challenges in education. What world will our learners inherit, and how can we prepare them to thrive in it? How should we nurture the next generation of climate leaders? How do we empower students to think critically about the challenges facing our planet, and how can we work hand in hand with young people to help shape climate solutions?

There are a number of ways that educators can participate. In-person tickets sold out extremely quickly due to the high demand but educators can still register to join the sessions online. Don’t worry if you can’t join live on the day – catch up recordings will be available so you can watch the sessions at a time that suits you. However, you will need to register to access these. Multiple registrations from each establishment are welcome.

Those fortunate enough to be attending in person will enjoy the sessions in the unique ‘Conference of tress’ setting created by an award-winning artist. This will involve an experiential exhibition of living, breathing trees. This promises to be a professional learning experience like no other – a 5th November to remember!

See the attached programme here: NYT Educate on Climate Programme

To register for FREE for the NYT Educate on Climate Day (5^th Nov), visit: https://climatehub.nytimes.com/educate

Click on the Ticket tab and then choose how to attend. Then enter the following code in the Discount box: EDUCATE-VIP

Find out more about the New York Times Climate Hub: https://climatehub.nytimes.com/

Visit Education Scotland’s Countdown to COP page to find out about all the COP26 Resources and support available: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/countdown-to-cop26/

Also, coming soon – COPTV!

The Scottish Youth Film Foundation has recruited 12 young journalists to create and host a daily broadcast for learners from COP26 from the 8^th to the 12^th November. The programme will be broadcast via YouTube from 5pm-6pm each evening.

• Meet the team and hear about their plans: http://syff.scot/coptv/
• Subscribe to COPTV so you don’t miss out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAdqoEVozVbmVaqEb3ZsGkg
• Follow @SYFF on Twitter for the latest news: https://twitter.com/thisissyff

Submit your video before 30th September

To mark COP26 coming to Glasgow, The Scottish Youth Film Foundation is looking for your films on the subject of Change.

The closing date is 30th September but there’s ample time to make and upload a film about climate change. It has to be five mins or under and made by young people aged 19 or younger.

Shortlisted films will be screened at a Gala Event taking place at COP26 itself. All filmmakers will be invited along on the night when the winners will be revealed.

Full details can be found here – www.syff.scot/change

Check out this video to find out more about the competition: Change – Film Competition – YouTube

The United Nations COP26 Climate Summit is being hosted in Glasgow from 01-12 November with around 200 world leaders expected to attend. There is hope that the event will result in a truly historic agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions and tackle the climate emergency.

In the run up to COP26, Education Scotland and the Daily Record are encouraging nominations for the Learning for Sustainability Awards. Learning for Sustainability is recognised as an entitlement for all learners in Scotland’s curriculum and a recent PISA study showed that our learners are world-leading global citizens. We want to shout about this and celebrate the commitment and passion of Scotland’s young people, practitioners and communities to building a socially-just, sustainable and equitable world. We are particularly keen to encourage nominations from disadvantaged and hard-to-reach communities to help make this the most inclusive COP event ever.

There will be five winners in each of the six award categories: youth, practitioner, leadership, learning community, educational supporter and community learning and development awards. Visit the Learning for Sustainability Awards website to find out more or to apply: https://www.learningforsustainabilityawards.co.uk/

Those submitting early nominations may also be featured in the Daily Record’s national media outlets and shared with its readers around the world:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/special-features/glasgow-primary-children-help-regenerate-24618361

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/special-features/couple-repurposing-garbage-scotlands-rivers-24516512

For more support preparing for COP26:

• Check out our COP26 resources for schools and community learning and development
• Join our Learning for Sustainability Practitioner Network in MS Teams in Glow and attend our COP26 drop-in session in the group from 5-6pm on Thursday 26th August
• Keep an eye on our LfS blog and Twitter feeds @EdScotLfS #CountdowntoCOP26 #ThisisLfS for the latest news
• Visit our Countdown to COP26 page on the National Improvement Hub, including the page for CLD groups.

Latest news round-up

AimHi virtual sessions – climate change and the biology curriculum

Education Scotland is partnering with AimHi to deliver three inspiring virtual sessions on LfS/Biology themes for learners and their families. The AimHi Team have delivered sessions to many thousands of viewers in over 100 countries and we’re delighted to be working with them to develop exclusive sessions specifically for the Scottish Curriculum. These are not to be missed! The first session will be this week, 7pm Wed 20 Jan, on will help viewers understand the climate crisis in 45 mins! The following sessions will look at the future of food and farms and re-wilding in Scotland. There are excellent guests involved also and the content is closely aligned to the Scottish curriculum. The latter two sessions are ideal for those with an interest in, or studying, biology. We’ve targeted these sessions at learners and their families to help build all-important STEM capital across Scotland. I’d be grateful if you could share details with your networks. The second and third sessions will run at 7:00pm on the 27 January and 3 February 2021. Join the live stream here:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/aimhis-january-lessons-tickets-133146048415

New LfS Guide – GTCS has launched a new Learning for Sustainability guide for teachers in partnership with Learning for Sustainability Scotland. The guide aims to help teachers understand their responsibility to embed Learning for Sustainability in their practice, inspiring and motivating learners to address the challenges of learning to live within the environmental limits of our planet and to build a just, equitable and peaceful society. A professional learning module is to follow. The guide is available from here: http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/professional-guides/professional-guide-Learning-for-Sustainabilty.pdf

Food, STEM & Sustainability Online Teacher Training – The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET), The Rowett Institute, Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) are offering teachers and educators online training opportunities highlighting the importance of food. The online training (endorsed by Education Scotland) covers four main subject areas – Technology & Engineering, Health & Wellbeing, Math, Big Data and food and Food & Climate. Webinars for each subject area will start with Technology & Engineering webinar focusing on the production of haggis, neeps and tatties on 20^th January at 3.30pm. The online training site will go live in February with webinars running in January, February and March. Register for online sessions and webinars: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmSeToBauMIjU_R1KWPgXT8zuRhtrDn3YppKh8UuORXqdQSA/viewform

WOSDEC Professional Learning Programme – These fully funded professional learning sessions are available to teachers across 13 local authorities. The programme includes a focus on rights, Fair Trade, SDGs, political literacy and much more: https://wosdec.org.uk/what-we-do/professional-learning-twilights/

Creative Thinking Qualification Pilot Programme – Working alongside Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh College, Daydream Believers has created a SCQF level 5 and level 6 award in Creative Thinking. The award provides a valuable framework for a wide variety of themes including STEM and Learning for Sustainability. The workshop on 29 January is open to anyone interested in piloting the award in the 2020/2021 academic session. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creative-thinking-level-5-and-6-the-pilot-programme-tickets-132959542571

Carbon calculators and resources – Teachers may be interested in two online tools to support learning about sustainability and how the UK can progress towards its net zero ambitions. These include:

• My 20250 – an interactive online resource to help learners create their own way to the UK’s 2050 net zero target: https://my2050.beis.gov.uk/?levers=111111111111111
• MacKay Carbon Calculator – The MacKay Carbon Calculator provides a more detailed model of the UK energy system that allows you to explore pathways to decarbonisation, including net zero by 2050: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/carbon-calculator

Climate grants – grants totalling £3.26m have now been  awarded to 280 community based organisations through the Community Climate Asset Fund (CCAF) that was launched in October as part of the wider Climate Challenge Fund (CCF).  At least one project has been funded in each of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas. A total of 112 schools have accessed funding to support food growing. A full list of projects receiving funding is available here: https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/climate-change/community-climate-asset-fund/organisations-awarded-ccaf-grants/.

Speak up for nature, have your voice heard on a global stage, and win up to £500! Participants of all ages are invited to send a short 1-minute video message to world leaders and governments before the upcoming UN COP 15 meeting on biological diversity. Entry submissions are welcome until 28 Feb. Learn more at https://trustforsustainableliving.org/take-part/schools-sustainability-challenge

Dates for your diary

• The United Nations has declared 2021as the International Year of Peace and Trust, the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development, and the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables: https://www.un.org/en/sections/observances/international-years/
• International Women’s Day 8 March 2021: https://www.internationalwomensday.org/

Latest OECD PISA survey reflects learners’ positive attitudes and respect for others

Pupils in Scotland have higher than average awareness of global issues, according to an international survey run by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Data from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on ‘global competence’ – defined as the ability to examine global and intercultural issues and understand and appreciate different perspectives – also found pupils in Scotland have very positive attitudes towards immigrants and respect for people from other parts of the world.

The assessment included a test which assessed pupils’ knowledge and understanding of global issues and the world views of others. Only two countries out of 27 who took part scored higher than Scotland.

Some of the other highlights include:

• Scotland’s average score in the global competence assessment was 534 which was higher than the average of all participating countries of 474.
• Scotland’s average score in the global competence assessment was 534. It was one of five countries to score at least 50 points above the average.
• Twelve per cent of students in Scotland were assessed at Level 5, the highest level in the assessment, compared to 4.3% of students across all countries.
• Girls outperformed boys in every country taking part in the assessment, with the exception of Scotland where performance was similar.
• The global issues that students in Scotland were most familiar with were causes of poverty (87% of students), equality between men and women (85%), and climate change/global warming (78%).
• A higher proportion of students in Scotland (81.4%) reported thinking of themselves as a citizen of the world than the OECD average (76.2%).
• Almost two-thirds of students in Scotland (64.2%) reduce the amount of energy that they use at home to protect the environment.
• More than 4 out of 5 students (82.2%) were in a school where teachers felt they could adapt their teaching to the cultural diversity of students.
• Students in Scotland were among the 10 countries/economies (out of 66) with the most positive attitudes towards immigrants.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:

“One of the core aims of Curriculum for Excellence is that Scotland’s young people become responsible citizens with a knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotland’s place in it. This survey shows CfE is working – our pupils are highly aware of issues beyond our borders and they are respectful of people from other parts of the world.

“Since this data was collected, a wide-ranging action plan has been published to make it easier for schools to cover important global issues such as climate change and a sustainable economy. This continuing work will help teachers equip our young people with the skills and knowledge to be active global citizens so they can contribute to sustainability goals, flourish in the global economy and contribute to the international community.”

Download the PISA 2018 Global Competence Report

• The PISA 2018 Global Competence: Scotland’s Results Report can be accessed from the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/news/embracing-global-citizenship/
• The PISA 2018 Results: Are Students Ready to Thrive in an Interconnected World? Volume VI Report is available here: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/d5f68679-en.pdf?expires=1603360698&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=81034C49E62E3148DED37A6ADADE2842

Further links and resources

• Read Scotland’s Vision 2030+ Report and Action Plan.
• Visit Education Scotland’s National Improvement Hub Summary Page for Learning for Sustainability.
• Access a wide range of resources from our Outdoor Learning/Learning for Sustainability Wakelet.
• Follow us on Twitter @EdScotLfS #ThisisLfS #TimeforLfS

Background

The PISA assessment was conducted in Scotland in 2018 across 107 schools and 2,969 pupils. Students in 27 countries/economies, including Scotland, sat both a Global Competence cognitive test and completed a Global Competence questionnaire. Students in a further 39 countries/economies completed the Global Competence questionnaire only. The other UK nations did not take part in the Global Competence test or questionnaire.

Scotland’s curriculum – Curriculum for Excellence – helps children and young people gain the knowledge, skills and attributes needed for life in the 21st century, with the skills associated with global competence an important part of the curriculum framework. The Refreshed Curriculum Narrative for Scotland’s curriculum is available here.

An important cross-curricular theme within Scotland’s curriculum is the theme of Learning for Sustainability – an approach to life and learning which enables learners, educators, schools and their wider communities to build a socially just, sustainable and equitable society. Further information on Learning for Sustainability is available here.