I. Menzies – Page 4 – Learning for Sustainability

LfS Practitioner’s Network – Programme of events for 2016/17

Are you looking to develop learning for sustainability (LfS) in your school, centre or authority?

Would you like to have a valuable opportunity work with like-minded practitioners to share practical ideas, approaches and resources?

The purpose of the LfS Practitioner’s Network is to create time and space for a cross-authority group to share practice and successes in relation to global citizenship, outdoor learning, children’s rights, sustainable development education. Through high-quality professional collaboration and dialogue, attendees work in a coordinated way to address common needs and co-create new resources and approaches. The events are open to practitioners from early learning and childcare, primary secondary and ASN sectors.

The LfS Practitioner’s Network events will be held on the following dates:

Thursday 3rd November – Glasgow City Hotel
Wed 18th January – Edinburgh Doubletree Hilton
Friday 17th March – Stirling Court Hotel

The events are free and will start at 9:30 and finish at 15:30 . To book please register via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YQDCPN3

See the LfS professional learning community to access the resources produced by the network to date.

Here’s what attendees said about last year’s events:

“Loved hearing about all the excellent LfS projects going on across Scotland…inspiring stuff! Looking forward to collaborating with like-minded people to spread the good work more widely.”

“Great to share practice and successes across different sectors. Need to identify gaps and future opportunities for Learning for Sustainability (LfS) to ensure we keep the momentum going.”

LfS Showcase for Stirling and Clackmannanshire Schools and Centres

Looking for great ideas for learning for sustainability, outdoor learning, children’s right and global citizenship for your school or centre?

Want to meet other centres/schools and meet partner organisations who can support your work?

If so, come along to the Learning for Sustainability (LfS) showcase event from 16:15 – 17:45 on Tuesday 4^th October 2016 in Stirling High School, Torbrex Farm Rd, Stirling FK8 2PA.

The event is being organised through a partnership with Education Scotland and Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils. It is open to teachers and learners and will include displays and stalls from early learning, primary and secondary schools and centres from across Stirling and Clackmannanshire. Find out about all the benefits of learning for sustainability and how it can promote great learning; help increase motivation to learn; raise attainment; develop skills; enhance community spirit and partnerships; and promote health and wellbeing. Schools and centres will be explaining all the practical and achievable steps they have taken to develop whole school approaches to learning for sustainability (LfS) by building on their existing global citizenship, outdoor learning, sustainable development education and children’s right’s activities. There’ll be opportunities too to find a buddy school to collaborate with and share practice going forward.

A number of local and national partner organisations will be on hand too to explain more about their resources and programmes and how they can offer practical support, advice and professional learning opportunities. Organisations include:

John Muir Award
Keep Scotland Beautiful/Eco-Schools Scotland
British Council
Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
Food for Life/Soil Association
OPAL Community Scientists/The Conservation Volunteers
Community Resilience/Emergency Planning Officers
Forth Environment Link…and more

With Learning for Sustainability embedded within How Good is Our School 4? and the GTCS Professional Standards there’s never been a better to time to find out more about how LfS can improve outcomes for learners. The refresh of the Eco-Schools Scotland programme also offers many existing opportunities relating to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and themes relating to LfS.

The event is open to all and is free. If you can, please let us know in advance if you plan to come by emailing Helen Winton at: wintonh@stirling.gov.uk

Global citizenship bus is coming your way

The Global Citizenship Education Roadshow is coming to a venue near you during September.

There will be events for teachers, and a celebration of global citizenship at the Scottish Parliament. The Roadshow will also be visiting the Scottish Learning Festival at the SECC in Glasgow.

Attached below is a programme of the special events planned, please contact your local Global Learning Centre or email Fiona at GCevents@ideas-forum.org.uk for further details.

Please forward the attached flier onto your contacts and we hope to see you at one of the Roadshow events! Teachers can also find details of additional global citizenship professional development by visiting the global citizenship online calendar.

Download IDEAS GC Roadshow Flier

What do the SDGs mean for Scotland?

The Sustainable Development Goals and Scotland: responding to a universal agenda

The Open University in Scotland, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and the Network for International Development Organisations in Scotland (NIDOS) invite you to a free half-day seminar (and reception) to review the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and consider what it means for Scotland.

The event will provide an opportunity to learn more about the global framework and accompanying Sustainable Development Goals, how they relate to sustainable development efforts in Scotland and implications for organisations supporting delivery.

The event is aimed at individuals working on sustainable development issues, either domestically or internationally, but is open to anyone to attend.

Speakers include:

– Dr Samantha Ross, International Programme Director, Link Community Development International

– Lucy McTernan, Deputy Chief Executive, SCVO

– Professor Giles Mohan, Chair of International Development, The Open University

When

Wednesday, 5 October 2016 from 14:30 to 18:00 (BST)

Where

Apex Waterloo Place Hotel – Edinburgh, EH1 3BH

Find out more and register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-do-the-sustainable-development-goals-mean-for-scotland-tickets-26485922106?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialSignIn&utm_source=Twitter

Beyond the Panda Education Programme

The RZSS Beyond the Panda education programme aims to provide children with an understanding of China, its language, geography, habitats, flora and fauna and in particular learn about the giant panda and the RZSS China/UK research.

Beyond the Panda travels to schools across Scotland in our new vehicle kindly donated by Arnold Clark. We provide a combination of outreach sessions, teacher training and ‘panda boxes’ for loan. The boxes are filled with games, jigsaws and other fun activities which stimulate learning and classroom discussions. The learning resources enable students to investigate, study and explore a variety of topics within the overall context of giant pandas and China; linking with CfE experiences and outcomes in science, topical science, social studies, language and literacy. With the generous funding from the Confucius Institute for Scotland at the University of Edinburgh our programmes also provide an introduction to the learning of Mandarin Chinese.

Sandie Robb, RZSS Senior Education Officer, said: “The RZSS Beyond the Panda is a fantastic and truly unique outreach learning experience. Through the China Mobile Library, students are able to learn about Chinese history, geography, culture and language as well as about giant pandas and the conservation work of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The children really enjoy the educational games, whilst learning at the same time. The RZSS Beyond the Panda allows us to inspire the next generation of nature conservationists.”

Miss MacDonald, St. Peter’s RC Primary, said: “After doing the panda box activities with three classes, I can really see the positive impact it had on children’s learning. All classes were engaged and enthusiastic throughout and when speaking with the children after they completed the tasks, they could tell me lots of things that they had learned.”

In addition, classes who wish to progress further in the Beyond the Panda programme are able to work towards a Pambassador Class Award at bronze, silver and gold levels.

See Beyond the Panda in action –

On the road with Beyond the Panda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdxcO0ohbZE

RZSS China Mobile Library

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60DmB8Yk5yQ

Contact Sandie Robb for further information:

srobb@rzss.org.uk

@Sandie_Robb #BeyondthePanda