Learning for Sustainability – Page 8 – LfS news & CLPL opportunities from Education Scotland

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

Grants available for range of LfS projects

Scotmid Community Grants (Scotland)
The Scotmid Co-operative is offering small grants to assist and support community projects and initiatives throughout Scotland. Last year Scotmid awarded grants totalling £235,000 to organisations ranging from parent and toddler groups to national campaigns. Funding is concentrated on the areas of Children/education; Community Groups; Active Lifestyles; Environment; the Elderly; Homelessness; Fairtrade; Arts & Culture; and Charity.
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be a group or individual acting for the wider benefit of the local Community; and live within the geographic boundaries of one of Scotmid Regional Committees.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
http://www.scotmid.coop/community-and-charity/supporting-local-communities/scotmid-community-grant/

Greggs Foundation Small Environmental Grant Scheme Re-Opens for Applications (England, Scotland & Wales)
The Gregg Foundation’s Environmental Small Grants programme has re-opened for applications.
The grants programme which is funded by the 5p levy on carrier bag sales in Greggs shops aims to improve people’s lives by improving their environments. The funding is available to small, locally based community led organisations with a turnover not in excess of £300,000. Schools are also able to apply and will receive the same level of preference as small organisations. Under the small grants programme funding of up to £2,500 is available to purchase equipment, sessional salary costs, purchase of trees/plants, small capital projects and learning activities.
The type of activities that can be funded include:
• Groups of volunteers who completed litter picking exercises in their local parks or along a local riverbank
• An allotment project for people suffering early stages of dementia
• A growing project in a local primary school
• Clearing an area of wasteland in an area of high social need to create a community garden; etc.
The Foundation are more likely to make grants to local organisations based near Greggs shops.
The closing date for applications is the 1st July 2016.
https://www.greggsfoundation.org.uk/environmental-grants

Skipton Building Society – 2016 Grassroots Giving Programme (England, Scotland & Wales)
To celebrate its 163rd birthday, the Skipton Building Society will launch its Grantsroots Giving programme for 2016 on the 3rd May.
Through the programme 163 community and voluntary groups around the country can win award of £500 to help them with their community work. The idea behind our Grassroots Giving campaign is to help community organisations, or groups, who only have access to limited funding from elsewhere. The programme is also able to fund projects within schools but this needs to be addition to its statutory services.
For example, last year’s winners included the creation of a frog garden at St Anthony’s School in Kent and the Friends of Luttons School (FOLS) who received funding to improve the outdoor learning areas within the school.
The closing date for applications will be 29th July 2016. Following the application closing date, a shortlist of organisations will be compiled and listed on the Grassroots Giving website. The public will then be free to vote for their favourite organisation.
https://www.skiptongrg.co.uk

Funding for Schools Science Projects (UK)
The Royal Society has announced that its Partnership Grant scheme will re-open for applications in May 2016.
Through the scheme grants of up to £3,000 are available for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) projects run at a primary or secondary school or college in partnership with a professional scientist or engineer. The aim is to make the teaching of science more interesting within primary and secondary schools. The Partnership grants scheme forms partnerships to allow teachers to increase their scientific knowledge and to give scientists and engineers the chance to develop their communication skills and engage with enquiring young minds. Any UK primary or secondary school teacher or practicing scientist/engineer can apply as long as the students involved in the project are between 5 and 18.
Examples of previously funded projects include:
Germoe, Godolphin, Marazion and Sithney Primary Schools in Cornwall, who received a grant of £3,000 for the identification of pests & biological pest controls in indoor salad crops.
St Mary’s CE Primary School pupils who made a bridge out of newspapers and studied all types of bridges, making models and testing them.
The closing date for applications will be in July 2016.
https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/partnership-grants/

Equipment Grants for Children with Additional Support Needs (UK)
Schools and not for profit organisations have the opportunity to apply for funding through the Wooden Spoon Society’s Capital Grants programme.
Wooden Spoon the British and Irish Rugby charity which supports mentally, physically disadvantaged children. Through the programme funding is available for:
• Buildings and extensions
• Equipment & activity aids
• Sensory rooms and gardens
• Playgrounds and sports areas
• Transport and soft playrooms.
Since being founded in 1983, Wooden Spoon has made grants of over £20 million to more than 500 projects in the British Isles.
Projects funded in the past have included:
Ashmount School in Leicestershire, which received a grant of £13,500 towards a sensory room.
Enfield Heights Academy in London which received a grant of £23,000 to improve its play areas.
The Colehill &Wimborne Youth & Community Centre which received a grant of £8,000 towards a wheelchair lift.
Applications can be made at any time and applicants should contact their regional volunteer group. Subject to an application being approved by Wooden Spoon Trustees, the Society require a minimum of one Wooden Spoon membership to be taken out by a representative of the applicant organisation.
Applications can be made at any time.
https://www.woodenspoon.org.uk/apply-for-funds

Grants Available to Promote Use of Tap Water (UK)
Grants of between £300 and £3,000 are available to Schools, Colleges and Universities for projects that significantly reduce their reliance on single-use plastics and plastic waste.
The Tap Water Awards aim to support projects that develop new solutions to replace pre-existing systems that rely on plastic and promote the use of tap water. Grants are available to support educational establishments install mains fed drinking water machines and using reusable bottles. The Awards will however not pay for activities or services that schools have a statutory responsibility to provide.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
Educational establishments wishing to apply are strongly advised to contact tapwater.org before applying.
http://www.tapwater.org/grants

Make your voice heard in national survey

Schools are being asked to share their views on “Edible Gardening” as part of a research project in association with the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). The five minute questionnaire aims to gather feedback from all schools, regardless of whether they have a school garden or not.

Terry Griffiths, who is leading the research, explains “There is strong research evidence of the benefits of school gardening, particularly in learning, behaviour and emotion and in food choices. Organisations such as RHS Scotland, RBGE and the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society are increasingly providing interdisciplinary learning initiatives to develop gardening in schools. These include direct involvement in schools with pupil groups, career-long professional learning for staff, as well as educational materials and free seeds. This survey aims to build a comprehensive picture of the extent of school gardening across Scotland and will help assess the benefits and the difficulties associated with developing gardening in schools.”

Responses will be anonymised for analysis and reporting. A small number of schools may be contacted for further enquiries once the initial survey has been completed.

The survey is online at https://goo.gl/AXypRp . For further information, please contact Mrs Terry Griffiths at T.Griffiths@rbge.ac.uk .

LfS at the Scottish Learning Festival 2016

Registration for this year’s Scottish Learning Festival (SLF) is now open. SLF 2016 will focus on promoting excellence and equity for all through the key themes of:

• school leadership and school improvement

• assessing children’s progress and parental engagement

• teacher professionalism

There are a number of seminars exploring how these themes can be addressed through learning for sustainability. These seminars include:

Wednesday 21st September 2016

Learning for sustainability, leadership and school improvement
Ian Menzies, Education Scotland
Focusing on key drivers from the National Improvement Framework, including leadership, teacher professionalism and parental engagement, this seminar will explore how one school has developed a whole school approach to learning for sustainability as an integral part of their school improvement process. Seminar Code: D2E

Global learning partnerships: Inspiring today’s global citizens through career-long professional development, Georgea Hughes, The Wood Foundation
Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire education teams share their experience of global learning partnerships; showcasing examples of partnership working and interdisciplinary practices which support and encourage young people to become thinkers, questioners, challengers and responders in a globally sustainable way. Seminar Code: D2C

Outdoor learning and Curriculum for Excellence
Daniel Moncrieff, FSC Scotland
Outdoor learning is increasingly being used as a powerful tool across all subject areas in Scotland, and in both primary and secondary schools. Our charity provided outdoor learning experiences for over 165,000 people last year, and during this seminar we will explore some of the different ways we work with schools to raise attainment in literacy, numeracy and other curriculum areas through residentials and day visits. The focus of the discussion will be on activities teachers can utilise to access outdoor learning environments and make these learning experiences as powerful as possible. Seminar Code: M1A

Outdoor learning – a whole school approach to raising attainment
Jenny Watson, Middleton Park School, Aberdeen
We will share our effective outdoor experiences to promote excellence and equality for all. Our outdoor learning has successfully raised attainment across the school and has been pivotal in our journey to excellence. Our sector leading approach to embedding the principles of GIRFEC in our outdoor learning
have been commended by HMI. Seminar Code: M1D

The James Maxton and WW1 project: a collaboration between teachers and archivists
Michael Gallacher, Glasgow City Archives
The seminar explores the lessons from the James Maxton and WW1 project, a collaboration between archivists, and primary and secondary teachers from Glasgow, supported by Education Scotland. It examines how partnerships create resources to enrich learning outcomes, empower teachers and engage pupils with unique, interdisciplinary sources of evidence. Seminar Code: K3B

A smorgasbord of support for practical food education
Lorna Aitken, Education Scotland
Join us at the table to discuss current ingredients within food education in Scotland. From self evaluation and support around whole school engagement with Better Eating, Better Learning to assessing pupil progress in practical food experiences, we will aim to fuel your learning with inspiration from colleagues across Scotland. Seminar Code: D2B

GIRFEC through eco-schools co-curricular participation
Dugald MacGilp, Keep Scotland Beautiful
This seminar draws on the experience of three school clusters in raising attainment through co-curricular participation. We will hear from students, teachers and education research staff about successfully achieving GIRFEC through participation. There will be the opportunity for attendees to discuss their experiences and to learn about the refreshed Eco-Schools programme. Seminar Code: B1D

Our 5Rights: Digital rights of children and young people
Scotland’s 5Rights Youth Commission
Young Scot, Scottish Government and 5Rights introduce Scotland’s 5Rights Youth Commission – a diverse group of young people passionate about their rights online. We will hear from them what their ‘5Rights’ mean to them, and how children and young people can be empowered to access technology creatively, knowledgeably, and fearlessly. Seminar Code:C2A

Thursday 22nd September 2016

Throwing out the plastic; constructing an environment which supports the development of high quality creative play, Catriona Gill, Craigentinny Primary School, Edinburgh
This practitioner enquiry used high quality self-evaluation to make deep and sustainable improvements to practice with real benefits for learners. The enquiry explored the effect of changes made to the nursery environment in order to cultivate creativity and develop opportunities for free flow play. Seminar Code:D1F

Rights made real: Rights-based learning in action
Christine Creaney, South Lanarkshire Council
South Lanarkshire Council’s fully accredited Rights-based learning model – Making Rights Real – has been embraced by both primary and secondary schools within and beyond the authority as a practical and effective conduit to achieving equity for all, improving school ethos and deepening engagement with
parents and the wider community. Seminar Code:B1G

Recognising and realising young people’s rights in youth work (resource)
Nicola Sykes, Education Scotland
This seminar will provide an introduction to the Recognising and Realising Children’s Rights resource for youth workers. The passing of the Children and Young People’s Act (Scotland) 2014 places further duties on Scottish Ministers and public organisations in relation to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This important legislation, enshrines in the education system enhanced duties in relation to the UNCRC. Recognising and realising children’s rights permeates the essence of youth work. The new resource supports youth work practitioners knowledge and understanding and invites reflection on how young people’s rights are realised in policies and practice. Seminar Code:A2H

Walking back in time
Donald Macdonald, Sustrans
Every local community has a story to tell. From the Romans, to Victorians and WW2’s Home Front, there is a story children can use to put their learning in context. This outdoor learning project uses active travel to engage children in learning and discover more about the place they live. Seminar Code:K3H

You can view the full conference programme here .

Volunteering for sustainability

Project Trust is now welcoming applications from those leaving school in 2017 who are interested in becoming Global Volunteers.

Project Trust’s aims are to “empower young people to be confident, creative and resilient through a challenging volunteering experience overseas. Acting as responsible citizens and effective contributors, volunteers make a positive difference to their overseas host communities and share their learning and understanding when they return home. ”

From the charity’s home on the Hebridean island of Coll, Project Trust selects around 300 young people from across the UK for 8 – 12 month teaching, social care and outward bound projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

“Project Trust gives young people the opportunity to explore the world whilst making a real contribution to the global community. … you don’t just see a place but become part of it.”

Lucy Hughes (Cambodia volunteer)

Global-Citizenship-Ambassadors
Working and living in challenging environments within communities around the world, offers volunteers an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of various global issues. Through Project Trust’s Global Citizenship programme, returned volunteers also share their experiences and knowledge with schools across the UK. Volunteers can receive an accreditation of a Level 3 Foundation Year in Global Volunteering and Citizenship as formal recognition of their learning.

Volunteering overseas with Project Trust is open to all young people with the desire, motivation and aptitudes required to succeed. A bursary fund has recently been established to provide financial assistance to volunteers who may require extra support.

To find out more visit http://www.projecttrust.org.uk

To organise a visit from a Project Trust representative to talk to S5/6 pupils, contact Claire.Jennings@projecttrust.org.uk

Minister invites schools to share LfS story

Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages launched the #ThisIsLfS campaign this week, encouraging schools across Scotland to share their stories of what learning for sustainability means to them.

The announcement came as the Minster helped St. Aidan’s Primary School, Wishaw, unveil their sixth Eco Schools green flag. The learners displayed great confidence, knowledge and enthusiasm as they took Dr. Allan on a tour of their school building and grounds. They shared the many different ways they receive their entitlement to learning for sustainability.

P2/3 shared their learning on their whole class ‘Clyde in the Classroom’ topic, including an introduction to the “alevins” that had hatched in the special tank in the classroom. The children shared their knowledge of brown trout life cycles and displayed great care and attention in regulating the temperature and looking after the eggs. Dr. Allan commented on the potential of this project for furthering their knowledge of river ecology and care of the local environment.

In addition to the P2/3 class, Dr. Allan met representatives from a number of pupil groups including the Eco group, the Rights Respecting Schools group and the Fairtrade group. He was even treated to some home made carrot cake made from carrots recently harvested from the school’s raised beds. The children also spoke passionately about their links with Malawi and how much they had gained from their work in supporting and learning from their link school.

Dr. Allan said: “The Scottish Government supports every learner’s entitlement to learning for sustainability. We think it is a great way to learn and can help raise attainment and prepare young people for the world of work. For me, learning for sustainability is about learning for a better world. Education Scotland would like to hear what LfS means to you. You can share your pictures and stories and thoughts, using #ThisIsLfS. I look forward to seeing your responses. ”