Author: Professional Learning

Fully funded places available on Open University Microcredentials

The OU in Scotland is currently offering some fully funded places on our Microcredential courses starting in June/July 2024. These courses run from 10 – 12 weeks and are designed for people looking to gain new skills to help advance their careers. The courses are delivered online via distance learning which allows you to fit in time for learning alongside work and life commitments. They can give you and your staff practical skills that can be immediately utilised in the workplace. Offered at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the courses will also give you the chance to learn alongside people in a wide range of sectors and roles and share knowledge and experience.

The courses on offer are:

  • Agile Leadership and Management
  • Business Management: Marketing Principles and Practice
  • Business Management: Improving Organisational Practice
  • Business Management: People Management and Leadership
  • Business Management: Project Management
  • Business Management: Fundamentals of Management Accounting
  • Business Management: Financial Accounting for Non-Financial Roles
  • Climate Change: Transforming Your Organisation for Sustainability
  • Cyber Security Operations
  • Mental Health: Working with Children and Young People
  • Mentoring and Coaching in Professional Learning
  • Python Programming
  • Teacher Development: Embedding Mental Health in the Curriculum

More information about the courses and the application form can be found at https://www.open.ac.uk/courses/choose/scotland-micro. The deadline for applications is 19th May 2024.

Support Bilingual Learners

With recent events across the globe please take into account the impact political actions and strong views around these actions may have on some of our Bilingual learners.

Scottish Government has identified some of the resources available to support in schools in the table below.

This is not instead of the usual avenues for any concerns around PREVENT training, radicalisation or extremism.

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EDUCATION RESOURCES
Education Scotland Prevent radicalisation and extremism resources in young people Safeguarding – Prevent radicalisation and extremism | Resources | Education Scotland
Education Scotland Teaching about conflict and war: Support for educators Teaching about conflict and war: Support for educators | Resources | Education Scotland
Educate Against Hate Parallel Histories Parallel Histories: Conflict in Israel and Palestine – Educate Against Hate
Solutions not sides Solutions not Sides Solutions Not Sides: resources for discussing Israel and Palestine in schools – Educate Against Hate
ACT An initiative designed to provide practical help and guidance to the public in order to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. ACT Early | Prevent radicalisation
Childline   Worrying about Israel and Gaza | Childline
Worrying about War This document compiled in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine can be adapted to help encourage conversation around worries regarding the conflict. Worrying about war (A4 Document) (phoenixeducationconsultancy.com)
YouthLink’s Action on Prejudice A range of resources  around hate crime. Resource Library – Action on Prejudice

Loss and Bereavement

Sadly as we work with such high numbers of children and their families so we are often at the front end of supporting bereavement and managing the trauma of sudden loss.

Glasgow City Council have produced resources to support schools through these times.

The UK trauma council offers training on how to support Bereavement or sudden loss in schools and can be booked via the link below.

Traumatic Bereavement: Supporting CYP at School or College

 

Suicide and autism awareness training launch – Zero suicide Alliance

There is a higher risk of suicide in young people with Additional support needs.

This date is in the holidays but there may be other options if you sign up for alerts for future events by becoming a member (free).

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Oh Lila

Oh Lila: A Practical Resource for Building Resilience and Protective Factors in Young Children

VENUE:          Virtual

DATE:             Friday 17th May 2024        

TIME:              1pm – 4pm

WHO:             Early Years Settings

Oh Lila is a child friendly resource suitable for use with children aged 3 to 6 years and aims to build resilience and protective factors in young children, helping them to develop social skills and encouraging them to communicate.   Oh Lila can be linked to the Curriculum for Excellence, particularly around Health & Wellbeing but other areas too, such as Creative Arts.

On completing training, learners will have:

  • An increased awareness of the key themes of Oh Lila and how they relate to building resilience in children.
  • Increased confidence, skills and knowledge to use the Oh Lila resource and to manage disclosures from children in line with organizational procedures.
  • An enhanced awareness and understanding of the problems caused by alcohol and that by strengthening the foundation (early years) of life can prevent problems later as young adults.
  • An increased awareness of local and national strategies and policies.

The Oh Lila resource pack does not talk about alcohol or any other substances.

To book a place –

  • Scottish Borders Council staff can sign up via Business World
  • Childminders and Private and Voluntary setting staff can sign up via the Microsoft Form link on the Funded Provider SharePoint

All Early Years Settings have been supplied with the Oh Lila resource pack.

Please have your centre’s pack to hand for the session.        

You can also attend this as a refresher session.

For more information on training and resources http://www.ohlila.org.uk

This course is free to attendees; however, there is a charge to Borders Alcohol & Drugs Partnership.  Please ensure you have confirmed your availability before requesting to attend.

Early Years

 

RESIDENTIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHERS IN SCOTLAND – What Bees Taught Me: Exploring What can be Learnt from More-than-Human Teachers

RESIDENTIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHERS IN SCOTLAND – What Bees Taught Me: Exploring What can be Learnt from More-than-Human Teachers

We would like to invite you to take part in a research project which will take place on University of Stirling campus, from teatime on Friday 24 May to the afternoon of Sunday 26 May 2024.

The weekend is funded by University of Stirling Crucible and is free to attend (costs covered include food, accommodation on campus, and a travel bursary). Places are open to teachers of any kind (primary/secondary/FE/HE/adult/community) who are currently based in Scotland.

This will be an exciting research study which aims to explore what we can learn from teachers who are not humans. In our current ecological predicament the potential teachings of more-than-humans such as insects, plants, water and trees are often overlooked. This project aims to find out what happens when we look to creatures from the order Hymenoptera (bees and wasps) as beings with the potential to educate us about the environment, community, survival, and our relationships with the natural world.  During the course of the weekend, we will undertake a range of creative, pedagogical and scientific activities and reflect on how these might impact your future teaching practice. One outcome will be the creation of a teaching toolkit which you can use in your own future educational adventures. You may wish to use this project as CPD or to further your own teaching interests.

Please note that, whilst the project is centred around Hymenoptera, there will be no handling of insects during the project. However, as activities may involve close observation of bees, those with phobias or allergies may want to consider this aspect carefully before applying to take part.

The research element involves completing two short questionnaires and a walking ‘intra-view’ after the event. Further information on participation, ethics and consent will be shared with those who express an interest in being involved.

Do contact me if you need any further information. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dr Kay Sidebottom

Lecturer in Education

University of Stirling
Contact: Kay.Sidebottom@stir.ac.uk

Headteacher Engagement – Play Pedagogy

Headteacher Engagement – Play Pedagogy     Thursday May 2nd Inspire Tweedbank

9:30 – 12:30 (Tea/coffee from 9am)

Catriona Gill from Education Scotland will be leading a workshop on high quality play pedagogy

Aims of session:

  • To further explore the key principles behind national guidance document Realising the Ambition: Being me.
  • To explore the concept of pedagogical leadership and consider the development of staff as adult learners.
  • To explore the key elements of high quality early level provision.

Please note this session is for all head teachers.

National Technologies Network – AIdea sessions for subject specialists

Could you please share the AI week page within your schools and also the details of the Aidea sessions.

Scottish AI in Schools – DigiLearn (glowscotland.org.uk)

These are free to Scottish Teachers.

A.I.deas – Gen A.I. for Maths & Science teachers – Future Skills (gsa.ac.uk)

A.I.deas – Gen A.I. for Social Sciences teachers – Future Skills (gsa.ac.uk)

A.I.deas – Gen A.I. for English and Modern Language teachers – Future Skills (gsa.ac.uk)

Kirsty McFaul | Senior Education Officer Learning Teaching and Assessment | Education Scotland