Author: Professional Learning
Winter STEM Activities and Resources
Call Scotland – Resources and Professional Learning offers
Call Scotland would like to highlight their website with free resources and some specialist course options.
They are funded by Scottish government so we should all be trying to get value from their support.
https://www.callscotland.org.uk/
They have multiple courses on offer and their programme has been updated for Jan – June, now including some bite size 30 min options including:
Assistive Technologies to help autistic learners to access the curriculum
https://www.callscotland.org.uk/training/our-courses/CALL25/ at a cost of £30, designed specifically for supporting Autistic learners. It is a recorded version so it can be accessed flexibly.
They run #FreeWebinarWed and would like to remind you that PEF can be used to fund Professional learning.
Emma Sowerby
Headteacher, Inclusion and Wellbeing Service.
Primary STEM Scottish Borders Newsletter – December 2023
Please click on link below to access the newsletter
https://sway.office.com/0NILTf802gmP2mD4?ref=Link
Many Thanks
Alison Heaton
Primary Science Development Officer (PSDO)
Health and Wellbeing Professional Learning Network – ELC and Primary – February 2024
This national network is for practitioners in early years and primary with a remit or interest in Health and Wellbeing. The network will meet virtually, with dates agreed and allocated in advance. Members will have opportunities to co-create agendas for each session based on current themes / challenges.
The network will:
- provide opportunities to network / discuss current themes and challenges
- share interesting and relevant practice
- build a community of practice
- hear about up-to-date policy and guidance
- provide information on the work from other HWB networks (PSE, HE, PE)
Target audience
Please be aware that the target audience for this event is professionals within the education sector in Scotland. To register, please enter either a school, establishment, local authority or Glow email address. If you work in Scottish education and would like to attend but do not have a Glow or work email address, please email esevents@educationscotland.gov.scot with the name of your setting or service, to request a place.
Please follow this link to book a place:
Yvonne Wilson
ASN and Wellbeing Support Officer (Schools) | Mental Health First Aider
University of Edinburgh Professional Learning Opportunities
Click here for the Professional Learning Newsletter – December 2023 (ed.ac.uk)
This includes –
- Return to Teaching
- Technology for ASN in Education
- Intermediate Timetabling
Learning for Sustainability Scotland 10th Anniversary
We warmly invite you to join us to celebrate our tenth anniversary at a reception on
Thursday 11 January 2024 from 18:00 to 19:30
at the Playfair Library, Old College, University of Edinburgh, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL.
Drinks and canapes will be served.
Please click here to RSVP by Tuesday 12 December 2023
For schools with nurseries – Play on Pedals practitioner training
Thanks to ongoing support from Cycling Scotland, we will be offering two free Play on Pedals training courses before Christmas, with an opportunity to then either be loaned a fleet of PoP bikes, or to set up a loan share agreement with another nearby early years setting for a fleet of PoP bikes. https://www.cycling.scot/what-we-do/training/play-on-pedals
Courses will be ran on the following dates;
- Tuesday 12th December, Melrose PS, 0900-1700, 8x spaces
- Thursday 14th December, Duns PS, 0900-1700, 8x spaces
Please can you let me know the name and email of any interested practitioners you have, and what date/s they are able to attend (only 1x day required, but flexibility on what date is helpful). Places will initially be issued to those settings who do not currently have trained PoP practitioners, then opened up to settings who already have PoP capability.
PLEASE NOTE – due to issues previously with candidates not turning up for training courses, there will be a £50 charge for any setting which books a training place and subsequently does not send a practitioner on the day. Demand is always high for these courses, with waiting lists in place, so it’s simply not acceptable to book a space and then not turn up to the training course without reasonable cause.
Any questions, please get in touch.
Gordon Smith (Outdoor Education Officer)
Gordon.Smith@scotborders.gov.uk
STEM Professional Learning Survey
Dear colleague
Help shape the future of STEM professional learning by completing our online survey. The survey should take 7 mins to complete and will close on Monday 18 Dec 2023.
Education Scotland is inviting practitioners across Scotland to complete our latest Annual STEM (sciences, technologies, engineering and mathematics) Professional Learning Survey. The information you provide will help to improve access to high-quality STEM professional learning across Scotland. This year’s survey is especially important as it will help us measure the overall impact of the STEM Strategy since it was launched in 2017. It will also inform the development of the next phase of national support for STEM, beyond the lifetime of the current strategy.
Who should complete this survey?
Separate surveys have been developed for specific sectors. You should only complete one of the surveys below.
Practitioners in early learning and childcare, primary, additional support needs, secondary (all subject areas, including those not normally associated with STEM) are invited to complete this survey:
https://forms.office.com/e/Vr7pw5fAx3
School-based technical support staff are invited to complete this survey:
https://forms.office.com/e/dJGEZaQ8GL
Community learning and development practitioners are invited to complete this survey:
https://forms.office.com/e/V6Bctm5NBH
Did you know?
- The findings from all previous STEM surveys are available on Education Scotland’s National Improvement Hub:https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/a-summary-of-stem-resources/
- Survey responses have shaped decisions about the £4.5 million of STEM grant funding that has been allocated by Education Scotland since 2018 – benefitting over 80,000 practitioners in ELC, schools and CLD sectors.
- Education Scotland has shared the anonymised survey findings widely with many STEM providers (colleges, universities, science centres, STEM organisations) to help them plan and shape their professional learning offer to meet the needs of practitioners.
Please take a few minutes to complete the STEM survey. Your response will enable a wide range of STEM organisations get their professional learning offer right for you and your setting. The survey data will also support our efforts to make Scotland a leading #STEMnation.
Laura McCafferty
National Education Officer for Raising Aspirations in Science/STEM Education (RAiSE)
@RAiSEScotland
NEW National Coaching Offer
Please see links for information regarding a NEW national coaching offer for practitioners working in schools and settings.