Category Archives: Skills

Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

Thought Piece: Is Group Work Being Overused?

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Ann McLean – Biology/Science Teacher and Professional Learning Development Officer

Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning: Professional Actions Educational contexts and current debates in policy, education and practice

I discovered this short article recently on twitter and  found it really compelling. It made me stop and reflect on how I actually use group work activities in my classroom. We’re all familiar with the benefits  of group work  and appreciate how our students can effectively  build knowledge  using their own language and experiences to express their ideas.

What about the disadvantages however?  Is it all about talking or is there a place for quiet thought ? Is group work overused?

Click on the image below to access this article.

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2014/sep/21/group-work-school-quiet-reflection

Interdisciplinary learning, Literacy, Responsibility of All, Self-Reflection, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

Vocabulary Working Group

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Brooke Gordon – English Teacher and Literacy Development Officer

2.1 Learners’ Experiences

5.1 The Curriculum, 5.3 Meeting Learning Needs and 5.9 Improvements Through Self-Evaluation

I’ve recently taken on the post of Literacy Development Officer. As part of my post I decided to focus on improving and supporting the learning and teaching of vocabulary across the curriculum. My aim is to encourage different approaches to the teaching of, and rich learning of, new vocabulary (see my Prezzi which can be accessed by clicking the above picture). With support from Laura Compton, I have created a learning group on GLOW which acts as a discussion board for myself and some colleagues to share and try new ideas, as well as reflect upon the effectiveness of different strategies.

Using this platform has been a huge learning curve for all of us, but I feel it is an effective way to support one another as we move through our own enhanced pedagogy. We are able to share resources as well as ask questions and advice as we devise and develop our ideas throughout the year.

The research I carried out regarding the learning of vocabulary was very interesting and and I have found that working with colleagues from Murrayfield Language Centre has also helped me to channel my ideas. I then linked these ideas to the Literacy Framework and Pathways and presented this project to a handful of colleagues from across the authority. Moving forward, we hope to continue supporting one another and offering advice as the year progresses.

Skills, Teaching Pedagogy, Uncategorized, Vision and Leadership

Ukulele in the Classroom

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Siobhan Cardow – Music Teacher

2.1  Learners’ Experiences

5.1 The Curriculum and 5.9 Improvement Through Self-Evaluation

With changes in SQA, the ukulele is now an approved instrument at National level.  This is a new and exciting instrument which pupils enjoy playing and was introduced into schools across Scotland in August 2013.  In the last year, I have attended a ukulele workshop at the Fringe Festival and expanded on my knowledge of SQA requirements whilst building upon my skills on this instrument at Scottish Association for Mucis Education (SAME) conferences and other CPD events, in order to effectively teach this instrument.  The music department ordered a class set as part of the S1 and S2 Music courses and this has led to pupils performing on the ukulele at National 4/5 levels.  It has become so popular in the department that the ukulele club is also running for the second year in a row.  It provides pupils with the challenge and enjoyment of learning an instrument as well as the opportunity to become a further part of the school, meet young people from various year groups and work with others.

GIRFEC, Skills

Autistic Spectrum Disorders Training

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Colette Brennan – PTC Pupil Support

Society and Education in particular is constantly evolving within Curriculum for Excellence. Teachers are now more than ever required to be not only subject specialists but also attuned to the individual needs of the class members through GIRFEC.  Ensuring that pupils experience a curriculum within the class setting which is accessible and relevant to their needs whilst setting appropriate attainment targets to ensure that potential is reached in the subject.

In order to enhance the provision that St Margaret’s Academy provides Laura Watson, Lorraine Shaw and I were asked to attend Autistic Spectrum Disorders Training with West Lothian Council. The Local Authority aim is for individual schools to have trained staff to assist and support classroom teachers in their work with individuals in this category. Continue reading Autistic Spectrum Disorders Training →

Responsibility of All, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

Smartphones in Education

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Mr Varty – Biology/Science Teacher

Recently I was having a look through the Professional Development Edmodo Community and I stumbled across “Smartphones in Education”, a free emagazine. This provide a detailed look at why and how smartphones and other technologies should be integrated in education.

The resource contains loads of lesson ideas and strategies that I know will help me make better use of our Anytime Anywhere Learning  network that we are lucky to have available to us.

http://flip.it/oqGij

Continue reading Smartphones in Education →

Health and wellbeing, Skills

HWB INSET 6th May, 2014

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Diane Plenderleith, Art and Design

Following on from the success of last year’s HWB INSET, staff requested if I would provide a similar CPD opportunity this session. I gladly agreed, eager to share in the same experience as last year. Staff were provided with a canvas, of various sizes, water-colours and acrylic paints then left to their own devises, to freely paint whatever was in their mind, heart, imagination or from a source as the case may be. Continue reading HWB INSET 6th May, 2014 →

Responsibility of All, Self-Reflection, Skills, Vision and Leadership

Senior Phase Benchmarking Tool (SPBT) Workshop

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John Slavin – PTC Mathematics

Catherine Kerr PTC Science gave a presentation on the new Senior Phase Benchmarking Tool on the 6th December in St. Margaret’s Academy. The new SPBT will be used in place of the STACs which recorded the SQA results.

There are several major differences in the two systems. The new SPBT will have 7 categories, four national and three local ones.

The overall presentation is much more visual than STACs. The home page shows the dashboard which has the four national measures, based on the national priorities. It is called a dashboard to emphasise the interconnectedness of the measures.

Continue reading Senior Phase Benchmarking Tool (SPBT) Workshop →

Self-Reflection, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy, This is our Faith

CREDL PgCert Qualification (Religious Education by Distance Learning )

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Jane Laurie – Biology/Science Teacher

After finishing my PGDE in 2011, I decided that my studying days weren’t over yet and I applied for the CREDL course at the. CREDL is a Post Graduate certificate in Religious Education that is completed by distance learning. It allows practitioners to teach RE in Catholic schools.

What the Course Entailed

The CREDL course was completed online and involved a great deal of discussion with the tutors at the University of Glasgow. There were two modules and each was made up of 8 sections. These sections included a plethora of interesting questions and readings to be completed. At the end of each section I was asked to choose two questions and discuss my opinions via email with my tutor. Initially I thought this was going to be intimidating, as I was opening myself up to a very qualified university tutor, however it was completely the opposite, it gave me the chance to reflect on what my opinions and values actually are.  Continue reading CREDL PgCert Qualification (Religious Education by Distance Learning ) →

Interdisciplinary learning, Skills

Science in Industry

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Collette MacAllister – Chemistry Teacher

Having worked in the semiconductor industry for 18 years prior to joining the teaching profession, I was keen to share my experiences not only with my own pupils but with fellow teachers and pupils out with my own classes. When chatting to two of the Physics teachers they mentioned that semiconductors was a topic within the Higher Physics course and asked if I would mind sharing my experience in this industry with their pupils and with them.

In the classroom the pupils learn about the device Physics (specifically n-channel enhanced MOSFET ) whereas my experience was in the manufacturing of many integrated circuit devices. I aimed to complement the theory taught in the class room to make this microscopic topic tangible and allow the pupils to see its real life application.

The pupils were keen to hear about the extensive travelling around the world that this line in work had taken me : from the UK, through mainland Europe ( France, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg to name but a few), through the US (from Washington State to Arizona) to Asia. Continue reading Science in Industry →

Responsibility of All, Self-Reflection, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

Developing Independent Learning Skills

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Keith Varty – Biology/Science Teacher  

During the recent  staff meeting I organised a short CPD workshop to support Learning and Teaching of the Senior Phase.   This workshop focussed on Developing Independent Learning Skills and aimed to share strategies that help the young people of St. Margaret’s Academy become  independent learners.  Although I knew that I foster these skills in the young people in my classes, I did not feel like an expert.  As a result, I decided that during this workshop staff would have the opportunity to work independently through this PowerPoint presentation before having the opportunity to discuss any questions that arose. 

I then provided a demonstration of how I make use of the virtual learning platform that is Edmodo, to  give pupils more responsibility for their learning.  This involvedshowing staff how I:

  • Share topical science news articles and videos
  • Share Smartboard presentations used in class
  • Publisce deadlines
  • Create quizzes to consolidate learning
  • Set an array of homework acticities from which pupils chose their focus
  • Provide feedback on homeworks and assessments
  • Support learners outwith the classroom
  • Share research tasks with the class for peer-assessment Continue reading Developing Independent Learning Skills →