Tag Archives: Skills

Self-Reflection, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy, Uncategorized, Vision and Leadership

University of Stirling Professional Enquiry

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Laura Watson – Biology/Science Teacher

Postgraduate certificate – Professional enquiry

Over the last year I have undertaken a postgraduate certificate carrying out a professional enquiry at the University of Stirling. The first module in this course looked at professionalism in practice and involved researching and critiquing different aspects of current educational policy. The second module involved enquiring into ideas within current educational policy such as interdisciplinary learning, active learning, outdoor learning and technology enhanced learning. Both modules required us to undertake self study tasks, reading educational literature and carrying out tasks to critique this. These self study tasks informed the tasks that were carried out on the taught days, which took place once a month. During these taught days the tasks that were carried out provided us with an opportunity to carry out discussions with other members of the cohort. Continue reading University of Stirling Professional Enquiry →

Self-Reflection, Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

Felting CPD

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Diane Plenderleith – Art and Design

I decided to select Hat/Headgear design in order to enable pupils to apply the techniques and use the materials I had learned how to manipulate through my CPD. The results produced were fantastic and I feel pupils achieved better results and enjoyed studying hat/headgear design as a result. Included are examples of Headgear from 4 pupils who have added comments in support of their learning and achievements. Continue reading Felting CPD →

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

60 Seconds News Brief (IDL – Social Studies)

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Dermot Doherty – Social Subjects

Following the Inter disciplinary learning (IDL) review I began to think about my practice and look for lessons that may be IDL.

As part of the first year social studies course pupils create a 60 second news brief (Modern studies section).   I teach 3 groups of 1st years and did this lesson a few weeks ago with one set, it went well and pupils really enjoyed it.

I realised this lesson could be IDL with English as pupils are practising their extended writing skills, and after speaking to Mrs Neild in English she informed me pupils cover the 5w’s (Who, when, where, what, and why) when they do their own news reports. This link to English was strengthened by also covering the 5w’s as part of our task.


Continue reading 60 Seconds News Brief (IDL – Social Studies) →

Skills, Teaching Pedagogy

Co-operative Learning Strategies

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Alanna Petrie – English Department

Last year, as a probationer teacher, I often encountered the difficulty of making group work effective. When planning group activities I had imagined a class full of interrogative youngsters working together to achieve their lesson aim. This was not quite the reality. The problems I encountered were that the work was being done by only one or two of the group while the others sat back or, that pupils would quickly seize the opportunity to socialise rather than learn.

After trying a variety of group work strategies, I was introduced to co-operative learning.

The aim of co-operative learning is to ensure that when pupils are working in groups they are all focused on achieving their learning goal. It works because the strategies rely on every member of the group fulfilling their role to ensure the success of the team. Not only are these strategies a good way of making lessons active and enjoyable but they also help to develop two of the four capacities: successful learners and effective contributors. Continue reading Co-operative Learning Strategies →

Responsibility of All, Skills

S3 Profiling and the Profile – Progress Update

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Example profile

During the INSET day that took place on the 18th of September the Profile team and representatives from most curricular areas engaged in discussions where the next steps towards the creation of the S3 profile were agreed.  The next steps included:

  • Plans for completion of S3 profile using an amended version of the NAR pilot with a deadline of early December in time for the S3 Consultation meeting
  • More information would be shared with parents through the newsletter
  • S3 focus week on skills to gather information for pupils to understand their learning in terms of skill development Continue reading S3 Profiling and the Profile – Progress Update →
Responsibility of All, Uncategorized

S3 Profiling and the Profile – Presentation

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Frances Laing (Senior Head of House)

The  S3 Profiling and the Profile Presentation aimed to engage staff in the profiling process.  It aspired to share the key messages contained in building the curriculum 5 a framework for assessment about the profile and the process involved in producing it.  There is a requirement for pupils at key transition times to create a profile and our present S3 cohort will be our first year group to experience Broad General Education and move into the Senior Phase of the new curriculum.

We in our classes should be aware that for our young people to create this profile they have to experience opportunities in their day to day learning that allows them to reflect and  realise their achievements.  This is part of learning and teaching and should be ongoing through S1 to S3.  Below is an example of what this profile may look like.  Further information from Education Scotland can be located here.

Example profile

Responsibility of All, Teaching Pedagogy, Uncategorized, Vision and Leadership

Pets in the classroom

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Andy Wilson (TLC Dept), Maddy Quinn (TLC Dept) and Keith Varty (Biology/Science Department)

After watching a Horizon programme which focused on the theory that dogs evolved the way that they did in order to appeal to man and also studies linking the release of oxytocin in humans with working with dogs, Miss Wilson and Miss Quinn chose to do some professional reading of research describing the benefits of using pets in the classroom.  Some of this research claimed that school pets have been found to:

  • motivate pupils to think and to learn, as children have a high level of natural interest, enthusiasm and enjoyment of animals
  • encourage a respect and reverence for life in pupils and thereby improve their relationships with other pupils, parents and teachers
  • foster a sense of responsibility in children
  • teach children to nurture and respect life
  • improve academic achievement

Further research showing that teachers have also found therapeutic benefits for children with special needs and how pets in schools also have social benefits for the school community can be accessed here and here.

This professional reading led to Mrs Wilson and Mrs Quinn organising a day where Mr Varty would bring his well trained, placid dog Laika to the TLC to deliver a lesson focusing on the responsibilities of having a dog.  This lesson provided pupils with the opportunity to ask questions observe and participate in obedience training whilst continually interacting with Laika.

After reflection pupils made the following quotes about having a dog in the TLC for the day:

“It was very well trained and it was a very good feeling to have a dog in the class because she was very friendly.”

“It was a cool dog and it made me happy.”

” If we had a dog regularly in class it would make us more motivated”

” if we had a dog regularly in class it would make us more peaceful”

Teaching Pedagogy, Uncategorized

Active Learning using Tarsia cards in Science

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Mr Varty’s S2 Science class have recently been learning about plastics as part of the Chemistry Compounds unit that they have been completing.  One of the learning intentions from this lesson was that pupils should be able to identify the name of  a plastic when provided with the name of the monomer.  Pupils were formatively assessed using Tarsia cards that required pupils to work collaboratively with their peers to match the correct monomer to the polymer that it could form.  If successful each side of every triangle would have a correct match.  The following video shows two groups working on this activity.

Here is an example of one groups cards that were about to be formatively assessed.

Tarsia cards for any subject or activity can be made using the software from the following website that can be accessed by clicking here.