Global Citizenship

April 19th, 2012

School Open Day – Kinnaird Primary School, Falkirk Council

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: CPD, democracy, enterprise, europe, events, Fairtrade, learner voice, school improvement
 : Categories CPD, citizenship, curriculum areas, europe, expressive arts, health and wellbeing, international, languages, leadership, learner voice, mathematics, primary schools, religious and moral education, sciences, sharing practice, social studies, sustainable development, technologies

School open day – Wed 23rd May 2012

Since opening in August 2007, Kinnaird Primary School has demonstrated a strong commitment to Global Citizenship. It was the first school in Falkirk to achieve Fairtrade status, has achieved two ECO Schools green flags, Falkirk Council’s International Education Awards (Stage 2) and the British Council Intermediate Level Developing Internationalism Award, in addition to Falkirk Council’s Platinum Level Enterprise Education Award.

Download programme for open day>>

Programme

9.30    Registration and Coffee

9.45    Welcome and introduction by Pamela Adamson, Headteacher

10.00    Tour of school

                 Participants given tour of school by pupils/staff in small groups, including visits to classes

11.00    Coffee break

11.30    Presentation about the school’s journey (Pamela Adamson and pupils)

12.00    Informal question and answer session

12.30    Lunch

13.15    Presentation by Megan Farr, Policy Officer, outlining the work Falkirk Council Education Services do  to support and promote Global Citizenship in schools

13.30    Reflection and professional dialogue

                Participants exchange ideas and reflect on personal experience in the light of the visit

14.45    Close

If you wish to register for this Open Day, please contact Megan Farr on 01324 506671 or megan.farr@falkirk.gov.uk

March 29th, 2012

Europe and inter-generational solidarity

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories ICT, creativity, europe, expressive arts, health and wellbeing, international, technologies

2012 is the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, and celebrates the contribution that older people make to life and society. One aspect of this theme is the quality of the relationship and interaction between the different generations in society, and among the initiatives addressing this theme are two which will interest teachers.

The European People’s Party has launched a Film competition for young people in the European Union aged under 30 years old. It invites them to create a film on the theme of ‘Solidarity between generations’, to last just one minute – short and focused. The rules and application process are online, and the closing date is 15th May.

Another opportunity for Schools is the Life Story Challenge, run by the new generations@school project. This competition asks young European citizens to work with older people to collect stories about people’s lives, and then share these through the project website using text, images, audio and video. There is a particular emphasis on gathering material through activities around 29th April, the European Day of Inter-generational Solidarity, but uploads can be made until 30th June. 

Such competitions offer a chance for students to demonstrate their creativity, film-making and communication skills, and some understanding of inter-generational issues.

March 28th, 2012

Enterpreneurial skills education across Europe

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags: Tags: entrepreneurship education
 : Categories europe, international, social studies

The European Commission’s Eurydice unit has published ‘Entrepreneurship Education at School in Europe’. This thematic report is a useful summary of the current position of education for entrepreneurial skills in schools across the European Union, providing both an overview and descriptions of the position in individual member states.

Scotland is in a strong position, having undertaken years of extra activity through the broad ’Determined to Succeed’ Enterprise education programme and also implemented a new curriculum framework . Organisations such as Young Enterprise Scotland and EthCo continue to work with schools to promote the Enterprise agenda and help our young people become enterprising, ethical global citizens.

Two of the categories in the Scottish Education Awards 2012 relate to Enterprise activity in Primary and Secondary schools, and these awards continue to expose excellent practice in many Scottish establishments.

March 22nd, 2012

School Open Day at Bo’ness Academy

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: CPD, europe, events, modern languages, school improvement
 : Categories CPD, china, commonwealth, curriculum areas, europe, expressive arts, health and wellbeing, international, languages, mathematics, religious and moral education, sciences, secondary schools, sharing practice, social studies, technologies

School open day - using international education to develop a whole school approach to global citizenship

Venue: Bo’ness Academy, Falkirk

9:30am – 3.00pm

Thursday 17th May 2012

Note: this event was due to place at an earlier date in the year but has now been rescheduled for the date above.

Theme:  International Education

This CPD event offers practitioners and school leaders an exciting opportunity to visit Bo’ness Academy and attend Falkirk Council’s Global Citizenship Showcase Event.

Bo’ness Academy is an inspiring example of a school that has used international education as a vehicle to engage the whole school in global citizenship activities. Through the Comenius Programme and other well established links the school has developed a rich international programme connecting it to countries across the world including: The Gambia, The Netherlands, China, France, Germany and The Czech Republic.

A focus of the event will be to identify and share the practical lessons and ideas that have helped the school move forward on its journey including: 

• Making global citizenship a key priority in the school and a focus for the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence
• Using international links to explore important issues in a global context and to create engaging, meaningful and challenging learning experiences
• Developing strong international partnerships which can be sustained and which have made an impact on every learner.

Participants will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the Head Teacher, International Coordinator, staff and learners and also tour the classrooms and school. Time will also be set aside for participants to reflect and share their own experiences.

Download Programme for Bo’ness Academy Open Day 17May12

How to book

To book, please contact Megan Farr, Policy Officer, Falkirk Council. Email: megan.farr@falkirk.gov.uk or Tel. 01324 506671.

Places for the open day section of the event are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. This is a free event!

March 22nd, 2012

Students model the UN

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags: Tags: united nations
 : Categories international, languages, learner voice, secondary schools, sharing practice, social studies

This March weekend the Model United Nations programme takes place in Edinburgh, organised and hosted by George Watson’s College. This annual event brings together hundreds of senior pupils and teachers, not just from Scotland and the UK but also groups from Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Norway. 

The students take on the role of delegations to the United Nations, and work through a series of debates and deliberations to address key issues faced by the international community. It is a great example of global citizenship education in practice, encouraging consideration of global issues, democratic participation, and intercultural exchange. Students research, present and discuss topical subjects, demonstrating their abilities as effective communicators.

Afterwards: a news piece about MUN appeared in the Edinburgh Napier News. Congratulations to all the participants and the organising team at George Watson’s.

March 15th, 2012

TED-ED education videos

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories ICT, citizenship, creativity, international

The not-for-profit organisation TED is best known for outstanding videos called TED Talks, which disseminate new ideas on subjects such as technological developments and shifts in society. Now the organisation has launched a new education initiative TED-ED, which includes a dedicated education channel on YouTube.

This channel already includes some great video assets for Global Citizenship education, with expert teachers, communicators and animators creating videos which explain important concepts and issues. My current favourites are a piece on how Pandemics spread, and another on the impact of Containerisation in the trend towards globalisation. This bank of high-quality educational digital content will continue to build up, as new clips are added, and forms a valuable resource for teachers looking for a stimulating supplement to school lessons and class work.

March 12th, 2012

Commonwealth Day 2012

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories citizenship, commonwealth, games and sport, international

Today is Commonwealth Day, a chance to celebrate a global diverse community of nations and peoples with different cultures and beliefs. The theme for 2012 events is ‘Connecting Cultures’ and the day is being marked in many ways, including these:

Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and there is a growing sense of excitement in the city as the Games get closer. Games Legacy organisers and supporters have joined together to promote the ‘Sport your trainers’ campaign and a fitter, healthier lifestyle. (this author is eating an apple and tying up his trainers ready to go out, so the campaign is making progress!). One example: here are students at Anderson High School in Lerwick, Shetland, proudly displaying their commitment to the campaign.

Scottish singer Anne Lennox will be taking part in celebrations at the Scottish Parliament, and commenting on international work to address the problem of HIV/AIDS.

The BBC website has an article titled “Commonwealth of Nations ‘the club of the 21st century’“, which comments on the role of this international organisation and its appeal to countries applying to join as new members. The Commonwealth has grown beyond its roots in the British Empire and territories, and now provides a wider forum for networking and exchange which assists development and growth.

March 8th, 2012

International Women’s Day

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags: Tags: women
 : Categories citizenship, international

Thursday 8th March is International Women’s Day 2012. Events were held around the UK and in many countries to mark the occasion, with a focus on celebrating achievements and challenging discrimination and stereotypes based on gender. There’s plenty of global citizenship education opportunities around this theme, such as discussion about jobs, careers and roles in society. Among the activities taking place in Scotland for IWD are these:

The Take One Action film festival honoured IWD with special showings of the film ‘Bitter Seeds’, which tells the story of a young Indian woman and her efforts to publicise problems with agricultural production and globalisation in her community.

The Scottish Parliament held a gathering of women to share a discussion about the value and importance of lifelong learning.

And a BBC Scotland news piece reports on the launch of a project to celebrate the life of Mary Barbour, a Glaswegian community activist.

March 1st, 2012

World Book Day 2012

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories international, languages

World Book Day is an opportunity for global citizenship education, as pupils and the public around the world join in a shared celebration of the joy of reading books and writing stories. Teachers can introduce learners to the work of foreign authors, and explore the different perspectives offered by ‘voices’ from another country or background. Readers can also be encouraged to reflect on the similarities and differences between countries and why these exist.

There will be author events, book festivals, readings from selected works, activities in public libraries, and much more. For example, BBC Scotland and the Scottish Book Trust collaborated to run online Author sessions with children’s author Francesca Simon (an American), webcast through the Glow network to schools.

A BBC news story, ‘Boys now reading as well as girls, study suggests’, reports on new research which indicates that the reading ability of boys and girls has become much closer over the last few years. Literacy education and reading programmes have contributed to this trend.

February 29th, 2012

The Daily What News – School Journalist of the Year competition

kmayer

Comments: none Tags: Tags: learner voice
 : Categories citizenship, creativity, international, languages

Have a go at being a reporter for a chance to win a prize for your school and a family ticket to Edinburgh Zoo!

The search is on for the next generation of news reporters.

‘The Daily What News’ annual journalism competition for Scottish schools has been launched, giving you the chance to see your writing published on our website, and to win some fantastic prizes!

Pupils 16 or under are invited to submit an original news report (200 – 400 words) on something that is going on in your school or local area. It could be about something exciting, like a new cinema opening up; sad, like a school closing down; or weird, like an exotic insect turning up in your granny’s cornflakes.

Submission deadline:   22 March 2012

For more information visit:  The Daily What News –  School Journalist of the Year Competition