Global Citizenship

November 23rd, 2011

Human Rights and global citizenship

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags: Tags: human rights
 : Categories citizenship, international

Human Rights Day http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Day2011/Pages/HRD2011.aspx is coming up soon, on 10th December, and many teachers in Scotland will find some way to mark the occasion in school. If any Scottish teacher is doing something special this year to facilitate student learning about this aspect of global citizenship, let me know and I’ll write up some of the activities for this blog. [email protected]

Each year there are new resources available; one example is ’Learning through Film: Human Rights in Scotland’, a combined book and DVD teaching resource which secondary teachers could use to deliver workshops based on documentary films on human rights in Scotland. Each workshop is based on one of ten short specially made documentaries. With contributions by Scottish artists and filmmakers as diverse as the novelist Irvine Welsh, Oscar winner Tilda Swinton and Turner Prize winner Douglas Gordon, the resource aims to expand the students’ understanding of human rights and their skills in media literacy. A website ‘Learning through Film’ describes the resource, offers samples and availability information.

Well-respected charities such as the British Red Cross and Amnesty already have relevant teacher resources available online to support activity. This year Amnesty has given its campaign a focus on ‘Write for Rights’, asking young people to set up letter writing events, send cards, or take other creative actions.

November 23rd, 2011

Europe - the Charlemagne Prize

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags: Tags: european parliament
 : Categories citizenship, europe, international, social studies

The Charlemagne Youth Prize competition for 2011/12 has just been launched, and schools throughout Europe have been invited to submit an application before the deadline of 23rd January 2012. The Prize aims to recognise and encourage the development of European consciousness among young people, as well as their participation in European activities and programmes. Schools often have a wealth of global citizenship and international work underway with students, including curricular projects or activities with a European focus, and might consider making an entry.

The Prize is awarded to projects already undertaken by young people that foster understanding, promote the development of a shared sense of European identity, and offer practical examples of Europeans living together in one community. A jury in each EU member state will select a winning entry, and the European-level winners will then be selected from these 27 shortlisted projects. The three overall winners will get cash prizes and will be invited to visit the European Parliament in autumn 2012 for the award presentation. In addition, representatives of all the 27 national winners will be invited to a visit to Aachen, Germany, the home of the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen.

Schools considering an entry might benefit from looking at the work of previous shortlisted projects. The UK online lifestyle magazine “Europe and Me” won first prize in 2011. http://www.europeandme.eu/ The second and third prizes went to “Balkans beyond Borders”, a short-film project from Greece, and the “Escena Erasmus project in Spain about cultural and linguistic exchanges.

November 18th, 2011

Crofting Connections

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: community, food, nature, news, research
 : Categories biodiversity, community, creativity, curriculum areas, expressive arts, health and wellbeing, homecoming, languages, mathematics, outdoor learning, primary schools, religious and moral education, renewables and climate change, sciences, scottish culture, secondary schools, sharing practice, social studies, sustainable development, technologies

Crofting Connections is a 3-year long educational project which started in August 2009. It aims to enable over 1,200 young people aged 5 to 16 living in remote rural communities throughout the Highlands & Islands to learn about crofting past, present and future.

It is funded by HLF, SNH, LEADER, HIE and the Craignish Trust.

Its key outcomes for young people are for an increased:

• desire to live and work in their crofting communities.
• ability to keep crofting alive in the 21st century for the benefit of rural communities and the environment.
• development of Curriculum for Excellence‟ four capacities – successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.
• understanding of the need for locally produced, environmentally-friendly and healthy food based on low carbon principles.

The lead partners in the project are Soil Association Scotland and the Scottish Crofting Federation. To read more about this exciting project an about the impact it has had on learning teaching then download the Interim Report (you will need a Glow password to access this link).

November 17th, 2011

International Science competition with YouTube

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags: Tags: biology, physics, space
 : Categories ICT, international, sciences

The YouTube Space Lab http://www.youtube.com/spacelab?feature=etp-gs-space is an open competition inviting young people aged 14-18 to come up with an idea for a science experiment in space. Participants don’t actually have to do the experiment, they make a short video to describe and explain the idea, and then upload their video entry to the YouTube online service. Here their work will be evaluated by the judges and viewed by an international audience of millions.

Participants can work as individuals or in small teams to generate their idea and produce their video. The winning ideas will be conducted for real on the International Space Station (ISS), and broadcast live on YouTube for everyone to see. The overall winner will also get the chance to either watch the rocket take-off from Japan, or take a special astronaut training course in Russia when they reach the age of 18.

Given the wealth of talent in Scottish schools, it would be great to see a Scottish student achieve at this high level of international competition.

Full details on the Space Lab webpages. http://www.youtube.com/spacelab?feature=etp-gs-space The competition is accepting entries until 7th December 2011.

November 15th, 2011

DGC Glow Meet ‘Drop-in’ session

kmayer

Comments: 2 Comments » Tags: Tags: climate and energy, CPD, debating, events, learner voice, nature, resources
 : Categories CPD, citizenship, international, learner voice, primary schools, renewables and climate change, sharing practice, sustainable development

Theme: Developing Global Citizens – A whole school approach

Day: Tuesday, 6^th December

Time: 3.45pm – 4.45pm

Following the success of our first Glow drop-in event, the Developing Global Citizenship Team are once again making themselves available on our new Glow TV channel to share inspirational practice and ideas and also to answer any questions you may have about global citizenship. This is an informal session open to any practitioner or school leader in Scotland – just drop into the Glow meet to pick our brains, find out what’s coming up or tell us what you’re up to. If you missed the first one then click here to see how it works.

Our next session will focus on the potential of global citizenship education to inspire learning across the curriculum. Ann Kay, Head Teacher of award-winning Whitelees Primary School (the first to gain five excellent grades in their school inspection) will share how embedding global citizenship across the curriculum transformed the learning experiences and ethos in the school.

The session will open with a presentation from 3.45pm to 4.15pm on How to develop a whole school approach to global citizenship. An open floor Q & A/discussion session will follow from 4.20pm – 4.45pm.

Remember: It’s not a requirement, but if you join us with headphones or a webcam then it means we can have a good blether.

Watch the recording of this session - click on DGC Channel (2163)_4>>

November 15th, 2011

The Big Pedal Competition – pre-register your school now

imenzies

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories community, games and sport, renewables and climate change, sustainable development

http://thebigpedal.org.uk/

The Big Pedal is a virtual bike race where schools compete to get as many cyclists as possible to come to school by bike. In 2011, over 800 schools helped pedal over 600,000 journeys to school by bike in just 15 days. For 2012 the target is 1000 schools and 1 million journeys!

The race is open to every school in the UK and takes place between 5-23 March 2012. It is free to enter and there will be prizes. To guarantee your place in the race pre-register your school now.

November 11th, 2011

Anti-bullying week, 14 - 18 November

kmayer

Comments: none Tags: Tags: action, conflict, debating, learner voice, rights, sectarianism
 : Categories citizenship, health and wellbeing, religious and moral education

Anti-Bullying Week is an annual event organised by respectme, Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service. The week aims to raise awareness of bullying in and out of school, and highlight ways of preventing and responding to it.

The 2011 Anti-Bullying Week focuses on cyber-bullying. The campaign theme is based around the notion that ‘the internet is a place, not a thing’. Its core message will inform and educate adults about the internet being a social place that children and young people go to, and will reinforce the responsibility adults have to take an active interest and make sure that online environments are as safe as the places they visit in the ‘real’ world.

For more ideas and resources visit our ‘Resources Calendar’

November 9th, 2011

Get debating for St Andrew’s Day

mfarrell

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories citizenship, community, international, modern languages, scottish culture, sustainable development

On Monday 28^th November, the annual St Andrew’s Day debating championship will be held in the Scottish Parliament with students and senior pupils from universities and schools across Scotland competing in debating heats covering a range of issues important in today’s society. The Final will take place in the Debating Chamber chaired by the Presiding Officer with the opportunity to win the specially engraved Scottish Parliament Quaich. This year, for the first time, all schools across the country will be able to follow the progress of the competition on Glow throughout the day and then watch the final, streamed live on Glow TV. This is an exciting opportunity for pupils to get involved in a high quality debate and to learn more about debating.

Sign up here to follow the debate on Glow TV.

For more information on developing your own debates in school go to http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/debatinginschools/index.asp

November 8th, 2011

Enjoying the outdoors - attitudes and behaviour of young people in Scotland

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: nature, research
 : Categories outdoor learning, sustainable development

This report, Commisison by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), presents the findings of research undertaken in 2010/11 among a representative sample of young people, aged 11-17, living in Scotland, to establish their attitudes and behaviours towards enjoying the outdoors and participation in outdoor recreation activities. The research findings will be used by SHN and its partners to help develop a programme of work to promote wider participation among this audience.

November 8th, 2011

Scottish Borders - Global Citizenship Twilight

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: CPD, events, school improvement
 : Categories CPD, citizenship, early years, games and sport, international, primary schools, scottish culture, secondary schools, sharing practice, sustainable development

Global Citizenship and Eco-School Network

Learning community twilight session

This twilight CPD event for practitioners and local authority staff is the latest in a series of sessions to develop and strengthen professional learning communities and practitioner networks within the Scottish Borders.

Participants will have an opportunity for peer-to-peer sharing and reflection and will explore effective strategies for developing successful whole school approaches to global citizenship including international education, sustainable development education, education for citizenship and games legacy.

Those attending will also have the opportunity to learn about the opportunities for funding available to school learning communities to support mentoring, sharing and collaborative activities relating to global citizenship. Participants will also learn about the latest resources, free CPD events and exciting plans for 2012 (including Olympic Games and the Rio + 20 International Conference on Sustainability).

If you are any way involved or concerned with global citizenship and are looking for ideas and support then this is the event for you.

Who should attend?

Early years/primary/secondary school practitioners who are interested in/or have a remit for global citizenship, sustainable development education, Eco-Schools or other similar programmes. Also, local authority personnel with a responsibility for sustainability, waste, participation, energy and other related remits. Attendance at previous sessions isn’t a requirement.

Date and venue

Thursday 24^th November 2011

Committee Room 1, Council HQ

Newton St Boswells

16.30 – 18.30

Cost: Free

Facilitator

Ian Menzies, Development Officer, Developing Global Citizens Team, Education Scotland

To book

Contact Caroline Scott on Email: [email protected] or Tel 01835 825108