Global Citizenship

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

February 9th, 2012

Falkirk Council DGC Showcase and open day at Bo’ness Academy

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: CPD, europe, events, modern languages, school improvement
 : Categories CPD, Uncategorized, china, citizenship, curriculum areas, early years, europe, expressive arts, health and wellbeing, international, languages, leadership, mathematics, modern languages, primary schools, religious and moral education, sciences, secondary schools, sharing practice, social studies, sustainable development, technologies

Falkirk Council global citizenship showcase and school open day

Venue: Bo’ness Academy, Falkirk

9:30am – 3.00pm

This event will now take place on Thursday 17th May 2012

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.

Following the open day event, participants will also have the opportunity to attend Falkirk Council’s Global Citizenship Showcase event which will also be taking place in Bo’ness Academy from 4pm – 6pm. This will feature exhibitions and displays from leading organisations such as Eco-Schools Scotland and the British Council and will showcase innovative global citizenship practice from many Falkirk schools.

How to book

To book, please contact Megan Farr, Policy Officer, Falkirk Council. Email: [email protected] 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!

Download programme for Bo’ness Academy Open Day >>

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).

October 28th, 2011

Travelling Green

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: action, climate and energy, resources
 : Categories ICT, expressive arts, games and sport, health and wellbeing, languages, sciences, social studies, sustainable development

Travelling Green is a 6 week walking project which aims to encourage as many children as possible to change their method of travel to and from school, by increasing active commuting (walking) to school.

Travelling Green is an interdisciplinary project focusing on Health and Wellbeing with links to Science, Social Studies, Expressive Arts, Technologies and Languages.

Children learn about walking time and distance, they chart their progress to a more active journey to school and learn about healthy eating, why walking is good for them and how to stay safe on the walk to school.

Who is it aimed at?

Travelling Green is aimed at P5s (9 year olds) in primary schools in Scotland, but it can also be used in composite classes.

What can it achieve?

Increases in overall physical activity. Setting realistic, individual, achievable physical activity targets.

What’s new with Travelling Green?

Sustrans has developed new, free, eye-catching interactive whiteboard flipcharts that can be used with any interactive whiteboard. The flipcharts complement the paper resource pack and provide more opportunities for engagement in the classroom. You can download the interactive resources for free from the Promethean Planet partnership pages.

More info is available on the Sustrans website.

September 19th, 2011

Film and Global Citizenship

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags: Tags: cinema, film
 : Categories ICT, africa, international, languages, modern languages, social studies

Global Citizenship teaching and learning within ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ can benefit from the thoughtful, selective and informed use of Film. Many teachers will have their students watch chosen extracts or entire movies, films picked carefully which cover themes or narratives which will add to the knowledge and understanding of their students. Working with films also enables students to acquire and deepen skills in research, critical analysis and media literacy, helping them to handle different sources of information, form and communicate informed viewpoints.

In Scotland we are lucky to have a number of cinema festivals and venues which enable teachers to work with films about global citizenship issues and films from other countries which offer different and diverse viewpoints.

The Take One Action film festival begins today in Edinburgh and Glasgow and runs for the next two weeks. It offers a wide range of movies about global issues such as land, poverty, climate change, food, conflict and much more. There are documentaries and dramas, and many showings are complemented by themed audience discussions, interviews with film-makers and NGOs, etc. I’ve picked out just three of the films on offer, which may have particular use in school: ’Fezeka’s Voice‘, about an inspirational teacher and musicians from South Africa; ‘Blood in the mobile’, about child labour and mineral extraction in Congo; and ‘There once was an island’, about climate change in Polynesia. For full details of the films show dates and associated activities, check the Take One Action website.

Independent Film venues often host parts of such annual film festivals, but also run their own extensive programmes of film showings which expose teachers and students to alternative perspectives. Glasgow Film Theatre, Edinburgh’s Filmhouse, and Dundee Contemporary Arts are all active in this regard, and teachers should contact their nearest venue for advance programme details which may include special showings for schools (with associated educational elements) or teacher CPD sessions.

These independent venues are also imaginative in working with partners to develop their own festivals and seasons of films which focus on a particular theme. Two examples:

- Filmhouse hosts the ‘Africa in Motion’ festival in early November, running a series of films and events which deal with the lives and issues of young people in Africa. The films include shorts, animations, fiction and documentaries.

- The Discovery Film Festival takes place at DCA in Dundee, and its schools programme runs from 22nd October to 6th November. There are teacher CPD sessions alongside the film programme.

Many venues also take part in National Schools Film Week, which for Scotland in 2011 will be from 27th October to 4th November.

August 19th, 2011

Scots can talk

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags: Tags: debating
 : Categories citizenship, international, languages

This week the World Schools Debating Championships are taking place in Dundee, bringing students from around the world to Scotland to compete. BBC Scotland’s news story ‘Pupils debating in world schools championship’ describes the opening of the event, and the Times Educational Supplement Scotland article ‘Scots vie for world debating title’ provides additional coverage.

It’s good to see Scotland hosting the event, playing a role in facilitating international dialogue and intercultural exchange, exposing hundreds of overseas visitors to the delights of this country. And it’s also great to see Scottish young people competing at such a high level, researching subjects, choosing an informed position, proving their worth as effective communicators by arguing with the best of them! Global citizens in the making.

Participants are updating a blog, so that others in Scotland and in their home countries can follow progress in the competition.

June 14th, 2011

Take One Action Film Festival

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: action, events, film
 : Categories citizenship, international, languages

Are you interested in great films that make a difference? Would you like to organise events in your local community?

Take One Action – Scotland’s global action cinema project – is organising its first youth film festival residency for young people aged 16-21 and their educators/youth workers at the MacRobert Centre in Stirling, 2nd and 3rd Sept 2011.

Participants will have the chance to spend 2 days taking part in workshops led by internationally acclaimed film specialists and directors, and organisations such as Oxfam and The Co-operative.

By the end of the residency young people will leave with the knowledge and skills to host a film screening in your local area which will engage community members to “take one action” that might positively change how they live, think and act.

Contact Louisa by email on [email protected] to register your interest or visit the website at www.takeoneaction.org.uk/youngpeople/youthfestival

Download flyer: YouthResidency_Flyer