Global Citizenship

January 27th, 2012

Whitelees Primary School - Open Day

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: climate and energy, CPD, enterprise, events, Fairtrade, learner voice, nature, school improvement
 : Categories CPD, biodiversity, citizenship, community, curriculum areas, learner voice, outdoor learning, primary schools, renewables and climate change, sharing practice, sustainable development

School open day

Whitelees Primary School, North Lanarkshire Council

9:30am – 3.00pm, Monday 20^th February 2012

Theme: Sustainable Development Education

This event was originally due to take place on 8^th December 2011 but had to be cancelled due to the severe storms. It has now been rescheduled for Monday 20^th February 2012.

Whitelees Primary School hit the headlines in 2011 when it became the first primary school to be awarded five ‘excellent’ grades by the school inspectors. This isn’t the first time their achievements have made news. The school’s accolades and awards include:

• Finalist, Scottish Education Awards - Sustainable School category (2011)
• Best Green School Award (2009)
• Winner, Scottish Education Awards – Best Enterprise category (2008)
• Four Green Flags, Eco-Schools Scotland.

A key factor in the school’s success has been the way it has placed global citizenship and sustainable development education at the heart of the curriculum to provide exciting, relevant and engaging contexts for learning. This has helped to create, ‘Highly motivated, confident and ambitious children who are keen to learn and to make a difference in school and the wider community.’

This CPD event offers practitioners and school leaders from across Scotland the chance to visit Whitelees Primary School to meet with the Head Teacher, staff and learners and also tour the classrooms, buildings and grounds. A focus of the event will be to identify and share the practical lessons and ideas that have helped the school develop a successful whole school approach to sustainability and global citizenship including:

• A sustained commitment to pupil voice with learners being given real opportunities to shape the curriculum and school decision making
• Effective use of the school grounds, nature and vegetable gardens to support outdoor learning and deliver the curriculum
• The inspiring pupil rock band which has achieved notable success through their songs about fair trade and climate change.

Those participating in the open day will also have time to reflect and share their own experiences.

Click here to download programme for open day

How to book

To book, please email: [email protected] or Tel. 0141 282 5172.

Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. This is a free event!

December 9th, 2011

SEweb - Scotland’s Environment Website

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: climate and energy, community, events, nature, research, resources, water, waterways
 : Categories ICT, biodiversity, community, outdoor learning, sciences, scottish culture, social studies, sustainable development, technologies

For the first time, everything you want to know about Scotland’s environment will now be available at the touch of a button on a new website provided by Scotland’s key environment and health agencies.

Scotland’s Environment Web – named SEweb – aims to be the gateway to everything you want to know about Scotland’s environment. This three year project, supported by funding from the European Union, will put Scotland at the global forefront of sharing environmental information, prioritising problems and involving citizens in assessing and improving their own environment.

Features of SEweb will include:

Visit the website at: http://www.environment.scotland.gov.uk/default.aspx

December 9th, 2011

Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable World

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: CPD, resources
 : Categories CPD, biodiversity, citizenship, community, outdoor learning, sustainable development

Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future is a multimedia teacher education programme published by UNESCO. It contains 100 hours (divided into 27 modules) of professional development for use in pre-service teacher courses as well as the in-service education of teachers, curriculum developers, education policy makers, and authors of educational materials.

There are over 60 million teachers in the world. Each one is a key agent for bringing about the changes in values and lifestyles we need. Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future will enable teachers to plan learning experiences that empower their students to work creatively with others to help bring their visions of a better world into effect.

Find out more about the programme.

Download resources and modules.

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 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

Pupils urged to get creative for conservation

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: nature
 : Categories biodiversity, outdoor learning, scottish culture, sustainable development

http://www.nts.org.uk/designcompetition

Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland is asking secondary schools pupils to design an interactive, environmentally-themed game to take out on the road next summer.

The Trust launched its competition at Ben Lomond near Drymen, Scotland’s most southerly Munro. Ben Lomond is one of the most popular mountains in Scotland, with around 30,000 walkers of all ages visiting it each year. Helping Trust staff at the launch were pupils from Drymen Primary, who were photographed doing their best to try and figure out some initial ideas.

The Ben Lomond Design Competition challenges teams of pupils to invent a portable, interactive game which is easy to set up and explain, is fun for all ages and which highlights how we need to conserve our environment.

The Trust hopes that the new family activity will raise awareness of its work to care for Scotland’s countryside and wildlife.

There are a range of prizes on offer, including Amazon vouchers for school equipment, iTunes vouchers and of course, the winning entry will be used week-in week-out by the Ben Lomond team on their travels.

For full information and an entry pack visit: http://www.nts.org.uk/designcompetition

November 7th, 2011

Dynamic Youth Awards and Eco-Schools

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: news, resources
 : Categories biodiversity, community, outdoor learning, renewables and climate change, sustainable development

Accrediting the achievements of individual Eco Committee members

Youth Scotland have worked together with Eco-Schools Scotland to produce a booklet designed to support members of a school’s Eco Committee to receive accreditation for their individual achievements. Young people complete the relevant sections of their booklet as they work through the Eco-Schools programme. The booklet has two aims: (1) to support young people to collect evidence which will be used for them to gain a Dynamic Youth Award, and (2) to strengthen the Eco Committee’s work towards Eco-Schools’ targets. The individuals receive a Dynamic Youth Award, which recognises the responsibility level they took as well as their achievements.

Schools wishing to use the booklets should email: [email protected]. There is further information at: http://www.youthscotland.org.uk/projects/dynamic-youth/understanding-the-award/eco-committees.htm

November 7th, 2011

New Outdoor Learning Resources

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: CPD, nature, resources, school improvement
 : Categories CPD, outdoor learning, sustainable development

Building your Curriculum: Outside and In

As an active and productive pedagogy, outdoor learning is an integral part of good practice within learning and teaching. Planning for regular, frequent learning outdoors ensures that progressive and sustainable outdoor learning opportunities are embedded in the curriculum and that they form a central part of the vision and ethos of the school or centre.

Building your Curriculum: Outside and In supports a strategic approach to the development of outdoor learning and provides a framework and process for collaborative planning and review. Click here to view resource.

Outdoor Learning: Practical guidance, ideas and support for teachers and practitioners in Scotland

This resource provides practical, accessible and straightforward advice on how to engage children and young people with learning outdoors. It incorporates ideas for organising learning in the outdoors, for making connections across the curriculum and for planning within curriculum areas. It also includes a CPD framework and supporting materials.

October 26th, 2011

Teaching in Nature: How going local into nature changes learning

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: CPD, nature, research
 : Categories CPD, outdoor learning, primary schools, secondary schools, sharing practice, sustainable development

http://teachinginnature.stir.ac.uk/index.html

Take a group of teachers, introduce them to the wonders of a local natural place and then leave them to do what they do best. The results? Exciting, creative and motivating cross-curricular outdoor learning opportunities for pupils – and teachers who are confidently using the site across the curriculum!

Last year four groups of teachers met with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) National Nature Reserve (NNR) managers to learn about the natural and cultural features that make their site special. Over the course of the school year these teachers, from early years, primary, secondary and special schools, worked collaboratively to develop activities for their classes to do on these sites and test them out. Find out more about the project from the teachers and pupils themselves at http://teachinginnature.stir.ac.uk/index.html

A report on the project was written by educational researchers from the University of Stirling, who provided invaluable support and insight throughout the project. This is available at:

http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research/publications/search-the-catalogue/publication-detail/?id=1839.

October 18th, 2011

Open Day CPD event - Hamilton Grammar School

mfarrell

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories CPD, biodiversity, citizenship, community, curriculum areas, international, outdoor learning, secondary schools, sharing practice, sustainable development

Date and time: 9:30am – 3.30pm, Tuesday 22 November 2011

Theme: An integrated approach to global citizenship

Who should attend: teachers, principal teachers, curriculum leaders and senior managers; those leading, or seeking to lead a whole school global citizenship initiative; co-ordinators for global citizenship, sustainable development education and international education in schools or local authorities.

This CPD event offers practitioners and school leaders an opportunity to visit Hamilton Grammar. Now onto its 4th Eco Schools Green Flag Award, the school is an inspiring example of the way in which global citizenship can be embedded in the curriculum in a secondary context in a sustained way.

From small beginnings over the past ten years Hamilton Grammar School has developed, and continues to push forward, its World View agenda. With its roots in environmental education, the school’s World View now encompasses health promotion, international education, citizenship and enterprise. The World View agenda occupies a significant place in the school’s improvement plan and is integral to the way it is taking forward Curriculum for Excellence. Activities involved in this ambitious agenda have helped the school

• develop pupil voice;
• provide opportunities for interdisciplinary learning;
• provide a richer learning experience for pupils through active learning and the development of outdoor learning spaces in and adjacent to the school grounds;
• led to opportunities for wider achievement, at whole school, stage and individual levels, for example, through the John Muir Award for S1 pupils.

The aim of the event is to identify and share the practical lessons and ideas that have helped the school move forward in its journey towards a whole school approach to global citizenship within Curriculum for Excellence – and also to reflect on the challenges encountered along the way. Fundamental to the event will be the professional dialogue and exchange of ideas that takes place on the day, enabling participants to network, reflect on their own practice and develop intentions for improvement in their own context. With this in mind, participants are encouraged to join the Leadership of Global Citizenship online community and share their reflections - although this is not compulsory!

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

How to book

To book, please email: [email protected] or Tel. 0141 282 5172.

Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. This is a free event!

Download the Programme here

Follow this link to take part in the optional reflection activities

This is one of a series of open day events organised by Education Scotland’s Developing Global Citizenship Team. View the full programme of open day events here>>