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 14th, 2011

The Great Climate Change Debate - Join us on Glow

imenzies

Comments: 2 Comments » Tags: Tags: climate and energy, events, nature
 : Categories citizenship, renewables and climate change, sciences, social studies, sustainable development, technologies

A series of interactive and lively Glow meets

In November this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change launched a report warning that climate change is likely to lead to more extreme weather. Within weeks of this launch, Scotland was battered by severe flooding and hurricane-force winds which brought much of the country to a standstill. Is our climate already changing? What will climate change mean for Scotland? How can we respond positively and adapt to the changes ahead?

We’re inviting your school to join the great climate change debate. We’ll be bringing together a panel of scientists and experts to answer questions, spark debate and discussion and help learners navigate their way through climate fact, fiction and controversy.

• Glow meet 1: Our changing weather and climate (23^rd Jan ’12)
• Glow meet 2: Climate science - evidence versus controversy (30^th Jan ’12)
• Glow meet 3: Adapting to climate change (6^th Feb ’12)

Each Glow meet will take place from 2pm to 3:00pm. These events will be targeted at learners in secondary schools and upper primary.

Please see links below for further details about each event:

GLOW MEET 1 Our changing weather and climate 23Jan12

GLOW MEET 2 Climate science evidence vs controversy 30Jan12

GLOW MEET 3 Adapting to climate change 6Feb12

Click here to view the recordings of these Glow meets >>

For resources and videos on climate change visit Weather and Climate Change, Exploring Climate Change and Climate Change on Glow.

December 9th, 2011

Last day at UN Climate Talks in Durban

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: action, climate and energy, poverty
 : Categories africa, citizenship, renewables and climate change, sciences, social studies, sustainable development, technologies

As major UN climate talks in Durban, South Africa reach their final day, the most likely outcome is a modest step towards a broader deal to cut greenhouse gas pollution to fight climate change.

Scottish climate campaigner, Lexi Barnett (Campaigns Officer with SCIAF), has been attending the talks with one of Latin America’s leading climate scientist. Check out her blog and the news from the last day.

December 8th, 2011

Climate Week 2012

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: action, climate and energy, events
 : Categories citizenship, renewables and climate change, sciences, social studies, sustainable development, technologies

Britain’s Biggest Climate Change Campaign - 12 to 18 March 2012 http://www.climateweek.com/

Climate Week is a supercharged national campaign to inspire a new wave of action on climate change. It culminates in thousands of events and activities, planned by organisations from every part of society. Showcasing real, practical ways to combat climate change, the campaign aims to renew our ambition to create a more sustainable, low-carbon future.

Climate Week is backed by every part of society - from Paul McCartney to the Met Office, the TUC to the CBI, Girlguiding UK to the National Association of Head Teachers. During the first Climate Week in 2011 over 3,000 events were attended by half a million people across the UK.

You can register your school with Climate Week 2012 here.

To find out more about getting involved in Climate Week go to www.climateweek.com, email [email protected] or telephone on 020 3397 2601.

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 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 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

October 26th, 2011

Junior Climate Challenge Funding - apply now

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: action, climate and energy, community, enterprise, funding, learner voice
 : Categories citizenship, renewables and climate change, sustainable development

The Climate Challenge Fund forms part of the Scottish Government’s Sustainable Action Fund. The Climate Challenge Fund is managed by Keep Scotland Beautiful and made funding of £37.7million available to communities across the four financial years 2008-12.

Since its creation, the CCF has supported 345 communities across Scotland to take action on climate change this action includes a wide range of activities, including increasing energy efficiency of homes and community buildings, helping communities to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste, encouraging the use of low carbon transport and active travel options, and the consumption and production of local foods.

The Scottish Government’s spending review has confirmed that the CCF will continue to support communities in this way. £10.3 million will be available to Scottish communities for each of the next three years to 31 March 2015.

A proportion of the CCF will support projects run by and for young people; this activity will be titled the Junior Climate Challenge Fund.

Applications are now being invited from Scottish communities for activities that will take place between now and 31 March 2015.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on 2nd December 2011 (Fri).

More info is available at: http://ccf.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/overview.aspx

Scottish Government press release is at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/10/05091832

October 26th, 2011

World’s biggest tidal scheme gets go-ahead

imenzies

Comments: none Tags: Tags: climate and energy
 : Categories renewables and climate change, sciences, sustainable development, technologies

The Scottish Government has approved plans for ‘the world’s largest tidal scheme’, which could help to create new engineering jobs for Scotland.

Scottish Power Renewables can now commence construction work on the £40 million project in the Sound of Islay. The scheme will have a ten-megawatt capacity – enough to power over 5,000 homes.

Scottish Power Renewables will also work closely with the Islay Energy Trust to provide social and economic benefits in the area, including using local marine contractors during installation and providing local jobs in construction during the onshore development phase.

To find out more read the article here.

Visit the STEM Central Renewables Area to investigate how you can use this context with your pupils.

These Glow Science Videos on Renewables may also help. (Glow login required)