All posts tagged with ‘school improvement’
- January 27th, 2012
Global citizenship online community - Join now
- imenzies
- Comments: none Tags: Tags: community, CPD, school improvement
: Categories CPD, citizenship, early years, games and sport, international, leadership, learner voice, primary schools, secondary schools, sharing practice, sustainable development
Do you have an interest in, or remit for, global citizenship? Need some advice or want to share ideas with like-minded practitioners?
If so, then you’ll probably want to have a peek at the shiny new online community for global citizenship on CPD Central. Join now so you can brag to colleagues about how you were one of the pioneering members .
Why have we set it up? Well, there’s always a buzz of ideas and sharing at our face-to-face CPD events and we thought it’d be amazing if we could find a way of bringing people together again and again to keep the discussion and buzz going. Well we’ve found a way! Here’s your bit:
Step 1 - Visit http://bit.ly/DGConline and add your picture (Glow log in required)
Step 2 - Share an idea or ask the audience
Welcome gift! If you join before Friday 17th February 2012 we’ll be happy to offer you a special gift to welcome you to the community – one of our highly-prized global citizenship wall calendars (these have been flying off our shelves!).
More- 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 20th February 2012
Theme: Sustainable Development Education
This event was originally due to take place on 8th December 2011 but had to be cancelled due to the severe storms. It has now been rescheduled for Monday 20th 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!
More- December 22nd, 2011
Curriculum planning and timetabling for global citizenship
- mfarrell
- Comments: none Tags: Tags: CPD, curriculum planning, events, interdisciplinary learning, personalisation, school improvement, senior phase, timetabling
: Categories CPD, citizenship, curriculum areas, leadership, secondary schools, sharing practice, sustainable development
A global citizenship workshop for curriculum planners and timetablers
Date: 24th January 2012
Venue: St Paul’s High School, Glasgow
This workshop will bring together curriculum planners and timetablers with an interest in global citizenship, to share ideas and compare plans, strategies and approaches to current planning and timetabling issues. The day will consist of a series of focused discussions and professional dialogue centred on key reflective questions.
At this crucial phase in the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence it is vital that senior leaders in secondary schools have the opportunity to share ideas, innovations and solutions that will help to deliver a curriculum that:
- Develops the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values to equip young people for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century
- Supports interdisciplinary learning by facilitating connections across the curriculum
- Encourages active and collaborative learning approaches including provision for learner voice and opportunities for outdoor learning in the school grounds, local community and beyond.
- Connects with major local and global themes and contexts that are relevant to young people and their future such as sustainability and climate change, identity and cultural heritage, health and well being, rights and responsibilities, equality and social justice and international education
- Promotes an outward looking, positive ethos across all aspects of school and community life, connected to real life events and issues relevant to the school community
- Supports integration of the broad general education with the senior phase and new National Qualifications giving careful consideration to the issues in managing the change in the remaining years of transition to CfE;
- Develops appropriate provision for universal and targeted personal support
- Is adaptable and flexible enough to facilitate strong partnership working
The workshop will enable participants to think about the following questions:
- How have you structured your S1-S3 broad general education and how does this facilitate progression into the senior phase?
- How have you effectively used partners (especially in the senior phase) to help deliver entitlements – and what are the curricular and timetabling issues around this area?
- What mechanisms and curricular architecture are you using to ensure that interdisciplinary learning is embedded?
- How are you able to provide as individualised a curriculum as possible, bearing in mind personalisation and choice (a) for ALL learners and (b) for those learners who may not achieve level 3 during S1-S3?
- How you are coping with the technical timetabling demands around timing, staffing and accommodation for PSE / H+WB / PE / RE – particularly in the senior phase and particularly during the dual running year?
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, take part in the pre-event activities and share their reflections online.
How to book
To book, please email: [email protected] or phone 0141 282 5172.
This event is free of charge. Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Follow this link to take part in the pre-event reflection activities (NOW LIVE!)
Directions to St Paul’s High School
More
- 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 24th 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
- 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.
More- November 6th, 2011
Global citizenship champion wins UK Teacher Award
- imenzies
- Comments: none Tags: Tags: school improvement
: Categories citizenship, primary schools, sharing practice, sustainable development
Christine Emmett, an inspiring global citizenship champion from St Elizabeth’s Primary School in Hamilton has won the UK Teacher of the Year Award.
She won the category of Best UK Teacher, beating thousands of nominations from all over the country following her success earlier in the year when she was voted top in the Scottish Teacher of the Year awards. She said that winning the Scottish Teacher of the Year bowled her over but winning the UK award was way beyond her expectations.
Christine said: “I am absolutely thrilled with this award and am stunned and surprised to have won and I am truly humbled. I feel that this is for all the staff and pupils at St Elizabeth’s Primary School and although this has been a fantastic experience I am keen to get back into the classroom and show the trophy off.”
She was nominated by her pupils who admire and respect her, think she is great and really enjoy learning with her. A pupil from P5/6 who she taught last year nominated her for being ‘the best teacher ever’.
She may have been teaching for more than 25 years but her enthusiasm, energy and appetite to inspire young children never wanes. UK judges found her big personality and profound influence runs ‘like a golden thread’ through everything that happens at St Elizabeth’s.
The judging panel agreed that she captivates children’s interest ‘like a pied piper’ and is adept at involving the community, for example a car salesman and cake shop owner help out with practical maths. Even snow on the playground is a teaching resource for Christine!
Councillor Mary Smith, the chair of the council’s Education Resources Committee, said: “Christine is a great role model for not only her pupils but for teachers, families and friends in the local community.
“Her enthusiasm for children and learning shines through in the classroom where she is most at home. Although she is very modest and humble she undoubtedly deserves this brilliant accolade. Well done Christine, we are all very proud of your achievement.”
Christine also speaks Scots and Spanish fluently in her P3/4 class and has long-held passions for green issues and fair trade. At her instigation the school has more than 20 partnerships with local businesses from St Andrew’s Hospice to Lanarkshire TV.
All of these things were taken into consideration as judges chose Christine who received her award from legendary fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood at a glittering ceremony in London hosted by Lenny Henry MBE at the weekend.
And in typical fashion Christine made arrangements to ensure that she could get back to her class as soon as possible to do what she loves best - teaching.
Larry Forde, the council’s Executive Director of Education Resources, said: “This award is very well deserved - Christine is an enthusiastic and dedicated professional. She has an infectious personality, motivating everyone around her as she works tirelessly to make the lessons interesting and fun for pupils.
“She really brings learning to life and is an inspiration in every sense of the word. Colleagues and friends across South Lanarkshire are delighted and proud of Christine’s achievement. I know there will be great celebrations at St Elizabeth’s Primary School when Christine returns from London.”
- October 13th, 2011
Open day CPD event - Garrowhill Primary School, Glasgow
- imenzies
- Comments: none Tags: Tags: climate and energy, community, CPD, events, Fairtrade, food, learner voice, nature, school improvement
: Categories CPD, biodiversity, citizenship, community, outdoor learning, primary schools, renewables and climate change, sharing practice, sustainable development
Date and time: 9:30am – 3.00pm, Tuesday 29 November 2011
Theme: Sustainable Development Education
This CPD event offers practitioners and school leaders a wonderful opportunity to visit Garrowhill Primary School – winner of the ‘Sustainable school’ category in this year’s Scottish Education Awards.
Garrowhill Primary is an inspiring example of a school that has adopted a whole school approach to sustainable development education. The secret to the school’s success has been the embedding of sustainability across the curriculum which has had a demonstrable impact on every classroom and learner. This has been driven forward by strong distributed leadership and a positive, caring ethos which permeates the school.
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 the most of the curriculum to provide momentum and sustain programmes
- A strong focus on pupil voice to lead learning and activities
- The effective use of programmes such as Eco-Schools, Fairtrade Schools and the John Muir Award to support learning and teaching
- Extensive partnerships with the local community to transform the school’s ageing buildings and grounds through the development of an outdoor classroom, wildlife area and vegetable garden which are regularly used for curricular activities
- The reduction in the school’s energy consumption by 30% through sustained commitment.
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 programme by clicking on the link below
Garrowhill PS Open Day 29 Nov 11
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>>
More- September 28th, 2011
New open day programme 2011/12
- imenzies
- Comments: none Tags: Tags: CPD, events, school improvement
: Categories CPD, citizenship, community, creativity, curriculum areas, early years, games and sport, international, primary schools, scottish culture, secondary schools, sharing practice, sustainable development
New global citizenship open day study visits!
We are pleased to announce a new series of the popular, inspiring and practical school open days from Education Scotland’s Developing Global Citizens team.
Sign up by contacting [email protected] or call 0141 252 5000
There is increasing recognition that the rich contexts and learning approaches associated with global citizenship are a powerful means of engaging with Curriculum for Excellence. In this initiative, selected schools are offering an open door to senior leaders and classroom practitioners to share how they have led a whole school approach to global citizenship.
The schools selected for the open school programme have developed approaches that have successfully woven elements such as sustainable development education, education for citizenship, international education and games legacy into a wider coordinated whole-school approach to developing global citizens. The programme includes a number of award winning schools and schools whose achievements have been widely recognised.
What others have said about the study visits:
‘The best CPD I have ever had’
‘This was an inspirational CPD event and I found it all very useful and enjoyable, particularly the input from the HT/PT and children – fantastic’
‘My mind is going into overdrive – I plan to take everything you have given and use it!’
| Date | Time | School | Theme |
| Thursday 13th October | 9.30am – 3pm | Mearns Primary School, East Renfrewshire | Global Citizenship – learner voice at the heart of the curriculum |
| Tuesday 25th October | 9.30am – 3pm | Calderglen High School, South Lanarkshire | Leadership of Global Citizenship/ Games Legacy for Scotland |
| Friday 18th November | 9.30am – 3pm | Woodacre Nursery, Glasgow >>details | International education and citizenship in the early years |
| Tuesday 22nd November | 9.30am – 3pm | Hamilton Grammar School, South Lanarkshire >>details | Leadership of global citizenship |
| Tuesday 29th November | 9.30am-3pm | Garrowhill Primary School, Glasgow >>details | Sustainable Development Education |
| Thursday 8th December | 9:30am – 3pm | Whitelees Primary School, North Lanarkshire >>details | Sustainable Development Education |
| Tbc | 9.30am – 3pm | Gracemount Cluster (High School, Primary School, Nursery and Special School), Edinburgh | A cluster approach to global citizenship |
Further events will be added to the programme in the coming weeks so watch this blog entry for updates.
Places for these events are limited so it is advisable to book early to avoid disappointment.
Sign up by contacting [email protected] or call 0141 252 5000
Find out more about using global citizenship to develop a whole school approach to Curriculum for Excellence
Download the new global citizenship calendar for 2011-12
More- August 18th, 2011
Malawi and Scottish schools
- nickmorgan
- Comments: none Tags: Tags: school improvement
: Categories africa, international, sharing practice
Global citizenship activity comes in many shapes and sizes, but one of the most common variants involves teachers making a personal voluntary contribution to educational development in another country. Teachers are able to use their professional skills to assist growth and school improvement, and gain a much greater understanding of key global issues (such as sustainability) and of Scotland and its place in the world.
Over the academic year and summer vacation of 2011 there will have been hundreds of teachers and students involved in school partnership work in sub-Saharan Africa. Because of the historic links between the two countries, and the efforts of charities such as the Scotland Malawi Partnership, many of these partnerships are between schools and communities in Scotland and their counterparts in Malawi. For example:
Glasgow City Council has become involved at authority level to share its expertise with a region of Malawi, working with charity Link Community Development in a new project called Malawi Leaders of Learning. This week’s Times Education Supplement Scotland article, titled ”the warm heart of Africa“, reports on the new partnership and the visit to Malawi of Glasgow’s Director of Education. This new relationship builds on a base of strong existing partnerships between some schools in Glasgow and Malawi and the work of participants in LCD’s ‘Global Teachers’ programme.
Link Community Development also took some teachers to Malawi this July as part of a fundraising initiative called Bike Ride 2011. A group cycled through large parts of the country, staying in local communities as they travelled and visiting education projects supported by LCD funding. The experience is described online, and one of the cyclists blogged about his experience. The Courier newspaper published an article about a local Perth participant. The charity is already recruiting bikers for 2012.
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