Author Archives: P. McWatt

Funded International Learning Experience⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

On October, the 3rd, 2013, 368 migrants died in a dreadful shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa. It was just one of the cruelest tragedy in the long trail of death since the mass migrations from North Africa began few years ago. The UNHCR rates that more than 2600 persons have died in the Mediterranean sea from 2011 so far. The Italian Parliament has therefore established a Remembering Day every 3rd of October, to honour the people who died and raise awareness of the migration tragedy.

The “Europe begins at Lampedusa” initiative aims to involve Italian and European students in learning activities and events specifically concerning the issues of global interdependence and human rights, with a particular focus on migrations and the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education has forwarded on this invite from the Italian Ministry for a Scottish secondary school to participate in a learning experience focused on global interdependence, rights, migration, asylum seekers and refugees.

The successful school would engage pupils in preparatory learning experiences in their own school during September to prepare for a conference in Lampedusa, Italy, in October.

 The deadline for applications is Thursday 16th June.

Click here for an application pack.

 

Stonewall Scotland Education Conference 2016⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

This one-day event will bring together teachers, education professionals and communities from across Scotland  to discuss tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying and celebrating difference through a series of interactive workshops, keynote speeches and panel discussions.

The annual Education Conference will take place at the Hilton Grosvenor, Edinburgh on Friday 3 June.

Further information and booking details available here.

 

CEITIDH – FIRST GAELIC COMPUTER VOICE⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

Ceitidh Computer Voice

Ceitidh is now available from CALL Scotland’s Scottish voice website alongside “Heather” and “Stuart”, the two Scottish computer voices. Heather and Stuart are also licenced for the entire Scottish Public Sector.

The new Gaelic computer voice is licensed for the Scottish public sector, so it can be used by students in schools, colleges and universities, NHS patients, and employees in the public sector. CALL also has permission to distribute the voice to charities.

The Gaelic voice works on Windows and Macintosh computers and can be used to:

  • read Gaelic web sites, ebooks, textbooks, SQA exam papers and other curriculum resources;
  • check writing, emails, and social media posts – proofreading by listening can improve spelling and grammar;

The voice will be particularly helpful for Gaelic speakers with dyslexia, reading difficulties and visual impairment, but it should also be useful for anyone learning or working in Gaelic.

PREVENT update⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

PREVENT is embedded within the legislative safeguarding duties of all education authorities and schools. Professional update for educational staff is undertaken through the routine sessions delivered by education authorities and the SCIS ( Scottish Council for Independent Schools)

In Scotland, we have a distinctive approach to safeguarding in Scotland linking to Getting It Right for Every Child which promotes action to improve the wellbeing of every child and young person.    Safeguarding is the golden thread that runs through the curriculum. The aim is to support the development of learner’s knowledge, skills and resilience to keep themselves safe and protect themselves and to develop an understanding of the world so that they can respond to a range of issues and potential risky situations arising throughout their lives. As such, it permeates many features of the education experience life – leadership, values, vision, the curriculum, teaching and learning, positive relationships, learner resilience, etc.

Education Scotland, working closely with the City of Glasgow Council is hosting a PREVENT conference on 24 February to be held in Lourdes Secondary School. Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s languages, will open the conference. The conference is targeted at strategic education leaders across the wider education community covering education authorities, colleges, independent schools and third sector organisations involved in supporting the PREVENT agenda, it will be led and facilitated by young people from the school. Keynote speakers will include colleagues from Education Scotland, Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the young people from Lourdes.

Following the strategic conference, in the summer term, a number of regional events will be held for practitioners focused on curriculum support to ensure teachers and other educational staff are supported to embed the PREVENT agenda into key curricular areas, including RME, social subjects and HWB. These regional events will show case best practice and have input from curricular leaders within Education Scotland.

Education Scotland recently published (September 2015) HGIOS4. Within the document a new quality indicator focused on Safeguarding has been developed. This QI outlines the clear expectations of all schools, colleges, early learning and childcare centres in protecting children and young people

LEARNING IN CARE REFERENCE TOOL⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

LEARNING_IN_CARE
Click to open pdf

This document aims to support care staff working collaboratively with education staff to support children and young people with their learning in the care setting. It recognises that care staff are already supporting children and young people’s learning in care, and aims to provide them with practical examples which will assist services to further improve learning outcomes for children and young people across care and education. The examples of learning experiences which follow are organised in the 3 key curriculum areas which are the responsibility of all: literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.

Click here to open the document as a pdf.

Click here to discuss this in the Inclusion Hub on GLOW.

Fly The Flag For Human Rights⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

New campaign to promote the benefits of human rights. 

snap

The Scottish Government’s #FlyTheFlag for human rights campaign is part of a contribution to the objectives of Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights, where evidence demonstrates that people are insufficiently aware of their rights and do not feel empowered to claim their rights.

New research carried out by You Gov has shown that one in five Scots believe that human rights are for minority groups only. This new campaign is designed to help people better understand how human rights are relevant, used on a day to day basis and how they help build a fairer and more progressive society.

Click here to read more.

Why not continue the conversation on Glow here.

Support for Learning Event – 4th December, Edinburgh⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

Support for Learning teaching provides children and young people ways to improve their engagement and attainment in school. It offers personalised support and contributes to their support entitlement within Curriculum for Excellence. This event will discuss, within a framework of Curriculum for Excellence and Getting it Right, how effectively Support for Learning teachers can improve their practice in meeting the support needs of children and young people. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss and exchange views on the draft National Improvement Framework.

This event is for Support for Learning staff in schools and services to engage with this new environment for learning and discuss how best to deliver effective support for Learning.

This event will be held at Victoria Quay and will run from 9am till 4pm.

Click here to book.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) – Free event for education professionals⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

FASD

Free Event for Education Professionals

10.00 – 15.00

17 November 2015

COSLA, Edinburgh, 19 Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh, EH12 5BH

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the leading known preventable cause of permanent learning disability worldwide and is caused by maternal use of alcohol during pregnancy. Affected children can have a wide range of physical, growth and neurobehavioural problems which impact on their everyday lives and limit their independence.  Often teachers are the first professional to notice a child has difficulties.

As part of a programme of events over the last 4 years, the Scottish Government has arranged a free event for nursery and primary school teachers. The event’s keynote speaker is Dr Ana Hanlon-Dearman – a Developmental Paediatrician from the Manitoba FASD Centre in Canada. The Scottish Government has worked closely with Dr Hanlon-Dearman in moving FASD forward in Scotland. Dr Hanlon-Dearman has a wealth of experience working with schools in Manitoba, and will be discussing their work supporting children and young people, as well as tools that have proved successful.

For further information or to book a space on the event, please contact Jamie.garden@gov.scot 0131 244 4634.

Invitation to evaluate ‘Recognising and Realising Children’s Rights’ resource⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

RRCR-banner

Recognising and Realising Children’s Rights is a professional development resource which was developed by Education Scotland and launched in September 2013. The stated aims of this resource are to:

  • raise awareness and develop knowledge/understanding of the UNCRC;
  • individuals and establishments to self-evaluate their practice in light of the UNCRC;
  • support improvement planning within establishments;
  • support children to know, understand and claim their rights.

Education Scotland would like to engage colleagues in evaluating the effectiveness and impact of this resource, and would appreciate your contribution to this evaluation.

The findings will be used to evaluate the current resource and to inform future developments. It should only take a few minutes to complete and all contributions will remain anonymous.

Click here to complete the evaluation.

Solution Oriented Approaches⤴

from @ Education Scotland's Learning Blog

The Rights, Support and Wellbeing Team hope to revise the current guidance and training materials on solution oriented approaches in schools in the coming school session. We hope to update this to reflect the ongoing innovative work that is being implemented in local authorities and will be looking for a number of representatives to support a working group to take this forward.

 

If you are involved in this work and are interested, contact:

gail.nowek@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk.