Tag: learning

STEM Academy: New opportunities for lockdown learning

A science education programme is turning social distancing into an opportunity for school pupils and teachers to spend their summer learning online.

The Summer STEM Academy www.stemacademyscotland.org  is making workshops on a wide variety of science and engineering topics available online for free from Monday 15 June.

Led by the University of Glasgow in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier, it features 26 workshops containing videos and activities for teachers, pupils and wider school communities.

All but one involve a video introduction from an expert to a unique project which can be done at home and an explanation of the science behind it. Each of the workshops offer a worksheet to guide learners through activities and experiments such as designing racing cars and measuring the speed of sound.

Volunteers from Edinburgh Napier and the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Heriot Watt and Strathclyde have crafted workshop activities on topics including robotics, biodiversity and space colonisation.

Edinburgh Napier’s Professor Mark Huxham (above) has organised activities based on biodiversity, and there is also the use of coding to design and control robots with the computer engineering team, and the use of CAD/CAM software to design F1 cars with industry leading experts and Edinburgh Napier engineers in a schools challenge.

Representatives from organisations including the SS Explorer, BioCity UK, Heart of Midlothian FC, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Academy of Engineering have also contributed their expertise on aeronautical engineering, life sciences, sports science, climate change and the science of sound.

Teachers and students will also have the opportunity to brush up on new science teaching skills with a workshop provided by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Connecting STEM Teachers initiative. They’ll also have the chance to design their own science teaching resources during a workshop provided by Timstar UK and the WF Education group.

Andrew Gallacher, Head of Teacher Education at Edinburgh Napier, said: “Even three months ago the idea of organising a major Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths event and placing it online would have seemed ambitious.

“However, this is exactly what we have done with the Summer STEM Academy. It represents a fantastic opportunity for pupils, teachers, academics and business innovators to explore stimulating workshops that are structured to offer blended learning and enthuse participants of all ages.

“Such is the global appetite for such an event that the organisers have now received countless information requests from many countries that include Japan, South Korea and the USA.”

The Summer STEM Academy was launched in 2018 and brought high school pupils from 13 local authorities to locations in and around Glasgow, along with registered and probationer primary and secondary teachers.

Follow-up interviews with participants found that both pupils and teachers were significantly more engaged with science, and a reduction in anxiety about both learning and teaching STEM subjects.

Dr Margaret Ritchie, of the University of Glasgow’s School of Chemistry, has organised each of the Summer STEM Academy events and led the effort to put this year’s projects online.

Dr Ritchie said: “The Summer STEM Academy programme was built from the ground up to create quality partnerships between universities, schools and businesses and find new ways for them to benefit from working together.

“It gives students the chance to see academia and industry up close, student teachers the chance to learn new methods of teaching, and academics and industry professionals the chance to reach out to younger people and shape their understanding of how science and business intersect.

“The coronavirus turned our plans for the third year of the Summer STEM Academy upside-down, but it’s also given us the opportunity to open up our workshops and reach a much bigger audience by putting them online. We also hope that it will keep participants engaged and interested in science while schools remain closed, and ensure they’re motivated to learn when schools reopen.

“Our content comes from volunteers across a broad spectrum of backgrounds, from an undergraduate student through academics to industry veterans. They’ve given us a lot of great content for school pupils and student teachers alike, and we’re really excited to make it available for them to explore over the summer.”

Five Million Workers Uncertain of Post-Covid Role

Woman with notepad and laptop

• A quarter (24%) of the UK workforce are learning new skills to mitigate against coronavirus uncertainty 
• Concerns for job security as 5 million expect the pandemic to dramatically change their role
• Younger employees are spearheading the distance learning boom, but want more direction from employers in bid to ensure their skills become valued assets
• Course enrolments during lockdown on The Open University’s OpenLearn platform have exceeded 950,000
• OU is urging organisations to harness this appetite for learning to adapt for the future and retain valuable talent

Covid-19 is expected to significantly change the skills required for as many as 5 million job roles across the UK, driving a surge in employees seeking out distance learning opportunities, according to The Open University. 

With coronavirus uncertainty affecting half (49%) of current job roles across the UK, a quarter (24%) of employees have taken on additional learning opportunities to boost their employability and protect the value of their skills.

The results suggest that younger employees are particularly fearful that their skills could become obsolete. Over a third (39%) of 18-34 year-olds agreed that they would put their own money towards development opportunities if it made them more employable.

However, for all the hunger for professional development, a quarter of employees (23%) admitted that they would like to have more direction from their employers when it comes to learning new skills, with younger team members again (38%) the most keen to have steer from their leaders on how to remain employable post-coronavirus.

OpenLearn homepage screengrab

Data from one of the UK’s largest free learning sites, The Open University’s   OpenLearn, backs up the findings. The site has logged over 950,000 course enrolments during lockdown, taking it beyond the 3.25 million mark since its launch. Specialist work-focused courses such as Leadership and Followership have proved particularly popular, in addition to modules designed to boost fundamental professional skills such as workplace communication.

In April, the Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland launched a portal with the support of the OU in Scotland in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to support furloughed workers. The site on www.myworldofwork.co.uk was launched on 27 April by the First Minister in her daily televised COVID-19 briefing.

Across the board workers are investing in ever-green capabilities that will help them retain value to their employers in the long-term, as well as skills that will help them manage the current digital landscape. The majority of those who have taken on additional learning opportunities during lockdown have focused on developing managerial skills (51%), whilst just under a quarter (23%) have prioritised digital skills such as learning how to use new software.

While the OU welcomes this rise in independent study, the university is urging employers to make the most of the appetite for new skills development and utilise the advantages of online learning for remote employees, to cultivate the skills they are likely to require in the years to come.

Susan Stewart, Director of The Open University in Scotland said: “With the UK approaching a recession and the economic uncertainty that this will bring – the time to invest in skills is now.

“The world of work is changing and it’s clear that employees are recognising this and prioritising the development of their own skill sets to prepare for the ‘new normal’.

“With OpenLearn, employees can enrol on free courses that reward them with certificates and digital badges, helping them signpost their development and the value of their skills to their employers.

“Employees will still need direction from their employer if they are to acquire the new skills needed for post-lockdown business. Employers must embrace lifelong learning as a necessity for growth and ensure that teams stay engaged, potential skills gaps are tackled proactively and the associated risk of losing valuable talent is minimised.”

Schools will need government help with vulnerable children when they return, charity warns

Adoption UK is calling on the governments in all four nations of the UK to provide additional funding and resources to help schools support those children who will struggle most, when educational settings re-open, post Covid-19 lockdown. 

Half of the parents who completed Adoption UK’s Home learning during Covid-19 lockdown report said their child is experiencing emotional distress and anxiety, while around a third (31%) said they are experiencing an increase in violence, or aggression, from their child.

Care experienced children are among the most vulnerable in the country due to their traumatic start in life. But despite this, of those who are currently home-based during lockdown, 85% are not receiving any additional support in respect of their care-experienced status, the survey found.

Rebecca Brooks, author of the report, said: “These children have traumatic life experiences that can make learning and mental health a herculean struggle during normal times, let alone during a global pandemic.

“School closures and lockdown are exacerbating learning and emotional problems, including an increase in violent behaviour. Schools are struggling to support their pupils with highest needs.”

Mrs Brooks added: “This is why we’re urging the governments across the UK to provide schools with the funding they will desperately need to help these children with their return to school – supporting not only their learning, but also their wellbeing.”

However, the report also shows that some families with care-experienced children are clearly thriving during lockdown. Around half of the respondents who completed the survey said their family relationships are improving and the same proportion of those parenting secondary aged children, said their children are calmer.

To find out about the impact of school closures on care experienced children, Adoption UK ran a week-long survey in April for parents and carers of care-experienced children who would normally be in school. The UK-wide survey received 660 valid responses.

Previous Adoption UK research has shown that adopted children, on average, achieve significantly less well in exams than their peers, are more likely to have a range of higher-level learning needs and are 20 times more likely to be permanently excluded when compared to their peers.

First Bus launches educational pack to help Edinburgh kids carry on learning

Scotland’s biggest bus operator has created and launched a new online educational resource to support the home-schooling efforts of parents and teachers in Edinburgh during the Coronavirus lockdown.

Local bus operator First Scotland East has teamed up with teachers from across the country to develop a resource pack for schools, with the aim of providing primary aged children with a fun filled set of activities focused around buses.

With the Coronavirus outbreak delivering a trying time for thousands of people, the team at First Scotland East wanted to give something back and support the communities they proudly serve every day with their local bus services across Edinburgh.

The pack, which is based on the curriculum for excellence criteria, aims to educate kids on the benefits of using public transport, through a series of engaging, educational tasks.

Each page has been created specifically around the core educational framework of the curriculum for excellence; literacy, numeracy, creativity and problem solving.  Each activity is coded to enable teachers to track and monitor how children are getting on with each sheet.

Designed to suit the abilities of children from P1 right through to P7, the pack contains a series of activities to appeal to each age and stage, as well as tapping into children’s love of all things bus.

From creating posters on the environmental benefits of using the bus, to writing about a favourite bus journey, a word search, a ‘build a bus’ challenge, an acrostic poem and the opportunity to design a bus, the pack has been created with fun as well as education at front of mind.

Andrew Jarvis, Managing Director of First Bus in Scotland, (above) said: “With much of the UK effectively ordered to stay at home for at least the next few weeks, we wanted to support the thousands of schools, teachers and families who are home-schooling and keeping children entertained during this unprecedented time.

“Just a few weeks ago, it was almost inconceivable that these restrictions would be in place, which only underlines what a challenging, dynamic and rapidly evolving situation the UK faces and one which First Bus is monitoring and responding to day-by-day, hour-by-hour.

“Rest assured everything is being done to keep key workers mobile as the nation comes together to limit the spread of coronavirus. I hope our activity packs will provide another means of helping to keep younger children occupied and is just a small gesture from everyone at First Scotland East to bring some light relief to families during this difficult period.”

The educational pack is available to download for free, from the website link: www.firstscotlandeast.com/kidspack

They have already been well received by a number of teachers, parents, children and schools around the country.

In the near future, the packs will be available to download from all First Bus UK regional websites.

BT and Computing at School launch home schooling resources

As part of its Skills for Tomorrow programme, BT has teamed up with Computing at School (CAS), to launch dozens of activities, designed to support parents with their children’s digital skills at home.

The series of activities is based on the Barefoot Computing programme, a programme funded and managed by BT in partnership with CAS, to help primary school teachers deliver free, curriculum-aligned lessons in fun and relatable ways. CAS are part of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

This Friday (24th April), comedian David Walliams will be showing the UK how to use some of these Barefoot resources in an ad break takeover on STV as part of BT’s Beyond Limits: Top Tips on Tech campaign.

This three-week campaign featuring a host of famous faces including TV presenter Rylan Clark-Neal and broadcaster and author Fearne Cotton, has been created to help the nation with the digital skills it needs to get through this unique and challenging time.

David’s lesson sees him inspiring the nation from his own home with ideas for how to maximise home schooling using a variety of digital tools, including Barefoot Zoo; one of the interactive and educational Barefoot games helping children learn about computing.

So far, more than 8,800 primary school teachers in Scotland have already accessed Barefoot, across more than 1,600 Scottish primaries. However, with most children now having to be schooled at home, the scheme has been swiftly adapted to provide new lessons, activities and games.

Content has been developed to be easy for parents to use, with no prior subject knowledge required. Many of the activities can also be done offline without the need for a computer – ideal for managing screen time and digital wellbeing.

A recent BT study revealed that millions of parents across the UK can only spend up to two hours a day teaching their children during lockdown.

Just 24% of parents say they feel comfortable teaching IT and computer science, with nearly all (92%) saying they’re uncomfortable with key topics such as coding. It’s likely that many parents will shy away from computing in favour of more familiar subjects.

The new Barefoot content includes dozens of varied activities and games to support parents and carers by inspiring children to think, learn and thrive in a digital world.

From making pizza with an algorithm ‘recipe’, to using the power of abstraction to save a struggling zoo, parents and carers will find tailored educational activities to keep young minds busy and curious for hours and hours:

  • Learning Together Activities – Downloads that parents and kids can do together based on our expert Barefoot Computing resources for teachers
  • Mini Missions – Thirty quick, fun and easy ideas to introduce children to key computing concepts at home
  • Interactive Learning Games – Imaginative online games that help children explore computing concepts independently
  • Weekly ‘Computing at Home’ YouTube Live classes by schoolteacher and Barefoot Ambassador Dr Jon Chippindall
  • Computational Thinking quick guide for parents, with a simple introduction to key skills taught through the national curriculum

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, said: “As a parent myself, I know how challenging it can sometimes be to balance working from home with entertaining and educating the kids.

“That’s why BT – with our key education partners – is supporting families to keep kids learning in these difficult times. This exciting new computing content, as part of our Barefoot programme with Computing at School, can really help parents, grandparents, and all carers to inspire their children to discover and explore the world of computing.”   

Julia Adamson, Director at BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, said: “We are passionate about ensuring that every child has a world-class computing education. However, BT’s research has shown that computing is the subject that parents feel least comfortable with.

“Given the current challenges, it’s even more important that families are given as much support as possible in this area. The new Barefoot toolkit will help parents keep their children stimulated, engaged and progressing, even if they’re unfamiliar with computing themselves.”

Skills for Tomorrow is a major new programme designed to empower 10 million people by giving them the skills they need to flourish for the digital future. Everyone is included, everyone is welcome, and no one is left behind – from school children to the older generation; from young adults looking for employment, to SMEs looking for growth.

BT continues to collaborate with leading digital skills organisations, such as CAS, to collate the best courses and information, in one easy to navigate place.

All it takes to get started is to visit www.bt.com/skillsfortomorrow.

Getting tourism ready for recovery

A call has gone out to those with skills, expertise and experience, who are currently ‘furloughed’ or on a reduced working pattern, to help address the challenges facing Scotland’s tourism sector. 

In 2017, the sector provided employment for eight out of every 100 Scottish workers, but thousands of tourism business owners are naturally feeling anxious about the future in the wake of coronavirus.

The call to arms – ‘Getting ready for recovery’ – has been championed by around 120 alumni of the Destination Leaders Programme (DLP), a joint initiative for tourism industry professionals delivered for the past seven years by Edinburgh Napier University and Scottish Enterprise.

DLP alumni to mentor furloughed tourism workers along the road to recovery

The aim of the furlough initiative is to help small tourism businesses recover by providing targeted support and mentoring that can enable them to take forward identified actions, outputs and outcomes during this period of enforced reflection.

Professor Jane Ali-Knight (above) of Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School, explained: “It is intended that involvement will fall under the acceptable category of professional training for ‘furloughed’ professionals, and will help maintain and extend their professional skills, expertise, experience and network.”

This will mean projects taken up will be focused on objectives that underpin The Scottish Tourism Strategy to 2030, as well as wider destination leadership, development, management, industry resilience and recovery, and destination promotion.

Aileen Lamb from Scottish Enterprise said: “The objective is to support recovery and potential restructure of the Scottish tourism industry. We want to use this opportunity to encourage innovative thinking across a range of themes.

“Most importantly we want to encourage the supportive and adaptable nature of tourism professionals to shine. The initiative will include a weekly online session called DLP Assemble giving businesses a collaborative place to gather regular updates on initiatives and government funding as we look towards the point when restrictions can be lifted.”

Ali-Knight says: “We will guide participants on themes and tasks arising through the DLP Assemble initiative, to help form project groups with a good mix of experience and expertise, and to match groups with mentors and professional support.”

Kenneth Wardrop, a fellow DLP founder, says: “We want to act quickly, working with existing groups such as ETAG [Edinburgh Tourism Action Group] and STERG [Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group] in order to start applying practical thinking and solutions in response to the evolving and devastating impacts on Scotland’s tourism industry.”

Edinburgh Napier University is also running a free online course through FutureLearn to help small tourism businesses understand the power of data they hold or can access in helping them market themselves more effectively at this critical time.

‘Understanding Data in Tourism’ is open now for people to register for the next starting point, on 16 May, by visiting: 

futurelearn.com https://www.futurelearn.com/partners/edinburgh-napier-university

Scottish government issues new guidance to support home learning

New guidance to support the home learning of children and young people during the new term has been issued by the Scottish government.

It aims to build on the significant amount of positive work that has already been undertaken by teachers and education professionals across Scotland to support learning at home, as well as the advice and resources that are already available.

The guidance covers three main areas:

  • learning and teaching at home: this includes support for digital learning; children who are likely to be disproportionately impacted; and learners with additional support needs
  • parental involvement and engagement: this includes details of local and national support and how local authorities/schools will require a different approach to being updated on a child’s development
  • support for teachers and school leaders: including advice on learning resources; supporting pupils’ and staff health and wellbeing; and on leading colleagues and teams during this period

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Given the unprecedented circumstances, we cannot predict when schools in Scotland will reopen. However, our focus is that while schools are closed, learning continues, and we all have a role to play.

“Local authorities, schools, teachers and practitioners know their learners really well and have shown extraordinary dedication and professionalism in adapting and making decisions in the best interests of the children and young people.

“While we do not expect teachers, parents and families to replicate schools or classrooms, we are committed to working with all partners in Scotland’s education system to protect pupils’ wellbeing, and ensure learning can continue in an appropriate way, wherever possible.

“The guidance is aimed at those working in our education system. We are working closely with the National Parent Forum of Scotland (NPFS) on further advice, aimed specifically at parents and carers, which will be published in the coming days.”

Education Scotland Chief Executive Gayle Gorman said: “Moving into the summer term, practitioners, learners and their families will be preparing for more learning at home. Education Scotland is working with partners, prepared and ready to support all who are working with our learners across Scotland.”

Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) General Secretary Larry Flanagan, said: “This acknowledgement of the work being undertaken by teachers and schools is welcome as is the commitment to provide further support to parents, pupils and teachers across an unprecedented period of extended closure.

“The EIS also welcomes the recognition that supporting the health and well-being of pupils and staff is a critical aim, as without that, maintaining engagement with education at any level becomes even more difficult.”

The guidance is aimed at those working in our education system. We are working closely with the National Parent Forum Scotland (NPFS) on further advice, aimed specifically at parents and carers, which will be published in the coming days.

Guidance: Supporting Pupils, Parents and Teachers – Learning During Term 4 is aimed at those working in Scotland’s education system.

The guidance has been developed by the Scottish Government and Education Scotland, with advice and input from COSLA, Solace, The Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES) and professional associations.

Find Practitioner support for Online Remote Learning.

The Parentzone Scotland website continues to be updated with relevant information on home learning for parents.

A hundred days on: looking for a silver lining

Six months ago this virus didn’t exist. There was no such thing as Coronavirus Covid -19. The first known case dates back to 17 November in Hubei, China and we’ll probably never know if Case Zero was indeed the first person to contact the disease.

This first case was first brought to the attention of the World Health Organisation on 31 December and today, one hundred days on, there have been 1.8 million cases worlwide and more than 110,000 people have died.

Our world has changed out of all recognition from the place we knew as we brought in the New Year what seems an age ago.

Coronavirus has brought out the best in some people, the worst in others. The unsung community heroes, the supermarkets, the care workers and the NHS staff on the frontline. And then there are the stockpilers, the profiteers, the guidance floughters and the fraudsters.

We worry about family and friends. We miss the simple things: the cinema trips, a pint in the pub, a football match, a family meal.

Just a few short weeks ago, we worried ourselves over other things that don’t seem quite so important now, but they will resurface again when coronavirus is under control.

Brexit will become an issue again and we can be pretty sure that politics will return to the pre-Covid Punch and Judy Show it was before the virus took hold.

And we’ll talk again about our Edinburgh – we’ll debate Air BnB, we’ll seethe over ‘student flats’ planning development applications, the dire state of our public services and we’ll discuss the commercialisation of Edinburgh’s city centre at festival times.

The virus is a cruel, terrible thing but it does have one blessing: it gives each of us valuable time to think. To think about what is important. To think about what we as a society need, not want. To think about how we can do things differently to ensure that all are included and none are left behind.

We CAN do things differently if we choose to. We must use this precious time wisely.

A happy Easter to everyone – please stay safe at home

 

Plans in place to support vulnerable pupils

Plans to ensure learning continues for Edinburgh’s vulnerable young people are being put in place across the Capital.

Two dedicated hub schools opened today for identified children with complex additional support needs, including those of key workers.

A programme of activities, planned in conjunction with the pupils’ own class teachers, will be delivered by staff from special schools and supported by teams from the Additional Support for Learning service (ASL). Both schools will continue to be open over the Easter holidays.

Other children and young people with additional support needs are being supported by their schools through a combination of video conferencing, online learning activities and learning packs which have been sent home by their schools.

Class teams are in regular contact with these pupils to support their wellbeing and ensure their learning continues with 250 iPads being allocated to allow face to face contact for vulnerable children.

Our schools are teaming up with psychological services and other partners to provide further family support, advice and remote learning for vulnerable pupils. The ASL service has shared a list of recommended resources and contact details with schools, early years settings and families to support children with complex needs.

The ASL teams have also put in place bespoke one to one support for our children, young people and families with the highest need with a large focus being on the outdoors. To achieve this they will be using the hubs they have set up at Urban Nature and our own Seaview Centre.

Th council is currently working with partners to ensure that provision is available for children with complex additional support needs whose parents are key workers, and our children with the most complex needs, over the Easter holidays.

Information about this will be shared directly with parents next week.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Our special schools and the Additional Support for Learning service have been working extremely hard to make sure parents and carers for children with additional support needs have been supplied with online and digital resources along with home learning materials.

This is clearly a very worrying time for everyone in the city but even more so for those families with children who have additional support needs. The team have pulled out all the stops to ensure learning can continue for these young people and support for keyworker families continues.

Depute Leader Cammy Day said ‘Opening the two schools means that those young people with the most complex needs will continue to receive learning and their parents and carers are being supported.

This is very much a team effort and I would like to thank all partners for their support for our vulnerable learners during this challenging time.

Still time to enter Tes Schools Awards

Have you started your submissions yet?

There are just ten days left to enter the Tes Schools Awards 2020.

From your wellbeing initiatives to your environmental endeavours, or the innovative ways you’ve improved results in core subjects, the awards are your school’s opportunity to shout about your triumphs and celebrate the teachers, staff and teams that are making a real difference to the lives of your students.

We know that it can be hard to find the time to complete your entries all at once, so you can start your submissions, save what you’ve done, and return to complete them by Friday 27 March.

Entry is free and open to state schools throughout the UK.

Find out more and enter

This year’s categories:

Classroom support assistant of the year
English teacher or team of the year
Maths teacher or team of the year
Science, technology and engineering teacher or team of the year
New teacher of the year
Headteacher of the year
Best use of technology
Wellbeing and mental health award
Community and collaboration award
Environment champion of the year
School business leader of the year
Creative school of the year
Early years setting of the year
Primary school of the year
Secondary school of the year
Alternative provision school of the year
Lifetime achievement
Overall school of the year

For full details of this year’s awards and to enter, visit
tesawards.co.uk