The CfE and Glow News e-update provides you with updates on Curriculum for Excellence and support for practitioners, along with all the latest developments within Glow.
In this issue...
- Curriculum for Excellence Action Plan 2011-2012
- National Assessment Resource (NAR)
- Education Scotland’s Learning Blog
- Recently published support materials for practitioners:
- Update on new qualifications
- Glow e-portfolios
- Glow Light Images
- SLF Extra
- Glovember – Glow Book Month
- Read the latest Glow Cookbooks
Curriculum for Excellence Action Plan 2011-2012
Details of the Curriculum for Excellence Action Plan 2011-2012 were announced in the keynote speech by Michael Russell, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, at the Scottish Learning Festival on 21 September.
National Assessment Resource (NAR)
The National Assessment Resource (NAR) has been enhanced and many new features added.
The enhanced functionality enables practitioners to create, store, upload and share their own assessment materials, or copy, amend or customise materials already available. Practitioners are encouraged to share materials and examples of their assessment approaches on NAR, to make NAR a truly collaborative tool.
Support materials are available on NAR and on the Education Scotland website, including demonstration videos showing step-by-step guides of many of the new features. Log in to NAR at: www.narscotland.org.uk.
You will need your Glow log-in to access NAR. All staff in independent schools can access NAR via the SQA Connect service.
Education Scotland’s Learning Blog
Education Scotland development officers share good practice and current events as they work with practitioners across Scotland. Education Scotland's Learning Blog includes the latest news from all the teams, with links to our website, Glow Groups and good practice.
Recently published support materials for practitioners:
The Marks on the Landscape website has ideas and resources for interdisciplinary learning experiences focused on creativity skills suitable for second, third and fourth level learners. It links to a number of curriculum areas, including: sciences, health and wellbeing, art and design, technologies, religious and moral education, social studies, literacy and numeracy.
The website uses the context of the Fife Earth Project, where designer Charles Jencks is currently transforming a former coal mine into an artwork and tourist attraction.
Schools Global Footprint helps you to explore and to reduce the environmental effect your school has on the planet. This resource is aimed primarily at second and third levels. However, many schools have also successfully adapted and used the resource at early years and first level.
Schools Global Footprint is made up of two main teaching tools, which work hand-in-hand: an online footprint calculator and a teacher’s handbook.
The profiling area provides information, detail and support for practitioners to assist P7 learners in developing their profile by June 2012. The profile will be a reflective statement of the learners' latest and best achievements and will assist them as they move from primary school to secondary school. The new material in this area includes a list of points to consider, CPD materials and examples of P7 profiles. The P7 profiles, which are examples of early and emerging practice, are accompanied by short case studies explaining the thinking behind the development of these materials.
There are no nationally prescribed templates for profiles. The resource provides approaches to the development of P7 profiles, which align with the criteria set out in 'Building the Curriculum 5: A Framework for Assessment: Recognising Achievement, Profiling and Reporting'.
Update on new qualifications
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has developed a number of resources to help its stakeholders understand the changes to Scotland’s new qualifications. The latest SQA update gives more information.
There’s still time to give feedback on the documents SQA published in August - Unit Specifications for National 4 and National 5, Course Rationales and Summaries for Access 2 and Access 3 and Course Specifications for Higher. Comments on these documents can be left by 31 October 2011 on the SQA Have Your Say page. A summary of all the feedback SQA has received to date is available on the SQA Your Feedback page.
In December, SQA and Education Scotland will hold a series of curriculum area update events to discuss several aspects of the qualifications with teachers and hear their views.
SQA’s new mythbuster videos are available now. These give more information about the new qualifications and answer some of the most common questions.
Following the Cabinet Secretary’s announcement at the Scottish Learning Festival, SQA will be sending a pack to every school and college by the end of October, containing copies of the draft Unit Specifications for National 4 and National 5 and copies of SQA’s new teacher handbook and parent leaflet.
Glow e-portfolios
The current focus for national team support is the creation of e-portfolios, using Glow blogs and Glow Groups. These e-portfolios help to meet the requirements outlined, regarding assessment, in 'Building the Curriculum 5'. They assist with the recording and sharing of a pupil’s learning goals in a way that is both meaningful and relevant to the pupil. In addition, they give ownership to the pupil, allowing them to reflect on their learning. The e-portfolios are portable; this allows pupils to take them with them from school to school, and, therefore, can aid transition between primary and secondary.
Local authorities can decide on a theme for their schools; this creates a template, which includes the different areas to be included within the e-portfolio. Support is available to schools, both through face-to-face training and from written and video materials available in the National e-portfolios Glow Group. If you would like to request support for your school, this can be done through a link on the national e-portfolio site or through your key contact.
Glow Light Images
Have you been admiring the images on the Glow Light interface? If you have (or if you think they could be even better) this is your chance. Your local authority or school can provide the picture for Glow Light for the whole country to see. The picture might be of a well-known local landmark, a local event or even a piece of pupils' work. How you choose the image is for you to decide. See the national Glow Group for Glow Light Images.
SLF Extra
By extending the life of SLF 2011, the SLF Extra National Glow Group has provided you with information, which has allowed you to get involved before, during and after the main event.
Over the two days (21-22 September), a team of Glow reporters was in and around SLF 2011, bringing you the best of the festival via Glow. If you have a Glow log-in, you can still watch the 'Best of SLF' broadcasts on GlowTV, as well as watch the keynotes and selected seminars. Take a look at the GlowTV schedule within the SLF Extra group. You can also join in the discussions with colleagues via the discussion forums.
Glovember – Glow Book Month
During the month of November there will be Glow TV events with authors taking place. You can join these events live or watch again later. There will also be a competition for young people to write their own stories and poems. You can find out more in Glovember – Glow Book Month.
Read the latest Glow Cookbooks
Embedding Glow in daily learning and teaching
Olivia Wexelstein teaches a P4-7 class at Wellwood Primary School in Fife. She has been using Glow since January 2010 and is very positive about the opportunities it has opened up. Glow is rapidly becoming embedded into daily life in the classroom: to share learning, to record pupils’ experiences and achievements and to give pupils a voice. This cookbook looks at the P4-7 Glow Group which Olivia and her class use daily.
Amy Lumsden and Ruth Torrance teach P1A at James Gillespie’s Primary School in Edinburgh. Following introductory training in Glow, Amy and Ruth were keen to investigate if the Glow tools and functionality could support learning and teaching in their class.
Enhancing learning and teaching in English classes
This cookbook describes how a number of staff from different departments at Glenwood High School in Fife have been using Glow to enhance learning and teaching. In this cookbook we focus on the work of one teacher, Alison Wood, and explore how she has used Glow with English classes from first year to Higher. In the Recipe section, video clips show how you can replicate some of Alison’s ideas, such as creating collaborative wikis.
Using Glow for Personal Learning Plans - PLPs
‘Through using Glow, the pupils were more motivated in doing their PLPs. We could see them logging on at home and sharing their targets with their parents. By using Glow, I was able to teach the children about uploading and downloading to a website,’ says Claire Reynolds, Principal Teacher, Holy Family Primary School, Kirkintilloch.
Creating a room booking system on Glow
Ian Gibson is a business studies and computing teacher at St Andrew’s High School in Fife. He is also a Glow Mentor and a member of the ICT working committee in the school. Last year, the committee was tasked with developing an electronic room booking system. This cookbook details how the room booking system was created and the impact it has had in the school.
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