HM Inspectorate of Education’s latest Briefing newsletter is now available online. This issue of HMIE Briefing focuses on the continuing implementation of Curriculum for Excellence. It includes a variety of articles that set out features of emerging practice across a range of different areas of educational practice.

Are you still getting to grips with Building the Curriculum 5? As well as uploading the emerging approaches to assessment, LTS have also put together an excellent summary of how assessment should be approached under Curriculum for Excellence. It has subdivided the summary into three sections:

• Supporting learning
• Autonomous learners
• Sound judgements

Following the on from the Curriculum for Excellence Literacy and Numeracy newsletters, the next in the series of Highland Curriculum for Excellence newsletters (Health & Wellbeing) is now available on the Highland Council website. This and the others can be accessed via the following link. Curriculum for Excellence newsletters

Curriculum for Excellence through outdoor education

Guidance on Outdoor Learning for schools and nurseries was launched earlier this week by Learning Teaching Scotland.

In addition to a guidance document – the  Outdoor learning page on the LTS website has some excellent information and material including video clips of presentations and training sessions. I was particularly impressed by the Nature Nurture clip featuring some work done by Aberdeen City in conjunction with Camphill.

Amongst other uselful and well presented resources are a series of curriculum experiences and outcomes guides that highlight where outdoor learning might be particularly appropriate.

More generally the video of a speech by Keith Brown MSP, Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning, suggests that Scotland might be waking up to the potenial its outdoor environment has to offer for improving health, well being and learning.

LTS have produced a new film to promote their growing Curriculum for Excellence support for staff:

Support for Staff Promotional film

Support in using the new experiences and outcomes, curriculum planning and assessment approaches is available online now. To find out more watch a short promotional film, produced by LTS to raise awareness amongst the education community of the wide range of support available to assist with implementation of Curriculum for Excellence. The film is split into three key sections:

1. Support in using the experiences and outcomes promotes the resources available in the ‘Support for Staff’ web area.
2. Supporting curriculum planning promotes the support available in the ‘Building your Curriculum section’.
3. Supporting emerging approaches to assessment, promotes examples of how some schools have started to develop assessment practices.

Over 100 examples of assessment in Numeracy, Literacy and Health & Well-being across learning have now been uploaded to the LTS website:

These emerging examples of assessment can support practitioners in developing their understanding of, and improving practice in, approaches to assessment. The examples do not illustrate standards and expectations.

Following an external Quality Assurance process decisions will be made on whether the materials meet standards and expectations. Those materials considered suitable will be published in the National Assessment Resource when it goes live in September 2010 with more exemplars and resources.

Highland schools involved include

Pultneytown Primary School

Pentland Primary

Dornoch Academy

Kilchuimen Academy

Glow Science is a new video-based learning resource designed to enhance pupils’ understanding of science in the modern world. Glow Science can be used in many different ways to support the Sciences experiences and outcomes as well as other areas of Curriculum for Excellence.

The first module to be released focuses on the Human Body and covers topics such as: brain, heart, pregnancy, senses, muscles, lungs, hormones.

The resource includes an area for teachers to provide ideas and tips on using the videos in the classroom.

Additional modules will be added to Glow Science covering the universe, chemistry, physics, biology, earth science, geology and weather to form a visual encyclopedia of engaging video clips that will help enrich the teaching and learning experience.

To log in to Glow Science click here:
www.ltscotland.org.uk/glowscience

If you don’t have a Glow login but want to find out more, click here:
www.ltscotland.org.uk/glowscotland/whatsinglow/glowscience.asp

Sumdog is a free website designed to improve numeracy skills. It contains maths games covering a range of topics aimed at 9 to 13 year olds. The games can be played against the clock or against other students across the world and will track progress on the Graffiti Wall. Well worth a go!

Did you know the SQA have published a useful spreadsheet on their website? It outlines the implementation schedule for CfE Qualifications. You can download it here.