Below is a collection of ideas/suggestions regarding a possible timetable structure for S2/S3 (treated as one group) from 2011. This reflects the joint views of the IT faculty and has not been endorsed by Stirling High School (yet!). Please add you thoughts. If you agree it would be great to hear what 12 week courses you could see running for different subject areas.
Points from IT faculty discussion:
- Work more closely with associated primaries (pupils and staff). Already have Citizenship/Sports Days however would like to look at more projects across whole school. Resources (staffing) an issue but could look at study leave time.
- Current S1/S2 courses currently aligned to SG/Int/H courses – need to move away from this.
- All faculty staff in favour of group/rich task approach.
- Agree that S1/S2 timetable does have contact with too many teachers – need to reduce. [One national report suggested as few as 11 - we felt this was too radical]
- Need to get back to basics with S1.
- What do we want pupils to achieve/gain from our subject if they do not take it in senior school?
- Need for more cross curricular events so that pupils can better understand what and why they are learning.
- Teach pupils how to learn, active learning, learning to learn, critical skills – staff require training in these areas no longer only subject specific staff development.
- Agreed with many of the points from Learning and Teaching Scotland Report on secondary thinking groups
Proposal:
- Friday pm cross curricular for all pupils – could include Eco club, Enterprise groups, School Radio – not just sport.
- S1 Induction Day in August – each pupil setup on school network, folders for all areas, Glow log in etc. Could also include a team building task. Not just IT staff involved. Need for staff to build relationships with S1 pupils.
- S2/S3 Semester approach – Induction Days at start of each semester – first semester starts in August. Option choice – 3 semesters per session; 3 elective areas per session – work as mixed S2/S3 groups (draft timetable attached).
- Electives would be a mixture of introduction to courses, intermediate courses, advanced courses, cross-curricular courses, rich task courses.
S2/3 Proposed schematic
- Pupils choose new electives every 12 weeks (3 semesters)
- Aligned with the principles of curriculum design -
- Challenge and enjoyment (12 week courses that allow mixed year teaching, beginner courses do not rely on NQ course content);
- Breadth (18 courses allow pupils to cover many curricular areas, inevitably choices will come from all 8 curricular areas);
- Progression (beginner, intermediate and advanced courses available);
- Depth (model allows for pupils to choose progression and depth in the subject areas that interest them);
- Personalisation and choice (pupils choose their electives every 12 weeks – not pupil support);
- Coherence and relevance (courses need to be written to be alligned with the 4 capacaties)
- Maths, English and PE considered the only core subjects
- Electives include single subjects (at different levels), cross curricular topics, rich tasks
- Friday afternoon – sport and non-sports activities
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
|
M
|
Maths
|
Elective A
|
Elective C
|
|
Tu
|
Elective C
|
English
|
Elective B
|
|
W
|
Elective A
|
Maths
|
PE
|
|
Th
|
Elective B
|
Elective C
|
Elective A
|
|
F
|
English
|
Elective B
|
Extra Curr
|
April 12th, 2009
Glow has really taken off in Stirling High, which has stopped me blogging for a while. I hope to start again over Easter as the exams approach!
With that in mind I thought I would remind you all of MySQA – the SQA text service that allows you to receive your exam results by email and text. Leave a comment to let me know how you get on.
Click here to sign up. (You will need your SQA candidate number)
March 27th, 2009
Twitter is a social networking site that uses micro-blogging (communicating in 140 characters or less), where users give quick updates on what they are doing, researching, and as a way to share interesting links. Updates are displayed on a user’s profile page and users have the option to share their “tweets” (or micro-blogs) with the general public or with friends only. A useful networking tool, Twitter has many applications for business as well as personal networking.
Websites like the BBC have started to use it as another way to display breaking news. What role, if any, does twitter have in education? Could it be used as homework reminders, or to discuss short questions with your teacher? Lets experiment: comment if you use twitter and let me know how it could help you study!
http://twitter.com/Alan_Hamilton
February 8th, 2009
- Planning is important at all stages and it is vital that you know what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to do it (remember the 6 p’s!)
- After visits and discussions use your findings to show an awareness of the overall situation of the organisation and its current circumstances to help identify a strategy for the business
- Primary research must be used – identify the sources you will use, agree dates for interviewing relevant people. Plan your questions in advance. Show them to me beforehand
- Secondary research must be used – identify the sources you will use (Internet, company reports, company records, social trends, Government statistics etc)
- Process and analyse the information gathered. Try to establish if any of the information you have gathered is consistent with any of the theories you have learned
- Keep records of al the data in a separate folder. You will need to show this to me and some of it may be added as an appendix
- Write up your draft and give it to me for checking – DEADLINE 1ST DRAFT – END OF JANUARY (before prelim leave)
- Make use of all your findings for the NAB (remember this is submitted with the final report)
Read these tips alongside the report-guide-march-2008
December 15th, 2008
I am out of school this Tuesday – here is what you have to do:
P1 AHBM – continue with external questions/Researching a Business NAB
P3 – S4 AM – Int 1’s continue working thorough last years prelim | Int 2’s continue practising memos/letters
P4/5 – H AD – practice layouts - letters: multi-page; tear off slip | documentation for meetings: notice of meeting and agenda; minutes | reports | newsletters
P6 – 2D2 – complete tasks 9,10 + 11 of Feisty then go back and complete the flyer extension task.
November 2nd, 2008
As promised, here are the questions you are working on this week:
Question 1
The Perils of Complacency The onset of the European single currency is among a raft of global issues which threaten some of Scotland’s most promising businesses, according to a leading professional advisor.
Ralph Adams, Scottish partner in charge at Deloitte and Touche, believes companies remain too complacent about the implications of the euro. And he says the massive rise in ‘wired’ competition, such as internet-based services, is changing markets as never before.
For global products, from cars to electronic components, the opportunity for price transparency is there with the euro, the advantage being with competitors who can price and process sales on a one currency basis with no added exchange costs. ‘You can see this happening with online services and increasingly with interactive buying’ points out Adams. ‘One typical example will be digital TV, when people will be able to easily buy products from anywhere’.
But the real question is whether the euro is ‘just another currency’, or does its creation herald much more significant market change. There is consensus on the latter among leading Scottish banks and professional advisors. In the end, a single currency will affect all but the very few.
Adapted from Smith, M (Jan 1999), The Perils of Complacency, Scottish Business Insider
Imagine you are a UK business who trade in Europe. You need to make plans for the move to the euro. What sort of issues might you have to consider from customers and suppliers? What issues might there be for your own organisation?
Question 2
Microsoft, was formed in the USA in 1975. They are known globally as the world’s largest software company and operate on a worldwide basis. While they have set up subsidiaries in almost all countries throughout the globe, they have chosen not to sell their products directly to consumers, instead they use third-parties (or resellers as they are known). They work closely with local software companies who exploit known local markets on behalf of Microsoft. In China, for example, Microsoft employ only 70 people but they work with more than 15,000 reseller companies to sell their products.Why has a multinational like Microsoft decided to operate in this way , and what effect might it have had on host countries?
Question 3
Read ‘United Kingdom in Europe – The impact of EU’http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/index_en.htm
then read Scotland in Europe (PowerPoint uploaded to the blog)
and summarise the main impacts of EU policies and programmes in Scotland.
Question 4
Read about Tesco on their web sitehttp://www.tescocorporate.com/
and discuss the ways in which the company has shown itself to be socially responsible.
Question 5
Celtic Football Club won a Scottish E-commerce Award in 2000. Look at their web site on www.celticfc.co.uk and www.ebusinessforum.com and list in what ways the club has embraced technology. Suggest areas where more use could be made of technology. Alternative clubs could be used e.g. www.rangers.co.uk, which is the Glasgow Rangers Football Club.
October 28th, 2008
I have tried a few wiki’s and think PBWiki is the most user friendly to use. Give it a go and let me know what you think. If you want to use it with your classes please email me and I will send you an activation link – this way I can accrue points to get a free upgrade!
EMAIL: hamiltona06s@stirling.gov.uk
October 18th, 2008
Back from a great trip to Malta. The week was a huge success and the pupils had a great time. They were congratulated everywhere they went for their behaviour. 
July 1st, 2008
