School of Education

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (2021) highlights differentiation as central to effective planning to meet learners’ needs (Standard 3.1.1). 
But here’s the big question many teachers quietly ask themselves: 
“How can I teach a diverse range of learners in my class?” 
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. For over four decades, research has shown that differentiation remains one of the biggest challenges teachers face – whether newly qualified or highly experienced. 
At its heart, differentiation is about belief. The belief that all children can succeed. Like inclusion, it is a philosophy as much as practice, and it asks us to think deeply about how we plan, adapt, and respond in ways that bring every learner into the centre of the classroom experience. 
This short online course will: 
✅ Explore the advantages and limitations of a range of differentiation models 
✅ Support reflection and professional dialogue on what truly inclusive differentiation looks like in practice 
✅ Offer practical tools to help you plan and adapt without overwhelming your workload 
✅ Encourage critical thinking around whether our choices include or unintentionally exclude learners 
Join me for an evening of fresh ideas, reflection, and practical strategies to help you meet the diverse needs of your learners – while keeping teaching sustainable and inclusive. 
This course is suitable for the following participants: primary teachers  

This course explores ‘slow pedagogy’ based on the research of Professor Alison Clark (2023) Various examples will be shared to examine the ‘unhurried child’ within the early years.

Where do we start?

How do we establish time for children to fully explore their own ideas?

What could the rhythm of the day look like?

The role of the adult will also be a focus through examining key occupations to support educators within the setting. What interactions are effective, and which interactions hinder children’s thinking. A model of implementation will be shared with participants on how this may be adapted to support our own teaching and learning.  This presentation is solely based on work within the field of early years.

This session is for all educators who wish to deepen and extend their thinking around working with and for an increasingly diverse learning community. We will move beyond deficit framing of children’s capacities by exploring concepts from key scholars in the field of inclusive education. We offer an opportunity to unpack what ‘inclusion’ and ‘additional support needs’ should mean for practice. We share how to develop strengths-based perspectives in ways that dismantle systemic barriers and identify positive actions to bring about more socially just, equitable and inclusive learning for all. 
 Aims: 
•    Consolidate an understanding of inclusive education and pedagogy (what it is and what it is not)
•    Recognise learner diversity as an asset and understand strengths-based working in classroom practice
•    Be able to draw on disability theory to reframe our relational working and recognise the rights of the child under both the UNCRC and UNCRPD. 
•    Use creativity and arts-based methods to develop practical strategies for building a sense of belonging, inclusion, and community cohesion. 

Over the past decade, educators around the world have increasingly looked to cognitive science, including research from cognitive psychology and neuroscience, to provide guidance on more effective pedagogy. However, cognitive science is a complex area, and there is a risk that educators may feel overwhelmed by the many research findings and theories, or by the new terminology and strategies they are becoming so widely discussed.

This session will provide a beginner-friendly primer on cognitive science as it applies to education. It will then move on to clear and actionable strategies for translating the most robust research findings into classroom-ready techniques, along with guidance on how to keep appraised of new research evidence while remaining critical. Finally, we will focus on four of the most widely-recommended and easy to apply evidence-based strategies: retrieval practice, spaced practice, dual coding and interleaving.

We want to engage in assessment and provide useful feedback to pupils, but this can’t rely on simply more time and effort or marking. This session positions the problem in terms of the effectiveness of information – not more marking, but better information provided at times and in ways that will be retained by learners and transfer to future work.

Evidence from cognitive science has shown repeatedly that the extent to which learning sticks is not closely related to the amount of time spent on practice. It also casts doubt on some common practices, such as aiming to give feedback as soon as possible after an assessment. We will explore the evidence in this session, and you will be guided on specific applications to low-stakes tests and quizzes, including ways of setting and grading assessments that are minimal in preparation time and yet impactful.

An emphasis will also be placed on providing students with feedback that is actionable and transferable – taking account of research on both memory and metacognition to provide a realistic picture. Overall, this session provides a route to focused, efficient, and psychology-informed assessment practices that will work better in the classroom and cut down on wasted time and effort.     

Every teacher knows that questioning is a key skill, and one that is used in classrooms every day. However, it is sometimes hard to know the long-term impact of questioning on students’ learning. Even experienced teachers may may not always be certain how best to phrase questions, when to pose questions of various levels of complexity, and how to judge and plan for wait time and consolidation.

This session will draw on the psychology of memory and concept development to provide more helpful guidance on the ‘how’ and ‘when’ of questioning. It will look at recent research on wait time, as well as drawing on the psychology of long-term memory to help ensure that our questioning boosts lasting learning rather than temporary performance. We will also explore the research and debates around wait time, scaffolding of answers, hinge questions to expose misconceptions, and the ‘cold calling’ technique.

Questioning is one of the most powerful pedagogical tools at our disposal, and can help to make learning visible. This session will draw on research evidence to ensure that it is working well for your students.

Pupils need to develop good independent study habits, helping them to become successful, self-regulating independent learners. However, most do not know how to study effectively because the process of learning is not intuitive, and hard work only goes so far.

 
This session will cover the essentials of good study habits that can be applied to note-taking, revision, working for tests, review and consolidation work, and exam preparation. Drawing on the contemporary cognitive psychology of how people learn, this session will debunk certain popular myths and focus on well-evidenced study strategies that can be used by pupils of all ages and attainment levels. It will position effective learning as a skill, and one that can and should be developed to help support students’ journey of increasing independence through the school years and beyond.

More information can be found on the School of Education webpage.

This training examines the power of play for young children.

Session 1 : focuses on the design of effective learning spaces for young children with reference to the continuum of play and Tina Bruce’s 12 features of play.

Session 2 : explores context, capital and childhood. 
Context – understanding the image of the child.
Capital – understanding the influence of the child.
Childhood- understanding the importance of the child.

Session 3 : examines high -quality learning and high-quality teaching. This session also revisits high quality learning spaces. Key links are made to theory and international examples. 

Session 4 : In this final session, the key points are related to defining childhood through careful observations and evaluations.

More information can be found on the School of Education webpage.

This seminar will explore the 10 Cs of pedagogical weaving. Referring to the research and data which focusses on how young children learn effectively. A clear understanding of effective early years is central to ensuring positive outcomes for all children. We must build relationships that emphasise sensitive, responsive interactions to support the proximal processes that are central to learning.  Each chapter consist of key research, examples and reflections to allow the participants time to reflect on their own settings.

Participants will be given opportunities to use the key headings to support reflection and to ask questions in small groups.

More infomation can be found on the School of Education webpage.

Developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, such as machine learning, natural language processing, neural networks and Generative AI (GenAI) have significantly influenced how we interact, work and learn. Therefore, as these technologies become increasingly embedded in everyday life, AI literacy is essential for teachers and their students to navigate, critically evaluate, and responsibly harness their potential. This workshop starts with a brief introduction to the basics of AI, while the focus is placed on GenAI. Designed for participants with no prior technical background, the session provides a clear and accessible overview of how GenAI works, allows experimentation with effective prompting strategies, and explores practical ways it can be integrated into teaching and assessment. Drawing on current academic literature, examples will highlight opportunities for personalised learning, feedback, and creativity, as well as challenges around integrity and responsible use. Participants will leave with actionable insights and confidence to begin exploring GenAI in their own classrooms.

More information can be found on the School of Education webpage.

This two-hour professional learning workshop introduces educators to immersive learning and Augmented Reality (AR). The workshop is grounded in recent academic research on the potential of AR to enhance teaching and learning. Building on this foundation, participants will explore practical classroom AR applications across subject areas. Moreover, the workshop will provide hands-on experience in creating simple AR resources to support engaging, interactive teaching.

Join us to discover how AR can enhance pupil engagement, foster creativity, and support learning across the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence – from visualising abstract science concepts to boosting storytelling, literacy, and digital literacy.    

More information is available on the School of Education webpage.