West OS Development Officers Faith and Sam have created this podcast to provide a space for discussion and advice on the issues that matter to you as a learner, teacher or parent and carer.
Each podcast will discuss and explore a different theme or topic relating to education — we will hear views from experts, young people and teachers.
In this first episode, Sam and Faith discuss moving to the senior phase. Asking what it’s like and how to deal with this change. They are joined by S5 pupil, Cait who shares her experiences and Caroline Melville, a person-centred therapist from Glasgow. Caroline has worked in High Schools in Glasgow and Renfrewshire and now works as a Student Counsellor at Glasgow Caledonian University.
This first episode can be used in class along with the support materials. The materials are designed to spark discussion and encourage further thinking around the issues. Young people could also be encouraged to listen to this podcast by themselves.
It is suitable for learners from S3-S6.
In this second episode of Westcast, Sam and Faith look at the move from School to either university or college. Here, they ask and discover: what the application process is like and how do you write the perfect personal statement. They are joined by Rachel Hyslop, the School Connect Manager at Glasgow Caledonian University. Rachel works with young people in schools across the West of Scotland to help them gain access to university. In this episode she shares her top tips on how to write an effective personal statement that will stand out. To give the College perspective, Mark Dawes, Senior Development Officer for Routes for All and Development Officer Starr McGibbon give their advice on how to apply to college and they advise on what the college personal statement should look like. Both Mark and Starr work in 17 Secondary Schools across Glasgow, helping young people to find the right college course.
For further information on how to write the personal statement for university, you can view these links:
For further information about college:
In this third episode of Westcast, Sam and Faith discuss studying. Asking what we mean by study skills, why are they such an important part of learning? And should we rebrand them as independent working skills? Perhaps most importantly, they discuss how to find the method that works for you. They are joined by Dr Jonathan Firth – who is an author, university teacher and researcher whose work is focused on the psychology of learning – specifically the memory. Jonathan talks through the concept of metacognition and shares his top tips on how to learn and recall knowledge effectively. This podcast would be of interest to both teachers and learners as it contains practical advice on to study effectively.
You can download a summary of the main top tips here:
In this fourth episode of Westcast, Sam and Faith discuss subject choice and career decision making. Answering the big questions like how do I decide on what I want to do when I leave school? What subjects should I pick? What if I don’t know what I want to do? What jobs are out there? To help answer these questions they are joined by SDS Careers Advisors – Paul Cairns and Jennifer Whelan. This podcast would be perfect for any young person who is thinking about their next steps or about to pick subjects – whether you are in S2 or S6 this podcast is going to help you.
In this fifth episode of Westcast, Sam and Faith discuss artificial intelligence (AI). Asking lots of questions from what is AI to what does the future with AI look like? To answer these questions, they are joined by Calum McDonald from the Scottish AI Alliance, an organisation which is responsible for delivering Scotland’s AI strategy. Calum provides expert knowledge on AI and discusses how AI can be trustworthy, ethical and inclusive. This podcast would be useful for any learner who is interested in learning more about AI, or it could be used as a whole class teaching resource. It also contains interesting information on potential careers in AI.
Children and young people have many questions on the future of AI so Callum and his team have put together a blog which aims to answer all the questions that were asked during our AI live event for Computing Science Week 2023.
Click here to access the blog –https://www.scottishai.com/news/west-os-wonders
The new West OS podcast series presents quick and insightful episodes on a wide range of educational subjects. Each 10 minute episode is designed with the busy school life in mind and can be played as part of a lesson or listened to on the go. Whether you are a teacher, young person or parent/ carer this podcast series will have something for you. The goal of this podcast series is simple: to provide short episodes filled with strategies and pointers that will help you to manage school life and give insights on different topics.
With the new school year starting, Brian Costello from Headstrong gives some advice on how to prepare for the year ahead. Brian discusses how to look after your mental health and gives some practical tips on how to stop that feeling of being overwhelmed, allowing for a great start to the new term! Whether you are a young person, a teacher or a parent or carer this episode aims to ease you into the new term.
This podcast is for young people studying Higher English and William Shakespeare’s Macbeth!
Listen in to Miss Healy as she explains how Macbeth goes from hero to zero. How does his demise come around? What events transpire? Who else is involved? Listen, make notes and read through the accompanying resource to boost your understanding of this great piece of literature.
Bonjour to all of our listeners! This next mini-cast in the series is for young people studying Higher French.
Listen in to Mrs. Storrie as she explains how to achieve optimum results with your Directed Writing. Listen to the advice and suggested phrases that would be ideal to add to your vocabulary and useful phrases list. This episode gives ideas on how to discuss your trip, how to describe who you met and how to give recommendations for future visits.
Hello to all of our Higher Historians! Join us for this fascinating mini-cast episode. Mrs. Lorenzetti gives top quality advice on how historiography helps with preparation for assignment and how to develop analysis and evaluation in essays.
What is historiography? How can you identify what is an opinion and what is a fact in the reading you do? Listen to the podcast for information on how to structure your writing and achieve the very best in your assignment.
This podcast is for young people studying Higher English and Death of a Salesman. The world of Willy Loman is one that makes us all think about his flaws and outlook on life. Listen in as we explore his abundance of flaws and the detrimental impact they have on everyone around him. This is one character who sparks debate, interest and deep emotions within the audience.
Superb advice and phrases for your German talking assessment. Listen carefully to the phrases and make vital notes that will help you build confidence and knowledge.
Gain top marks by listening to this specific and detailed advice- pass that History Assignment!
A high quality mini-cast that will help you to understand what is needed within the N5 History Assignment.
Lots of invaluable support to take on board and consider in this podcast as you look to achieve success in the Modern Studies Assignment.