Home › Forums › Teaching Space in Junior Classes with Curious Minds and ESERO › Module 4 – School Self Evaluation & Science Skills › Reply To: Module 4 – School Self Evaluation & Science Skills
What further steps might you take towards a STEM focused SSE?
While we generally have robust Whole School Curricular Plans, with the introduction of the new curriculum framework, in particular the move to group subjects under the heading STEM, our school has identified that SESE overall needs an overhaul to ensure cohesive practice in which all children have ample opportunity to develop the maths and science skills they will require in the Ireland, and the world, of the future. At the crux of the SESE programme is STEM. Furthermore, it is particularly topical with the introduction of the Primary Maths Curriculum which has been described as an ‘inch wide but a mile deep’.
Having identified SESE/STEM as its focus, the school will first gather evidence from the school community. The staff feedback will be obtained during a staff meeting where people will work in their class levels to discuss what is working well and what needs improvement. The children will be consulted, some by focus group and some feedback forms. These may include responding through the visual arts, in particular for the younger children. Parents will be consulted using a Google forms survey.
The results of all of the feedback will be analysed by a team of interested parties and judgements will be made, with the LAOS document steering the priority areas. At this point, one or two key, practical actions will be agreed upon and communicated with the school community. Together, we will work on implementing these while monitoring at regular intervals by taking photos of the progress and filing them in a shared drive folder. It will appear on every staff meeting agenda to ensure SESE & STEM remain key foci and its success will be monitored and reviewed at regular intervals.