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I love this idea of linking art projects with biodiversity and nature and comparing the, You could introduce the children to phenology in this meaningful way.
I love the idea of connecting art with Birr Castle and am totally inspired to do the same. There is so much scope for integrating biodiversity, engineering and the creative arts using this Birr Castle as a stimulus. Thanks for sharing.
Mary Parsons of The Parson’s Legacy at Birr Castle Demesne had a profound interest in photography and using pictorial images to document and record the world around her. I would take this idea and use it in collaboration with our own action plan to protect pollinators in our school. The children could use ipads to take photos every fortnight as a means of recording progress and compare them accordingly noting seasonal changes and progress relating to our pollinators protection plan. We would then also use these images (and real life settings) as stimuli for creative art displays. The children could work independently or in groups to paint our wildflower garden or pollinator friendly trees and record findings, and note and compare seasonal changes also. The initial pictures could be used as data collection as we record our work as part of the All Ireland Pollinator Protection Plan.
Thanks for sharing your idea Sarah and highlighting the possibilities in transferring skills used in one STEM project to another. I especially enjoyed the relevance of the bird feeder in relation to harnessing nature in our school communities and it is so applicable to my own class level this year. Thanks for sharing.
Our school location allows for a planned visit to Birr castle to experience the suspension bridge first hand. This would be a focal point for discussion around bridges as we explore and discuss different types of bridges and begin to consider elements necessary to design a bridge. The What MAkes a Good Engineer Video on YouTube would be useful to refer to also.
The children could collaborate to build paper bridges. They could work in groups to plan and design different bridges using the same amount of paper each time. exploring shape (flat, folded, arched, rectangular, triangular, wider, narrow, etc) as they first predict and then test out their designs to find out what elements are necessary to design a bridge which can carry the most coins (all the same type of coin to ensure accuracy and fairness in testing) without collapsing. We would use same size items to represent a river under our bridges. The children could measure the river as they consider bridge design. This could lead to further critical thinking and discussions around increasing volume in rivers and lakes, etc. Let’s look at linking engineering to mathematical concepts. Reasoning, representation, problem solving and mathematic language are apparent as children engage in comparing and ordering length and height, sorting 2D shapes, counting, simple estimation, and non-standard measurement. They need to consider means to measure the height of the bridge in relation to the river….. I often let children choose their own non-standard measure and guide them around fairness in terms of measuring but blocks or hand-spans to measure the river’s width and each bridge’s height would work well. To conclude, the children could compare their model to the Birr suspension bridge and evaluate which design was most successful.
Registering the school with the All Ireland Pollinator Plan on the National Biodiversity Data Centre Online Portal is the first step towards protecting our pollinators. I think first and foremost it is very important for the children to appreciate why an action plan to protect pollinators is being undertaken. Why do we need to protect them? Let’s learn about their important role. The children could complete some groupwork and projects on Bee/Dandelions, etc. and present them to peers and/or on a whole school basis. We could invite in guest speakers with specialized experience and knowledge to ignite further interest as we as a whole school community begin to identify and care for our local pollinators.
Establishing a pollinator team to drive our action plan is essential, although I am mindful to ensure these roles of responsibility do no limit or restrict other children in their involvement. Ensuring the children selected on the team identify as communicators for their class is essential. Our team members could include parents and our caretaker too as the children learn that good communication with adults in charge of school maintenance is central to this project as we look at for example mowing lawns less frequently and the harmful effects of pesticides.
Creating a map of the school grounds and identifying existing areas and areas we could develop to help pollinators is a priority. The actual creating of the map could be a task for the senior classes but it is essential that each class contributes their concerns and ideas. This map will be a work in progress, a baseline for tracking change over time and for planning for improvements.
Some elements of our action plan include but are not limited to:
Children creating and placing signs in areas selected for protection,
Monitoring these areas closely and recording what they observe,
Identifying areas of grass which could be less frequently mown,
“No Mow May” initiative,
Restrict the use of pesticides,
Plant seeds collected from local wild flower populations and lant native wild flowering trees and pollinator friendly bulbs.
I feel that allocating a time segment for our action plan to protect pollinators at our monthly whole school is essential. The children on the “team” could collect input from their classes to share at this gathering and it would be a great way to monitor progress.
Thank you for outlining some clear and achievable steps to take to support pollinators. I particularly loved the central role of the children in protecting pollinators with simple examples such as making and placing signs, giving the children ownership and meaningful engagement.
Maps with the younger classes (1st/2nd class)
Begin by eliciting and revisiting prior knowledge through questioning and looking at examples of maps. Some curious questions I would elicit from the children include:
What are maps? WHere have you seen one before?
Are there different types?
Do we need them? Why?
Do we use them? When would you use one?
How do we use a map? (Use of keys/ symbols, directions/ positional language, birds eye view, etc.)
These above questions could be complimented with visuals and samples of actual maps. Having a small collection of simple maps for the younger children to physically hold and discuss in partners would be useful. we receive maps when visiting pet farms (especially local ones), the zoo, Birr Castle etc. The children could work in pairs and prepare directions around different starting and finishing points on such little maps. Perhaps a guessing game to ignite interests as children follow directions from each other to find out a particular location on the map. It would be essential to talk about the use of symbols, etc. too.
A series of mapping lessons would be essential for the children to gain a fuller meaningful understanding and appreciation of maps and mapping. There are some lovely extension ideas to harness the learning;
Create a map of the classroom together as a whole group
Using maps of the class /school as treasure maps
Using lego to create a map of the school / local area and lego figures to playfully interact with the map.
Observing the local school ground/ area and collecting natural items to represent the area on a 3D map (twigs for trees etc.) to create offers a meaningful encounter for children as highlighted in Una Halpins work.
The use of Google maps as a comparison tool would allow us to introduce the children to mapping in digital technology as we compare digital mapping with our own creations. GeoHive would also allow us to look at local landmarks too.
I love Diarmaids approach to mapping with the younger age groups. The treasure hunt is sure to grab their attention and build excitement around learning about mapping. I also think it is so important to consider the sequence of concrete to digital/abstract with younger children and starting with a small number of features to include on the map as children begin to explore the area from the bird eye view.
Having completed this module, I feel that some of the key points to consider which will assist me in my own teaching include appreciating the role of the teacher as facilitator of STEM learning activities. Facilitating is key here as the value in each lesson is placed on the process as opposed to the children merely recalling scientific facts. The emphasis lies on nurturing childrens curiosity and facilitating learning by providing an effective learning environment and supporting discussions around topics as children ask questions, predict and explore and reflect.
I also really feel that quality oral language is necessary for success in STEM and the explicit teaching of necessary vocabulary is central to each individual learning experience in STEM. Cross-curricular integration and thematic planning is essential where possible to compliment this and in addition, having different “background” information relating to STEM topics would also support the children’s ability to think critically and engage with the learning experience on a deeper level.
Children learn best when the learning is based on meaningful experiences and when they are actively involved in their learning. When we use local areas such as Birr Castle Demesne as a stimulus for exploring STEM, the children can begin to really appreciate its relevance. I have visited Birr Castle more times than I can remember but now I see it through a new lens (excuse the pun!!) A basis for exploring light, telescopes, biodiversity and much more.
I also really appreciate the tools outlined in this module; websites such as curious minds and ESERO, and the frameworks discussed which will really support us to plan and implement quality STEM learning experiences.