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Hi Sarah, what a “real life ” example of how climate change is having an impact on the local area with their own fairy garden being destroyed! Certainly an effect that it going to capture the children’s interest and make them want to learn ways where they can help reduce climate change!
Enniscorthy where I teach only this school year saw the effects first hand of how climate change is having an impact. The river slaney often bursts its banks due to heavy rainfall but this year the flooding and damage from the storm in January was considerable. This was very meaningful to pupils as it was their own community and all of them had stories to tell of homes, businesses etc that had been flooded and the negative impact it had.
I would explore this further with pupils, by showing them pictures of the flooding and listening to their own stories about the flooding. We would also look at maps and recognise areas more prone to flooding and why. We would explore the causes of flooding,the impacts, and what can we do to reduce flooding(planting trees,maintaining flood walls, disposing of rubblish correctly so water drains dont become blocked).
We can encourage our pupils to become active citizens and slow down climate change by following our green schools energy flag motto. ” reduce reuse recycle”, reducing our carbon footprint by continuing our “walking wednesdays” in school. Encourage children to use reusable items such as water bottles and lunch boxes. These small simple changes add up when we all do them!
I love this suggestion Sarah, that children could volunteer for english conversation practise, it made me think that even having children in pairs playing snap or boardgames to help teach the english language, the simple repeated phrases and the enjoyment of playing together would help build friendships aswel as their language skills!
In my locality in Co.Wexford, Gorey family resource centre works with refugees in our community. They connect refugees with practical supports, english speaking classes, community activities etc. Only last Christmas, they helped the local Ukranian womens group to celebrate St. Nicholas’s Day on December 6th where children were given the opportunity to visit St.Nicholas and make a Ukranian craft and receive sweets. It was a lovely opportunity to learn about their culture and embrace their traditions, it was on over the weekend so I brought my own small children but I thought it was a really lovely and well supported.
It is important that schools and pupils bwcome actively involved in making refugees feel welcomed,included and valued.
Our home school liason teacher provides parents of new refugees to the school with welcome packs. She also organises classes such as cookery classes in the school kitchen, where refugee women bake alongside local women and then sit down and share a cup of tea and a chat, helping to not only improve their english but theit sense of belonging and community.
I would encourage my pupils to welcome refugees to our school by introducing a buddy programme, by pairing children up with someone to help them settle in. I feel as teachers it is important that we promote kindess empathy and inclusion, celebrating different cultures and their traditions. In our school we havent before celebrated Refuge Week Ireland or World Refugee Day which falls on June 20th, this is something I will be looking at promoting next school year. I love the idea of having a day where different families would be invited maybe in the hall to set up a table sharing their different traditions, food and music!
I agree with the issue of imcreased waste with the hot food lunch scheme, not only in terms of food but as you say cartons/spoons and forks! I find it surprising also that portion sizes of the hot meals are the same whether the child is in infants or 6th class, where as their appetite is not the same. I wish something could be done in relation to the amount of food waste, the options of using leftovers for something at home isnt there as the food leftover isnt sent home.
The Sustainable Development Goal I have chosent to focus on is number two-Hunger. The aim of this goal is to end hunger and improve nutrition for all so that everyone can have a access to healthy food and nourish their bodies to live healthy lives. It also focuses on promoting sustainable agriculture.
On a local level,in our schools, children learn about healthy eating and nutrition from infants upwards. We are very fortunate in our schools with the hot school meals intiative, my children’s school has an on site kitchen so they quality and freshness of the meals are high.
In our school garden, classes grow their own herbs and vegetables, teaching them sustainability.
Om a global level, many children are affected by hunger due to poverty, conflict and natural disasters. I actually feel not many irish children are exposed to this, the advertisements from charities dedicated to helping the hungry on television and the trocaire boxes are my memories of becoming aware of the hungry when I was growing up, but with netflix and you tube, the power of these adverts is lost on the young therefore it is more important than ever to educate them on topics such as this and build on their empathy and compassion, which children naturally have.
To support this goal also it is important that children are educated on food wastage and the importance of using leftovers.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Composting and bringing home food from school reduces food waste. Learning about sustainable food production is something I hope to teach my class more about in the next school year, I have quite alot of new knowledge on aquaculture farming from the last course I did and I feel this is one of Irelands best examples of home grown sustainability!Linking in with local farmers also supports ESD to 2030 linking in with local businesses and fostering relationships within the community. So having farmers visit the school for example saltrock dairy children would see sustainability in action by their ability to produce and sell local food, using reusable glass bottles therefore reducing use of plastics and their harm on the environment- their ” glass to grass” approach.</p>Hi Malllorie, it is refreshing to read that your school has a great emphasis on equality and it is widely respected. The example of your principal choosing 4 boys to lift heavy boxes, shows however, even though we as adults are very aware of gender stereotypes its almost impossible not to fall into the trap, but something we as leaders in education need to be more mindful of!
Gender stereotypes affects students from a very young age. Children as young as junior infants have a very clear distinction between something that is “for boys only” or “for girls only”. Whether it is a minecraft lunchbox, a pink hair clip, or a certain toy, these gender stereptypes are already in place by the time they start school. This is where the teachers voice is so important. I remember once in a classroom we were discussing what they would like to be when they grow up, one particular girl confidently said how she hoped she would be a famous footballer one day. This was met with shock from many followed by ” girls can”t become professional football players only boys can”.
It is important as a teacher that we use these moments as teachable moments, by not addressing them we are reinforcing these gender stereotypes. I explained to the children that gender doesnt define what you become in life, its your own goals and talents, you can be anything you want to be by setting your mind to it. I went on to show them photographs of many successful women who played sport at an international level namely our own Katie McCabe who is captain of the Republic of Ireland’s women’s team and a professional footballer for Arsenal!
Hi Marina,
Some great ideas here,I agree with your suggestion of “embedding” development education across all subject areas and not teaching it as a stand alone topic. The whole school events you suggested such as Fairtrade initiatives, cultural celebrations, lending to perhaps a multicultural week, would foster a school community of inclusion where children of all nationalities are respected and celebrated. Educating children in this area, develops active global citizens where they learn their actions however small can make a difference in our world.
Having read”The Role of Global Citizens in Today’s World’by Ehigie one if the statements that struck me the most was ” to be a global citizen is to care, to empathise”. Development education is important because by educating our children on poverty, hunger inequality and political instability and discovering the roots of these injustices and inequalities they can come up with ways to make a difference, and realise the impact these differences can make. The lessons outlined in the Plan International Ireland Development Education Teacher Education Handbook were simple and practical and ones I could see myself doing with my class. I loved the concept of viewing development education as connecting “head,heart and hands”. The knowledge and education is enpowering, the heart for the empathy for those less fortunate, and the hands for the how can we help, what can we do? The ideas such as Global Awareness week in schools and the sharing of lessons on global development education with colleagues at work on a digital shared resources folder, will encourage colleagues to plan development education activities without the dauting aspect of where do I start?!
Hi Rosemarie,
My first time hearing of Sea Scouts,a wonderful way to promote the responsibility and sustainability of our beautiful beaches. The name itself attracting the the involvement of childen with fun on the beach and in the water with their peers (away from the screens) an added bonus!
Wexford supports sustainability at a local level through many intiatives. Tidy towns commitees promote waste recycling, local companies such as Saltrock dairy are renowned for sustainable milk vending system, focused on reducing the use of single use plastic containers and promotes the use of reusable glass alternatives. Wexford has many wind farms generating renewable electricity,reducing our use and dependence on fossil fuels. Our many strawberry and potato farms practice sustainable farming by using crop rotation and natural fertilisers. There has been an increase in the number of solar panels companies in Wexford, homes and businesses are becoming more interested in producing renewable energy.
Our school is very much engaged in sustainability through the schools Green Schools commitee, promoting recycling, water&energy conservation and biodiversity. I would further engage them by arranging a visit to Wexford’s wildlife Reserve or invite a guest speaker from the Reserve as here they support sustainability by protecting the habitats of many birds and wildlife. Again a visit or guest speaker from Tara Hill’s Saltrock Dairy farm, would educate them on the sustainability of their “grass to glass” approach to farming, and I am sure they would enjoy tasting all the flavours of milk Saltrock Dairy has to offer!
Fish is a rich source of protein,vitamins and minerals. I was surprised to learn that mussels and shellfish contain as much protein as red meat. As a population we lack vitamin D due to the lack of sunshine we get, 80% of Irish people are deficient in vitamin D! salmon and other fatty fish like halibut are excellent sources of vitamin D. Fish is a source of Omega 3 fatty acids needed for vision and brain development in children, I didnt realise the impact of omega 3’s decreases as we get older. The salmon nutrition handbook in this module gives the detailed nutritional information on all types of fish and shellfish.
There are many different way to teach the nutritional value of fish using an enquiry based learning approach. The I spy activity in the supermarket encourages children to look at the labels of fish and recognise their nutrients. They can compare their findings.
Learning about nutrients and their function on the body in science,eg protein builds muscle, in SPHE
making healthy food choices using the food pyramid as our guide,
Literacy, create and design a poster/ advertisement encouraging people to eat fish,in maths conduct a survey and display results in a pictogram or bar chart “Who likes fish?”/ what are the most popular types of fish to eat?”.
Teaching children the nutritional value of fish and the benefits of making healthy food choices from a young age can help to develop life long habits.
I feel the same too Rosemarie, I have read the story of The Salmon Of Knowledge many times to classes of different levels and not once did I link it to nutrition and brain development, which is evident in Fionn Mac Cumhaill, who is full of knowledge after eating it! After this module and all I have learned on aquaculture, this legend will provide a whole new stimulus to future lessons!
The ARC online lessons provide meaningful enquiry based lessons for pupils. They promote active learning and curiosity, critical thinking and creativity all of which are key elements of STEM education. The lessons are based on the following themes “What is Aquaculture”?, “The nutrition of seafood, “Aquaculture and the community” and “Sustainable Irish Seafood”. The lessons provide many opportunities for cross curricular links which further benefits the development of STEM education in all primary subjects. I found the lesson on Aquaculture and the Community really insightful, the employment of 2000 people of differing skills across 300 aquaculture farms being just one of the many socioeconomic impacts. Seeing how fish goes from farm to table would be of such interest to pupils, and I believe inviting a guest speaker from BIM would only further engage the children and promote their interest and opportunities for real world learning. The ultimate goal for me going forward is to get on the waitlist for the ARC to visit the primary school I teach in, but in the meantime these lessons and resources are invaluable for the information on aquaculture and STEM education and skills development for children and I plan to use them next school year.
It is essential that STEM education is addressed as part of the SSE process. Following the 6 step approach,evidence needs to be gathered relating to STEM education,areas for improvement in current science teaching and learning need to be identified by analysing the data and making judgements,the area for development and improvement is priortised,the planned actions and improvement plan is agreed and shared,the plan is put into action and finally people are identified to monitor implementation and evaluate success. If we are to continue to develop STEM education and skills among our pupils this is a vital process. By setting goals, monitoring them and achieving them teachers will have improved knowledge and understanding of STEM skills and education and more confidence and enthusiasm in their teaching which in turn will lead to an improvement in pupils understanding and application of science skills and increased confidence motivation and engagement.