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I recently watched the Paxi video on greenhouse gases and found it to be a highly engaging and informative resource. The video effectively explains the concept of greenhouse gases and their impact on global temperatures in a way that is accessible to students. Using the tool for predicting future temperatures was an excellent follow-up activity, allowing students to apply what they learned from the video and see the potential future impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.
Activity 3, which involves predicting future temperatures, is particularly valuable as it encourages students to engage with real-world data and understand the long-term effects of current environmental practices. I plan to use this activity in my class to help students grasp the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One suggestion for improvement is to include a segment where students can compare different climate models and scenarios, offering a broader perspective on potential outcomes. Additionally, incorporating a hands-on experiment to demonstrate the greenhouse effect could further solidify their understanding.
Overall, I believe this activity is a powerful tool for raising awareness and fostering critical thinking about climate change among students. Integrating these resources into the curriculum can significantly enhance students’ comprehension and engagement with environmental science.
Hi Conor,
Your class activity sounds incredibly engaging and educational! It’s fantastic to see students applying STEM principles to everyday objects like seesaws, slides, and swings. By researching and improving these simple inventions, students not only understand the science and engineering behind them but also develop collaborative and critical thinking skills. Mocking up the designs before and after adjustments is a great hands-on approach. It’s understandable that time constraints limited the analysis and reinvestigation phase, but the experience itself is invaluable.Liston’s (2018) paper, “Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics,” underscores the importance of integrating STEM disciplines into our daily teaching practices. STEM should not be isolated as a standalone subject but should be embedded throughout our curriculum. This approach is fundamental for fostering 21st-century thinking skills. By providing opportunities for students to become critical and innovative thinkers, we enable them to define real-world problems, collaborate on research, plan and develop solutions, make informed decisions, reflect on their work, create and build, test and evaluate, and continuously improve their ideas and designs. This iterative process should be at the heart of our teaching.
Using “Lego Spike Essential Kits,” students can work in teams to develop cars controlled by programmed panels, applying the Engineering Design Process (EDP) to solve challenges. Presenting these projects to different classes helps boost students’ creativity, problem-solving skills, inquisitive thinking, and teamwork, enhancing their confidence and enjoyment in learning. This method has proven effective in connecting school learning with real-life community and work-related problems.
Additionally, the ESA resources “Nose Up High in the Sky” and “Weather Vs Climate” are excellent for classroom use. The “Weather Detectives” outdoor activities offer great opportunities for group work. A school weather station project, led by the Student Council, could involve determining the best location, designing weather devices, calculating costs, and maintaining the station, thus providing a practical and engaging learning experience that connects with the real world.