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The topic that I am looking at is ‘Poverty/Homelessness’ and it relates to the Sustainable Development Goal No. 1 – ‘No Poverty’. This topic has implications locally and globally. Firstly, within the classroom, it is important to be sensitive to the children you are working with and recognise that poverty/homelessness may be a lived experience for some of them.
On a local level, poverty/homelessness may mean children do not have enough (healthy) food to eat and may be hungry. They may not have adequate regular access to sanitation/hygiene facilities. If they are over 8, attending the doctor may be too costly and their health may deteriorate. They may not have an appropriate place or supports to engage in homework or other educational tasks so they may fall behind in education. The goals are interlinked and here we can see how SDG 1 can directly influence SDG 2, 3, 4 and 6. This all serves to perpetuate the poverty cycle.
Globally, similar can be said on a larger scale, poverty/homelessness can lead to hunger, displacement, loss of employment, ill-health, poor or no access to education, clean water and sanitation. It can result in a seemingly never-ending cycle of poverty which ensures a massive divide remains between the Global North and Global South.
To encourage your students to take action to support the SDGs, we would begin by using the philosophy for children ‘Thinking Time’ approach to discuss the topic of poverty/homelessness in a safe, secure, familiar way. I would then encourage and facilitate research on the meaning of equality by examining poverty/homelessness. The children would then explore the work of a prominent figure or group in social justice activism in Ireland in relation to poverty/homelessness in Ireland e.g. Focus Ireland, Peter McVerry, Simon Community. Using active student voice, the children would choose one aspect that they too can become activists on locally through awareness-raising, letters to local representatives etc.
Finally, Development Education can make a valuable contribution to School Self-Evaluation by supporting school improvement priorities such as wellbeing, inclusion, pupil voice and active citizenship. The impact of this work could be measured through pupil reflections, samples of work, surveys and evidence of meaningful action within the school and wider community. Embedding Development Education as part of SSE helps ensure that it becomes a shared whole-school commitment rather than a once-off project
100 per cent right about how early it starts and how important it is to challenge them. It is so deeply-rooted in society, people are blind to it. Even dividing our education system in 2026 into a system that still entertains gender-divided schools is so questionable. I say this with no disrespect to your all-girls school. It simply reminded me. In the recent primary school survey, it was alarming to me looking at the results, that some people still don’t want co-educational learning environments – it beggars belief!
This is a topic that I am regularly found on my soapbox about and I have had many discussions with my colleagues and friends about. Gender stereotypes are everywhere! From the second the child leaves the womb (and even before!), they are subject to gender stereotypes, from the types of clothing put onto them to people describing infants as behaving x y and z way because they are a girl/boy etc. Children are exposed to this constantly and often coming from adults that they trust. It then often continues right on into adulthood. Gender stereotyping in turn leads to gender inequality. I recently saw a reel where a man explained it very well. He was doing the grocery shopping accompanied by his small children, where he was met with comments about ‘how great he was for doing that’ and how wonderful he was for having the children with him at the same time. He commented about how his wife would never be met with these comments and he described very simply how the ‘social bar’ is set much lower for men and the inequity that exists for women even in the simplest of tasks.
In my own classroom (Senior Infants) recently, we had worked a lot on discrimination, whereby work on racial discrimination in turn led to discussions on gender discrimination. We discuss the ideas of ‘boys toys’ or ‘girls toys’, haircuts, nail varnish etc. All the children by the end of the lessons knew the ‘right’ answer to give but as teachers, we also recognise that just because they know it, does not mean that they will embody it. Last year, a boy in the class arrived in wearing a skirt. While one or two children remarked that he was (more in observation and a kind of admiration than criticism), he was supported by a classful of children who accepted that he was simply wearing clothes, not ‘girls’ clothes. On yard however, he was met with three boys from another class who tried to belittle him. However, this was met with strong disapproval from the children in my class. The child in question was fully supported and the other children were educated in the concept of gender stereotyping. When speaking with the child’s mother later that day, she explained that wearing perceived ‘girls’ clothes was something that he had always liked to do but not long before Junior Infants, he felt shamed in the playground about it and had stopped. Due to feeling safe and supported, he now confidently comes to school in the clothes that he felt most comfortable in. This really highlights how harmful gender stereotyping can be from such an early age and equally the power we hold as educators in creating that positive, safe environment for children free from gender stereotyping.
I really enjoyed reading your reflection. I like how you highlighted that Development Education is about empowering children to think critically and recognise that their actions can make a difference. Your ideas for embedding it across the curriculum and linking it with SSE are really practical. Thank you
This paper was particularly interesting and relevant because it was written from the perspective of someone who identifies as Black and Irish. It explored development education in a local, national and global context, making it feel very relatable to the Irish classroom. As Ehigie (2021) highlights, global citizenship begins with developing awareness, empathy and a willingness to take action.
As a teacher in an Educate Together school, development education has particular relevance with the introduction of the revised Learn Together curriculum, which is firmly rooted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global citizenship education. In Senior Infants, this learning happens in simple, meaningful ways through picture books, Integrated Learning through Play, SPHE and Circle Time. Stories such as The Messy Magpie encourage conversations about fairness, diversity and caring for our environment, while activities like planting, recycling and kindness projects help children see that even small actions can make a difference.
Development Education also links well with School Self-Evaluation. It can support school improvement priorities around wellbeing, pupil voice, inclusion and sustainability, while encouraging a shared whole-school approach. In my leadership post, I have overseen the promotion of Ethical Education and was involved in the revision of our whole-school plan.
To think The Plough two ways is a great idea. I remember doing that years ago at a CPD course and finding the end result fascinating as an adult. I do also remember it being a bit finicky and I would suggest getting helpers in from an older class to work with groups.
In my own context, we don’t do Space Week but I envisage it being used in the week before the class engages fully in the Integrated Learning through Play block ‘Space Travel Agent’ However, this could be also be used as a Space Week Plan at class level or can be rolled out across the school, if desired. It is intended that the children get an overview of many aspects of Space
MONDAY – The Planets
The Planets song – 8 Planets of the Solar System Song https://youtu.be/mQrlgH97v94?si=U4nox0IgKpQbJuD6 (Link to Music)
The planets – Journey through the Solar System (ESERO 1) https://esero.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/01_The-planets.pdf (link to PE)TUESDAY – The Moon
Video of first moon landing (link to History)
Craters on the surface of the moon – experiment with objects being dropped on flour
Meet Our Neighbours: Moon http://www.space-awareness.org/en/activities/1408/meet-our-neighbours-moon/ (Link to Art)
Multicultural Moon Stories https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/MoonStoriesASP2019.pdf (Link to Ethical Education)WEDNESDAY – The Sun/Shadows
Book – The Sun is my Favourite Star by Frank Asch (link to English)
Where is the Shadow? (ESERO 29) includes drawing outline of shadows at different times of the day (Link to Art – Drawing – form) and/or
Sundial with upturned flower pot and bamboo stick – measure at various times (link to History)THURSDAY – Rockets
Marvin & Milo – Whole class Balloon Rocket (note: have sting and straw prepped). Add variations https://spark.iop.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/19%20-%20Marvin%20and%20Milo%20-%20Balloon%20Rocket%202019_0.pdf and/or
Marvin & Milo – Alka Seltzer Rocket /https://spark.iop.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/09%20-%20Marvin%20and%20Milo%20-%20Alka-Seltzer%20Rocket%202019.pdf Chemical rocket launch using old film containers or vitamin/seltzer containersFRIDAY – Aliens
Dancing raisins https://www.sfi.ie/site-files/primary-science/media/pdfs/col/dancing_raisins.pdf
Blow up balloon using vinegar & baking soda – Balloon Blow up Demonstration to show children how carbon dioxide can be created and then used to blow up a balloon.
Hands on Experiments! – Explosions – The children will work in teams to try and create the perfect glittery explosion mixture. The children will start by adding baking soda. Then the children can decide which colour of food dye and glitter they would like. The children will then add liquid dish soap to the mixture, being careful not to stir it too much and create bubbles. Finally each team will have a chance to test which mixture works the best by adding vinegar to it. The result! A colourful Bubble explosion! This can be done in an empty plastic container.
Note: taken from BCO Fizzing & Foaming documentLove the way you link SEE and STEM also. It’s very effective.
I’m particularly intrigued by the feedback using the carousel method, something I hadn’t heard of and will definitely be taking back into my own classroom
Science skills and School Self Evaluation
What further steps might you take towards a STEM focused SSE?
While we generally have robust Whole School Curricular Plans, with the rollout of the redeveloped curriculum framework, our school has identified that SEE and STEM as needing 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.
Having identified this 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 and the Redeveloped Curriculum steering the priority areas. At this point, one or two key 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 SEE & STEM remain key foci and its success will be monitored and reviewed at regular intervals by all parties but by the ISL team in particular.
Activity Set: Space and Aliens
How would you use the activity in your classroom?
Both activities in this set really work to develop further two activities that we usually do in Senior Infants.
We completed a drama activity whereby children had to work in groups to act out a scene of the arrival of an alien but the only word they were able to use was ‘Alien’. Doing the ESERO lesson Special Life prior to this would equip them to further develop the scene in greater detail and create better linkage across the curriculum.
We also completed a similar activity to the spaceweek.ie Mars – Design a Martian activity. We read a story by Colin McNaughton titled ‘Here Comes the Alien’ and we used this a springboard to design an alien using play-doh and craft materials. I really like how the spaceweek.ie activity takes it a step further, connecting it to real-life (Mars) and across the curriculum (sorting and classifying in Maths). It creates a better structure on the activity and is definitely something I will use with it in the coming year.
I really like the idea of using biscuits like the Jaffa cake ad and maybe digitally recording them so the children can begin to understand the phases of the moon. I think they’d get a great kick out of it
Firstly, I really enjoyed the idea of the polar bear and penguin role play. We do Polar Regions as a theme during Integrated Learning through Play. We do a lot about ‘Why polar bears don’t eat penguins?’ when starting off. I like that this year, we can take it a step further and it will be a lovely precursor to the theme of Space Travel Agent.
The main activity that I will look at today is the moon. Often I focus more on the Moon Landing so with the activities in this set, I will be able to develop it further.
The Trigger
Video of moon landing.Wondering & Exploring:
What is happening? Where are they? How did they get there? Why do you think they went there? What does the ground look like?
Show pictures of the moon. What can you see now? What does the ground look like now? Explain the word ‘crater’. Do all of the craters look the same? How do you think these craters were formed? Why are some craters smaller/bigger than others? Discuss what might have hit the moon to create the craters.Starter Question & Predicting:
What happens when moving objects hit the surface of the moon?Conducting the Investigation:
Explain that we are going to use basins of sand, flour and rice to pretend to be the surface of the moon and we are going to drop objects on them to make our own craters. Discuss what objects would be best and why? Initially focus on spherical shaped objects. For further development, examine what happens when they’re not spherical.Divide children into groups of 4/5 and give each group a choice of which ‘surface’ they are going to use. Ensure that at least one of each ‘surfaces’ is used. Using various sizes of spherical objects suggested, the children will drop these balls one at a time into each box and observe what happens to the sand/rice/flour.
Interpreting Data/Results:
Examine and discuss what happened to the ‘surfaces’ after a objects were dropped? What is the same about the craters? What is different about the craters? How was the biggest one made? What about the smallest one? Why were they different? Which ‘surface’ made shapes most like the moon? Why do you think this is? What happens if we use objects that aren’t spherical?Applying Learning, Making Connections & Thoughtful Actions:
Based on what they have discussed, children continue to make their own surface of the moon, similar to the Meet Our Neighbours: Moon activity. Depending on the class, this activity could be done in pairs or small groups to encourage further peer discussion about the surface and how to represent it best/ Show and tell their moon to the classReflection:
Through higher order questioning, teacher observation and the creation of their moons, along with the group work, the teacher will assess the children’s development of the concept. To further encourage more questioning in relation to the moon, the children will watch Paxi & Our MoonHi everyone,
I’m Christine. I most recently have been teaching Senior Infants and my favourite theme to cover each year is space. I really enjoy that it’s hands-on, play-based learning where children get to investigate and ask their own questions.
My favourite space fact is that it rains diamonds on some planets.
One inquiry-based activity I have used with Senior Infants is the crater investigation using trays of flour and different sized tinfoil balls. I would begin by showing photographs of the Moon and asking the children what they notice. Through questioning, we would explore why the Moon has so many craters before introducing the starter question: What happens when objects hit the surface of the Moon?
It is wonderful to see the children making predictions before working in small groups to investigate by dropping different sized balls into the flour, then comparing the craters, discussing patterns we noticed and analysing whether their predictions were correct.
To apply their learning, the children create their own model of the Moon’s surface using printing with the balls of tin foil. I like this activity because it naturally develops curiosity, prediction, observation and communication skills while keeping the children actively involved in their own learning. It fits in really well with our Integrated Learning through Play theme of Space Travel Agent later in the year.
