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Research question: How does plastic pollution affect marine ecosystems and contribute to climate change?
To investigate how plastic pollution affects marine ecosystems and contributes to climate change the children could start by researching the life cycle of plastic and how it ends up in the oceans. I would encourage kids to organise their investigation using the Climate Detectives research question planner. They could examine local sources of plastic waste in their homes and in the city. This investigation can include fieldwork like collecting their litter in nearby parks or streets, categorising the types of plastics found, and discussing how they might travel to waterways.
The children would develop research skills by gather data, teamwork skills during group work and critical thinking by connecting local pollution to global issues. They can also explore how micro plastics may impact marine life using online videos or virtual aquariums. They could then become agents within their own learning by identifying changes they can make, such as reducing plastic use and consider ways that Dublin could improve their waste management. By relating this global issue to their local environment, children will develop their sense of responsibility and empowerment to make positive changes within their community. Our school is also located close to a river and the canal, these would be excellent resources we could use during this investigation which the children could visit and observe the wildlife that use the waterways.
Option 3:
I engaged with the “Nose High Up in The Sky” resources and completed the pupil activities. I really enjoyed the resource and would definitely use it in my class. As I had 6th class this year I thought this activity was particularly useful and something my class would really enjoy. This activity is an excellent way to introduce children to the idea of remote observation of the Earth from space. There is a wide range of teaching methodologies used within the lesson. The children are constantly debated and engaging with purposeful reasoning skills within this lesson. By using the aerial photographs and photographs on earth the children will explore specific features of the aerial photos and the photos on earth, linking their previous knowledge to their new learning. The children would also be engaging with cooperative learning and would develop their communication skills.
Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s film “HOME” is a potent documentary that eloquently depicts the effects of human activity on the environment. It excellently shows how the issue of climate change does not fall at the feet of one country but it is an issue that is a global issue. It is an issue that involves clear communication and commitment across this world which is extremely difficult. This documentary was very touching in the sense that the viewer could visually see how we as humans are harming the earth.
When teaching about climate change I think it is very important to explore all aspects and perspectives, this allows for cross-curricular teaching, for example having debates or discussions about serious issues such as the Paris Agreement. Using visual aids such as the useful videos in the module helps children visually see the changes in the earth. Incorporating stories and storytelling would also work well with the younger ages so children can see how animals and people are affected by climate change, emphasising empathy and understanding. Using hands-on activities like explore in the other modules such as the thermometers will help the children further their understanding. Finally, I think it’s important that children engage in discussions on how they can help. This will foster critical thinking and allow for the children to become agents of their own actions.
I really enjoyed this module. It is an eye opening realisation that our generation and particularly the next generation need to be fully aware of and aware of the impact they can have on climate change. I think it is important that children understand what is happening in the world around them and understand what climate change actually means but I also think that it is pivotal that children can become agents in their own actions and understand that they have the ability to make small lifestyle changes which can positively combat climate change, this is a conversation that could be developed from activity three.
Activity three is a great way to further develop the children’s understanding of climate change. It will clearly show them how the temperature is changing over time. The Paxi video is a great way to develop their understanding of the topic of climate change without scaring them and creating a level of anxiety amongst the children. This is definitely a difficult topic to teach due to the underlying anxiety associated with climate change but this module and accompanying activities has equipped me with the skills and resources to effectively teach the topic of climate change.
Following my engagement with this module and with “Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics” it is evident the vast opportunities to engage with cross-curricular activities such as science and maths. Within this module I was introduced to a wide range of resources which can be utilised in various ways within the classroom across all class levels. As I teach in the older end of the school and engaged with many hands-on, enquiry-based STEM activities this year it was enjoyable learning about the various adaptations that can be used when teaching younger classes during this module. The resourced that I engaged with provided a in-depth and practical activities which I will definitely be using in future lessons.
During activity one, “Is it weather or climate?” I particularly liked the introduction as I think using the children’s birthdays is a great way to spark their interest in the topic of weather, it makes the lesson more personal and allowing the children to discuss the weather in groups or pairs would really encourage cooperative learning in the classroom. I also enjoyed the sorting activity, here the children could discuss their understanding on the difference between weather and climate, here, the children would be developing their oral language skills also and their reasoning skills.
Activity two, “Weather Detectives” is an excellent, hands-on means in which children can record and investigate the weather. I think it provides children with autonomy over their own learning and gives them a sense of responsibility in ensuring the temperature is not tampered with and retrieving accurate readings each day. Noting their own results will aid them in their understanding of weather and it will also help them explore the difference between weather in the present moment and how this differs from climate.
Describe how you would involve your pupils in an art, music drama or creative writing project based around your local natural or scientific heritage.
To immerse the children in a creative project centred on a scientific heritage site I think I would use Dublin Castle as this is a heritage site close to our school which would be great for the children to explore and gain better understanding. I would organise a program incorporating art, music, drama and creative writing. First, I would explore a brief history of Dublin castle and allow the children visit Dublin Castle, where the children would explore the history and architecture. They would take notes and capture photographs. They could create visual pieces inspired by the history of Dublin castle. For music the children could use instruments within their environment inspired by historical events integrating Irish music. They could also research periodic music from the past. In drama, the children could engage in group work to develop short plays set in the castle. They could also research films that were made in the castle. Finally, the children could craft short stories or poems inspired by the castles histories, legends or their own imagined personal experiences of the historical figures that lived or worked there. All these activities would provide a comprehensive, multi-sensory exploration of Dublin Castle.
Using the suspension bridge in Birr Castle Demesne or a bridge in your local area as inspiration, describe how you would plan a class or whole school challenge to design and make a bridge. How would you integrate mathematical thinking and incorporate the maths skills appropriate to your class level.
As our school is located near Dublin city centre there are ample opportunities to observe bridges in the local area particularly over the river liffey. We also have many bridges in local parks that could also be used. As I have 6th class I would really engage with the enquiry based approach when exploring engineering. I would delve into the design and make process and explore the four phases with the class. I would firstly show the children imagery of bridges and allow them to discuss and develop various avenues in which they would like future lessons to lead them. I would then allow them to think of bridges in their own area and extract any prior engineering knowledge they have by asking open ended questions throughout. We would discuss how looking at bridges could help and develop their mathematical skills. The children would go into their local environment and explore bridges in their locality such as the Ha’Penny Bridge or the Samuel Beckett bridge. The children would use their knowledge of lines and angles to try and create accurate angles in their bridges. I think this is an excellent activity to explore various curricular areas including the history of bridges the geography of where bridges are etc. it also promotes communication and cooperation skills amongst the children when they are designing and making their bridges. This is something I will definitely be completing with future classes.
Outline how you would use some of the course resources to conduct a seasonal biodiversity project to run throughout the school year. What resources and recording sheets would you need? How often would you bring learning outdoors? How would you integrate other subject areas?
It is very important that children are active agents in their own learning in all subject areas and particularly when they are learning in their own local environments as they will become more observant of the natural world around them and learn to appreciate this into their later lives. The resources outlined in this module were excellent and something I will definitely be using in future lessons to aid children in connecting with their local environment. Creating their own bird feeders or butterfly gardens gives their research purpose and sparks interest in the learning. Ensuring that I teach using the enquiry approach will give the children autonomy over their own learning and will help them discover and learn about habitats, animals and minibeasts within their environments. Utilising technology will play a vital role when children learn in their local environment. Using apps such as Google Lens to identify flowers or apps that identify bird sounds will help the children understand the diversity of their local environment. Children will incorporate various other subject areas throughout the process such as procedural writing in literacy, observational artwork or data in maths to name a few. I would ensure that the children would use areas in their local area not just on the school grounds, we are lucky to have various parks such as Griffith Park in our local area which is rich in biodiversity and an excellent natural resource for the school.
Explore how you would use some of the online data sets in your teaching of data in maths and to highlight the application of maths in real world contexts.
As a 6th class teacher I can understand the importance of contextualising mathematics and ensuring the children have real life scenarios in which they can apply their mathematical skills as this will help them further develop their understanding and utilise these skills in future real life contexts. Showing the children a wide range of data will also help them understand the importance of data in our day-to-day lives. Where the children would have been exposed to various forms of data and forming their own data graphics in earlier years, showing the children maps as another form of data is an excellent way to expand data lessons for the older classes. I thought the example of exploring endangered species was a great example of data in the module. Using the biodiversity maps was a great and innovative way that children could explore data and form their own maps on their local environment. If I were to use this I would allow the children to work in groups exploring local areas to develop their own biodiversity maps.
Describe how you could apply some of the concepts and skills you have learned in this module to your own teaching practice in line with the STEM Education policy statement
As a 6th class teacher I found the lesson ideas and resources within this module will be excellent for my future teaching of STEM. As outlined in the STEM Education Policy Statement, science and the STEM subjects allow for a vast cross-curricular approach, from using maths to calculate in science to art when developing their designs. Within the lessons outlined in the module it was evident the vast opportunity to show the children how various subjects can interlink and complement what they are learning. I was particularly fond of the Curious Minds Framework for enquiry. This is a similar framework I have used for STEM lessons in the past. Allowing children to adopt an enquiry approach really sparks their interest in the subject and helps them to extract their prior knowledge of the topic in question. Utilising Birr Castle is an excellent way to incorporate other subject areas, e.g. history/geography. Giving the children the opportunity to explore or visit Birr Castle would help them see the development of telescopes over time and is a great resource for teachers.
