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The ARC – Online Lessons & Resources offer a great way to bring STEM learning into the classroom using real-world topics like aquaculture, the environment, and food production. These lessons help students understand how science, technology, engineering, and maths are used in everyday life, especially in industries like seafood farming.
In my teaching, I would use the ARC lessons to create hands-on activities. For example, students could use coordinates to plot aquaculture sites on a map, measure distances, or explore how fish and shellfish are grown. These activities encourage problem-solving, data analysis, and critical thinking—all key skills in the STEM Education Policy Statement.
The ARC resources also support group work and discussion, helping students to learn from each other. They can be integrated within a broad range of other subjects like English, geography, science, and maths, and make learning more engaging by connecting it to real life. For example, children love oral language debates and could engage in a debate about the possible closing down of a seafood farm, debating the advantages and disadvantages etc.As part of the School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process, the ARC can help improve STEM education across the whole school. Teachers can use it to plan cross-curricular lessons and promote active learning. It also supports our goals to build students’ interest in STEM subjects and prepare them for possible future careers within so many areas. Overall, the ARC is a valuable tool for both teaching and whole-school development.
Hi Grace, I also agree that aquaculture can have huge benefits for tourism in areas where these farms are. People from across Ireland and abroad love the taste of fresh seafood and they know that it has come from somewhere local.
Aquaculture farms in Ireland are usually found along the coast, in calm and clean waters like bays and inlets. These places are good for farming fish such as Atlantic salmon, blue mussels, and pacific rock oysters because the conditions help them grow well and are easy for workers to reach.
These farms are important for coastal communities. They create jobs for local people, especially in areas where there may not be many other work opportunities. People can work on the farms, in seafood factories, or in transport and delivery.
Aquaculture also helps small local businesses, like shops and restaurants, by bringing more activity and income into the area. It can give young people a reason to stay in their hometowns and work close to home. Aquaculture is also good for tourism, often places with good aquaculture farming bring tourists who want to try out the range of seafood.
When done responsibly, aquaculture helps both the environment and the economy. It gives people a way to make a living from the sea while still protecting it for the future.
Hi Michelle,
I also agree with children’s lack of exposure to aquaculture because of where they live. I teacher in a DEIS band 1 school in inner city Dublin. A lot of the children find it difficult to even name beaches in Dublin let alone types of fish and information about aquafarming. More awareness is needed in this area.
Learning about aquaculture and social license in the classroom can really help students understand how food is produced and how important it is to keep the environment healthy. Aquaculture, or fish farming, is growing around the world, and using tools like videos, virtual farm tours, and class discussions can make the topic more interesting and easier to understand. It is also beneficial for schools to have access to resources such as the Aquaculture remote classroom. Such an experience is difficult to replicate by teachers in the classroom setting but I can see how children would get excited by a visit to such a beautiful and modern room.
The idea of social license, getting community approval for a project, helps students think about the importance of working with local people and listening to different opinions. It teaches them to consider the impact of industries on the environment and the people who live nearby. There is also so much potential for integration across different subject areas. Children could use their learning within areas such as drama and oral language.
It also help students develop critical thinking, communication, and decision-making skills. Most importantly, learning about aquaculture and social license helps students become more aware of the world around them and how they can be part of making better choices for the future.
