[Catherine McNally-Codyre]

This course has certainly opened my eyes to a variety of opportunities for teaching about aquaculture through STEM activities in the classroom. “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education supports children’s capacity to understand and engage fully with the world around them.” (Department of Education (2023) Primary Curriculum Framework p18), and this course is testament to raising awareness of aquaculture within the wider community in Ireland. Through the use of video tools, children are transported to the aquaculture centre to experience ‘up close’ what it is like to farm the sea. Traditional school tours would not provide such an experience due to the health and safety aspects of such a visit.
The ARC lessons promote the thematic cross-curricular approach, lending itself to studies in mathematics, science, technology, geography and engineering in so many ways. There have been many great construction projects created by 5th class in my school, and giving the children a thematic brief based on creating a fish farm or a frame for the mussel bags that withstand tidal movement would really get their creative minds flowing and provide an appropriate challenge for the children.

[Catherine McNally-Codyre]

Clare,

You explain it all so well.  I had not really considered the balanced approach with the negatives of poorly managed sites etc impacting upon the industry, and I am sure BIM have quite stringent guidelines and standards that provide a framework for regulation.

[Catherine McNally-Codyre]

Clodagh,

I completely agree with you- I am well versed in the agriculture of Ireland but knew nothing of the aquaculture! This opening lesson has opened my eyes to another valuable side of the Irish food system. I believe that it is so important that children are taught all about aquaculture and its positive impact through sustainability, the environment and culture.  The ARC seems like the coolest resource, which blends in so well with the push on digital learning through schools.

[Catherine McNally-Codyre]

The location of aquaculture farms along the west coast of Ireland are perfectly placed due to the shelter provided by small islands, rocky outcrops and in the inlets around the coast. Marine.ie shows three main areas for salmonid farming around the west coast- in Donegal, Galway / Mayo and Cork / Kerry. These areas are those where there is rocky terrain, and due to the landscape, it is unsuitable for use in the agricultural sector. Due to the undulating terrain, these areas are also not as reliant on the tourist sector as other west coast locations.
With the development of aquaculture farms, the growth of the small businesses, through the production, packaging, transportation of their product provides employment for the locality. The harvesting of seaweed for food production and also as a fertiliser opens up new farming industries and revenue streams to the local communities. Agricultural farming is a vocation handed down through the generations, and as with sea fishing, aquaculture farms provides the promise of being able to sustain families livelihoods for generations to come.

[Catherine McNally-Codyre]

The Government’s Digital Learning Framework proactively encourages schools to use technology and digital resources to enhance the learning of all pupils in schools. It seeks to embed digital learning in teachers’ everyday practice an pupil’s learning experiences. The tools highlighted in this module lend themselves perfectly to supporting this Framework.
The high quality of material and information contained within the video clips on aquaculture provides the pupil with an almost immersive experience which could never be brought forward from a traditional talk-and-chalk lesson, providing meaningful engagement for pupil and teacher!
In learning about Social Licence with regards to industry standards, it would be envisaged that pupils are encouraged to understand social accountability. It would be hoped that pupils develop some empathy with businesses involved in aquaculture, the standards that they aspire to and the pride they take in their products, and begin to critically assess where products come from and the environmental impact.

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