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Hi Louise, I really enjoyed reading your reflection, particularly your ideas around planting trees and native plants. In my school, we were involved in the pilot An Choill Bheag (Tiny Forest) project with LEAF Ireland, where we planted hundreds of trees on our school grounds. It has been a fantastic opportunity for the children to see first-hand how small actions can have a positive environmental impact.
The children have been able to watch the trees and plants develop and have a greater awareness of biodiversity and the importance of providing habitats for insects, birds and other wildlife. The Tiny Forest also provides opportunities to learn about carbon capture, improving air quality and helping to manage rainwater, which links particularly well with your point about increased rainfall and flooding.Climate change is something I would explore with my 1st class pupils by making it relevant to the weather and environment they see around them. Ireland has experienced some very noticeable extreme weather in recent years. For example, we have experienced heatwaves, including the heatwave this summer, as well as a number of severe storms. Storm Éowyn in January 2025 caused extremely strong winds and widespread disruption, while the 2023/24 storm season saw a record 14 named storms affecting Ireland. We have also experienced periods of extreme snow, such as the heavy snowfall in January 2025. Met Éireann has reported that 2022–2025 are now the four warmest years on record in Ireland. I would ask the children what weather they remember and discuss how these events can affect people, animals and our local environment.
I would focus on three simple actions that children can take. Firstly, reduce waste by using reusable bottles, recycling correctly and avoiding unnecessary rubbish. Secondly, save energy by switching off lights, computers and interactive boards when they are not being used. Finally, care for nature by planting flowers, looking after trees and creating spaces for birds and insects. These small actions would help children understand that everyone can make a difference.
The Development Education modules also connect with SSE, as our school could reflect on how well we promote sustainability and give pupils opportunities to take positive action and contribute to improving our school and wider community.
In our school, we have an annual Multicultural Day, which is a very special day for both the children and their families. Every country represented in our school is celebrated, with families invited to set up stalls where they share traditional food, music, clothing and other aspects of their culture. It is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn from one another and appreciate the diversity within our school community. We finish the day with a parade of the flags from each country, which is always a very special and meaningful part of the celebration. I think days like this are so beneficial because they bring all of our different countries and cultures together, helping children and families to feel proud of their backgrounds while also creating a strong sense of belonging and respect for others.
Having researched organisations that support people experiencing displacement, disadvantage and social exclusion in Limerick, I came across Doras, the Jesuit Refugee Service Ireland, Limerick Migrant Integration Forum and NOVAS. Doras supports refugees, asylum seekers and migrants while promoting their rights, dignity and inclusion within the community. NOVAS supports people experiencing homelessness and social exclusion. I found it interesting to see how each organisation contributes in different ways to supporting vulnerable people and promoting equality, dignity and inclusion.
I believe schools have an important role to play in helping children from different backgrounds feel welcomed, respected and valued. This is particularly relevant to me as I work in a multicultural school where children come from a variety of countries and may have very different cultural backgrounds and life experiences. In my classroom, I would encourage children to explore and celebrate different cultures through stories, music, art and discussion. These activities can help children develop empathy, kindness and respect while recognising and appreciating the diversity within their classroom and wider community.
One example of how we promote inclusion and celebrate diversity in our school is through our annual Multicultural Day. Families are invited into the school to set up stalls representing their home countries, where they share traditional foods, cultural items and other aspects of their culture with the school community. Every country represented in our school is included in the day, which gives children and families the opportunity to learn from one another and celebrate the different cultures within our community. To finish the day, we have a parade of the flags representing each country in our school. It is a very special event that the children and families look forward to and really enjoy. I feel that this day helps to create a strong sense of belonging, as every child and family has an opportunity to see their culture represented and valued within the school.
At a whole-school level, we could support these organisations through fundraising, awareness campaigns and community activities. Such initiatives would provide children with opportunities to learn about local and global issues and develop an understanding of social responsibility. They would also help children recognise that even small actions can make a positive difference to the lives of others.
I completely agree with you about the amount of waste being created through the hot school lunches. It is really noticeable how much food is left over each day, and I think parents have an important role to play in helping to reduce this. Perhaps parents could be encouraged to change the lunch options more regularly so that children are receiving meals they actually enjoy and are more likely to eat. I also think it would be great if there was an option to choose a cold lunch instead, particularly for children who are reluctant to eat the hot meals.
The Picker Pals programme is great too. It is something that has been used in my own children’s school, and I have seen first-hand how it encourages children and families to become more aware of litter in their local environment. It is a simple but very effective way of giving children responsibility and showing them that their actions can make a difference. It is definitely something I would like to introduce with my own class this school year and expand into a wider whole-school initiative.
The SDG I would look at with my pupils is SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Waste is something children can see and experience every day in school, particularly since the introduction of the hot meals programme, where we have noticed how much food can be left over. This could provide a very meaningful starting point for children to investigate food waste and consider what we can do differently.
I would also introduce the Picker Pals programme, which I have seen in my own children’s school. My son brought the litter pickers home for a weekend and our family went out together to collect rubbish and take pictures of our experience. I thought this was a fantastic way of showing children that small actions can make a real difference and that sustainability can involve the whole family and community. Picker Pals is specifically designed to involve primary school children and their families in local litter-picking.
This could link across SESE Science, Geography and SPHE, as children investigate materials and recycling, explore the impact of waste on their local environment, and consider responsibility and how their choices affect others. It also links naturally with our Green-Schools Litter and Waste theme, which encourages children to take action in their school and community.
I think this is a great example of ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5 – Accelerating Local Level Actions, as children are not simply learning about sustainability but actively making changes in their own community.
I really agree with your point about how early children can begin to conform to gender stereotypes. Your observation about free play is particularly interesting, as it makes us question where these ideas come from and whether they are influenced by what children see and experience at home, in the media or in wider society.
As I teach in a multicultural school, I also think it is important to recognise that children come from different cultural backgrounds where expectations around gender can vary. This can make these conversations particularly interesting, but also something that needs to be approached sensitively and respectfully.Reflecting on gender stereotypes, I think they can affect children from a very young age, particularly as children are influenced by the attitudes and expectations they see around them. As I teach in a multicultural school, this is something I find particularly interesting and important. My students come from a variety of cultural backgrounds, and different cultures can have very different views and expectations around gender roles and stereotypes.
I have noticed situations where children may make comments such as certain colours, toys, activities or jobs being “for boys” or “for girls”. While these views may come from what children have experienced at home or in their communities, I think the classroom provides an opportunity to explore these ideas in a respectful and sensitive way.
Development Education methodologies can help us to do this by encouraging children to ask questions, listen to different perspectives and challenge assumptions. Through stories, discussion, role play, cooperative activities and exploring diverse role models, children can see that there is no one way to be a boy or a girl. It is important that we respect different cultural perspectives while also promoting equality, inclusion and the idea that every child should have the freedom to develop their own interests and abilities. By creating a safe environment for discussion, we can help children become more open-minded and respectful global citizensI have just watched the video The Hummingbird and the Forest Fire, and I am so glad I did. I thought it was a fabulous and simple way of explaining to children that, no matter how small or insignificant we may feel, our actions can create change. There are so many other important messages within the video too, including perseverance, responsibility, compassion and the importance of doing what we can rather than assuming that someone else will make a difference. I think this is a powerful message for children and links very closely with Development Education and the idea of active global citizenship.
Having reviewed Ehigie’s (2021) paper, The Role of Global Citizens in Today’s World, I have reflected on the importance of Development Education , particularly within my own school context. I am teaching in a multicultural school with children from several different countries, including countries that have been affected by war, poverty and gender inequality. Because of this, I feel Development Education is especially important in my setting. It provides opportunities for children to develop an understanding of different experiences, cultures and perspectives while promoting empathy, respect, equality and a sense of global citizenship.
In my own teaching, I would aim to incorporate Development Education across different subjects and through discussions, projects and activities that explore issues such as human rights, climate change, poverty and equality. I would also encourage colleagues to share ideas and work together to plan development education activities throughout the school, helping to make DE part of our wider school culture.
I have always loved the quote, “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito,” as a reminder that even small actions can create change and that children should feel empowered to make a difference.
I also believe Development Education can feed into School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by encouraging us to reflect on how effectively we promote inclusion, equality, empathy and active citizenship. Through pupil voice, classroom activities and whole-school initiatives, we can identify what we are doing well and areas where DE could be developed further.
I really like the “Imposter Test” idea Niamh because it gives pupils a very clear way to see that AI does not always get things right. Testing it with something different, like the green apple, helps make the idea of training data and accuracy really easy for children to understand.
I also think the questions “Why did it get that right?” and “Why did it get that wrong?” are a great way of developing AI literacy and encouraging pupils not to see AI as a “magic” tool. The Never-Share rule is also really important at this age and links well with digital citizenship and online safety.
The activity is a really engaging way for pupils to learn by experimenting, making mistakes and then improving their model, rather than just being told how machine learning works.
I would begin by watching Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners with 3rd class. We would discuss what pupils noticed about AI and machine learning, particularly how AI can be trained using examples, tested and improved. I would then adapt the idea from the episode and apply it to something more familiar and relevant to my 3rd Class pupils: recycling.
Recycling is a very relevant and important issue for children today, particularly through Green-Schools initiatives and the focus on environmental awareness in schools. Instead of training an AI model to recognise healthy and unhealthy leaves, pupils could explore how AI might be trained to recognise and sort different recyclable materials. This would allow pupils to connect their learning about AI with an issue they see and experience in their everyday school environment.
The activity also develops AI literacy, as pupils are not simply using AI but beginning to understand how machine learning works, how AI can make mistakes, why the data used to train it matters, and why humans need to check AI decisions.
• Class stage: 3rd Class (Stage 3)
• Curriculum areas: Science – Environmental Awareness and Care; Technology
• Learning intention: Pupils will understand how AI and machine learning can be used to help solve environmental problems.
• AI concept: Machine learning – collecting data → labelling → training → testing → improving.
• Activity: Sort recyclable items and discuss how we could train AI to recognise them.
• Critical question: “What might happen if we don’t give the AI enough different examples when we train it?”
• Responsible use: AI should be treated as a tool and its answers should be checked rather than automatically trusted.
• Critical thinking: Pupils explain their reasoning, compare their answers with the AI’s predictions and consider why the AI might make mistakes.
• Evidence of learning: Observation, class discussion and a short exit ticket explaining how AI learns and why its answers need to be checked.Hi Hannah, I really like how you have linked the Minecraft experience with problem-solving and computational thinking. It gives pupils a real purpose for using the game rather than just playing it. I also think the discussion around whether we should always trust AI suggestions is really valuable for developing critical thinking and AI literacy.
A nice link to another curriculum area could be Mathematics, as pupils are using logical thinking, sequencing, spatial awareness and problem-solving as they work through the challenges. It could be a great way to bring maths skills into a practical and engaging context.
- The name of the demo world you chose
Cybersafe: Bad Connection
- A short overview of what the lesson or world is about
CyberSafe: Bad Connection is an interactive learning experience that helps pupils develop the knowledge and confidence to stay safe online. Through three scenarios involving peer pressure, manipulation, suspicious activity and unsafe online interactions, pupils make decisions about who to trust and how to respond. The world focuses on recognising red flags, protecting personal information, setting boundaries, using safety tools such as blocking and reporting, and knowing when to seek help from a trusted adult.</p>
A key message throughout the lesson is that pupils will never be in trouble for asking for help. This is particularly important because pupils may feel embarrassed or worried about telling an adult if they have made a mistake online.- A brief summary of the lesson plan, learning objectives and associated resources
The lesson follows three stages: Pre-Lesson Setup, Lesson Delivery (Acts 0–3), and Post-Lesson Reflection. Before the lesson, the teacher reviews the Educator Guide and facilitation guidance, prepares the student activities and exit tickets, considers the school’s reporting procedures and, where appropriate, communicates with families.
By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
recognise warning signs in unsafe online interactions;
identify and protect personal information;
recognise manipulation, peer pressure and harassment;
use online safety tools such as block, report and leave;
evaluate online relationships and ask appropriate verification questions;
understand the potential permanence and consequences of their digital footprint; and
confidently seek help from a trusted adult when something feels wrong.The accompanying resources are particularly useful because they include an Educator Guide, presentation materials, printable activities and exit tickets, family communication templates and offline alternatives. The accessibility features, including Immersive Reader, partner play and the Scenario Cards pathway, also allow the experience to be adapted for different learners.
- A short reflection on one possible Irish curriculum link or Focus of Learning
Subject: S.P.H.E
Strand: Myself Strand Unit: Safety and Protection
Strand: Myself and Others Strand Unit: Relating to Others
Pupils are not simply being told what is safe or unsafe; they are actively practising how to recognise warning signs, make safe choices and seek support. The lesson also supports Relating to Others, as pupils consider respect, peer influence, bullying, empathy and how their actions can affect other people
- Whether you would use the world as it is, or modify the support, pacing or follow-up discussion for your pupils
I would probably divide the lesson into two sessions rather than completing all the acts at once. This would give pupils more time to discuss the decisions they make and to ask questions without feeling rushed. I would also place greater emphasis on the post-game discussion, particularly around the messages that “you can always say no,” “trust your instincts” and “it is never too late to ask a trusted adult for help.”
I really like the idea of Ducky collecting the hearts in 30 seconds, especially the fact that each heart is worth 5 points. This links really well to your 2nd Class Mathematics objective of counting in 5s, as the pupils can see their score increase by 5 each time they collect a heart. It also gives them a practical and engaging way to recognise the pattern in the numbers as their score rises.
I also really like your approach to debugging as a positive process. Presenting mistakes as something pupils can investigate and solve could really encourage resilience and problem-solving.
One suggestion would be to perhaps add a personal-best score so pupils can try to beat their own previous score. This could give them an additional reason to play the game and provide another opportunity to compare numbers and identify patterns.
