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That sounds brilliant. The Hill must be such a great spot for the kids to learn outdoors. I love how the school and community are working together on things like solar panels and composting. It is a great way for the children to see real changes around them and feel part of it all.
I live in West Limerick, and it is brilliant to see how much is being done locally to protect our environment. One group doing amazing work is the Deel Anglers. They have teamed up with local farmers to look after the River Deel. They help with fencing to keep animals out of the river, plant trees along the riverbank, and even help monitor slurry spreading to make sure it is not damaging the water. It is great to see that kind of balance between farming and looking after nature.
In our school, we are working towards another Green Schools flag and the pupils are mad for anything that gets them outside. We have a school garden, do regular litter picks, and have compost bins for food waste. The kids love planting veg and learning about how to care for the world around them.
I would really like to connect what we do in class with what is going on in our area. A walk along the river or getting someone from the Deel Anglers to come in and chat would be a great way to make it real for them.I completely agree with your approach. Starting with the food pyramid is a great way to introduce the topic, especially as it is so visual and familiar to many children. I really like how you outlined the key messages in a clear and child friendly way by linking seafood to brain development, strong muscles and overall health. Exploring packaging and food labels in a local shop is a fantastic idea and would really help make the learning more meaningful.
I really enjoyed this module. I already cover healthy eating every year, but this gave me a fresh look at the role of seafood and how it fits into the bigger picture. It is definitely something I will highlight more when we do our food pyramid work.
The Eye Spy in the Supermarket activity is a brilliant one that is really practical and easy to do. It gets children thinking about where their food comes from, looking at labels and spotting if something is locally sourced or sustainable. I can see it working well in SPHE, with links into science and maybe even a bit of English if we build in some writing or reflection. It also fits nicely with wellbeing and sustainability, both of which are a focus in our school at the moment. I think the children will enjoy it, and it is one of those topics that connects really well to real life. I will definitely be using parts of this module in class.
Excellent point. I love how you tied in the social and economic side of aquaculture, not just the environmental bit. It is such a good way to show children how local jobs and communities are linked to the sea. Using videos and interviews is a great shout too and makes it all feel real and helps bring the topic to life in the classroom.
I thought the ARC lessons were brilliant, with loads of great ideas I can actually see myself using in the classroom. The videos, virtual tours and quizzes really help bring aquaculture to life and make it far more interesting and hands on than just reading from a book. It is a great way to get children thinking about the world around them. I would definitely use the resources in science and geography, and maybe even in maths if we are looking at tides or mapping coastal areas.
What I really liked is how much it ties into STEM. There are lots of chances for group work, problem solving and using digital tools. It gets children asking questions and making proper connections to real life. On a whole school level, I think it fits really well with SSE. It supports digital learning, encourages cross curricular work and shows how STEM can be part of everyday lessons in a way that is fun, engaging and actually sticks with them.
Hi Colette, I completely agree with you. The Shannon Estuary has so much potential and it sounds like you know the area really well. With all the mussels, oysters and natural shelter from the islands, it seems like the perfect spot for more aquaculture. I think you are right too about the local benefits and it bringing jobs, boosting tourism and giving people real pride in their community. Hopefully we see more done with it in the future.
I had no idea how much aquaculture goes on along the west coast of Ireland until I did this module. The land out that way is rocky and not great for farming, so using the sea instead makes total sense. Places like Killary Fjord are perfect for it with its deep water, strong tides and shelter from the rough weather. It is clever how the natural landscape decides what kind of farming works best.
What really stood out to me was how important this is for small coastal communities. A lot of these places do not have many job options, so aquaculture brings proper work and helps people stay living in their local area. It also supports other things like local shops, food businesses and even tourism.
I think this is something children should learn about. It links to science, geography, the environment and real life in Ireland. It is interesting, it matters, and it shows them how people use what they have around them in smart ways.
The idea that companies need people’s trust is a good one and gets them thinking about what’s fair and what’s not. It fits into loads of subjects and stuff like videos or virtual tours make it way more fun. It gets them talking, thinking and asking loads of questions
I never really gave much thought to where seafood came from beyond the supermarket shelf, so this module really opened my eyes. I had no idea that Ireland farmed things like salmon, mussels and oysters on such a scale, or that mussel farming is actually carbon neutral. I also found the term “social licence” really interesting. It is not something I had come across before, but it makes a lot of sense. People need to feel confident that industries are acting responsibly and sustainably, especially when it comes to the environment.
From a teaching point of view, I can see so much potential in bringing aquaculture into the classroom. It connects with science, geography, history and even SPHE. It gives pupils a chance to explore real world issues, like food production and climate change, through a local lens. The ARC looks incredible and gives a proper immersive experience that would really stick with children and help bring learning to life. It is also great to see how aquaculture links to future jobs and innovation, especially in rural areas. I think it is a topic that pupils would find both fascinating and relevant. I will definitely be using some of the resources and ideas from this module in my own teaching.
That sounds like such a lovely lesson. I think the children will really enjoy seeing their writing turned into images. It makes their work feel important and real. I like how you are building in that moment for them to reflect and ask, is this what I pictured? It is a great way to get them thinking about how to improve their writing. I am also new to this, so I know what you mean about there being a lot to take in, but I am excited to try some of these tools too. It is nice to know we do not have to change everything, just start with small steps that work for our class.
Part 1:
To be honest, I was not sure what to expect from AI in the classroom at first, but now I can really see the value in it. I am planning to bring it into my teaching in small, easy ways to start. I like the idea of using tools like Teachable Machine or even something simple like an AI assistant to help introduce how machines learn. I think the pupils will be really interested, especially if they get to train the AI themselves and see how it reacts.
Part 2:
LI: To learn how machines can be trained to recognise patterns and respond
Steps:
1. Quick chat: What do you think AI is? Where have you seen it?
2. Show Teachable Machine on screen
3. As a class, train the model to tell the difference between sitting and standing
4. Test it out and talk about what worked and what did not
5. In pairs or small groups, pupils choose two objects or actions to train their own model
6. Reflect on how the AI learned and what confused itPlenary:
Circle time: What surprised you about AI today?
One thing you learned, one question you still haveThat sounds brilliant! I have used Scratch a bit myself too and completely agree that it is such a fun and accessible way to get kids into coding. I love your idea of starting with a demo on the whiteboard. It really helps take the fear out of it when they see how simple the blocks are to use. I also like the idea of giving them a printed guide as a bit of backup if they get stuck. Once they get going, it is amazing how creative they can be with their own games and animations.
I found the Teachable Machine example really inspiring and definitely something I would love to try out with my class. It is such a hands on way to show how AI learns from data, and it is simple enough for younger pupils to grasp. I would start by asking them what they think a machine “knows” and how it “learns” just to get their minds ticking. Then, I would introduce the Teachable Machine and show how we can train it to recognise objects, sounds, or poses. We could start with something fun, like training it to spot whether someone is smiling or not. They would take photos of themselves smiling, not smiling, maybe even making silly faces, and then test if the machine gets it right.
Before we started, I would make sure to check the school’s GDPR policy and get the go ahead to use images or video with the pupils. If needed, we could also train the model using objects rather than faces to avoid any data protection concerns.
What I like most is that it makes the idea of machine learning very real. It shows them that AI does not just magically know things, it learns from what it is given. It would also naturally lead into discussions about bias and fairness, especially if the machine starts getting things wrong. That could open up some brilliant conversations about how important it is that AI learns from a wide and fair range of data.
Gamma sounds like a great shout for creating presentations quickly, and I completely get what you mean about Diffit saving time when you’ve got such a wide range of needs to plan for. I hadn’t thought about using Magic School for life skills but that’s such a smart idea, especially when resources are hard to come by. I’m also looking forward to trying the image generator to help make things more visual and engaging.