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As you pointed out Colm I think its so important that the initiatives that the children are doing in school must be passed on to their home life, I feel involving and engaging with the parents on these topics is vital, to really make a sustainable change.
In my local area, climate change has become increasingly visible through more unusual and more frequent weather like flooding, unpredictable weather patterns, and the loss of biodiversity in natural habitats. These changes affect vast areas of our communities like agriculture, local infrastructure, and even the mental well-being of communities. I think it would be a great idea to have pupils explore these issues, I would begin with a local climate audit, encouraging students to observe and record signs of environmental change around them. We would investigate the causes and consequences of these changes through cross-curricular projects in Science, Geography, and SPHE.
Three actions we would take in our classroom include: Starting a recycling and waste-reduction initiative, organising walk or cycle to school weeks to reduce emissions, walk on Wednesdays are a nice way we already have implemented in our school on a monthly basis. Creating awareness campaigns to share climate facts and eco-friendly tips around the school, we could even invite parents to such events.
The Development Education modules from this course directly support School Self-Evaluation by encouraging teachers to integrate global citizenship, sustainability, and critical thinking into daily practice. These modules provide a framework for identifying areas of improvement, planning targeted initiatives, and fostering a whole-school ethos of inclusion and responsibility toward global and local issues.In my local area, climate change has become increasingly visible through more frequent flooding, unpredictable weather patterns, and the loss of biodiversity in natural habitats. These changes affect agriculture, local infrastructure, and even the mental well-being of communities. To help pupils explore these issues, I would begin with a local climate audit, encouraging students to observe and record signs of environmental change around them. We would investigate the causes and consequences of these changes through cross-curricular projects in Science, Geography, and SPHE.
Three actions we would take in our classroom include:Starting a recycling and waste-reduction initiative, organising walk or cycle to school weeks to reduce emissions, creating awareness campaigns to share climate facts and eco-friendly tips around the school.
The Development Education modules from this course directly support School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by encouraging teachers to integrate global citizenship, sustainability, and critical thinking into daily practice. These modules provide a framework for identifying areas of improvement, planning targeted initiatives, and fostering a whole-school ethos of inclusion and responsibility toward global and local issues.Thank you for sharing such a positive story about the 6th class boy. This is amazing he is doing so well and is so motivated considering what he has gone through, it just highlights the importance of being open and supportive to people who were forced to flee their home country. Wishing him much success in the future.
The Irish Red Cross has played a key role in supporting Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine. They have provided emergency accommodation, essential supplies, and emotional support to those displaced by war. Reflecting on their work, I believe schools have a vital role to play in fostering a welcoming environment for refugee children and families in our communities. I personally host Ukranian refugees through the Red Cross and it has really been a very fulfilling experience.
As a school, we could organised a welcome drive, collecting school supplies, clothing, and hygiene items to donate to the Irish Red Cross for distribution. In the classroom, we have explored themes of displacement, empathy, and global citizenship through age-appropriate books, discussions, and projects. Students in some classes wrote welcome letters and made posters which were displayed around the school which promoted inclusivity. We as a whole school, held a multicultural day and in the future we could invite a Red Cross guest speaker which would help deepen students’ understanding and show solidarity with those affected by crisis.I love this organic link that you made from the drinking water in your classroom to a more global issue, and how it allowed the children to see how fortunate they are and how this not the case in many parts of the world. I’m sure it created empathy among your students and integrated nicely into other subject areas.
Climate Action (SDG 13) is a critical issue that affects children both locally in Ireland and globally. In Ireland, children are already experiencing the effects of climate change through increased flooding, unpredictable weather, and biodiversity loss. Globally, children in the Global South are disproportionately affected by extreme weather events, food insecurity, and displacement caused by climate-related crises.
To support Priority Action Area 5: Accelerating Local Level Actions, I would empower students to take meaningful steps in their own communities. This could include starting a school garden to learn about sustainable food systems, organising litter-picking initiatives, or creating posters and videos to raise awareness about reducing carbon footprints. Integrating climate action projects across the curriculum, such as in science, geography, and SPHE and of course closely linking it with the Green schools initiative. This will help students see the relevance of global challenges in their everyday lives. By fostering a sense of responsibility and agency, we can inspire students to be proactive in building a sustainable future for all.I agree Elaine, having completed this module it has really helped me reflect on my own practice in my classroom, little tings where we are unconsciously embedding gender stereotypes. Small changes in future teaching will make a big difference. I completed a Summer course a couple of years ago on LGBT+ and it really opened up my eyes to how we as teachers represent gender identity, it has changed my teaching where I hope I am more inclusive and mindful, and this module has further reinforced this.
Gender stereotypes can begin to shape children’s perceptions of themselves and others from a very early age. These ideas are often unconsciously reinforced at home and can become further embedded during a child’s early school experiences. During my time as a primary school teacher particularly in the junior end, I observed how certain play choices tended to align with traditional gender roles. For example, many of the girls gravitated towards the dolls and home corner, while the boys were more inclined to play with cars, diggers, and construction toys. Some boys didn’t like to be part of any group that had a pink theme and the girls also didn’t want to choose blue for different activities. It feels as if the pink and blue ideal is firmly ingrained before the children even enter school, a clear indication that gendered perceptions of gender stereotypes were already taking root. While not true of every child, these patterns were noticeable and concerning.
Introducing Development Education (DE) at the Junior Infant level could be a powerful step towards challenging and reshaping these early stereotypes. DE encourages inclusivity, respect for diversity, and critical thinking, even at a young age. By embedding messages of equality, fairness, and representation into early learning experiences, we can begin to shift pupils’ understanding of what is considered ‘normal’ or acceptable for boys and girls.
I would try to involve promoting open-ended play where all children are encouraged to engage with a wide variety of toys and roles, regardless of gender in my class. Storybooks featuring diverse characters, classroom discussions around fairness, and modelling inclusive behaviour are also a method I would use in my class, as they all contribute to an environment where children feel free to explore their interests without fear of judgment. I would move away from segregating children according to gender, for example I would have mixed lines, and mixed teams in sport. Over time, this approach can lead to more inclusive, balanced experiences and help foster greater self-confidence, empathy, and mutual respect among pupils.I completely agree, embedding Development Education in the classroom is essential. Teaching global issues like climate change, inequality, and human rights through a variety of subjects and practical and active methods like debates allows pupils become empathetic, informed, and critically engaged global citizens, whilst becoming aware of current global issues taking place today.
I completely agree, embedding Development Education in the classroom is essential. Teaching global issues like climate change, inequality, and human rights through subjects and active methods like debates helps pupils become empathetic, informed, and critically engaged global citizens.
Ehigie (2021), in “The Role of Global Citizens in Today’s World,” explores the vital role global citizenship plays in building a more sustainable and interconnected world. The paper calls on individuals to become more conscious of global issues and to take responsibility through sustainable actions that benefit society as a whole.
In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving world, Development Education (DE) is more important than ever. It empowers pupils with the skills and understanding needed to address pressing global challenges such as poverty, inequality, and climate change. DE fosters critical thinking, nurtures empathy, and promotes an awareness of the world’s diverse cultures—qualities essential for nurturing responsible and informed global citizens.
In my classroom, I would embed DE across a range of subjects: In Science, I would incorporate topics such as environmental sustainability and climate action. In SPHE, I would explore human rights, equality, and global responsibility. In Geography, pupils would study a variety of countries, engaging in research, presentations, and collaborative projects. I would also organise multicultural days, giving children the opportunity to share their heritage and learn from one another.
Beyond the classroom, I would propose dedicating a Croke Park hour to Development Education. This would encourage collaborative planning among staff and provide time to create DE-focused resources. I would also invite a guest speaker to offer expert insights and inspire further engagement with global learning.Research question
What are some ways we could help the environment by reducing our carbon footprint when traveling to school?Firstly, we could brainstorm some ideas together, such as walking or cycling to school, taking public transportation, or carpooling with friends.
The children could create a chart or graph to compare the carbon footprint of different modes of transportation. The children could have the research the average amount of emissions produced by cars, buses, trains, and planes per passenger mile, and then create a visual representation of the data. This could be a fun and interactive way to learn about the environmental impact of different modes of transportation.
The children could do a survey of how all the families in the school currently to school. They could deliver their research finding of the emissions from all the different modes of travelling to school. There could be a whole school approach whereby walking to school and cycling and carpooling are promoted. The children could then repeat the survey several week later and see if there has been a reduction in the overall carbon footprint of the school.
Question 3- Having gone through the resource Nose high to the sky, I think this is a great set of lessons, which will help the children see with relationship between space and earth, and identify how they relate to one another. It allows the children to see different angles, and perspectives where they look at photos of the earth from observation satellites, photos taken from astronauts onboard the international space station, and also from the ground. They can look at these pictures and compare and contrast them. I think it will help the children see the importance of satellites in space, which allow us to watch over the earth. They will be able to see the advantages for each particular set of photographs. For example the observation satellite pictures allow you to see the atmosphere as well as the ground, gives you a different view of the Earth. Photographs from the ground are useful if you’re looking for something more specific like one building or one thing. Again, they will be able to identify that photos taken from space, give an entire picture if they wanted to look at an entire city or a desert this type of photography also allows you to monitor in area over a number of weeks and months and perhaps make predictions about weather. Overall I feel it is a very worth while resource that I would use in the classroom.
I agree Michelle I don’t think the video Home is age-appropriate for primary school children. However, I do feel that there is some vital and important information contained in the video that could be adapted and used in the classroom around class discussions on climate change. As you mentioned, I think it would be more effective to provide the children with manageable ways and ideas in which they can take on in their lives, and pass on to their families at home.