[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Gillian,

hanks for sharing your post here. While many community organisations are doing amazing work in this regard, it is that respectful and welcoming environment provided to children in schools that will have the greatest impact on their overall wellbeing and holistic development. Buddy systems and celebrating diversity in the school through spotlighting events such as Intercultural Week is such a great way of achieving this, and also has the dual benefit of raising awareness in the wider school community, as parents and others become interested in the events taking place.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Mary,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the course. I hope you will find it useful and it will provide you with some further ideas around how AI can make your life easier in the classroom next year. AI tools have huge potential, and this can range from practical, differentiated classroom learning materials to administration aids such as those listed. Ultimately, we need a critical eye on classroom content created by AI, with some of it needing tweaks. However, from an administrative point of view, much of this will be immediately ‘good to go’ and ready for use in its desired area.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Claire,

The scenario you mention from your own experience is all too common, unfortunately and would be closer to the rule than the exemption. A Canadian researcher named Doug Clements has some really interesting insights on this, and his findings speak to how this ultimately creates a gender gap in maths and other STEM subjects as these children get older. Boys experience in construction play actually develops their spatial reasoning skills at a far greater level than girls. What might seem inconsequential can actually have far reaching impacts on children as they progress through school.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Darragh,

Thank your for your post here. The current heatwave certainly would make you question if it was really just a few months ago when the children went weeks on end without being able to go out to yard due to the incessant rain. It does seem that these extremes are becoming more common in Ireland and it does beg the question about what our climate will look like in a century’s time. I full agree with your summation of some of the core tents of development education, and your description really speaks to how development education can play a key role in developing both the principles and competencies of our new curriculum.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Fergal,

Thank you for this post and for your participation throughout the course. Your work context is certainly unique, and it is brilliant that you have been able to discover some ways in which the 365 tools can assist you and your children with communication and collaboration. Children have such a strong longing for belonging and connection, and any small action that we can take to enhance this should be grabbed with both hands. I love the idea of the robotics being utilised to maintain this communication and connection when children are away from their home classrooms.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Susan,

Thank you for your post here -I really like your idea around using an accessibility walk around the school to draw children’s attention to inequalities that may exist. When we think of this SDG, we many be drawn towards thinking around the global scale or the larger picture – however, it’s important to realise that inequality comes in many forms and can exist and be present at any level. Talking about actions that could be taken to reduce this and rectify the situation is really at the heart of development education.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciara,

Thank you for sharing some of your thoughts around adapting the content and presentation of the 3rd class lesson for your selected pupil. Assistive technology can be so powerful in making learning more accessible and allowing children the opportunity to show what they know through a different medium. We can often speak about the ‘class level’ a certain child is operating at, but truth be told our curriculum is so broad that there are aspects that all children are performing above/below the class level on. For instance, this child might have strong listening comprehension skills but poor decoding which inhibits them accessing reading comprehension. The use of a tool like Immersive Reader can be so beneficial for children in similar instances.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for your participation throughout the course and for your contribution here. The phrase around ‘all politics being local’ has applications here too – getting the children to see the impact of important global issues at a local level is so important in getting them to understand the magnitude of this. Our rivers, estuaries and reservoirs are a perfect example of this over the past year, as we have seen extremes from flooding to drought in the space of 4-5 months.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Susan,

Thank you for your post here. It is heartening to read that the content of the module prompted you to question your own understanding of the definition of development education. As you have mentioned, its core tenets focus on getting children to be curious about inequalities, stereotypes and global issues, whilst also instilling that sense of moral justice in children to feel like their small actions can make a difference. Seeing the links between the local and the global is so important for developing a sense of interconnectedness which underpins some of the key themes of development education.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Rose,

Thanks for this post and for your engagement throughout the course. Collaboration is such an important skill for our children, but it is so important to ensure that we have clear expectations around what success might look like. In a special class setting, you will have individual targets for each of the children which allows for tracking and monitoring and incremental improvement over longer periods of time. Children all have learning preferences, and being able to provide diverse learning experiences allows all children greater opportunity to thrive and demonstrate their learning in different ways, as you have alluded to.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for this post and for sharing this activity. I think it shows a really sensible and practical use of AI tools to give us ideas towards making a task more accessible for children learning English as an additional language. This is something that might be tricky for many of us. and having such valuable suggestions from an AI tool can really enrich the learning of all children in the class. Your interpretation of how AI can help us is also very refreshing – understanding that a lot of the ideas may not be suitable is so important, as we use the knowledge we have of the children we teach and of teaching itself to tailor this to enhance the learning experiences of all is how we should all view the use of AI for teachers.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for this post and for sharing this activity. I think it shows a really sensible and practical use of AI tools to give us ideas towards making a task more accessible for children learning English as an additional language. This is something that might be tricky for many of us. and having such valuable suggestions from an AI tool can really enrich the learning of all children in the class. Your interpretation of how AI can help us is also very refreshing – understanding that a lot of the ideas may not be suitable is so important, as we use the knowledge we have of the children we teach and of teaching itself to tailor this to enhance the learning experiences of all is how we should all view the use of AI for teachers.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Aisling,

Thank you for this post and for highlighting the importance of all children receiving basic respect in our schools – having this as a non-negotiable is a sign of a strong classroom and school culture that places kindness, empathy and respect at the heart of all they do. The buddy system you have spoken about is a great initiative that allows a relationship to form between children, whilst also entrusting responsibility and leadership among your pupil population. This, coupled with the practical side of ensuring all children have the required classroom resources is a great start towards ensuring this ideal is achieved.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Mallorie,

Thanks for this post and for sharing some of the local actions that can be taken in this regard. I think we are all guilty to some degree around waste and responsible consumption – some of the areas you have mentioned are the greatest culprits, but also the easiest to make small changes in to improve the situation. Even in the news at present, the hot weather is lacing a significant strain on our water system which requires more frugal consumption. The ‘hose-pipe’ ban is a seasonal example of this but again we could also consider whether we could conserve more water inside homes. in idustries, etc.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciara,

Thank you for your post here and welcome to the course. I agree that technology, and assistive technology in particular, can be hugely useful for ensuring learning becomes more accessible in a special class setting. I hope that you will find some useful resources and approaches in the course that you can take back to your classroom in September. I agree with you in terms of the SETT Framework – this is such a valuable way to think about out use of technology in the classroom and the impact it is having/we wish for it to have and the actions we need to take in this regard.

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