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Hi Karl,
I really like your idea of a Marine Sustainability Week—it sounds like a brilliant way to get the whole school involved and make STEM learning more visible. The links you made between aquaculture and STEM subjects like maths and SPHE were really clear too. The way you tied it all into the SSE process gave me a few new ideas for our own plan—especially around setting measurable outcomes. Thanks for sharing!
This module really opened my eyes to how much aquaculture connects with STEM and SSE. It’s not just about fish farming—it touches on geography, environmental care, local jobs, and real-world problem-solving. The ARC resources offer a hands-on, engaging way to bring these concepts into the classroom. I could see our senior classes doing a project on designing a shellfish farm or mapping where different species are farmed, using maths, science, and critical thinking all in one go.
From an SSE point of view, these kinds of lessons support our STEM goals really well. They’re cross-curricular, inclusive, and fit with our school’s focus on meaningful learning experiences. I think we could easily link ARC lessons into our next SSE cycle and maybe even form a small STEM or aquaculture group in school. It would be great to involve the wider school community through food education or local seafood connections too.
Hi Patricia,
You’ve summed it up really well—I hadn’t thought about the link between aquaculture and keeping younger generations in rural areas. And you’re right, the Wild Atlantic Way gives it a real boost too. The “Taste the Atlantic” programme sounds like such a great way to connect food, tourism, and local pride. It really shows how everything is linked, and how much potential there is in this industry.
Aquaculture farms in Ireland are found along the west coast, in places like sheltered bays and fjords. These areas are perfect for farming fish, mussels, and oysters because they’re protected from rough seas and have clean, cool water. Ireland also has what’s often called a “Goldilocks climate”—not too hot or too cold—which makes it ideal for farming in the sea. The west coast is less suited to farming on land because of its mountains and poor soil, so aquaculture offers a better option in many areas.
Aquaculture supports coastal communities by providing jobs and helping small towns stay strong. It also boosts tourism and education through programmes like Taste the Atlantic. In school, it’s a great way to link geography, science, and SPHE. Children can learn where seafood comes from, how it’s farmed, and why it’s important to care for the environment and support local industries. It’s a real-world topic that makes learning meaningful
Yes Brian,
I really liked your point about how little many children know about aquaculture, even though we live on an island. The ARC is such a great way to make it real for them. I also thought your take on social license was spot on—it’s a great way to get students thinking critically and seeing different sides of an issue.
This module has helped me see how aquaculture and social license can connect meaningfully with our school community. While we’re not near the sea, farming is central to many of our students’ lives, and the ARC tools offer a great way to expand that understanding to include aquaculture. Our all-boys school has previously welcomed visitors from BIM, and the children were especially engaged by the chefs who introduced new foods—including oysters—and focused on a “farm to fork” journey.
Using resources like the ARC videos and online lessons would allow us to build on that experience, bringing active, inquiry-based learning into SESE, SPHE, and Science. Social license is a concept I’m keen to explore with the class—it ties into responsibility, community awareness, and sustainability in a way that’s both age-appropriate and thought-provoking. These tools would definitely enhance engagement and encourage students to make connections between what they eat, where it comes from, and how it’s produced responsibly.
Michaela I think this is an excellent research question and great opportunity to get the children more involved in using and exploring our school garden which can often be under utilised and forgotten about until the spring and summer months.
Research question “How does our school garden help reduce pollution in our neighborhood?” This question can be a great way for the kids to explore how their school’s garden contributes to the local environment.
To explore how the school garden helps reduce pollution, children can engage in various activities:
1. **Observation Walks:** Take walks around the school garden to observe the plants and wildlife. Encourage children to notice how the garden looks and what animals or insects they see.
2. **Plant Identification:** Teach children to identify different plants in the garden. Discuss how plants help clean the air and reduce pollution.
3. **Watering and Gardening:** Involve children in watering plants, weeding, and caring for the garden. Explain how plants absorb pollutants from the air and soil.
4. **Composting:** Teach children about composting and how it helps reduce waste and pollution. Start a compost bin in the school garden.
5. **Air Quality Monitoring:** Use simple tools like air quality monitors or DIY methods to measure air quality in and around the school garden. Discuss the impact of plants on air purification.
6. **Research and Presentations:** Encourage children to research the benefits of plants on air quality and pollution reduction. Have them create presentations to share their findings with classmates.
These activities can make learning about the school garden and its impact on reducing pollution engaging and interactive for the children.
I felt that the film Home by Yann Arthus was captivating and intense. Perhaps too intense for most primary school children. That said it definitely has the impact needed to send the message home that climate change is happening and sadly our overpopulated race are to blame for many facets of it. I think it would be important for primary level teachers to chose small clips of the film to introduce lessons or consolidate learning rather than watching the film in it entirety. There are many many topics that could be introduced or lessons closed using clips from this film but teachers need to remember that some of our students are already quite conscious and worried about climate change due to many schools already having explored these topics through the green schools programme, and it is important that we do not create panic or anxiety in any of the students that are already be quite concerned.
I felt that the film Home by Yann Arthus was captivating and intense. Perhaps too intense for most primary school children. That said it definitely has the impact needed to send the message home that climate change is happening and sadly our overpopulated race are to blame for many facets of it. I think it would be important for primary level teachers to chose small clips of the film to introduce lessons or consolidate learning rather than watching the film in it entirety. There are many many topics that could be introduced or lessons closed using clips from this film but teachers need to remember that some of our students are already quite conscious and worried about climate change due to many schools already having explored these topics through the green schools programme, and it is important that we do not create panic or anxiety in any of the students that’s already be quite concerned.
Hi Triona I agree I found that home had a real shock factor that may cause increased anxiety in some children who are already anxious. I think each teacher would have to select appropriate clips for their class when using this resource.
Ann I really like this breakdown of the activity and I think it would be an excellent format to teach the activity in. I really feel it would be an engaging lesson that would flow from start to finish .
<span style=”font-size: 7px;”>In activity three we take a look at temperatures in our own country and around the world to explore the idea of greenhouse gases and climate change. </span><span style=”font-size: 7px;”>The Paxi Video is an excellent resource for introducing this topic as it is very engaging and would be suited to watch with most class levels. There were lots of topical discussions that could use this video as a springboard and lead into listing important ways that we can prevent greenhouse gases and in turn play our part in preventing climate change. </span>
<span style=”font-size: 7px;”>The activity and video lends itself for easy integration into maths literacy and SESE lessons. Some of activity 3 is definitely better suited to older classes particularly in terms of using the data table and looking at average and mean temperatures but this does not mean it cannot be adapted or modified for younger classes and have the same meaningful impact.</span><!–/data/user/0/com.samsung.android.app.notes/files/clipdata/clipdata_bodytext_240723_224746_166.sdocx–>