[Grace Lynch]

Hi Eimear,

Thank you for your response to Module 5!

It is great to hear about the many benefits from the composting system in your municipality. What a fantastic way to get a united front supporting sustainability within the community. This great example is fabulous for the kids to see, and hopefully will promote similar habits for them to follow into adulthood.

Thank you,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Stephanie,

Thank you for your response to this module!

It is great to hear about the implementations at local level. Congratulations on achieving a green flag within your school also, what a great achievment!

Hands on activities that you have mentioned here such as growing vegetables and going for nature walks are not only great for boosting environmental awareness but can also be beneficial to their well-being. I am sure that time spent in the outdoors helps to increase concentration and focus when they are back in the classroom.

Thank you,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Aaron,

Thank you for your response to Module 1!

Oysters are close to my heart too! I worked on a farm in Cromane and I love teaching the kids about how it can form the basis of a community supporting the local families and providing young people with new opportunities which can prevent some aspects of rural decline.

The virtual trips are a great way to bring the sea to the students! We would love to bring each student to the aquaculture site but it is a close second using the VR headsets.

Thanks,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Stephanie,

Thank you for the response to this Module!

I agree I think there is something in the material from these workshops that is applicable to students that live in any area in Ireland. The information is flexible and can be used across different subjects and adapted to suit different topics from Geography to Mathematics to SPHE. There truly is something in it for everyone.

Thanks,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Eimear,

Thank you for your response to Module 1!

I really like the idea of role-playing as members of the community and how they would go about facilitating an aquaculture site! It might even inspire some students to follow a career path in the marine and seafood sector.

Thanks,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Sinead,

Thank you for your response to Module 3!

I really like the idea of asking a local to be a guest speaker and discuss their role in aquaculture. We found the guest speakers to be fantastic on the ARC and they really do promote engagement with the children. Hearing about how aquaculture can support families and be the cornerstone for many communities around Ireland is best coming from the horses mouth I think! It might even inspire some students to take a career within the marine and seafood industry.

The material is so flexible and as you have said, it is perfect to springboard different topics within the STEM experience. For example, a real world application of this could be calculating the amount of protein per 100g in a filet of salmon.

If you would like the ARC to visit your school, please feel free to fill out the registration form at this link: https://bim.ie/a-seafood-way-of-life/the-arc/registration-form/

Thank you,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Eimear,

Thank you for your response to Module 1!

It is lovely to hear how you found these resources interesting and helpful! Learning about aquaculture and the well-being of our oceans is every bit as  important for students living far from the sea. It promotes a sense of responsibility and respect for the great resource that surrounds us as an island. Hopefully the students will be inspired to practice eco-friendly habits and keep the ocean in mind when making consumer choices into adulthood.

Thanks,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Christine,

Thank you for your response to Module 2!

Aquaculture is so important to communities on the West coast. It provides a variety of jobs either directly/indirectly that support the communities there. It provides the younger members of the community to stay and work in these rural areas thus decreasing rural decline.

Tourism and the Aquaculture industry definitely feed off of one another as you have mentioned here with Galway International Oyster Festival and tours and tastings in Kelly’s Oysters. ‘Taste the Atlantic’ has also been great for the people in the West.

Thanks,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Danny,

Thank you for your response to Module 3!

It is lovely to hear how you will introduce these topics to the students. As you said yourself in an Irish context, this is important for us as an island to recognise the very valuable resource that surrounds us!

There is massive scope for cross-curricular learning with these topics. Through the integration of different subjects and concepts, critical thinking and creativity is promoted, which will enhance learning outcomes.

I really like the idea of using the ARC for STEM week as it may inspire some of the students to take that type of career in the future! There could be some future marine biologists amongst the class 🙂

Thanks,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Danny,

Thank you for your response to Module 2!

The unique conditions of the West Coast, with its rugged coastlines of bays and inlets, make it highly suitable for aquaculture sites. However, the rocky terrain, steep slopes, and poor soil make it disadvantageous for traditional land farming.

This makes aquaculture all the important for those who live there. As you have outlined here there is a wide variety of jobs within this industry. This provides younger people in these communities with employment opportunities which in turn decreases rural decline.

I agree that it is important for us to manage this valuable resource correctly so that it will be accessible for those who come after us. As an island, it is great that we are able to use what surrounds us by means of income but it is important for us to do so sustainably,

Thank you.

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Caitriona,

Thank you for your response to Module 5!

It is great to hear about these sustainable efforts happening up in Waterford. Beach clean ups in particular are one of my favourite eco-friendly initiatives as I think the social part of it instils us all with a sense of community and social responsibility to look after our environment!

Using local examples is a great way to relate it back to the student making the information and concepts all the more relevant to the students themselves, thus easing the digestion of the information.

On the ARC itself we have always found the guest speakers to be a great way to engage the students and for them to learn about things in their locale they might not have known about otherwise. Often times they will take this message home and their parents will learn something as well!

Thanks,

Grace

 

• This reply was modified 6 months ago by Grace Lynch.

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Lisa,

Thank you for your response to Module 3!

It is so lovely to hear how you found the material practical and inspiring. Nurturing creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the students allows them to think for themselves and take autonomy over their learning allowing.

The fact that the school is rooted in a village already familiar with seafood is great as the lessons become all the more relevant to the students when it is on their doorstep!

Thanks,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Clodagh,

Thank you for your response to Module 4!

It is great to hear you this course has made you more conscious of the nutritional benefits of seafood. The nutrional benefits such as the Omega 3s which you have mentioned here are so important for the young students to be aware of as it plays an important role in brain development which helps them to reach their full potential as adults.

The content is so versatile and there is massive scope to integrate it across SPHE and STEM subjects. I like the idea you have of adding seafood to the school meals! A great way of introducing seafood to the students palate if they have not tried it before at home.

Thanks,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Rachel,

Thank you for your response to Module 3!

I really like the idea you have of integrating coding into the classroom. The coding could work towards enhancing problem-solving abilities, nourishing creativity and innovation skills and it would also help them to familiarise themselves with computers and build confidence working with technology. The delivery plan you have for this sounds so exciting! I feel like the idea of the live fish tanks would generate a lot of excitement amongst the students.

Thanks,

Grace

[Grace Lynch]

Hi Lisa,

Thank you for your response to Module 2!

You are correct in highlighting the economic importance of aquaculture in rural areas, especially in coastal area where traditional land farming would not be suited to the local geographical conditions i.e, poor soil, steep slopes, stormy conditions, rocky, hilly terrain e.t.c. This makes aquaculture all the more important for rural communities viability in isolated areas.

The versatility of jobs within the aquaculture industry as you have outlined here provide younger people to stay within these areas and deceases rural decline.

You are correct in saying the West Coasts’ geographical conditions are perfect for the farm sites. The strong currents allow for the constant flow of water in and out while the bays and inlets provide shelter from storms which will in turn decrease reparation/replacement cost of equipment in the long-term.

Thanks,

Grace

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