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This module was very informative and gave me a further insight into the geography of our Irish coastline and how its features can be used to determine where an aquaculture farm can be. When we think of farming, we generally think of agriculture, but my mind has now been opened further to aquaculture. I liked the description of our climate as a ‘Goldilocks Climate’ where conditions are cool, damp and rarely hit extremes. It is interesting to learn more about the North Atlantic Drift which contributes to the temperature the Atlantic Ocean. Due to the West coast of Ireland being heavily dominated by mountains, making it unsuitable for land farming, it is a place where lots of fish farming takes place. Having grown up in a fishing community and doing a boat tour of the salmon farm, it is clear that sheltered bays, inlets and harbours are more ideal for fish farming. I have seen first hand the socio- economic value of aquaculture farms – they provide a lot of employment for local people from the farms themselves to the factories packaging the fish, the ice plants etc.
To begin, I found this module to be very interesting and insightful. Having grown up in a fishing community, there was a lot that I could relate to, but I also learned lots of new information. As I teach in a school that is only five minutes from the sea, it is a topic that we don’t delve into enough. I teach 5th class, and a lot of the resources and videos in this module are very suitable for that age group. I really enjoyed the variety of videos in this module – in particular the ARC videos. This module gives excellent examples of the importance of sustainability and knowing where our food comes from. I enjoyed learning about the four social licencing projects, in particular the ARC classroom visit. What an incredibly engaging learning experience that the BIM offer!! I have signed my school up for the waiting list already!
Hi Enda,
I think is a really interesting research question and a topic that is very engaging for the children.
The research question that I have come up with using the Climate Detectives research question planner is ‘How is climate change affecting the weather and beaches/ shoreline in our local area?’ To begin exploring the research question, we will start with a class discussion and brainstorming session on the weather, how the weather has changed, any severe weather events we can remember etc. I will gather all prior knowledge on climate change. We will then move onto observation and data collections. To do this we will go on a walk to the beach and take photos of the shoreline. We will also create a weather station and record daily. We will compare our photos and data gathered with photos from the past and local weather data from previous years. A home/ school/ community link is important so I will encourage the children to speak with parents, grandparents etc. to collect further data. Where possible I will invite in guest speakers from the community to talk about the impact climate change and weather changes have had on the locality.
Hi Michelle,
I also liked and could relate to the proverbs activity. It is something that the children will use for the rest of their lives.
I have chosen to complete the third assignment. I downloaded the resource ‘Nose High Up in the Sky’ and I found it to be very well designed. I enjoyed going through the various activities in the resource and the teacher guide. The first activity that appealed to me was the exploration of old weather proverbs. This is a fantastic way of introducing the topic and something that most children, particularly in the older classes, will have prior knowledge on. I can see myself using this in the classroom, and asking children to chat about it at home, developing a nice home school link. I also would use activity three in the classroom. The children will be enabled to learn lots of different skills like getting a true reading, how to accurately measure, the best way to record results and so on from this activity. It links in very will with the SESE curriculum.
Hi Emma,
I also loved the carbon footprint calculator and agree that it will help to make our students truly aware of the impact they are having on the climate.
This module contained some excellent videos that can be used across many class levels. The video Home is a very informative, effective video which highlights many issues relating to Climate Change. The images and clips in Home are captivating and really make the viewer reflect on the vastness of our world. I would break the video up into four or five sections and use the videos as a stimulus for a range of lessons on Climate Change. The first video shown to us, was very moving. I would use this video with an older class – I felt it really showed the devastating effects of climate change and would inspire us all to do better. I also think that the TED Talk video from Greta Thunberg is very inspiring. It would be very beneficial for our students to realise that children have a say and have a voice and it is important to use our voices to instil change.
Activity 3 is a very practical lesson that I would use in the classroom. To begin, I would elicit prior knowledge from the children through questioning on what they already know about climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. I would then go on to show the Paxi video to the children. The video is very informative and enjoyable, however I would use it with the middle classes rather than 6th class. Following a discussion on the video, as a class we would then move onto the ‘Teal’ simulation tool. I would first get it up on the interactive whiteboard and as a whole class we would manipulate the variables to see the impact it would have on temperature predictions. I would then enable the children to use the simulation tool on i-pads in small groups/ pairs to further their engagement with it. I think that this tool is a very engaging way for children to come to realise the impact that greenhouse gases and climate change has on not only Ireland, but in countries all over the world.
Hi Enda,
I agree with what you have stated above, particularly where you mentioned that a holistic approach prepares children to tackle complex problems and thrive in the world!
I also forgot to add that these resources and STEM projects in general provide children with opportunities to solve problems, use their imaginations, ask questions, collaborate with others, experiment, make things and to try different ways of doing things.
Having reviewed the paper ‘Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics’, it is evident that critical thinking, active learning and a hands on approach is vital for children to progress in the area of STEM. I really enjoyed this module and found that both resources, Nose Up High in the Sky and Weather Vs Climate, lend to this. Both resources provide excellent opportunity for teaching and learning with video links, worksheets, hands on approach to learning about Climate and Weather. I am currently teaching 5th class and have taught this topic in the classroom. However, I never even considered creating a weather station. This is something that I would love to incorporate into my teaching next year. I would like to set up the weather station towards the front of the school, an area that can be accessed by the children but is not on the yard where the children play at lunch, to avoid the equipment getting damaged. I would like to purchase one ‘proper’ piece of each equipment eg. Anemometer etc. and it would be a fantastic hands on lesson for the children to also make their own in groups in class. These are not stand alone STEM lessons as the children can use these on a daily/ weekly basis by recording the information gathered from the equipment. A weather station can be used by one class or could also be a whole school project involving younger and older classes.
