Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Module 5: Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night.
There are a huge variety and range of songs, poems and art pieces that we could explore to connect us with the night in primary school.
Starting off in the younger classes there are nursery rhymes like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Star Light, Star Bright. Then for the older classes there are songs like Coldplay’s A Sky Full of Stars which has lots of imagery and metaphors. The children would be familiar with this song and understand it well. There is also Thin Lizzy Dancing in the Moonlight to explore an Irish connection. Starman by David Bowie is another one I would have covered with classes that focuses on space. The Whole of the Moon by the Waterboys has links to the sky and lots of imagery.
There are also lovely poems which explore the night and darkness such as The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear. Then for the older classes there is He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by W.B Yeats which is a great Irish connection. This has strong connections to darkness and heaven.
For art the most obvious one and one that I would have covered various times before would be Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. The children could also draw different nocturnal animals like bats and hedgehogs or create a contrasting art piece of darkness in the countryside and the artificial light we see in the town and city. This would be a great way to highlight the range of light in our locality. You could also create a collage of the different moon phases.Module 4:
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.I would introduce the book Wild Things at School to explore the range of biodiversity in the school grounds. We would explore different areas of the school such as the trees, bushes, grass, tarmac to see the contrast between the range of animals, plants and insects we could see. We would then create a biodiversity map of the school showing the range of biodiversity in the school. They could photograph their findings and present them to the class.
This would be followed on by looking at how light pollution can affect biodiversity in our area. The children would research project on the impact of light pollution on nocturnal animals such as bats, moths, birds and insects. The children would present their findings to the class and suggest actions we as a school and community could do to protect biodiversity and lessen the impact of light pollution in the school and in our locality.Module 3:
First we would have a discussion and brainstorm ideas on what light pollution is.
I would spark the children’s interest by showing the NSW video on Light Pollution. I would also have a PowerPoint on light pollution and how it affects humans and animals. We would compare photos of the countryside and built up areas to see how light pollution can impact different areas. I would then give the children an investigation to do at home to investigate how light pollution affects their area. The would have to make a light pollution map of the local village/town highlighting where light pollution occurs most and what could be done to lessen the impact of light pollution. We would also do some research on how light pollution can affect animals in our locally and the negative impact it can have. We would discuss all the sources of artificial light around us and how they impact us seeing the stars at night.Module 2: Create a short teaching resource using Stellarium/ WorldWide Telescope
This lesson would be aimed at the upper classes. I would open the Stellarium app and set it to the schools location at 11:00 at night. We would look for planets, stars and constellations that are visible. I would then set the Stellarium app to a different location in the world and compare and contrast the skies over Ireland and the skies in another part of the world. We could also use the Stellarium app to compare the night sky at different times during the night like early darkness and later on in the night.
I would also set it to a rural location and then a city location to show how light pollution affects our night skies. They could also create a night sky map by drawing and labelling the different things they can see. This could link with an art lesson and the children could create an art piece of the night sky from the Stellarium app with the moon, planets and stars.<div>I would spark the children’s interest in the lesson by having a think/pair/share on how did people tell the time in the past before we had clocks. We would then have a discussion on shadows and how our shadows change throughout the day. We would observe our own shadows at different times throughout the day.</div>
<div>We would go outside and I would place a stick in the ground and observe its shadow. We would come back in an hours time and observe its shadow again. Then again in another hour and observe again. I would question the children if the school planned to install a sundial where would the best place be. This would help to ignite the children’s curiosity.</div>
<div>I would then give the children the various materials to make a sundial. The children could mark the shadows throughout the day using chalk and observe how the shadow changes during the school day.</div>I would spark the children’s interest in the lesson by having a think/pair/share on how did people tell the time in the past before we had clocks. We would then have a discussion on shadows and how our shadows change throughout the day. We would observe our own shadows at different times throughout the day.
We would go outside and I would place a stick in the ground and observe its shadow. We would come back in an hours time and observe its shadow again. Then again in another hour and observe again. I would question the children if the school planned to install a sundial where would the best place be. This would help to ignite the children’s curiosity.
I would then give the children the various materials to make a sundial. The children could mark the shadows throughout the day using chalk and observe how the shadow changes during the school day.I really like the collaborative approach you suggest here for the children. The children having different roles makes it more real life and relevant to the children. It really promotes co-operation and children come up with innovative ideas when they collaborate like this.
I really like the idea of a wildlife friendly school. Children learning how they can promote biodiversity in their school helps them realise the impact they can make as individuals however small. Also the cross curricular approach of linking it with other subjects consolidates the children’s learning more.
I really like the idea of a star jar. It’s a hands on practical activity for children to see. Another great suggestion on asking children how we can try to conserve our dark spaces by having timers and shades. This makes it relevant to the children’s lives.
Great ideas. I really like the Autumn Sky Watching Diary that you mentioned. It’s a great way to compare and contrast dark skies and what we can see. It’s a really interesting idea and I think the children would find it very engaging. It brings a real life aspect to it.
I agree the song ‘The Sun is Shining’ is a great way to spark interest and get the younger classes engaged. I think it can be sometimes more difficult to think of ideas for this theme for the younger classes. The Paxi Day and Night video is a lovely resource which I plan on using with my class.
Part 1:
This module really opened my mind on how I can use assistive technologies in the classroom to assist students to access the curriculum. I am currently working in an autism class and I can see the huge impact assistive technology can have. Before this module I presumed that assistive technology would be the high tech end like iPads and computers. I would never have thought visual schedules, timers and pencil grips were assistive technology. I see how assistive technologies assist children with additional needs but also support the whole classroom to make learning inclusive for all. I think it is best that we try to find tools that can best suite the child. Even something as simple as a visual schedule in the classroom can assist all children in the classroom. Regarding School Self Evaluation I think the use of assistive technology highlights how the school is addressing the needs of children with additional needs. We can evaluate how effective our strategies and practices are to meet the needs of these children.
In regards to the Digital Learning Framework (DLF) The standard 2.2 ‘The school promotes a culture of collaboration and sharing of good digital learning resources’ I could address. Sharing our experience of different assistive technologies with other staff members I think is paramount to having an inclusive school for all. I believe it is important that we have a whole school approach and it helps develop a culture of using assistive technologies throughout the school. What works well for a teacher can be implemented by other teachers who are trying to meet the learning needs of children across the school.
Part 2:
The SETT framework is a basis to assistive technology assessment. Its aligns well with the student’s School Support File as it makes sure the assistive technology is individually tailored to best help meet the child’s needs and is more specific for the child. It is a collaborative approach and a structured approach for the child. Integrating the School Support File allows a more rounded and complete picture of the child. The SETT framework states that we must always start with the student. We can understand the student more by looking at their School Support File. This will let us see the child’s strengths and areas they are struggling with. We can also see any reports on the child. The next area is the environment. We can look at the physical arrangements of the classroom and how the child interacts with this environment. The SSF may also contain observations and notes from the teacher on this. The tasks area of the framework may have different assessments from the SSF that can help us get a better understanding. We must also assess the tools as they allow us to reflect on what we are currently doing to support the child and additional tools to help the child perform in the environment. By integrating the SETT model and the student’s School Support File it gives us a more comprehensive insight in the child’s needs and how we can try and meet these needs in a more structured way. This ensures we have child-centred and targeted approach. I feel it’s important that like the SSF that we review and have this as a working document.Part 1:
The tool I have chosen is One Note for a second class EAL student who finds reading fluency and decoding words difficult. This tool allows the particular child to access our class novel. As immersive reader is built in this child can have the text read back to them. This would help build reading fluency for this child. The line focus would also really help this child. Being able to change the text size and spacing would really help this child access our class novel more easily and make it more accessible. The picture dictionary would also be excellent for this student as any word they don’t understand it gives them a visual. One Note allows words to be broken up into syllables which would be great to help this student decode words and develop reading fluency. The translation function would also be very beneficial for this child as English is not their first language. This would aid comprehension and understanding for this child.
Part 2:
Yes I do believe teachers are lifelong learners. I believe ongoing CPD is extremely important as the word of teaching is ever changing and evolving. There are always new ideas and strategies to help us support the children in the classroom. This course has really broadened my horizons on the use of assistive technologies in the classroom like One Note and Immersive Reader. I wasn’t even aware that most of these tools were out there let alone how to use them in the classroom. It is very important that we are up to date on the current practices and that we try to align our teaching to the evolving classroom. One of the principals of Cosán is that we are lifelong and life-wide learners. We as teachers must be innovative and ongoing CPD allows us to be reflective and try new approaches. We can become more informed on practices to help best support our students particularly in the area of technology.
Exploring Immersive Reader, the edge browser and other 365 Tools really highlight the different ways I can assist children literacy needs in the classroom. I wasn’t aware of many of these tools before and I plan to use them in the classroom to support all students. Immersive reader could really help children with literacy difficulties like dyslexia as it can change the colour on the background and focus on each line of a particular text. I really like the picture dictionary aspect of it as it shows an image for the word. One Note would be very beneficial as it allows children who find writing ore difficult to dictate. This would be excellent for some children who have the ideas in their head but find writing and typing more strenuous and time consuming. They wouldn’t have to worry about spelling. I think Office Lens is also great as a student can take a picture of text and it can be read back to them.
Regarding existing equipment I see how having something as simple as larger keyboards can make such a difference to help children access literacy easier. A vertical mouse would really aid children who struggle with their fine motor skills. This is another simple adaption that can make a huge difference to help children access the curriculum.
The student who I think would benefit from technology resources would be a child eleven years of age diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia who struggles with decoding words, reading fluency and comprehension, understanding maths concepts and number facts. In the Inclusive Education Framework it states that
I think Immersive Reader in word would be a great support for this child as they as the struggles with decoding and this resource allows you to break words up into syllables. Also they way you can focus on line by line would really help this child. Being able to change the background to a different colour would suite this child. Also the picture dictionary would benefit this child’s comprehension. I think One Note is a great resource as it is very personalised for the child.
I think Microsoft Maths Solver would also aid this child as it helps them understand as there are step by step solutions and gives similar Maths problems to solve themselves. This would definitely reduce anxiety for this child and they could even practice maths problems they were struggling with in school at home. An app like IXL would be great also as it has visual aids and a multi-sensory approach. Fun apps you can use like Top Marks are great for helping children remember number facts. I found Daily 10 Mental Maths Challenge fantastic for children with Dyscalculia.
These technology supports fit with the School Development Planning section of the Inclusive Framework as we should have these technology resources at a whole school level to ensure we are inclusive for all and not just for individual children.