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<p style=”text-align: left;”>Being from Birr, I would use William Parsons, the third Earl of Rosse, as inspiration for science investigations. Our pupils could visit Birr Castle and see the telescope in person. They could also visit the science centre there and find out more about the rich scientific history of Birr Castle. Back at school, the pupils could work in pairs or small groups to research William Parsons, and present their findings to the whole class.</p>
Given that William was both an engineer and an astronomer, there would be many investigations we could do. We could take inspiration from some of the topics covered in this course, and investigate what makes a good bridge, or design and make a telescope using a range of materials.There are so many possibilities, and I think the children would get great inspiration from a trip to the castle, knowing that this amazing feat of engineering is right on their doorstep. They would also be learning lots about the history of Birr Castle and its inhabitants.
Lovely ideas Yvonne. My school is also local to Birr, and likewise, I have been to Birr Castle Demense many times, but have never used it as inspiration for a scientific or mathematical investigation. I will definitely be doing so in the future. We could take lots of different class levels to Birr Castle and give them all different projects, from designing and making a telescope or bridge, to doing a study of the plants or wildlife in the demense.
It’s lovely to have inspiration so close to the school and this makes it much more interesting for the children.
We did something similar in our school last year, where the children had to design and make a bridge that would span 30cm and hold a certain amount of cars. They had great fun experimenting with recycled materials and using different designs. They were so happy when they got the bridge to hold the weight of the cars!
I really like the idea of using a copy, as this shows progression over time, and means the children have a record of what they have learned and can keep adding to their knowledge over time. Using the Croke Park hour to get other staff involved in the project is also a great idea, as it is hard to find free time with everything else going on!
This is such a great idea! It really gives the children, and the Green Schools Committee in particular, a very clear picture of the school environment and what actions need to take place that school year to improve it. Some very good map making skills included here too!
I agree Yvonne, I’m looking forward to using the lovely resources in my school and sharing them with any colleagues who aren’t familiar with them (as some of them were new to me before enrolling on this course). The curious minds website is very user friendly and had very practical ideas.
I would use the suspension bridge in Birr Castle as my inspiration, I would take the pupils to see it, as we are local to the area. This would give them plenty of ideas and inspiration.
We would look at the features of the bridge and talk about what makes it work (the shapes, the length, the materials used).
Back at school, the pupils could work in pairs or small groups to design and make a bridge. I would utilise the Curious Minds Amazing Triangle resource when looking at structure. Other mathematical concepts explored during this design and make challenge include weight, force, shape and length.
I think there is endless scope here for children, as they have ownership over materials used and design of the bridge.
It would be interesting to see how bridges made of different materials hold up, and I think children would really enjoy presenting their designs to the class (or other classes) and reflecting on what worked well and what challenges they faced.
The finished bridges could be displayed in the school for other classes to see, or we could incorporate digital technology and make a video presentation of our bridges and share them with other classrooms.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>We have a school garden with lots of different areas, such as wild hedgerows, outdoor beds, herb garden and poly tunnel. We don’t have a designated pollinator area, but have completed some pollinator-friendly actions, like planting native trees, putting in a flowerbed, or leaving dandelions.
Registering with the All Ireland Pollinator Plan would give the whole school a focus and we could collaboratively come up with a plan to help pollinators, such as leaving an area of grass unloved, or planting more pollinator friendly flowers. Mapping our garden and deciding on specific areas for this would make it very clear for both staff and children alike.</p>
Getting the various classes involved in making decisions and then taking surveys at the beginning of the process and periodically throughout the year would hopefully see an increase in biodiversity in our school and give children a good, hands on experience and give them ownership of the task, meaning they would have a meaningful learning experience.For the hands on mapping activity, we would talk about maps and why they are useful, as well as what they are used for and what information they contain and why.
I think I would show the video of Una Halpin before we went outside, so that the children have a clear focus while they are on their walk and are aware of what to look out for (landmarks, buildings, etc.)
We would then take a look at the area on google maps to see what it looks like. I would give the children a base map so that they all had the same starting point. We would come up with a key as a whole class. I would then divide the children into groups and ask each group to concentrate on a different layer or aspect, such as buildings, wildlife, plants, etc. Each group would get a polypocket and would be asked to draw their aspect (buildings, plants, etc.) onto the polypocket. Afterwards, the children would be asked to brainstorm how to put all their findings together to make one map. When this is done, they could build a biodiversity map using natural materials form around the school, or Lego or play doh. There are lots of possibilities here, and I feel the engagement would be high, as it’s very hands on and there are plenty of possibilities for problem solving and critical thinking.
I’m looking forward to accessing lots of great ideas on these websites in Septemeber. I agree, they are very well laid out and very practical.
Describe how you could apply some of the concepts and skills you have learned in this module to your own teaching practice in line with the STEM Education policy statement
I really liked how this module showed practical, easy ways of incorporating STEM into the classroom more. I particularly liked the ESERO planning tool and the way it gave room for reflection, acknowledging that not all lessons go perfectly, and that there is always room for improvement next time around. It would be useful as a reference.
I also found the practical examples of lessons very useful, and I liked how everything was very clearly laid out. I had never used the ESERO website before, but definitely will be in the future. The way specialised equipment is only necessary for certain investigations is great, as we can make full use of that recycling bin!
I liked how the course acknowledged the time constraints teachers are under to cover the curriculum, and how we can incorporate STEM across a wide variety of subject areas.
What I liked best was the idea of letting the children investigate and discover for themsleves, rather than being too prescriptive. Given the stimulus at the beginning of the lesson and the tools to complete the task, there is a lot more learning to be done when the children are hands on. In this way, it makes them better critical thinkers and also aids self assessment by acknowledging both the successes and failures of the task.
