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I really like the idea of having a short “Digital Toolbox” at staff meetings, as it gives teachers an opportunity to share their knowledge without requiring a lot of additional time. Having one streamlined system for resources would also make collaboration easier. Which of these ideas do you think would be easiest to introduce first in your school?
For my SSE focus, I chose to look at how well my Junior Infants pupils understand and recognise key Autumn vocabulary. I would use a short Google Form at the end of the lesson as an assessment for learning activity. As the children are young, the questions would be simple and visual, using pictures and multiple-choice answers. Pupils could identify autumn objects, colours and weather, as well as choose a happy, neutral or sad face to show how they felt about the activity.
The Google Form responses would provide useful digital evidence of what the pupils understood and highlight any vocabulary or concepts that need further support. I could use this information to give feedback and plan my next lesson. For example, if several pupils struggled to identify particular autumn vocabulary, I would revisit it using more visual, sensory and hands-on activities. I could then repeat a similar assessment later to see whether pupils’ understanding had improved.I really like how you adapted the Gem’s suggestions based on what you know works with your class. The “Viking or not Viking” activity sounds like a fun and engaging way to assess prior knowledge. Do you think you would use the Mystery Box activity again for other history topics?
For this module, I used a prebuilt Gem to support my planning for an Autumn lesson with Junior Infants. I asked the Gem to suggest some short, practical activities to help children recognise autumn colours and vocabulary. One suggestion I found useful was a leaf-sorting activity where pupils sort leaves according to colour and size. I felt this was appropriate for my class because it was visual, hands-on and could be adapted for different abilities.I reviewed the suggestions carefully before deciding what I would use. Some of the activities were too complicated or required too much language, so I simplified them and added more visual and sensory support. I would always make the final decision about whether an activity is suitable for my pupils. A professional boundary I would maintain is not sharing any personal or identifiable information about pupils with the Gem. Overall, I found the Gem useful as a starting point for generating ideas, but teacher judgement is still essential.
I really like how you used contrasting images and key vocabulary to make the activity accessible for all pupils. The Google Form exit ticket is also a useful way to check understanding. Would you use the same approach with another history topic?
For my activity, I chose an Autumn topic for Junior Infants. I created a simple Google Form using pictures and multiple-choice questions to check pupils’ understanding of autumn vocabulary, colours and objects.
I think this activity supports inclusion because pupils do not need to rely on reading or writing to show what they know. The use of clear pictures and simple choices makes the activity more accessible for pupils with different learning and communication needs. It also supports engagement as the questions are short, visual and familiar to the children.The responses would give me immediate feedback about which autumn concepts the pupils understand and where they may need more support. I could then use this information to plan my next lesson, for example revisiting vocabulary or concepts that pupils found difficult.
I would also include a simple happy, neutral or sad face question so pupils can show how they felt about the activity.
I really like how you organised the lesson into a clear sequence and used audio clips to introduce the different instruments. The Google Forms matching activity is also a nice way to check their understanding. Do you think you would use this activity again with other types of music?
I planned an Autumn learning sequence for my Junior Infants class. One design choice I made was to use simple Google Slides with large images, very little text and the same layout throughout the lesson. I chose this because my pupils benefit from clear and predictable routines. The sequence begins with a short picture-based discussion, followed by teacher input, a matching activity and a simple reflection at the end. This supports clarity because pupils can see what they are expected to do, and consistency because the same structure is used throughout. One adjustment I would make would be to include more symbols or visual prompts for pupils who need additional communication support. A possible link to reflection or SSE would be to observe whether this clearer digital structure helps pupils stay engaged and complete activities more independently, and then use this information to improve future lessons.
Hi, I really like your idea of using oral history to help pupils learn about their local area. Focusing on one theme for the interviews is a great adaptation and would encourage deeper discussion. Would you use this project as an individual task or have pupils work in pairs? thanks for sharing!
I used Gemini to help me plan an Autumn theme for my Junior Infants class in a special school. I asked it to create a week of short, engaging activities suitable for pupils with additional needs. One suggestion I found particularly useful was organising the learning into five short sensory-based activities each day, including movement, art, vocabulary and simple assessment tasks. This gave me a good starting point and saved time when planning. However, I adapted several activities to better match the individual needs, communication abilities and attention spans of the children in my class, as I know my pupils better than AI does. My main concern is that AI-generated activities may not always be appropriate for every learner without careful review. A key boundary for responsible AI use is never entering personal or identifiable pupil information into Gemini and always checking that the content is accurate, safe and suitable before using it in the classroom.