Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
We have just been awarded our first Green Flag this year so sustainability is very fresh in my mind. We are a special school setting so focused on what our students could engage in , plan and practice themselves. The committee ran several initiatives to highlight the importance of sustainability e.g. they took on two huge Art projects which spanned the entire year. one was a display for the Junior Sensory room which was a fish made from CDs. The other was a rainbow mural made from bottle caps (collected before the new bottle returns system) It was real tangible learning for the kids that what once was “rubbish” and then “recycling ” could also be used for worthwhile purposes.
A lot of this was influenced by how visible sustainability is in our local area. We are an urban city centre school. The area has several sustainability projects aimed at promoting environmental health and community well-being. Their is an energy community project which focuses on reducing carbon emissions through energy-efficient practices and renewable energy sources. There is a big emphasis on urban greening, we have a wild flower garden in our school and also employ a horticulture tutor and grow veg etc. We take part in a short course for Junior Cycle Level 2 (for students with MGLD/MOD) called “Grow It, Cook It, Eat There is a Zero Waste Movement for reducing waste through education and practical initiatives, like repair cafes and composting workshops(all free)
My school is city centre based too, it is great to hear (and get new ideas) on how sustainability can work in every environment
I think the information in this module would easily transfer into the classroom, especially in a special school setting. I think I would probably approach the Home Ec teacher and suggest planning a joint module of learning. I think exploring the seas around Ireland and linking in with the Greens Schools Committee around sustainability would be really motivating for the kids. I think the Home Ec teacher could do the obvious an look at different ways to cook fish for our local seas. I would definitely see the Chef Ambassador initiative linking in here too, as a guest speaker and even a demonstration. It would be lovely to visit an aqua farm on a field trip to really consolidate the learning.
There are of course endless options in terms of cross curricular learning also for example in Art, English, SESE etc. I really liked another participants idea for incorporating digital learning also. It is not my forte so am always on the look out for ideas. Maybe a survey monkey on who eats fish/seafood and what type and/or a Kahoot quiz at the end of the unit
Catheriona,
I really like your idea to transfer survey results etc. onto a digital platform. I am always trying to find ways to use digital platforms as the digital learning seems to be really focused on in education in general. Attended a few one day courses in Ed centre during the year and SSE and Digital Learning seem to be constantly coming up
Applying ARC-Online Lessons and Resources to my teaching, I would enhance STEM education in alignment with the STEM Education Policy Statement and the School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process. These resources will help foster the kids engagement through interactive, hands-on activities, and concrete materials, making STEM subjects more relevant and accessible for my students.
I would also and collaborate with colleagues to share best practice. I would weave STEM education into my teaching plans. In the SSE process, the ARC’s assessment tools would be ideal to gather and analyse data on student performance and engagement, and help set SMART Targets. You could use the tracking tool to continuously track the targets and update the school improvement plans.
Totally agree Rachel. Was surprised by the stat 2 million people in Ireland live in coastal regions so 2/5 of the population really!
Sea Safari in Bantry sound like a good school trip if you were learning about aqua envirnoments including farming. Thanks for the tip
Another very interesting module. Aquafarming in Ireland significantly contributes socio-economically to coastal communities. It can create employment opportunities, both directly in fish farms and indirectly through associated industries like processing, transportation, and equipment supply. any increase in jobs in a local community can support local economies like the shops and schools!
Economic benefits can also pass on to small businesses, as aquafarm workers and their families spend money locall in the shops/pubs/hotels etc. Aquafarming promotes sustainable use of local resources as well which can only benefit a community
Socially, it can foster education around the industry and even preservation of traditional fishing methods/seaweed collection maybe even attracting tourism etc
In terms of preparing a unit of learning around aqua farming for a class in my special school I think using the resources on the BIM site would be key. As a special school I would be looking at multiple forms of representation of information to support the learning styles of my students e.g. visuals like the map shown in the video, ICT options Guest speaker.
Looking forward to having a speaker from the young Chef initiative- or maybe a demonstration!
Fantastic I will register for a visit. We are a special school with students up to age 18 so it will be of benefit to my primary school students but also my post primary who undertake Home Ec at Level 2, focusing on functional cooking and life skills. Thanks
I am hoping the same for my students. Like you I am not near the sea but there are so many learning opportunities and great resources. I think it is very inclusive and accessible for students with disabilities ( work in special school)
Really enjoying the course. I do feel it is really important for Aqua farming/industry that it is developed in terms of social licences here in Ireland. It is often the point made in debates about fishing etc that we are an island nation and maybe could use more of our natural resources in our diet. I decided to do this course even though my school is not a coastal county as we had recently had a visit re: local rivers and fishing etc which was hugely enjoyed by the children and very practical hands on learning which is suitable for my setting: special school.
I thought the Young Chef Initiative was very interesting to find out about and think it has a really good structure whereby candidates are exploring different fish/dishes etc but also getting supports in training around social media etc. I would imaging it would be hugely beneficial.
I am definitely going to register for a possible visit from the ARC classroom9thanks I see some people have posted the link in there assessments) It is very accessible and I feel inclusive. I could certainly see my students engaging with it.
I spent some time looking at the resources and lessons on the BIM site too. Again very inclusive and I hope to plan a whole unit of learning around same maybe culminating in a trip to the Seaside. They are so cross curricular in nature, there is easily scope to use them as a foundation for language and numeracy lessons and the obvious SESE and Visual Art s links. We have recently received our first Green Flag and again just reading about the oyster farms and how they are not just sustainable but actually contribute to the filtering of water in their area again very practical learning that can be linked to our Green Schools journey