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I agree Brian. I loved these lessons and think that the children will learn so much from these inter-active classes and activities
Love this idea Niamh. Stories are central to who we are and how we communicate. Using stories based on our heritage and culture is an excellent way to teach and attract children towards learning more about things, such as salmon from the story the Salmon of Knowledge
I agree Celine and think this is one of the more important lessons that we can teach our children. The sea gives us an abundance of food and learning about the nutritional value of that food is paramount.
We get so much nutrition from our seafood and it’s important to show children how it can be an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. Seafood provides high-quality protein, rich in nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iodine, selenium etc. Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly important because they support brain and heart health. I already knew how important these were for my health but this module was a great reminder of how important they are.
I would teach this lesson by giving the children a project and getting them to investigate nutrition of seafood rather than giving them all of the information. For example by giving the children questions based on the food we get from the sea. By researching this area the children would be searching, finding relevant information, informing classmates and hopefully reflecting on their own diets and health habits. I’d apply this in my classroom through practical and engaging activities – research, debates, presenting. Also the children could compare the nutritional profiles of different types of seafood, examine food labels, or create a balanced meal that includes seafood. Lessons could also explore sustainable seafood choices and the environmental impact of food production. There really are so many different ways to teach these lessons but I would make sure it was project based. I would hope that hese activities would help students connect nutrition with real-life decision-making and encourage them to develop healthier, more informed eating habits.The ARC gives us a practical framework for moving STEM education towards a more problem-solving and creative process. In my own teaching I would use these resources as models for designing experiences where the children actively are involved and investigate questions, analyse how things are done and reflect on what they have learned. So rather than explaining a scientificconcept first and then assigning an exercise, I could begin with a meaningful problem or question. How will the fishermen/women in this industry protect from worsening storms? The children would have to investigate where the farms are set up and ways to protect the industry with changing weather and climate.The ARC resources could provide the supporting materials and lesson structure or background. Having people working in the industry to come in and discuss their work and issues and problems related to that would also be invaluable to the kids.
The majority of aquaculture farms are along the West Coast and the Wild Atlantic Way. Of course the land in these parts of the country are a lot less fertile and are less economically viable than other parts of Ireland so having aquaculture to boost the economy through employment, supply of food to local businesses and attracting tourism is hugely important. Many of these aquaculture farms are found in inlets and sheltered bays along the coast and provide a lot of employment for local communities.
Due to the fact that my own school is just minutes from the coast I feel that this is an amazing opportunity to teach these topics using the coastline as a living classroom. In order to develop a lesson based on aquaculture I would choose one particular area, for example mussle farming, I would invite some local fishermen from the locality to talk to the children and explain their work to them or a day in the life of a fisherman. I think that visitng the shoreline and investigating the different creatures there would be a brilliant avenue into aquaculture .I really like the idea of focusing, initially on the local beaches, shorelines, businesses and people to ignite the interest of the children in aquaculture, if one is located close to the sea but regardless there is so much opportunity to learn from this amazing resourse that surrounds our country.
Great round-up of the module Aisling. I agree with what Prof. O Meara and you say about how much less we know about sea creatures. There is so much we don’t know about the sea, which is such a rich part of our culture but this course has shone a light on developing that interest.
I found Module 1, Introduction to Aquaculture, both interesting and informative. I grew up in the midlands but now live in Galway by the sea and I am so in awe of it. While going through the course I realised the extent of the aqua industry and the ways in which the fishing and farming was undertaken.With Ireland being an island I believe that it is imperative for us as teachers to awake this interest within our students, to show the impact of aquaculture on our food, tourism, economy and on our environment and how all can work in tandem together.
I was very impressed with the social programmes that are being undertaken, I love the idea of building relationships between chefs and those farming fish. The Arc does tremendous work in teaching children of all the benefits our sea and coastline has to offer. This will definitely propel me into bringing the children to the coastline more often, which is a very short distance from the school, and for bringing people working in aquaculture from the locality to discuss what they do.I will definitely be putting our school on the ARC school list.
