[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Niamh

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your observation plan and lesson ideas.

I like how you are planning to use parts of the video with your infant class. A small clip is ideal for learners at this age to keep them engaged. As you have mentioned it allows for discussion of the content before they go out to do their own observations. Outdoor chalk is a firm favourite of mine and a great idea to record their observations and compare them. You could also take photographs across the day for comparison too. I really like how you are planning for observations at home also and getting families involved.

I hope you enjoy the other modules in the course, thanks for sharing.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Jane,

Welcome to the course. As the rural villages around us are becoming more developed we begin to notice the light pollution. I wonder if there were previous images or maps to show how light pollution has increased in the area and give them to the learners to compare and discuss for ideas why it has happened and also what can be done now.

I like how you are planning to integrate geography into your observations as they map where the lighting is located and consider what changes could be made. This allows the learners the opportunity to reflect on action that could be taken and even to contact the local council with their concerns.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Julie

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your lesson ideas on observing the moon.

It is great to have a plan for observing the moon with clear dates that the moon will be visible in the morning sky. I like how you plan to explore the phases of the moon with the class first as they are observing during the waning crescent. Knowing the phases of the moon, they might be able to identify which phases themselves with their knowledge.

I like how you are planning to extend the learning with the ball, chair and torch activity to allow for more knowledge about where the light from the moon comes from.

It is a great idea to have this prior knowledge before they begin their own observations so they can apply the knowledge to real life observations. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Pat,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on STEM in your school while reflecting on Liston’s paper. It is great to hear this approach and how to encourage the learners to think critically and problem solve rather than allowing the teacher to help and guide them. As you have mentioned this will also develop resilience and I agree that this is a huge learning opportunity and encourages learners to try something new and to think outside the box for themselves. Well done on the great work in your school.

 

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Sinead,

Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your own insights on STEM in your current educational setting. I can see how exploratory play such as water play will address the concepts of floating and sinking in an appropriate way for the learners in your class.

As you have mentioned when learning is based on the children’s interests, abilities and everyday experiences this allows for meaningful connections and can address all STEM subjects. While this works for your setting, we should all reflect on how we can build on this in our own educational settings too.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Aine,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts on light pollution in your own local area. As areas are developed with housing estates and commercial areas this can have a big impact on light pollution.

I like how you are planning to explore the concept of light pollution and looking at the amount of stars in different areas. You could also consider some images of rural and urban areas to compare the night sky and as you have mentioned getting families involved in their own observations too. This will also allow for engagement with citizen science and Globe at Night and I like how you plan to use the resources from Globe at Night to help with the observations too.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Claire,

Welcome to the course, it is great to hear your thoughts and feedback on the 30 Days and Nights in the World resource. As you have mentioned it has great use of images to explore nocturnal animals and recognise the difference between nocturnal and diurnal animals. The resource also includes practical activities to explore day and night in the world.

For this assignment task, you should also consider how you could use this resource and adapt it for your own class.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Lauren,

Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your feedback on Stellarium. As you have mentioned it is a great stimulus for learners to engage them in thinking and wondering about the night sky. It can also be helpful in guiding the learners for their own observations of the night sky at home. When specific planets are visible, I have shown my class how to find it on Stellarium, what direction to look in etc. and this has helped them at home. I also sent the link home for parents to engage with the resource too as some of my learners were very interested and engaged in this topic.

I like how you are planning to allow the learners to explore Stellarium and get familiar with finding different planets etc. and how you plan to extend this and explore the constellations too. This allows for integration with literacy and Art. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Siobhan

Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your feedback on the activities in this module.

The weather or climate activity is very good to explore each concept and as you have mentioned to address any misconceptions the learners might have. As you have senior classes there is lots of opportunity for discussion and critical thinking. The weather detectives activity is also great for senior classes to give them responsibility in recording their own observations and gathering data over a period of time and then comparing it as you have mentioned, there are lots of opportunities to integrate with maths and using digital tools to display their findings.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Cian,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your feedback on the Paxi video. It is very engaging and addresses the concept in an age appropriate way. I agree that reviewing vocabulary in a previous oral language lesson would help the learners in engaging with the video and the content and ensure understanding of the concept.

I like how you are planning to look at the learners’ local area first and the impact of changing temperatures and climate change relevant to the learners. While they may be enjoying the heat wave at the moment, what is the impact on farmers and biodiversity.

I agree that the Paxi video and the Teal tool compliment each other very well and allows for meaningful connection of knowledge and real life scenarios. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Jacqui,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Paxi video and how to use this in your senior class. I like how you are planning to get the learners to record their learning, they could also construct a mind map as they watch the video to note interesting points and make connections too.

The Teal tool is a fantastic resource, and would need some teacher demonstration initially prior to the learners engaging with the resource independently. I think looking at the Irish context initially is a great idea, looking at the changes in Irish temperatures and then exploring countries familiar to the learners.

I agree that looking at local examples of climate action would be great and encourage the learners to reflect on action they too can take part in. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Noelin

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts on Liston’s paper and how you have planned for STEM based activities in your own class. Bird Feeders were a great STEM project this year and it allowed for meaningful connections with real life problems. During the heavy snow in Cork in Jan 2025, I myself went looking for options on how to feed the birds around my house. And as you have mentioned there was lots of trial and error and decision making during the process.

It is important to teach the concepts of weather and climate and as you have mentioned to explore the definition of both prior to looking at climate zones around the world. I like how you are planning to measure the temperature across different seasons to allow for comparison of both.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Hazel,

Welcome to the course. Activity 1 offers an age appropriate explanation and lesson to discuss the difference between the concepts of weather and climate. While I think it is a great idea to explore the different climate zones around the world as you have outlined, I think the learners should have the knowledge of the different concepts prior to this and be able to make connections with their learning when exploring the climate zones. I agree that weather can influence daily life depending on the climate and we can see that with the heat wave at the moment and the impact of it.

I think measuring the temperature over 2 different seasons allows for lots of critical thinking and comparisons which would allow for lots of skills development also. I like how you are planning to integrate with maths in the creation of charts and graphs. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this module. I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Aoife.

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Paxi video. As you have mentioned, it is very engaging and informative for the learners. I think exploring the pupils’ prior knowledge is a great start to these lessons, to assess what they know already and address any misconceptions (if there is any). I agree that while the lesson is informative, some vocabulary should be taught prior to the lesson to ensure the learners can engage fully and as you have mentioned, activities and written tasks may have to be modified to suit the learners in your own class. It is great to engage the learners in peer and self assessment also to allow them autonomy over their learning. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Laura,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your lesson idea using the Paxi video. I agree that it is important to review the learner’s prior knowledge as this can also give you the opportunity to address any misconceptions or also to reduce the anxiety around climate change and greenhouse gases.

The video is a great way to engage the learners as you have mentioned and I like how you are planning for project work on calculating average temperatures, the Teal tool would be a great resource for the learners to explore when focusing on future temperature changes also. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

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