[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Michael

Thank you for your thoughts on moon observation. It is important to explicitly teach vocabulary such as the phases of the moon to ensure the children have full understanding when observing the moon. I like your plan to integrate with history and the race to space, many pupils enjoy this topic in the class. I also like how you plan to use a solar chart to further explore the changes in the moon across the month.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Donal,

Thanks for sharing your own thoughts on light pollution from this module. I like how you plan to explore both the urban and the rural areas with your pupils and compare their experiences. Perhaps they could share photos taken from their own homes at night to encourage discussion on the impact of light pollution in the area. Discussion and critical thinking will be important aspects of the lesson to allow for the pupils to decide on the impact of light pollution in their local area and action they could take to address this and preserve the night sky as you have mentioned.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Claire,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your own thoughts on this module.

Within an ASD classroom there are opportunities to explore STEM based activities and allow for the pupils to engage with STEM in approaches suitable for their needs while also making links to real life experience. The concrete tools will be an important part of this process as you have mentioned. Within my own school we had buddies with my senior class and the autism class for engineers week where they worked together with lots of materials to build a bridge. This would depend on each individual class but it can work well.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Luke,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts on module 1.

I agree that the ESA resources are practical and easy to adapt to use in any classroom. It is important to explicitly teach the difference between climate and weather, as you have mentioned it is not a concept that younger children understand fully. I like how you plan to work collaboratively across the school in establishing a weather station for all pupils to engage. The pupils will be really engaged when they can collect their own data and that could be used in integration with maths. I like how you plan to develop this within the wider school community also.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Caitriona,

Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on module 1.

Liston’s article does provide for some reflection of our own classroom practice and how to develop it further with links to real life engineering to make activities more meaningful. I like your ideas on developing this with a focus on weather.

Exploring the weather is a great topic at any level and I like how you plan to develop topic specific vocabulary within the topic. Encouraging the class to record their own data and share with the school during assembly will also provide them with opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning and also encourage other classes to record the weather also. Lots of great ideas, thanks for sharing.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by Michelle Mannix.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Caitlin,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts in the EO browser. Using satellite images is very engaging within the classroom and the pupils can develop skills from both Geography and Science when using satellite images. I like how you could explore natural disasters through the use of these images, it would encourage lots of discussion and critical thinking. In senior classes the pupils could develop independent research skills and sharing their learning with others.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Cillian

Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the video. While the video may not be suitable for your class you could choose aspects of the video to encourage discussion and critical thinking in the class when they have a good understanding of the concept of climate change. I do agree that there can be a level of anxiety among some children regarding climate change and it is important to promote positive actions, even the smallest of steps, that we all can take.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Seamus,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your thoughts on module 2.

The Paxi video introduces the concept well and it is a great starting point for discussion in the class and I agree that ending with an optimistic message is good to encourage students as some pupils can be quite anxious regarding climate change. This also leads nicely to exploring the Teal tool with the pupils in the classroom so they can explore the changes in temperature and develop a positive approach to making changes in the school and at home.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Ciara,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this module. I think the KWL is a great starting point as the pupils may have so much knowledge on climate change but also could have misconceptions, these could be addressed through the Paxi video.

I like your idea to give the pupils a specific scenario when using the Teal tool initially, it will give them a focus initially and they could then explore themselves. I also like how you want to encourage positive action from the pupils.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the climate detectives activity. I think that exploring the pupils’ prior knowledge is a good starting point and as you have mentioned it will identify any misconceptions the pupils might have that can be addressed through the video or in discussion within the lesson.

The Teal tool does allow for lots of skills development such as predicting and analysing and through exploration the pupils can become independent learners and share their own learning in class discussion and as you have said, sharing their learning at home also to increase awarness.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Susan,

Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on this module. The article from Liston does encourage us to reflect on our own practice in the classroom and how we can develop the engineering for all pupils. From participating in Science Blast I often found it was the girls in my class who actually presented the project better, so it was encouraging to see more girls in STEM, I hope this continues for them.

I also love teaching the topic of weather with my own class and have used many resources from this course in the lessons, my own class have really enjoyed the hands on activities and recording their own data which makes these topics more meaningful for the pupils.

I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Carmel,

Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on this module. I have to admit I do like covering the topic of weather and climate with my own classes as there is so much scope for exploring it across other curricular areas such as proverbs and weather lore that you mentioned in History and also exploring the data from their own weather station in Maths.

Developing the weather station with the green schools committee is also a great opportunity to get more pupils and classes involved as each member of the committee can share the information back with their own class.

I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Aimee and welcome to the course.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on module one. There are many great resources within this module and across the course to explore with your own class.

I agree that the difference between weather and climate can be a difficult concept for pupils and as you have mentioned the videos and resources allow for great discussion and exploring these concepts to develop understanding. The creation of a weather station will allow for real life connections with the topic and from creating weather instruments with my own class this is something they really engage with. They also loved having their own data to use in maths.

I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Grainne,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this module. The weather is always very topical in Ireland and using proverbs and weather lore is a great starting point for discussion on the weather in Ireland along with links to local history where you could explore weather lore from grandparents as you have mentioned.

This would allow for meaningful connections across curricular areas as you make links with life in the past, being a weather reporter using weather instruments and also looking at how technology and satellies are helped to predict the weather now.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Fionnuala,

Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on module 2. I agree that some children have a wealth of information regarding climate change but at times this can cause a level of anxiety among children. The Paxi video is not all doom and gloom as you have mentioned and encourages the children to make small changes and that they all help. The location of your school would provide for good discussion with different perspectives from rural and urban settings regarding changes that can be made.

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