[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Eimear

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your response to module 1 and reflection on STEM in your own class in light of Liston’s paper.

I really like your rainforest shoebox project. It sounds like a great idea to get the learners engaged and applying different STEM skills and applying their knowledge of the rainforest too.

Thanks for your feedback on the different activities in this module. They are well-structured as you have said and can be adapted to suit the learners in our classes. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Caitriona,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your own thoughts on light pollution in your local area. It is unfotunate that as areas are developing more thought has not gone into the types of lighting such as shield lighting which would support nocturnal wildlife and also for our own health too.

I love how you plan to approach the Tidy Towns Committee, it would such an amazing opportunity for the learners to share their learning and bring their plans to the committee and collaborate with them for events such as Earth Hour. What a fantastic opportunity to promote action in their community. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Tomás,

Welcome to the course and it is great to hear your thoughts on creating your own constellation.

I have tried this with my senior classes on different occassions and they loved looking at the different constellations and linking it with mythology too. As you have said, creating your own constellation allows the learners to be active and it is exciting and creative for them.

Exploring constellations is a lovely activity when introducing the night sky and as you have said, it would get the learners wondering about space all around us. Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

 

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Brid,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your lesson idea specific to the needs of the learners in your class.

I like how you are beginning with visuals and have considered the need for practical, visual, sensory and repetitive activities to allow your learners to engage at their level.

I also like how you have allowed for options to record their observations in a very practical way such as the symbols and short or long shadow. As you have mentioned it would develop observation, communication and many more skills specific for your learners. Thanks for sharing this insight.

I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Sharon,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your reflection on your own teaching and learning of STEM in light of Liston’s article. I also hold the positions of maths lead in my school and like you must consider this year to incorporate STEM into Maths week but also how to link maths in Space Week, Engineers Week etc. It would allow for lots of real life connections and give the learners a purpose when using maths skills.

I agree that some learners have difficulty with the analogue clock as it is all digital times everywhere. I hadn’t thought of linking the sundial with the analogue clock, something I will definitely consider now. Thanks for sharing.

I hope you enjoy the other modules in the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Carmel,
Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your lesson plan on observing the sun moving through the sky.

I like how you are asking the learners the afternoon before to allow them time to make their own observations before the activity the following morning. Linking with maths to explore the cardinal points is a great example of linking maths with real life situations. Allowing the learners to record their observations allows for comparision and critical thinking. The learners should focus on specific landmarks to focus their observations.

The Paxi video, as you have mentioned would also consolidate their knowledge following their observations. Great ideas, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Pauline,

Welcome to the course. What a great opportunity to explore the heritage of the local area in the Arts Centre. This allows for linking with the history of the building and then as you have mentioned the different engineering features.

I like how you are using the inspiration from the Arts Centre to allow the learners to design their own sustainable community buildings. This would be very engaging and they could consider the sustainable features as you have mentioned. I like how you are using the local heritage to inspire new ideas.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Dervla,

This looks like the assignment for module 4. You could copy and post it in Module 4.

Many thanks

Michelle

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Dervla,

Welcome to the course and it is great to hear your feedback on this module. It is great that you are considering a seasonal biodiversity project and including it in the whole school plan.

I like the idea of journals for the learners to record their work and using spotters guides. You could also consider asking the older learners to create spotters guides for the younger classes too. Registering with the AllIreland Pollinator plan would also give more meaning to the school garden for the learners.

As you have said there are lots of cross curricular opportunities. Many thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Sophie,

Welcome to the course. It is great to hear your thoughts on the Paxi video. It is very engaging for the learners. I agree that some of the vocabulary used in this activity may be difficult for learners and it is important, where possible, to pre teach the vocabulary to ensure the learners can understand and engage fully with the tasks and video.

I like how you are planning for the learners to work collaboratively and allow them to explore the different scenarios. You could consider opportunities for the learners to reflect on action that could be taken following this task to enhance the learning. I hope you enjoy the other modules in this course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Claire,

Welcome to the course and thanks for your contributions to the other modules.

The Light Pollution map is very interesting and that you can explore different areas and as you have done comparing estates to see the levels of light pollution. It helps to raise awareness of the unnecessary lights in our local areas and the impact it has on nocturnal wildlife.

I think this is a great starting point for the Second Green Flag. Reducing the energy use while also raising awareness of light pollution. This would be a great starting point for the committee and outline actions that could be done on the school grounds initially. The learners could also consider the wider community and what actions they could suggest to reduce light pollution.

Many thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Patrick,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for sharing your plan on using Stellarium with your class.

I agree that Stellarium helps the learners to explore space in an interactive way. With all digital tools, I like to demonstrate initially and then allow the learners to explore themselves.

I like how you are encouraging the learners to record their observations and show their learning on Google Slides and to share facts they have learned on the class Padlet. Great ideas, thanks for sharing.

Just to note, when copying an assignment from Word, ensure to right click and then click on paste as plain text to avoid the additional formatting.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Maria

Welcome to the course and thank you for your contributions across the other modules.

I like the idea of the BioBlitz to explore the biodiversity in the school grounds. Spotters guides are also a great way to support their observations and I like how you are encouraging the learners to draw and describe anything they don’t know. You could include spotters guides or images of nocturnal animals to introduce the discussion on nocturnal animals and why they may not be seen during the day. A biodiversity map is a great way of the learners showing and recording their observations and gives them an opportunity to reflect on how it can be improved as you have outlined. A great idea to conduct the survey annually to compare data too.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you enjoy the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Amanda,
Well done on completing the modules in this course and thank you for your contributions across the modules. A weather board in the school sounds lovely and the sundial would be a nice addition. You have also outlined how you would support the learners in your class with additional materials where necessary.

Thank you for sharing the art, poems and songs above to further support learning about the night sky. As you have mentioned these would help the learners creativity and develop their imagination and curiosity.

I hope you enjoyed the course.

[Michelle Mannix]

Hi Jennifer

Welcome to the course and thank you for your contributions across the other modules.

Thanks for sharing your plan to explore bridges following a visit to Birr Castle Demesne. Visiting the bridge allows for exploration and discussion on the construction of the bridge. I like how you are planning for a variety of materials back in the classroom to construct their own bridges.

I also like how you have considered different opportunities to bring Maths into the activity such as measuring and using data. This would be great connections to their own learning and using real life data and information. Great idea, thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy the course.

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