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Hi Joan.
Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your own thoughts for this module. I agree that STEM is best approach through inquiry based learning and allowing the pupils to ask and, more importantly, try and solve their own questions through investigations and active learning. As you have mentioned, using IT such as ipads allows the pupils to conduct their own research and come up with their own ideas to support critical thinking and creativity.
I hope you enjoy the course.
Hi Danielle
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on Liston’s paper. This paper encourages us all to think about a holistic approach to STEM in our classrooms. I like how you outlined exploring solar panels in the classroom with lots of opportunity for STEM based activities. The STEPS to Engineering challenge for 3rd & 4th classes also encourages children to reflect on their community and what they could design and create to help their community. Having completed that with my class, I saw the true benefits of this approach and how it can be developed further with future topics.
Hi Mona,
Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your ideas on creating a sundial.
I like how you plan to explore the concept through the use of shadows initially, this will help the children to understand how the sun travels across the sky and the different sizes of shadows during the day. The children will then have greater knowledge of how the sun dial will work when it comes to creating their own. I also like how you plan to integrate the sundial with aspects of history. It is an ideal opportunity to make meaningful cross curricular links.
I hope you enjoy the course.
Hi Gráinne,
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the sun dial activity from this module.
I like how you plan to integrate it across other subject areas as it is an ideal opportunity to make meaningful connections and links with the sundial and aspects of history. It is also great how you plan to develop the sun dial but also encourage the whole school to benefit from it and learn from the sun dial that the 6th class will create. Also a fantastic opportunity for the children to be proud of their work as the whole school benefit from it.
Hi Sarah
Welcome to the course and thank you for sharing your thoughts on Module One.
I like your idea to complete a sky diary with the class. Taking photos at the same spot each time will also give children the opportunity to compare photos and the location of the sun. I also like how you plan to explore the shadows across the day also. It is an ideal opportunity for the children to become involved in recreating the same pose across the day to track the changes.
I hope you enjoy the course.
Hi Patricia,
What a great opportunity for the children to work with a biodiversity expert. In my own school we have a heritage in schools expert who comes in to all classes and focuses on different activities depending on the season, bird watching, pond dipping in Lough Gur, trees and wildflowers. Like in your own school it is a great day for everyone.
Hi Jacinta,
I agree that we would have to watch all the videos ourselves and choose relevant sections or videos to the class which would support the pupils in their learning. There is a level of eco-anxiety in some children and it is important to maintain a positive outlook and acknowledge the smaller changes they themselves can make in school, at home and in the local community.
Hi Susan,
We got solar panels installed in June so it will definitely be an area of focus this year, there is a panel in the office which displays all the information similar to that on the app for solar panels on your house. It will be interesting this year to compare electricity usage and how much we can generate.
Hi Fiona,
Thanks for sharing your comments on this resource. Having used it with my own class, there was lots of discussion on the different features and critical thinking when they had to match the photos. Images like these always provide for such great stimulus for the pupils and engage them in the task. Looking at the photos from the astronauts Flickr would be a great activity, I might include that for Space Week with my own class.
Hi Orla,
Thanks for sharing your plan to observe the moon with your class. I like how you plan to explore the vocabulary with the children initially, this will ensure they can use the correct vocabulary in a meaningful context when they are observing the moon themselves.
Hi Orla,
I think that focusing on one area such as food waste is a great opportunity to make children aware of it and give them options to reduce it such as baking banana bread as you have mentioned. I also agree that there can be a level of anxiety in children around Climate Change and it is important to maintain a positive outlook and make them aware of small changes they themselves can make.
Hi Jacinta,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the video and activities you would complete in your class. I really like how you would get the children to create a mind map as they watched the video. It is a great skill and they can also add their own prior knowledge to the mind map too. I hope you enjoyed the course.
Hi Hannah,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Nose High Up in the Sky resource. There are many activities within this resource which allows for active learning and encourages critical thinking among the pupils. Through building their own weather instruments and weather station the children can become more engage and take responsibility for their own learning.
I agree that many pupils are fascinated by the ISS and life on board the ISS, there are lovely videos to explore life on the ISS during Space Week.
Hi Susan
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Paxi video, there is some terms and vocabulary that you could explore with the pupils prior to watching the video to support the pupils and engage them.
I agree that it is important to acknowledge all the small changes we can make, even in the junior classes and reduce the anxiety around climate change for our pupils.
The Teal Tool is a great resource to explore with the senior classes and give them scenarios so they can use the prediction tool and then support their critical thinking.
I hope you enjoy the course.
Hi Emma,
Thanks for sharing your lesson idea to use Stellarium with your own class. I like how you plan to allow for exploration and elicit prior knowledge to engage the pupils. Through demonstrating Stellarium it allows the pupils to learn about specific constellations initially before exploring the tool themselves. I like how you plan to get the pupils to then draw the constellations to share their own learning.
