[Michelle Murphy]

This has been a great course with a huge amount of information and resources. I hope I can get to use some of them at some stage as well as share them with colleagues. I can see myself using AI in my junior infant class this coming year mostly in literacy and maths. The children can dictate stories to an AI tool and we can include their names to make it more fun. I also love Khan academy and it is geared towards the younger age groups. Currently we have it timetabled once a week in our power hour where one station gets to use it and reach their individual targets. I also would like to get to grips with and use Speech-to-text tools help children with fine motor difficulties express themselves. I really liked the Microsoft Immersive Reader but is suited for the older children.

I am new to MagicSchool.ai but would like to try and create SEN-friendly resources with simplified language or visual supports. I use Canva at times but would love to delve into it further and use it for Visual schedules and social stories which can be created easily to support children with autism. It can generate calming visuals, emotion cards, or choice boards. Twinkle ari AI looks like a great tool and hopefully will have the Irish curriculum included in the coming year.

[Michelle Murphy]

Great lesson idea Cian, good to see AI can be used in younger classes and we are aware of the ethical issues surrounding this topic and resource.

[Michelle Murphy]

A simple junior infant lesson plan for number. first time using AI for creating lesson plans and found it very helpful and quick.

‍🏫 Class
Junior Infants
🎯 Objective
To enable children to count, recognise, and use numbers up to 10 using a variety of strategies and in different real-life contexts.
📚 Strand
Number
📘 Strand Unit
Counting and Numeration
🛠️ Skills Required
One-to-one correspondence
Number recognition (1–10)
Oral counting
Matching numerals to sets
Comparing quantities (more, less, same)
Using concrete materials and visual strategies

🎓 Learning Outcomes
By the end of the lesson, children will be able to:
Count objects accurately up to 10
Use different strategies (touching, moving, grouping) to count
Match numbers to sets of objects
Use counting in classroom routines and games
Compare groups using mathematical language
🧠 Learning Experiences
Hands-on exploration with counting materials
Interactive number songs and rhymes
Group games involving counting and matching
Story-based counting activities
Use of ten frames and number lines
🚪 Introduction (5–10 mins)
Begin with a counting song (e.g. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Once I Caught a Fish Alive”)
Show number cards 1–10 and ask children to call out the numbers
Ask: “Can you show me 5 fingers? What about 8?”
Brief discussion: “Where do we use counting every day?”

🧩 Main Activity (20–25 mins)
Station Activities (rotate in small groups):
Counting Bears – Count and sort bears into groups of 1–10
Ten Frame Match – Fill ten frames with counters to match number cards
Number Hunt – Find hidden numbers around the room and match to sets
Story Time – Read a counting book (e.g. Ten Black Dots) and count along
Dice Game – Roll a die and count out that number of objects

🎉 Plenary (5–10 mins)
Gather as a class and ask:
“What did you count today?”
“What helped you count?”
Quick game: “I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 10…”
Recap strategies used (e.g. touching, moving, grouping)

🧩 Differentiation
Support:
Use larger, tactile objects
Provide visual aids (number lines, ten frames)
Work in smaller groups with teacher/assistant support
Extension:
Introduce simple addition (e.g. “I had 3 apples, then I got 2 more…”)
Ask children to count backwards from 10
Use missing number puzzles

🧰 Resources
Counting manipulatives (bears, cubes, buttons)
Number cards (1–10)
Ten frames and counters
Dice and spinners
Interactive whiteboard for songs
Storybooks (Ten Black Dots, One Duck Stuck)
Worksheets for matching and counting

✅ Assessment
Observation: Watch children during activities for accuracy and strategy use
Questioning: Ask children to explain how they counted
Tasks: Use a simple worksheet or hands-on task to assess counting and matching
Anecdotal Notes: Record individual progress and strategies used

[Michelle Murphy]

From the tools highlighted in this module, we have explore Khan and Osmo but  I would like to introduce Scratch programming throughout the school. Some teachers have explored it briefly however as IT coordinator I feel I need to encourage it to be used in a more specific manner and timetable it through out the year . At some stage it might be necessary to do a  teacher-led demonstration—such as creating a short animation or making a character move and speak—so they can see how the blocks fit together like a puzzle. Teacher then don’t feel daunted in exploring this app and feel more confident in delivering lessons to the class.

As mentioned by another teacher the ready-made lesson plans available on Scratch.ie are an excellent resource for teaching coding in the classroom. These lesson plans guide pupils step by step through the process of creating their own animations, making it easier for both teachers and students to follow along and stay engaged.  I hope that by 2n class and little steps all children will be able to code and create a project independently.

 

[Michelle Murphy]

I introduced Khan also this year and the children and teacher loved it. From junior infants up to 2nd class they used it to support their learning in phonics and maths. I still feel we could eplore so much more and reach it full potential

[Michelle Murphy]

So many ideas and a wealth of information. I would love to try them all especially the  Co Pilot Image creator to generate images to help children with descriptive writing, particularly in the narrative writing genre for the older classes in my school. This would also be great for oral language discussions. It would also be a great way to create pictures and stories for the younger children. I had heard of magic school before but am still unsure of how best to use it. I will definitely take time to get to grips with DIFFIT as there are so many varying needs and abilities within classes it would be an excellent tool to help reach all children

[Michelle Murphy]

Thanks Arlene, Going to give Gamma a try and hoping itll be as easy as you say!! cheers

[Michelle Murphy]

I work in a junior school and because of this I am more wary of using too much IT/ AI when it come to very young children. AI should augment, not replace, human interaction. Young children thrive on relationships, empathy, and spontaneous play. That said, I really see the need for AI when it comes to paperwork and freeing up the teachers time to be more hands on with the children.

 

More and more the Irish system is becoming paper based and instead of things being child led and hands on we are teaching to the plans in order  to tick that box. Using co pilot / Gemini will be great for planning and for report writing.

I would love to introduce Dreamspace into our school where the older children could engage in a more in-depth way with STEM.  it would enable us to achieve more STEM awards also.

I have also tried using minecraft education which does suit the younger classes, but i still need to get to grip with it to get the most out of it. Ive read that teachersare using it for assessment also so will try this out.

[Michelle Murphy]

I am the same looking forward to using this and sharing this information with my colleagues especially in SEN. I think this would really help children with dyslexia.

[Michelle Murphy]

This module has shown how using AI in the classroom can really enhance my teaching, by helping me to create more engaging and interactive lessons. It would greatly help me create more interesting slides when teaching any topic, I really like the vidnoz AI speech app which could be a fun thing to do with the children in literacy lesson especially in the area of oral language.

As well as providing lesson plans and activities and helping with planning, the teacher can create differentiated learning outcomes and individualised learning paths for students. I am bk in the classroom after a number of years and I hope to use it to create engaging maths games, especially ones that can link in with the new maths curriculum

It was interesting to see AI prompts being used to create images to use in the classroom. This tool would be very helpful in particular for lessons for junior children, when teaching new English vocabulary and also when covering specific topics and vocab with EAL learners. I also hope to use it to help me navigate the best way to communicate with 2 children I have with ASD and are non verbal.

[Michelle Murphy]

Hi James

In reading your response I didn’t realise there as a way we could use AI with Khan academy. I must take a closer look at this and see how I can use Khan academy in a more productive way with regards assessment and lesson more suited to each child. Working in a junior school doesnt always lend itself to AI.

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