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Outline how you would use some of the course resources to conduct a seasonal biodiversity project to run throughout the school year. What resources and recording sheets would you need? How often would you bring learning outdoors? How would you integrate other subject areas?
After studying the wonderful resources in this module I would love to run a seasonal biodiversity project with the 3rd class level across the school year.
To start , we would introduce going on a nature walk once a week around the school grounds in September & October observing and recording what plants, insects, and birds we notice in our school environment. We would encourage teachers and students to use resources like the Wildflower ID guides, Seek app, and the National Biodiversity Data Centre recording sheets to support identification and data collection.
From these walks I would get the children wondering about how could we introduce more wildflowers & birds into our school surroundings and garden. I would pose questions such as
– Do you think the habitat is good for birds?
– what could we do to bring more wildflowers and birds into our school ?
The next step would be to introduce wildflower meadows & wildflower seed planting to the garden. The children could get their hands dirty and make wildflower seed bombs with the soil. They could then get involved in creating and designing their own bird feeders which would encourage more birds into our garden. We would install a small camera into the birdhouse to track and record the types of birds, whether they are common or rare, what they like to eat, how often they eat and what time of the day they eat.
The children will have great fun designing their bird feeders collaborating and identifying what materials to use to make them, where and how to hang it in the garden & thinking about if the material used can biodegrade into the garden
The children will track these observations in their copies or on their ipads so that they have all the information to create a project of their findings ( of wildflowers and birdlife) after each season linking to the concept of phenology. This would tie in well with SESE (Science and Geography) but could also support Maths (charting and analysing data), English (report writing or nature journals), and Art (drawing bird feeders and birds and creating posters). I’d encourage the class to upload sightings to the Biodiversity Data Centre to promote real-life learning through citizen science.
The observations of the birdlife from the cameras inside would be something that the whole school could observe so that all classes are aware of what is happening in our school garden throughout the seasons and it would create conversation and awareness around our living plants and birds in our garden enabling them to realise that there is a personal responsibility for taking care of our environment at school and at home.
In this module I have learned new ways to incorporate STEM more meaningfully into my teaching, in line with the STEM Education Policy Statement.
Last year, as a whole school, we engaged with the Curious Minds programme and also participated in the gold awards programme.
On reflection we all gained so much from this experience but after studying module one, I realise that we as a staff need to put more focus on using the Curious Minds/ESERO “framework” to plan and deliver lessons that are both hands-on and inquiry-based.Having visited the Science centre in Birr Castle I was inspired by the connection between science, engineering , technology & art/ creativity ( photography). I plan to create more opportunities in STEM that are holistic, cross curicular and integrated where the children will be encouraged to think more about a real life situation using a prompt to encourage discussion & critical thinking. These elements align closely with the STEM policy’s emphasis on developing problem-solving and communication skills in pupils.
I also think that getting the students talking more will strengthen pupil voice in the classroom & beyond the classroom. I plan to focus less on telling/teaching students but instead as Galileo said, help them to discover it , within themselves.I think it is important to spend some time discussing the concept of maps & mapping with the children first. How do maps work & why do we need them?
Then I would get the 3rd class children into groups to go on a walk around the school at first to observe what we know and ask them what they think we should put in their 3d map? Observe the shape of the school building, the tarmac, the grass/garden, hedges, walls and trees.
We would then discuss the materials that we would use. Each group would take photos of their maps and present them to the class. We would evaluate our maps as a whole class and then look at taking the next step.
I would encourage the children to look at making a biodiversity map of our school garden using the online resources available on biodiversity ireland. We would participate in the “Garden Map Challenge” and following this the children in their groups woukd get markers and acetate sheet to focus on map layers for our school garden. E.g vegetation at ground level, vegetation to 1m height, vegetation to 2m height, locations of different types of birds, soil type, depth & temperature. The children will be encouraged to use Geohive and the NPWS maps to explore land use and habitats around our school, and I can definitely see how this could tie into our local studies work in Geography and Science. We could also keep a record of local weather using Met Éireann data and link it to seasonal changes or climate discussions.This lesson would work well across different subjects and really help the children connect what they’re learning about our school garden to their own gardens and the local area in which they live in.
I really like the idea of using a piece of wood in the garden and observing the life underneath it. Such a simple and practical idea of sparking the students interests in mini beasts. I think that by providing more outdoor learning, the children learn and observe more and then they bring his learning back to the classroom with heightened interest.
I think it is important to spend some time discussing the concept of maps & mapping with the children first. How do maps work & why do we need them?
Then I would get the 3rd class children into groups to go on a walk around the school at first to observe what we know and ask them what they think we should put in their 3d map? Observe the shape of the school building, the tarmac, the grass/garden, hedges, walls and trees.
We would then discuss the materials that we would use. Each grouo would take photos of their maps and present them to the class. We would evaluate our maps as a whole class and then look at taking the next step.
I would encouragevthe children to look at making a biodiversity map of our school garden using the online resources available on biodiversity ireland. We would participate in the ” Garden Map Challenge” and following this the children in their groups woukd get markers and acetate sheet to focus on map layers for our school garden. E.g vegetation at ground level, vegetation to 1mheight, vegetation to 2m height, locations of different types of birds, soil type, depth & temperature. The children will be encouraged to use Geohive and the NPWS maps to explore land use and habitats around our school, and I can definitely see how this could tie into our local studies work in Geography and Science. We could also keep a record of local weather using Met Éireann data and link it to seasonal changes or climate discussions.This lesson would work well across different subjects and really help the children connect what they’re learning about our school garden to their own gardens and the local area in which they live in.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>I love the idea of making a 3d map with the senior infants. Also taking children out on a nature walk & inspiring them to observe the changes in their environment makes them more intuitive learners and their awareness of their world around them is enlightened.</p>
In this module I have learned new ways to incorporate STEM more meaningfully into my teaching, in line with the STEM Education Policy Statement.
Last year, as a whole school, we engaged with the Curious Minds programme and also participated in the gold awards programme.
On teflection we all gained so much from this experience but after studying module one, I realise that we as a staff need to put more focus on using the Curious Minds/ESERO framework to plan and deliver lessons that are both hands-on and inquiry-based.Having visited the Science centre in Birr Castle I was inspired by the connection between science, engineering , technology & art/ creativity ( photography). I plan to create more opportunities in STEM that are holistic, cross curicular and integrated where the children will be encouraged to think more about a real life situation using a prompt to encourage discussion & critical thinking. These elements align closely with the STEM policy’s emphasis on developing problem-solving and communication skills in pupils.
I also think that getting the students talking more will strengthen pupil voice in the classroom & beyond the classroom. I plan to focus less on telling/teaching students but instead as Galileo said, help them to discover it , within themselves.My understanding from the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, is that we as teachers need to look at STEM as an integrated, holistic approach to learning that promotes critical thinking and problem solvers of real life problems in our environment and community.
I really like your idea of solar panels. I think that Liston challenges us to focus more on this holistic approach of STEM, focusing on projects that are related to real life so that children can develop and use their 21st century skills, creativity, critical thinking & problem solving when focused on a project or challenge that is connected to real life and the world that we are living in.
Hi Laura, I think that starting with small changes such as an energy awareness campaign in the school would be really beneficial to all involved. I love your idea of making birdfeeders. Each class could have an aspect or project to create for the school garden so that it becomes a whole school project. A lovely idea.
In the last 15 years, our local area has had a huge increase in the building of new roads, housing estates, industrial buildings, and school buildings. Due to this infrastructure, this has had a direct impact on our local biodiversity as well the species attached to this. It is quite shocking to see the same area only 15years ago was covered in fields and paddocks for horses. There is also a huge increase in light pollution. Streetlights produce most of the light pollution in our locality. Much of this artificial light is wasted light. and the waste of energy is obvious.
It is important to enable the children to learn about ways to conserve energy and reduce light pollution in their school and their local area and to identify the simple things that we can do to ensure that light is neighbourhood friendly, energy efficient and to help to preserve dark skies.
To engage my students further I would encourage them to participate in investigations using the Framework for Inquiry to assist them in their investigations of “How can we conserve energy at school?”.Next, I would ask the students to observe and walk about our own natural spaces surrounding our school building. Ask students about how they think the huge increase in infrastructure and buildings in the last 15 years might have on local biodiversity in our area. Students would do a biodiversity study of an assigned area. “What native plant and animal species can we find? ” By using the mapping portal from Biodiversity Ireland https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/ the students could generate plant and animal species records from a chosen area.
I would invite local environmentalists and community members to speak to the children about the changes that they have observed in the community and to hear the local impact of reduced natural spaces have had on our community.The three actions that could be implemented to slow down the impact of climate change in our school community might include:
1) Energy Savers: ensuring that the children are aware of turning off all lights, switching off all devices and chargers every evening after school.
2) Continue to develop our school garden and plant more wild meadow areas on the school grounds to support biodiversity. Continue composting our organic waste as part of the Green schools programme.
3) Reduce Waste: Continue supporting the Green schools whole school initiative in the importance of reducing waste and recycling properlyBy incorporating Development education methodologies as part of our SSE process, our school can help by taking action on climate change in a whole school approach. Development Education can broaden students’ perspectives and inspire them to make a positive change towards our natural world.
The organisations working with refugees in our community include; Cultúr Migrant services, The Irish Refugee Council and Cross care Migrant project. I found that our local library provided great support for the migrant families and refugees in our school. It offered services such as STEAM classes, yoga for kids and ART sessions for children who had come form the Ukraine and this was a great support for these families. The local family resource centre also offers a community development approach, and they are always there for people who need advice or information. Their services include: CoderDojo Coding Club, Conversational English classes, Rainbows programme for children, Drop in Family Support, a low cost counselling service, Play therapy for children, family events and trips, Health and Wellbeing programs/workshops.
Our school has many cultures in our one community and we celebrate all of these cultures throughout the year but especially during Intercultural week where the whole school is involved is singing and dancing events, a “show your colours to the world day”, our intercultural exhibition which takes place during the week and is hosted by our families of many cultures. The children get the opportunity to walk around all the stalls representing our many cultures and taste the delicious food, listen to music, observe traditional dress, and study other aspects of the many cultures on display. Events and initiatives such as these really deepen our children’s awareness of other cultures and our awareness of migration. Parent speakers visit classes to speak about their home country, what life was like there and why they came to Ireland.
The migration module can feed into our School Self-Evaluation (SSE) as it would enhance our school’s inclusivity of many cultures , one community. This module can help us assess our current practices and how our school and students can take action to support refugees and welcome them to the community.I think that the cultural exchange event is a lovely idea Colin. In our school the parents and families in our school community host an Intercultural exhibition every year which is an amazing opportunity for children and parents in the school community to get to know each other, to sample food , observe customs and dress and listen to music from all the cultures and an countries at the exhibition
Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (SDG 4) has a direct impact on students’ wellbeing and future opportunities both locally and globally. At a local level, the rise in family homelessness in Ireland has a direct impact on children’s’ education. In Focus Ireland’s “Education Matters” report by Camille Loftus concerning young people who were homeless, she states that education has been identified as one of the “greatest areas of concern ” for these young people who were homeless. She states that homelessness can be so disruptive to a child’s education especially in the day-today reality of living in emergency accommodations. Joblessness appears to be the main reason for homelessness and with the rise in the cost of living, families are suffering. At a global level, throughout the world, poverty is the most pervasive barrier to education along with lack of adequate facilities and infrastructure, competent teachers, textbooks, parental support and community involvement. It is hard to believe that 67million children in our world are not in school. Access to education is not a privilege, it is a right.
To encourage children to support SDG4, integrating global educational inequality into the curriculum is essential. This includes lessons on the relationship between inequality and access to education, allowing the students to recognise the reasons why children may not be able to attend school and understand the importance of education for all children.
Promoting practices such as awareness campaigns, workshops through school programs and community projects that highlight the importance of quality education for all children. Getting the children to create fundraising projects such as “creating an educational shoebox” that would consist of educational resources to support children in schools that are in need of the support. Initiatives like this would enable the students to become better global citizens where they can empathise and care for others, empowering them and helping them to foster a sense of leadership and responsibility. These actions could be embedded as part of our SSE process with a focus on ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5, empowering us all to become more caring towards global educational inequality.“Poverty/Homelessness” is a very important Sustainable Development Goal. All children should have a home where they feel safe and cared for. I agree with your sensitive approach to this topic when introducing it to the children in your class Christine. There has been a huge increase in homelessness and temporary accommodations such as hotel accommodations in recent years and sadly we have many children living in these “temporary accommodations ” for very long period of times, months, and years in some cases. This is not ideal when you consider the living space and living conditions in these accommodations.
