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I agree that aquaculture provides so many meaningful cross-curricular opportunities, particularly through SESE, English and Maths. I also like your idea of using a classroom hydroponics or mini-pond setup, as hands-on learning helps children make stronger connections with the topic. Your point about helping pupils understand where their seafood comes from and the jobs and communities it supports really resonated with me. Living in a coastal community, I think it is important that children develop an appreciation of their local marine environment and understand the role aquaculture plays in supporting both sustainable food production and local livelihoods.
I live and work in a DEIS school on the east coast, where we regularly visit the beach and the fishing port of Howth. These experiences make the content of this course very relevant to our pupils, as they can relate their learning to places they know and visit. Our school is also working towards achieving the Marine Environment Global Citizenship Green Schools flag this year, so the BIM resources will be valuable in supporting teachers across class levels to explore our local marine environment and aquaculture.
My prospective class took part in the SeaKeepers Project this year, so I feel these lessons will build naturally on the knowledge and interest they have already developed. While agriculture is well represented in the primary curriculum, I believe there is much greater scope to educate children about aquaculture, particularly in coastal communities. I also think it is important to introduce the concept of social licence so that pupils understand how community trust, environmental responsibility, and sustainable practices all contribute to the success of the aquaculture industry.
