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Research a famous scientist or engineer associated with your local area and describe how you would use that person as inspiration for classroom science investigations.
I have decided once again in this module to focus on people from the locality that children can really identify with. It is clear that a famous person can have a hugely effective impact on children when they see them on TV, the internet or flashed across billboards. However, the national achievements of those who can realistically visit a school setting and understand the lives of the children you are teaching can have a longer lasting and more relevant impact. Twins Aimee and Ashely Keogh are two such people who went on to develop the Mind the gap app for second level students. This focuses on second level students who are studying for exams. The transition from 6th class to second level can be a daunting and nervous time for our primary school pupils. These girls highlighted their ability to conduct research on an incredibly important topic. It would inspire the next generation to get involved in the BT Young Scientist programme and they are clearly amazing role models for their community.
Research engineering in your local area and describe how you would use a local building, structure or other engineering feature as inspiration for a classroom or outdoor design and make project
I think the most appropriate building to use from the area I teach in is Tallaght stadium, the home of Shamrock Rovers and indeed more recently of the women’s International Soccer team. This is the home of so many Rovers fans, many of which are students I have taught in the past and will teach in the future. There is an automatic sense of community when identofying a building or structure that has relevance to the children you are teaching. There are many examples of how this structure could be part of a larger project on Sporting Stadiums in Ireland and the world.
Maths: Comparing capacity of fans from Tallaght stadium to rivals Shelbourne in Tolka Park. Not veering too far, Croke Park is just a short walk from Richmond Road to Jones’ Road when leaving Tolka Park. Google maps once gain comes into focus here. Timeline of stadiums being built/renovated can also be compared here, while always linking back to the stadium deep in the heart of the Tallaght community.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?
In this assignment, I would draw on the nearby park to our school for a regular visit to explore the flora and fauna that is relevant to the lives of children in my school in Tallaght. Tymon Park is quite close to our school and there is a range of biodiversity that the children could be exposed to. This could begin in the confines of the classroom in a study of animals native to Irish parks. Students could select an animal that is found in any of our National parks E.g. Glenveigh/Killarney etc and compare if this animal is found in Tumon Park. The direct link to the community of the children will enable learning to occur in a much more appropriate setting and prove far more relevant to their learning. In terms of recording, students could bring the Ipads with them to take photos to combine project work into a photostory.
A realistic aim would be to visit Tymon park once per month. There are so many cross-curricular opportunity here with Outdoor and Adventure in P.E. as well as Art and Map skills.
For younger classes, these are the steps I would use to plan and conduct a lesson on map making and also how I would incorporate online tools such as Google maps or Geohive into a lesson for 1st class children.
I would open my lesson with a provocation question. This would state ‘What is a map?’ This would follow by think, pair and share work with these questions: Have you seen one before? Have you used one before? why do we need them? What do you think should be on a map?
At this point we would go outside the classroom with clipboards and walk around the school grounds. The children would only have a starting point marked on an A4 page. AT various points we would draw images of important areas of the school e.g yard, pitch, courts, school entrance/boundary, junior end/senior end etc.
Children would then return to the classroom to label and colour their maps, while also being introduced to the concept of a key. Using Geohive, children on Ipads in pairs could look at aerial photographs of the map of the school and compare and contrast both.
After reviewing the paper Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (Liston 2018) reflect on what STEM education looks like in my classroom, I have come to the conclusion that I need to be more receptive andf open-minded to the exploration and incorporation of STEM activities throughout each day of my teaching. This must be prepared appropriately in my planning and therefore delivered with consciousness of time-management so that the recommended department subject time allocations are adhered to. From looking at Liston’s views, it is apparent to me that cross-curricular integration is essential in delivering effective STEM lessons efficiently. Going forward I need to be braver in increasing elements of STEM across all levels. It doesn’t necessarily relate to Science – STEM-based activities should be central elements of Maths and Geography lessons also.
Having previously worked in an Inquiry based school in the UAE, I have seen the benefits of students leading the learning with appropriate scaffolding supporting them along the way.
Hi Joan,
This is an excellent idea. I think there is so much scope here for children to conduct research projects about famous Irish people who have a major impact across the globe. There would be a huge interest in this provocation about possible asking what country the designer of the white house was from. Students from Kilkenny in particular would be immensely proud of the history of James Hoban.
Hi Shaun,
I like the emphasis you have placed on the variety of historical buildings in your area. We often overlook our own locality and target national historical sites and indeed international ones. There is a clear cross-curricular focus in your ideas here which can be used across all class levels.
Hi Denis,
Thanks for sharing your ideas about how biodiversity is flourishing in your school. I think a lot of people living in urban areas could identify with the need to make their gardens more friendly to biodiversity. I’m looking forward to exploring the All- Ireland pollinator plan further.
Hi Veronica,
I really like the variety of resources you have tapped into here. The use of a large visual map, google maps and then Geohive exposes the children to a multitude of resources which they can find solutions to problems from. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Lora,
Your idea about bringing in social justice and community focus is really appealing to me. I think students would respond really well to this as they can really zone in on what the most important and pressing issues are to them and their community.
I used the Satellite Tracker app to discover what satellites have passed over Ireland recently. I think my students would really enjoy this activity as it offers them an opportunity to really discover something new and interesting about space that relates to Ireland.
5 satellites that pass over Ireland are the following:
1. The ISS which is the International Space Station. The fascinating thing about this space station is that in fact it can be visible to the unaided eye, particularly after before the dawn or the hour or so after dark.
2. The second satellite that I will refer to are the Starlink satellites. These are a number of satellites that can be viewed as a string of satellites that almost resemble a train in the space.
3. Satellites that are particularly relevant to this course are the NOAA satellites; namely NOAA-15, NOAA-18 and of course, the NOAA- 19. These three satellites help us to understand weather, weather patterns, predict storms, heat waves (particularly relevant in Europe, alas, not the case in West Clare).I was immensely impressed by the video Home. It was truly thought provoking. The narrating element provided a beautiful narrative to some powerful images and scenes. I have always been a big fan of the Planet Earth productions and other nature programmes. As a viewer Home really brought me in to truly analysing what life ls really like on Planet Earth. Animals, humans, the sea, flora, insects and water systems are all so interconnected that we all rely on each other. By showing this video we can inspire our students to take ownership of protecting our planet in our own small ways. It would be a fantastic video to show the Green Schools and Student Council committees early on in a school year.
I also thought the Climate Aid video was extremely powerful. There were some gripping messages in this video which really grabbed my attention and would be suitable for older classes in developing a deep understanding of deforestation, wildfires and the dangerous impact they have on animal habitats.
I believe the Paxi video is an excellent video for introducing younger students to the concept of Greenhouse Gas emissions and the impact they have on our planet.The interactive and visual nature of this video will be appealing to teachers and students alike. When teaching an abstract concept it can be difficult to find the appropriate resources to support your lesson. This PAXI video is excellent in that it delves into important topics but also is relatable for children.
I think I would focus on comparing temperatures over specific timeframes. Activity 3 provides teachers with an appropriate activity to enable the children to be climate reporters. I would give 4 groups of 6 different decades to work through where they can analyse past temperatures. After analysing the results of this data the class could follow up with a discussion and then make informed predictions about how temperatures may change over the next five decades.
STEM plays a central role in my classroom. Over the past number of years I have really embraced the use of technology and ICT to support my teaching instruction. Partly due to the purchasing of additional resources purchased by my school but also owing to courses and an intentional direction of using cross-curricular integration to encourage extension activities in the area of STEM. STEM week has taken over from Science week and as a result teachers have come with many different ideas such as using Lego activities throughout the school. Activities 1 and 2 are very practical above. I would split my class in two and pair children off to learn about climate and weather. Students could research and then present about the differences between both terms. This could be followed up by a Blooket/Kahoot quiz. Using interactive resources will embed the students’ learning further in a fun and enjoyable way.
The research question that I would use with regard to this specific module would be the following: How has deforestation contributed to the desertification of the Sahel region in Northern Africa? Children in senior classes could examine the impact that the destruction of forests is having on habitats, farming and therefore the spread of the Sahara desert beyond its previous outer limits. I believe students would be really enthused by looking at how there is a significant consequence when human activity removes vital forest habitats on the lives of animals and indeed humans too. As the Sahara desert is such a famous desert, students could learn how specific animals have been affected by the spread of a barren landscape. Children could use chromebooks or ipads in a mini-project to examine how the desert has spread through time and the changes this has made to the landscape of Northern Africa.
