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The ARC online lessons and resources have shown me how STEM can be taught through inquiry, problem-solving and hands-on learning. These approaches align with the STEM Education Policy Statement, which promotes curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.
In my teaching, I could use more project-based activities that encourage pupils to investigate real-world problems, work in teams and develop solutions. I would also aim to integrate STEM across subjects, helping students see meaningful connections between science, technology, engineering and mathematics. My 6th class has taken part in the ‘Bleaist Eolaíochta’ previously, which is a non-competitive STEM education programme. Children investigate the science behind a simple question that interests them. This opportunity gets them predicting, observing, measuring and gathering evidence and presenting their work to a real-life scientist or engineer. There are many nice videos and lesson plans on their website http://www.esbscienceblast.com.
As part of the School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process, STEM could be developed through a whole-school approach. This could involve reviewing current STEM practices, gathering feedback from pupils, parents and teachers, setting improvement targets and providing professional development opportunities for staff. Overall, the ARC resources have highlighted how engaging, inclusive and cross-curricular STEM learning can support pupil achievement and help schools achieve the goals of Ireland’s STEM Education Policy.A guest speaker is always a powerful way to share expertise, connect with students and contribute to the education of our pupils. I was not aware of the BIM registration form. Past pupils are always welcome back in our school – I must inquire if we have any working in these industries.
Paula, I agree that salmon farms are not visually attractive, and I am glad you highlighted the importance of listening to local communities. It is essential to strike a balance between the economic benefits that sea farming can bring and the need to protect the environment. Sea farming can have a significant impact on wild fish populations, so careful management and community engagement are crucial to ensuring sustainable development.
Our climate and weather make it perfect for farming on land in Ireland. Rain and sun make it easy for us to grow crops and plants. Because of our climate 65% of our land is suitable for agriculture. Another key vocabulary word I learned during this module is ‘Goldilocks’ climate. What a lovely term to describe our climate!
The map showing the predominant areas of farming in Ireland is very visual and would be good to have in the classroom. It would help enhance the children’s understanding and retention of information. The colours used highlight the areas of aquaculture well, on the Atlantic coast. The Atlantic Ocean has shaped our western coast into many bays, inlets, estuaries and islands. These features along the coast allow for aquaculture. Coastal communities benefit from fisheries, tourism and recreation. Some can be seasonal while others provide year-round employment. The ocean provides food, medicine, shelter, breeding grounds and it allows us to enjoy a mild climate. Aquaculture can present challenges too, such as, pollution, resource allocation issues and disease outbreaks. However, if we look after the ocean, it will look after us.Hannah, I agree that children should have opportunities to learn about their local area and make connections with their community. However, this can depend greatly on a school’s location. In urban settings, organising workshops, guest speakers and field trips can be costly, particularly when transport is involved. Perhaps additional funding could be made available to schools to support local learning experiences. This would help ensure that all schools, regardless of their setting or resources, can provide pupils with a certain number of meaningful local connections each year.
I grew up on an island off the west coast of Ireland, so I have a strong knowledge of the sea and fishing. Most families made their living from the sea, whether through fishing or the tourism it brought to the area. We also farmed both plants and animals, although we never referred to it as aquaculture! Studying this module, I am learning the key vocabulary associated with practices I have known all my life, and I look forward to bringing this learning into the classroom.
We harvested and cultivated a variety of marine plants, including seaweed for farm fertiliser, as well as dillisk, carrageen moss and kelp for food, nutrition and their many health benefits. We also fished and gathered a range of fish and shellfish, including pollock, mackerel, wrasse, lobster, crab and crayfish, both for sale and for our own consumption.
Although I have lived and worked in Dublin for many years, I still try to share these experiences and life skills with the children I teach. ARC is new to me, and I was disappointed to learn that there are currently 500 schools on its waiting list. Having previously taught 5th and 6th classes, I believe pupils of that age would particularly enjoy and benefit from this type of classroom. I will certainly be recommending this workshop to my colleagues, and we must get on that waiting list – a fantastic opportunity to bring aquaculture to an urban school.I also like the idea of inviting guest speakers into the school, be they local historians, scientists, parents, grandparents or friends of the school community. Sharing their knowledge and expertise with the children and teachers is worthwhile. The teacher can’t be an expert on all content!
Our school is housed in a very historical building with strong links to Padraig Mac Piarais and the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. Mac Piarais had a very clear vision for education in this country and we, as a school, do our best to follow his ideals. We do this through the language, music, art, drama and outdoor studies. When celebrating our 25th anniversary in our school, every class visited the Pearse Museum in Rathfarnham, who we have a close relationship with. We then used that experience and connection and each child designed an individual piece of work, using different materials, based on different themes, such as, modes of transport, styles of clothing, types of houses etc….linking Mac Piarais’s time to ours. We displayed all the individual pieces in our halla and had a week-long celebration of music and poetry with the whole school community involved. The outside classroom was important to our past educators, and in the last five years we have introduced forest school as part of our SESE and wellbeing programmes. Each class gets to explore and learn in an outdoor setting, gaining valuable life skills. We value our heritage and want to pass it on to the next generation.
Our school is also based in Dublin, Louise. It actually surprises me the amount of children that do not go into town and may not have seen the bridges and monuments of our city. I think, depending on age, of course, that a school trip or visit to these sites allows for a direct experience of their scale and design which can differ from how they appear in photographs.
Bridges are one of the most important structures in our world, connecting us to new places and to one another. There are many different types of bridges that use different materials to support vehicles and people. Some last for thousands of years with the strength coming from its structure. They use angles and shapes to distribute the weight. I am going to get the children working as historians, mathematicians and engineers during this lesson. Our school is located in a very historical Georgian building connected to the Easter Rising 1916. As a starting point I would bring the class to visit O’Connell Bridge in Dublin city centre and on returning to the classroom get the children to create a bridge out of paper and see how many coins it can hold before collapsing.
o Discuss the importance of O’Connell Bridge in Irish history and view the famous statues and monuments – James Larkin and Daniel O’Connell.
o Discuss its width and its length and how it connects the south and northside of the city.
o Look at the various shapes and angles.
o Return to the classroom and design a paper bridge.
o Create a gap and lay an A4 sheet of paper across the top. Put coins on the paper. What happens? Record.
o Fold the paper in half and repeat. What happens? Record.
o Repeat, but fold the paper and create two 90 degree angles on both sides. What happens? Record.
o Continue to experiment with different shapes and folds.
o Compare and contrast and find which bridge design holds the most coins.
This lesson encourages collaboration, team building, problem solving and creativity skills, using very simple every day materials. Designing a paper bridge is suitable for any age group also.
I agree with the nature journals or diaries. Children love working as scientists, researching, investigating, asking questions, experimenting and then recording their findings. Recordings can be written or visual or both, therefore suiting all abilities and engaging every child. Children also enjoy sharing their results and findings.
As I mentioned in an earlier forum, our school is located in an urban area and we have very little green space. However, over the years, we have incorporated small changes to our biodiversity plan. In an urban or city location, we can feel helpless when it comes to biodiversity, but we can all do something to help it and it starts on our own doorstep. While we use our local park for many activities due to our limited space, I feel it is still good to show the children that changes can be made even in limited and challenging circumstances. Our school, as part of the Green Schools programme, has installed bird and bat boxes to the school building. We have had birds nesting and it is joyful to hear and see birds in our school surroundings. We hang bird feeders outside classroom windows or on the balconies. Children are encouraged to observe and record their findings in a little nature diary. One of my colleagues had a wormery on the balcony, which got children and teachers from all classes involved. We have planted and watched vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach, onions and potatoes growing in our window boxes, creating ecosystems while doing so. We are and want to do more to promote biodiversity in our urban school, they may be small changes, but very worthwhile for the school community. Different seasons offer different resources and challenges, and we should highlight and bring the children’s attention to the various changes to the animals, plants and organisms in our environments.
Being an urban school and with limited outdoor space, we often use the local park for outdoor activities, such as athletics, GAA training sessions, forest school etc….On our many walks to and from the park(about 15mins each way) we could map the journey and locate and mark all the main streets and amenities on our walk – local supermarket, coffee shop, newsagent, chemist, playground, hardware shop etc…
Give the children their mini white boards and get them to locate and mark or draw the streets and attractions/amenities as we walk to the park.
On our return to the classroom, discuss and share our observations and knowledge of our locality.
Use the Google Maps app and select ‘Street View’ and compare and contrast the children’s individual work with the Google image.
Create a whole classroom map, using colour and symbols, and display it on one of the large display boards. Úna Halpin’s idea of a 3D map using Lego would go down a treat with some of the children. Both types of maps could be shared with the whole school community at our weekly ‘tionól’.
I think this activity is very enjoyable, and children like being creative and would like to research and design the local map. While researching, they begin to get curious and want to explore and wonder more. The cross curricular linkage is very valuable and different subject areas touched on is always advantageous to the children.I like the concept of the key, Niamh- great idea. I would add the 3D mapping too, either outside or inside. Teachers working in SET could get great enjoyment and engagement using lego with small groups, something I will experiment with myself next year.
