[Helen O Sullivan]

Hi John

I enjoyed reading your post .There are some great suggestions here

Thank you

 

[Helen O Sullivan]

Research Question: How can we reduce paper waste in schools

I am choosing this as is really relevant to schools, obvious to all and a perfect way to engage all the school community to become more aware of how paper waste can affect climate change and to plan how we can make a change ourselves to improve the situation,

Plan: Senior Infant Class:

Timescale: Over a month

Tell children I am going to photocopy 100 pages and see their reaction. The tell children I really only need 10 pages

Discuss very generally the waste involved in this

Development

Plan a lesson around where paper comes from. Discuss this and then perhaps show tem a video of this process

Discuss the importance of tress for the environment.

Then the real language and climate awareness would begin.

I would refer back then to the original photocopying issue.

The children would draw their own conclusion then re waste paper =trees wasted

Conclusion; The children with their Draw & Tell app be able to record their concerns

Going Forward: We would forward our concerns to all the classes. Ask each class to be aware of climate change /tress/photocopying.

We could ask the secretary to give us figures before we begin our campaign and for the week after we start our campaign and note the difference.

We will distribute our findings to all the classes and the principal.

 

[Helen O Sullivan]

Hi Michelle

I really enjoyed reading your views here

Thank you

[Helen O Sullivan]

Satellites

I am fascinated by satellites. I love reading and researching all about them so here are my insights!

1: Star link: Because it is so relevant to life now. Technology depends on this now and we all seem to need technology!!

2: Sentinel 1A; How super is this for showing us our beautiful earth in all its magnificence and significance. It is used to monitor shifts and movements in seas, ice, floods and so its impact on Climate Change

3: OPS4988: This feed into my huge interest in geo politics and safety and protection. It is used for space surveillance. I find it absolutely fascinating that it monitors objects orbiting the earth and even helps in the movement of these objects

4: The OKEAN -0 is also fascinating. Its purpose was to research and monitor the earth’s oceans and probably was at the start of monitoring climate change

5: Space mobile 002: I loved reading about this but I don’t quite understand it enough yet. It is to do with broadband and smart phones …which we all very much rely on for our modern world.

 

[Helen O Sullivan]

Hi Enya

There are some lovely ideas here

Thank you

[Helen O Sullivan]

Reply Module 3

This was such a lovely video. It was really moving, emotional and challenging at the same time.

The use of aerial photographs would be a great starting point. It shows how wonderful and connected the world is. It shows us how beautiful our earth is on one hand while on the other the devastating impact our life style choices have made o the earth,

Greta Thunberg is hugely inspiring and so children would identify with her.

To introduce this to a class

Depending on the class: I am at the Junior End so this video is too long as a whole. It’s also frightening for children at this age. I would skim through it, focus in on the beauty of the earth

2: They are well aware now of REDUCE: REUSE: RECYCLE.They are plenty of work sheets and programmes based around this.

3: I would introduce some songs and music around the REDUCE: REUSE: RECYCLE

4; Some Art work based on our beautiful earth

5: Some SPHE re pollution could be introduced at this stage

6: Then to conclude some Oral Language to ensure the children are aware of the difference each and every one

[Helen O Sullivan]

Hi Fidelma

I love the idea of a Kahoot Quiz at the end .

That is something I will def be using

Thank you

[Helen O Sullivan]

Module 2

A lot to unpack here so  I will divide it into sections as it makes it easier!

What is it:

The Paxi Video: This is a clear explanation of the Greenhouse. It gives children a very good understanding of the effect of thi.. both the natural  causes and the damage caused by humans.

 

The Prediction Tool:

This makes the connect between the theory and the practical for children to understand. It is very much hands on and practical.

 

Activity 3

This is an excellent activity and for sure the Paxi Video and prediction tool is quite engaging and one that children would be interested in. It is quite good for engaging children in critical thinking and especially for thinking about the consequences of their choices

Using it with class: Junior End

1: Introduce by talking about good choices /not so good choices re environmental awareness

2: Make a PowerPoint of this.

3: Introduce the video

4: Discussion Grp: whole class

5: Discussion Grp: Smaller groups

6: Use an app such as Draw &Tell for children to record thie ideas

7: Talk about predictions and what they are

8: Discussions: Real predictions v Silly predictions

9: Talk about not so good environmental predictions

10: Link with maths to record temperature predictions

Improvements

I would improve the lesson by introducing the DRAW & Tell App as I suggested above to allow the children to talk through their reasonings

[Helen O Sullivan]

Hi

I really loved all your ideas here ..in particular the improvements you have made

Thank you !

[Helen O Sullivan]

Module 1

• I read the paper on Unravelling Stem etc. and honestly found it a very interesting summer read and I’m glad I had the time to read it.

I thought I had a good understanding of STEM but really I had only a good understanding of basic science and maths. This is not STEM per se but only a small part of it. I obviously must up my game!! I will include more Engineering and Technology in my planning. I generally like these topics, I like planning these topics and I can see myself doing this thanks to the benefits and importance of a complete STEM Education outlined in this paper. Improvements in critical thinking and working collaboratively would certainly want me focussing more time on STEM.

• In my own classroom as it stands I do a lot of “pretalking” as it were re work on maths and science …so as such I am priming the children for critical thinking. We always begin with what we are trying to do /what way d they think they could do it /any other ways /what do we need etc.
• Feedback on Activities

Act 1: I loved the way it challenged the way we naturally think about think. It certainly challenged misconceptions. It encouraged critical thinking and collaborative work by having the children justify and account for their answers. It didn’t make it easy for them!!

• Act 2:What a lovely practical activity ! All the children would find it very easy to get involved in an activity like this.

I would definitely use these activities with my class

 

Improvements: I would probably tune into Kids TV …in particular the Weather…to make it more real.

[Helen O Sullivan]

Hi Niamh

I really admire your practise of having focus groups and sharing skills and knowledge

Thank you

[Helen O Sullivan]

I came into the whole technology later and ever since I have been playing catch up and so I think I have been continuously leaning which is a good thing!

I mastered the whole Word era and slowly but surely have been moving onto the Google Classroom era!!

I was lucky enough that our school was one of the schools chosen to be part of the Department Digital Assessments for Learning Portfolios during the year. A younger more knowledgeable colleague and myself went off to Athlon 3 times during the year. This really made me more aware of tools and practises.

Going forward and with the information I have gathered on this course this will really set me up for my final few years teaching. I would hate to be feel that I wasn’t able for this!!!

I love the idea of the Google slides as they are so interactive and the children will really enjoy using them. They have loads of features which they will enjoy designing and so will feel so much more involved in the whole process.

 

 

 

[Helen O Sullivan]

Hi Robert

I am not do the forms yet but over the next few days I plan on improving  and updating myself .Being from Limerick this would be lovely to do !!

I enjoyed where one of your questions was a nickname for Limerick and one option was “the villains “!!!!

A touch of Buff Egan about that !!!!

Thank you

• This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by Helen O Sullivan.

[Helen O Sullivan]

I enjoyed reading the Williams report. It really made a lot of sense to me for a number of reasons. As I was going along the course I was happy to see that it’s not assessment for the sake of it but assessment that will lead to children (and the teacher of course) taking agency over their own learning . We have all been that teacher who does the tests, records them and then puts them into the drawer.

The paper focuses on having clear outcomes/intentions, having clear success criteria, giving feedback and the students taking ownership of their learning.

Having reflective practise as a feature of everyday learning is also very important.

It has as an important feature having the children involved in their own assessments, for them to more informed and centre of their learning .to become active agents of their own learning,

My own AFL and AoL has changed as my understanding of assessments has developed over the years. It’s a skill that develops in time with a lot of CPD and talking to peers. Doing assessments and then leaving them aside is not productive for anyone. Assessments are a source of information to guide us in our teaching and for the child to become more active in their own learning.

To review and reflect is for the teacher and the student.

[Helen O Sullivan]

I am new to all this but this is how I imagine I would like to do it !

For this module, I would choose a collaborative storytelling activity where 6^th class pupils would work with my Senior Infants to co-create a digital story using Google Slides. This approach would support inclusion by allowing every pupil to contribute in a way that suited their strengths—some would write text, others would design visuals, and some would record audio narration. Pupils with additional learning needs would benefit from built-in accessibility tools such as voice typing, screen readers, and adjustable text sizes, ensuring participation for all. The senior pupils would certainly come into their own here.

Engagement would be high because the task is creative, interactive, and would give pupils ownership of the final product. Real-time collaboration in Google Slides would encourage peer-to-peer support and would foster a real sense of shared achievement.

Feedback: I would use Google Comments to provide suggestions, while pupils would also give each other feedback.

Next Steps: I would plan to integrate Google Workspace tools into evaluation and SSE by using Forms for pupil voice surveys, Docs for collaborative action plans, and accessibility features to ensure all the children could  contribute to the process.

[Author]

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