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Hi Robyn,
Organising an Intercultural day in your school is a great way to include all parents and develop empathy as events like this help build better understanding and in turn better relationships in the school community. I also like your idea of getting some parents to share their experience of involuntary migration. Having people recount in the first person what it’s like will really bring home to the students what being a refugee is like. No matter what we do as teachers to encourage empathy we can’t replicate the real-life experience.
Hi Sarah,
Whilst the full functionality of Khanmigo is yet to be rolled out here you can still avail of plenty of AI-powered tools by signing up for a free teacher account, at https://www.khanmigo.ai in particular the new Khanmigo Tools which are designed to save you time and improve instruction and are categorised under five headings, Plan, Create, Differentiate, Support and Learn.
Staying with Khanmigo , not sure if you’ve had a chance to watch Sal Khan’s TED Talk ‘How AI Could Save (Not Destroy) Education’ where he demos the AI assistant. Well worth a watch if you haven’t at https://youtu.be/hJP5GqnTrNo?si=fkOBcdKQF7ct1Unu
Hi Karen,
Welcome to the course. The official international Intercultural Day (Or World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development) takes place on May 21st annually but of course you don’t need to wait for this and indeed possibly a day in September would be more appropriate at the start of a new school year. In fact I’ve seen some schools opt for a full week of activities to raise awareness. If your school was to have a full week you could use the module titles of this course as your daily themes…As you’ve mooted a whole school event like this is a great way to increase awareness of the key issues in DE across the school community and teachers can then use this collective experience as a springboard to deep dive into the DE themes with their own classes.
Hi Clodagh,
Whilst I had heard of climate anxiety before, bio-anxiety is a new one on me but imagine they are one and the same and real concerns, particularly for younger people regarding the state of the planet we live on. In fact I read ‘Young people stand to significantly and disproportionally shoulder the burden of climate change, however, making it more common in young people.’ The article here from Mental Health UK is worth reading on the phenomenon.
Hi Barra,
Undoubtedly teachers need to be given the space to get comfortable with technology in their classroom and supported throughout. The continual changes in this space as you’ve mooted make many teachers, I think, apprehensive about using digital learning tools. Key, as you reference is the provision of relevant CPD on integrating technology. Going right back to the early days of technology in schools, over twenty years ago now, there has been an expectation that teachers should pick up digital skills on the fly, almost by osmosis. Granted, local education centres offer a host of courses for up-skilling but these require staff to turn up in their own time which won’t work for everyone. CPD needs to be whole-school, onsite and relevant to the needs of each school for there to be any chance of creating/facilitating that ‘dynamic and effective learning environment that prepares students for a digitally connected world.’ that you reference.
Hi Ciara and welcome to the course.
I agree, getting student’s to realise that what they do can have a big impact is really important. It is only natural for all of us to feel powerless to a certain extent when faced with huge global issues such as climate change, poverty and injustice. However, we all have a part to play and to use the adage ‘Every little helps’. Highlighting some of the impacts some of the BT Young Scientist projects have is really powerful as these are local/national examples. Something worth considering too which directly relates to primary schools is getting involved in Microsoft’s annual DreamSpace Showcase (If your school is eligible) which began as a pilot in 2023 but is extending its reach each year. Participation involves, students developing and then presenting technology solutions which address sustainability challenges including wearable tech for wellbeing, accessible voting systems, ocean cleanup initiatives, and water wastage reduction measures. More at Dream Space Ireland
Hi Roisín and welcome to the course.
You have made a number of interesting points regarding the importance of developmental education and it’s cross curricular linkages. Key I think is your contention that DE needs to be active and empower children students to be more informed, empathetic, and proactive This is one of the most important things we can do as educators. I also think your idea of developing a shared support space for DE that colleagues can tap into is an excellent idea and should lead to these DE Themes being explored across all grades rather then just in classes where the teacher has a particular interest in Development Education, making it’s delivery much less hit and miss. With such a busy curriculum it is essential that teachers are supported particularly with curricula they may be less au fait with.
Hi Clodagh and welcome to the course.
The change in “culture attitudes” you cite from the Ehigie paper and you’ve attributed to increased levels of Development Education in our schools is really positive progress. I’ve already mentioned previously on this forum, as an island country there’s has been a historical disconnect from global goings on. Whilst as you reference we have many issues both locally and nationally that need to be considered we cannot let these be the entire focus, understanding the global picture is so important too. You school’s focus on Global goals as a learn together theme is a great approach as you can first explore the broader global issue and then drill down to impacts/effect locally.
Hi Fiona and welcome to the course.
I agree, developing student’s empathy is essential for meaningful development education and I think we can only achieve this through active and discussion based learning. Development Education is an important tool in making sense of the complex issues and needs to be active, reflective and interactive and exploring and interrogating topics like carbon footprints and fast fashion make the students cognisant of their role and impact and how they can address it. This builds empathy but also optimism and positivity on how we all can play role in a more just and sustainable world.
Hi Sarah,
Good to hear you found module one of the course of use and thanks for sharing a really practical example of how AI can be used to help with report writing. As you’ve mooted the potential use of AI powered tools in the classroom are endless but it is imperative that they are used ethically and safely. This starts with educating ourselves as teachers and then sharing this knowledge with colleagues so all staff or on the same page when it comes to the dos and don’ts of Generative AI tools. I also think that it’s imperative that schools develop policy/guidance for staff on AI use in teaching, learning and assessment . Interesting that you reference AI assisting so you have more time to focus on your teaching. This point I think is key, AI tools can help us be more productive and efficient and you will be introduced to a host of practical tools and examples over the coming modules…
Hi Selene and welcome to the course.
Unfortunately, I’m unable to access that link to the Sway due to sharing permissions but no worries as this part of the assignment is optional.
As for Forms, I agree, it’s an extremely powerful tool for data collection and insights. A quiz, poll or survey can be assigned so quickly and you can gather a huge amount of data in a short period. The analytics as you point out can be used to inform decision making as you can analyse particular students that may require intervention, or particular questions that may need to be revised with the whole class. I also agree that Form’s is hugely visual and can see how it could be of particular benefit to students with SEN.
Hi Christine,
I agree poverty and homelessness is a powerful theme as it is evident both locally and globally and that we need to be cognitive and sensitive when broaching the topic as some of our students will have real-life experience of same, which can as you outline be harrowing for them as they are caught in a poverty cycle that is so difficult to break.
Hi Laura,
I think the work done at local level is critical as it’s instigated and driven by people in the community, the same community that welcome, host and support refugees when they arrive and it’s great to read the genuine and practical efforts the local Resource Centre is providing to help refugees and asylum seekers, real compassion and solidarity in action. Your suggestion of working alongside the Resource Centre in your school is again practical and demonstrates real joined up thinking. Celebrating difference with a culture day is a powerful action and will provide an enriching experience for the whole school community.
Hi Shannon,
I too really like the idea of drawing up a contract with students prior to the arrival of refugees to your class and also contacting parents because as you’ve mooted there is a lot of negative noise and misinformation in the public arena currently and the best way to tackle this is with the facts about the plight of many of these families seeking refuge. As I have mentioned already on this forum, a key focus for schools has to be on the positives of migration and debunking commonly held societal suspicions. As you’ve alluded to, it’s all about developing empathy and respect. We should endeavor to celebrate difference.
Gender stereotypes can have a profound effect on children and the earlier we can start to challenge and debunk engrained societal misconceptions around gender roles the better. I agree too, when your teaching career has been exclusively in a single sex school it is difficult to fully assess how problematic the issue is. However, what you’ve outlined about your own experience on placement are real-life examples of engrained societal stereotyping around gender. The challenge irrespective of the stereotyping context is that many of the children sitting in front of us already identify certain characteristics and roles as belonging only to boys or girls and it takes time and perseverance to alter these.