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I like these practical ideas for helping refugee students feel welcome and included. Activities such as buddy systems, cultural celebrations, and fundraising not only support new pupils but also help develop empathy, respect, and a sense of global citizenship among all students.
Creating an inclusive school community is one of the most effective ways to support all children. Schools can help pupils feel valued by encouraging respect for different cultures, using classroom resources that represent diversity, and helping new pupils settle in through supportive initiatives. When children feel accepted, they are more confident and engaged in learning.
Pupils can also develop a better understanding of inclusion by taking part in activities that celebrate different backgrounds, encourage teamwork, and promote empathy. These experiences fit well with the aims of SPHE and support School Self-Evaluation by fostering wellbeing, equality, and a positive school environment.I really like how you connected climate change to the children’s own experiences. Using local examples and simple actions such as recycling and planting helps make the topic meaningful and shows pupils that they can all play a part in protecting the environment.
I agree. Development Education is essential in helping children understand global issues, appreciate diversity, and recognise their role in creating a fairer, more equal world.
Climate change is becoming more noticeable in my area of Dublin city, particularly through higher temperatures and longer periods of warm weather. As a result, teaching children about sun safety has become a much greater part of everyday school life. We now spend more time reminding pupils to wear hats, apply sunscreen before school, stay in the shade where possible, and drink plenty of water. These changes highlight how climate change is already affecting our daily routines.
In my Senior Infants classroom, I would use this lesson to help children understand that small actions can make a difference. Through stories, discussions, observations in their outdoor area, and simple activities, pupils could explore how caring for the environment helps protect our planet. We would discuss three positive actions: recycling and reducing waste, walking, cycling or using the bus instead of using the car when possible, and planting flowers or trees to support wildlife. This lesson would encourage children to develop an appreciation for nature, understand their role in protecting the environment, and build lifelong habits that contribute to slowing climate change. This lesson could extend to many different lessons throughout the year.I like the idea of building small habits to appreciate what we have like turning off the tap etc. These are all things that young children can do to help reach sustainability goals.
Reflecting on Sustainable Development Goal 5, Gender Equality, has strengthened my awareness of how gender stereotypes affect children both locally and globally. In Ireland, children may feel restricted by expectations about the toys they play with, the colours they like, or the activities they choose. Globally, many girls continue to face barriers to education, healthcare, and equal opportunities because of their gender. In my Senior Infants classroom, I would encourage children to challenge stereotypes by providing inclusive resources, selecting books with diverse role models, and promoting respectful discussions where every child feels valued. Through play, stories, and cooperative activities, children can learn that everyone should have the same opportunities regardless of gender. This approach supports ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5 by empowering learners to become active participants in creating a fairer society. The Global Inequality module can also inform School Self-Evaluation by encouraging staff to reflect on inclusive practice, classroom resources, and school policies, helping to embed equality, respect, and global citizenship within the whole-school culture and everyday learning.
I really like the idea of using the photo stimuli to demonstrate the different roles that people have. For example I think it would be a good idea to highlight how doctors and nurses can be male and female, bus drivers can be male and female etc. These real life examples can help children from a young age challenge gender stereotypes.
Gender stereotypes can influence children from a very young age, influencing the activities they choose and the way they view themselves and others. During my time in a Junior Infant classroom, I observed boys saying that they could not play with the dolls during playtime because they believed dolls were “for girls.” However, I also noticed that when they thought their peers were not watching, they happily engaged in imaginative play with the dolls. This highlighted how early children become aware of social expectations and how these ‘expectations’ can limit their choices and activities. As a teacher, I have always encouraged boys to play with dolls by creating an environment where all toys are available to every child and where children get the opportunity to choose during free play. Rather than drawing attention to boys playing with dolls, I treat it as a normal part of classroom play. By avoiding any reaction, I aim to encourage the boys to play with the dolls if they wish. I also would often state that the dolls are for everyone to play with.
Development education can play an important role in challenging these stereotypes by promoting equality, inclusion, and respect for diversity. Through carefully chosen stories, discussions, and play-based learning, children can learn to question stereotypes and appreciate that everyone should feel free to explore their interests without fear of judgement or exclusion.I believe development education is important because it helps children understand fairness, diversity, sustainability, and their role in creating a more fair, equitable world. Reading Eric Ehigie’s paper, The Role of Global Citizens in Today’s World, reinforced my belief that global citizenship begins with developing empathy, respect, and an awareness of how our actions affect others. As a Senior Infant teacher, I can create opportunities for my students to begin to explore these ideas through stories, play, discussions, and activities that celebrate different cultures, encourage kindness, and promote caring for the environment. I would integrate development education across the curriculum by using picture books, cooperative games, art, and simple environmental projects such as recycling or gardening. I would also encourage my colleagues to plan similar development education activities throughout the school so that pupils experience consistent messages and meaningful opportunities to engage with global issues at an age-appropriate level. Working collaboratively would help foster a whole-school ethos in this respect.
My Name is Rachel and I will be teaching senior infants in the coming academic year. My favourite space fact is that a day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus.
I have in the past used the inquiry-based approach to teach my senior infant class about floating and sinking. I began by introducing a variety of everyday objects, such as a leaf, stone, cork, spoon and toy car, and invite the children to predict whether each item would float or sink. Rather than giving answers, I would encourage them to explain their thinking and then test their ideas by placing the objects in a container of water. I then allowed them to choose their own objects to experiment with. Throughout the activity, I asked open-ended questions to promote discussion and observation. I have observed how this hands-on experience helps the children develop important scientific skills, including predicting, observing and communicating their ideas. If i was to do this activity again, I would put the children working together in small groups to also support social skills such as listening, sharing and taking turns. Reflecting on the activity, I feel it would make science enjoyable and meaningful while allowing me to assess the children’s understanding and identify opportunities to extend their learning.
Floating and sinking activities are always a hit with my class. The children enjoy extending this activity into their play also
I like how the children get the opportunity to share what they already know about rockets and then go on to design their own rocket.
I would use the Dancing Raisins activity in my Senior Infant classroom as a fun and engaging way to introduce children to scientific observation and prediction. The activity would capture the children’s curiosity as they watch the raisins move up and down in the fizzy drink, encouraging them to ask questions and think about why this is happening. Before beginning, I would invite the children to predict what they think will happen when the raisins are placed in water and then in the fizzy drink. They could record their predictions in many ways, including drawing pictures on whiteboards, describing to a friend etc. This would help develop their reasoning and communication skills while encouraging them to share their ideas confidently.As the raisins begin to “dance,” I would encourage the children to observe carefully and describe what they notice using simple scientific language such as float, sink, bubbles and rise. I would use open-ended questions to promote discussion and critical thinking rather than simply providing the explanation. Following the demonstration, we could record our observations together through drawings or simple sentences, supporting both science and literacy development.
This activity aligns well with the Primary Science Curriculum by promoting inquiry-based learning through observing, predicting and discussing. It also encourages curiosity and a positive attitude towards science. I believe this hands-on investigation would make learning memorable while developing children’s confidence in exploring and explaining the world around them.
