Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Avril I think that sourcing local produce is so important as is buying organic when possible. I am following a few organic farmers on social media at the minute and I now really seeing the benefits both to our health and for the environment. I understand that it is dearer but when we look at what we pay for a cup of coffee and put what we are getting into perspective it is really worth the extra.
According to a Climate Change Risk assessment carried out by Donegal County Council in 2023 rising sea levels and aggressive Atlantic storms threaten Donegal’s coastline, leading to infrastructure damage. Recent experiences of river and pluvial flooding events (in 2018, 2019, 2022) resulted in damages to building and infrastructure , disruption of transport networks and substantial impacts for business and the local economy. In 2013 heavy rain flooded the grounds of Letterkenny hospital. This flood affected 70 percent of services and destroyed a huge part of the hospital building after a tributary of the river Swilly overflowed. The rebuilding cost was approx 34 million.
Actions for school.
1. Turn off lights. Each classroom could have a power ranger who is in charge of this. Even the infant classes could take charge of this job. Thankfully the government rolled out the Solar for Schools Programme and all schools will have solar panels( I’m not sure if all schools have them yet).
2. Improve recycling and reduce waste. It is important here that children learn first about reusing and reducing and then we can recycle. Schools use huge amounts of materials daily and it is important that we are conscious of what we use. Children in the senior room could do an audit.
3.Promote environmental education and action. The Green Flag Programme has been so crucial in this activity with their mission to protect planet Earth.
4. Tree planting ( perhaps a tree when each 6th class leaves or each infant class starts), clean up days, planting fruit trees and vegetable patches.
From a School Self Evaluation perspective this links well with so many areas. By incorporating Development Education in our SEE plan it would mean that this area is not just taught by one teacher but it would be a priority throughout the whole school.
I love the idea of children writing letters. Writing personal letters may be considered old fashioned but I feel it is a valuable activity. Perhaps the children could get pen pals from other countries. As a child I had pen pals in 4 different countries. I recently joined another school in Ireland and the children wrote letters to them. The excitement when they received the replies was heart warming. Does anyone know of any good classroom pen pal programmes?
Donegal Intercultural Platform is an organisation in Donegal that supports individuals and communities with a special focus on refugees, International Protection Applicants and the Black and Minority Ethnic communities. Their aim is to build a brighter more inclusive future for all. One of the things they do is run English classes all across Donegal. They are always looking for conservation facilitators and this is something that staff could be made aware of.
Refugees Week is run by Donegal County Council. It is a celebration of inclusion , community and sport. The theme this year was ‘Courage’. Another event that was run this year was Africa Day , with 2 family friendly events showcasing African culture, music,food and heritage.This event was open to everyone in the community, embodying a true spirit of welcome and cultural exchange. I must admit that I wasn’t aware of this event until I did my research for this module and it is certainly an event that I would like to attend next year. I also feel that these events could be made known to parents and linked to work being done in class ( SESE/SEE)
Teachers can promote cultural understanding and celebrate diversity. Schools should provide an inclusive environment where everyone is welcome. Stories and books should be made available to the children that celebrate different cultures. The large school in my own local town often hold Multicultural and Intercultural days to celebrate the diverse backgrounds of its students. These events typically feature traditional food tasting, cultural dress, music and art from around the world. They decorate the school with the flags and posters of the all countries that their pupils came from.
Perhaps a school motto could be displayed ‘Kindness is the language that everyone understands and the bridge that helps strangers become friends’ by using pictures of diverse students or even in many languages.
Yvonne I love the idea of your ideal community project and involving the local community. There is so much that could be covered in this project. Thank you for sharing.
I have chosen lesson 4 inequality and access to education to respond to. Education is not a privilege but a fundamental human right. However many children around the world still face barriers to accessing quality education.
At a local level children may experience challenges such as :
Differences in the quality of schools and resources. Our own school does not have a PE hall and weather has a huge impact on how PE is taught. On a bad day the classroom needs to be cleared and used. Financial difficulties make it harder for families to provide school supplies or technology. Even though we have seen great advancements regarding book fees and lunches in schools I just heard on the radio today that ‘according to the research which was conducted by iReach Insight in June 59% of parents said that covering back to school costs is a financial burden for them. Also there is limited support for children with disabilities and special needs. It is difficult to get a place for a child in a unit even when they fill the criteria.
Globally millions of children are unable to access educations due to poverty, child labour, war, natural disasters and climate change disrupting schools. Gender inequality me ans that in some countries. girls are less likely to complete their education. Lack of trained teachers, classrooms and educational resources make it difficult. Many schools don’t have access to digital technology or the internet. Without education children are more likely to remain trapped in poverty and have fewer opportunities to improve their lives.
Awareness and knowledge is the way that we can take action. Children should be encouraged to value education. We need to promote inclusion and welcome and support children from different backgrounds. Reducing waste and protecting the environment helps recognise the connection between education and sustainable development. Stories and games are crucial. I will use Malala’s Magic pencil in my classroom. This is a story of a young girl who made her voice heard even in extremely difficult times. Although it is recommended that the focus is on awareness fundraising can also be used and I always have a Mary’s Meals box in my classroom.
For School Self-Evaluation it could support reflection on how we promote equality of opportunity and how well global citizenship is included across the curriculum.
Thanks for these story book recommendations. I love using story in my classroom and have just put those in my basket for next year.
Children are often exposed to gender stereotypes early in life through families, friends, media and toys. This can influence what they believe boys and girls should be interested in or capable of doing. These stereotypes may affect their confidence, subject choice and future career. I must admit that I am probably guilty of it myself. i would never have dressed my baby boy in pink and I’m sure the toys that he received were more ‘ boy toys’ that those of his sisters. I do however think that their has been a lot of progress in this area. I remember in my own school days the girls did sewing while the boys went out for PE. Thankfully that would never happen today.
In my own classroom I have observed how during STEM lessons the boys often take charge the assembly or building aspect of the project. This can cause girls to loose confidence in their STEM ability and limit equal participation and learning opportunities. While I would probably have stepped in straight away in a situation like this I now feel that more needs to be done. The lessons outlined in Plan International Ireland development Education teacher handbook are excellent. It would be great if all schools received this resource (even through email).
There are so many ways that we can address gender stereotyping in our schools. We need to make sure that the toys in our classrooms are for everyone.
Class jobs should be based on a rotating system.
Libraries should be stocked with books that feature gender expansive characters. We need to be aware how we divide or group our children for seating , lining up etc.
We also need to take a look at the curriculum that we teach. Do history/science lessons delivered to children feature lessons on women? There are fantastic books out there. For example Malala’s magic pencil and Fantastically Great women who changed the world by Kate Pankhurst. The latter book is full of facts about 13 inspirational women in history. Children love stories and this can give us an opportunity to include amazing women in history. If we look at the statistics for teachers in our Irish schools we discover that it is highly feminized, with woman making up approx 85 %. If we look at the statistics for principals around 34% are male. Despite making up a smaller portion of the overall workforce , men are disproportionately represented in principal positions to their total numbers. I was shocked when I read the fact that globally more than 62 million girls are not attending school and that each year 15 million girls under 18 will be married. This is shocking!
After reading Ehigie’s paper The role of Global Citizens in today’s world it has caused me to think critically and understand how we can all make a difference. where we are born influences our whole life. It determines what we eat, the education we receive and our cultural values. It is a lottery that shapes our lives. The world we live in today is far from equal. Yet this world is smaller than it ever was. With a few clicks we can talk to someone on the other side of the world. We can order clothes from another continent or watch live events happening thousands of miles a way. Air travel has made holidays much easier and we can see parts of the world that we never thought possible. Even though technology has improved not everyone has the same opportunities. While many people enjoy high speed internet, good education, and modern healthcare millions of others still struggle to access clean water or enough food. Climate change is another issue that shows how unequal our world can be. Wealthier countries have often contributed the most to pollution and yet poorer countries are often the ones that suffer the worst effects including floods, droughts and food shortages.
Education is the key and this should begin at a young age. we as primary teachers have a role to ensure this happens. When I try to look up resources i find so much that it is difficult to know where to start and that is why I decided to do this course. I am delighted that I have already picked up some great ideas. I loved the game – build the tallest tower. I can just hear my children’s disgust at how unfair this is. What a great way to introduce a discussion on the fairness in the world in which we live. I look forward to learning more and sharing them with my colleagues when I return to school.
Thanks for sharing these resources Fiona. I will look into Connecting head, heart and hand as I hadn’t heard of this before. It is great to hear of something that has worked for others.