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Hi Geraldine,
This project sounds fabulous. I completed something similar with a class in the past and they loved it.
I got the children working in groups. When completed each group then presented their designs to the class and discussed their scientific thinking and designs. Other children asked questions and it really facilitated lovely discussions and learning. I always try and incorporate children presenting their STEM designs into the project. I feel it incorporates lovely 21st Century Skills and learning.
Hi Dolores,
I am very envious that your school has such a wonderful garden that enables you to complete such studies with your class. Children seeing these insects, plants and animals in real life facilitates such lovely learning.
Rather than bringing physical objects from the garden back into the classroom children could use iPads and take pictures of the garden and their learning. Each month they can look back on older images and compare results. This could lead into lovely conversations and again more learning in areas such as math.
Hi Emma,
I really like the sound of this project. I love how you have integrated so many subjects and really made the project cross-curricular.
There are so many resources, websites and apps now that we can use in our classrooms. I love integrating these resources in SESE lessons and they really make the lesson come to life for the child. These resources also help make connections for the child and extend their learning.
I look forward to using some of the websites mentioned during this module and course.
Hi Veronica,
This really sounds like a fantastic project.
I love how you have integrated creative writing into the project. This is something I often forget to do and something I will definitely remember to do in the future.
I plan on completing a multi-disciplinary project with my class based on famous scientists, explorers and architects from my local area. Not being from the area I would need to conduct research myself. As part of the project I would invite local historians into the classroom and also local scientists. We would also go on walks around the local area and see many of the places children would walk by on a daily basis. I would also make use of OS Maps and online resources to show changes in the locality over time and how the purpose of buildings can change.
After becoming familiar with the local area we would then conduct drama, music and art lessons based on our learnings. I would then invite parents, grandparents and the local community into the school for a showcase. This would help to develop links with the local community and be a nice way to showcase our learning.
This project would include subjects such as History, Geography, Science, Music, Art, Drama, etc. This is something I think my class would really enjoy.
I am lucky that my local area has many historic buildings that could be studied and used as a starting point for STEM projects and STEM explorations.
I would chose to study a local mill with the class. I would begin by encouraging the children to go home and ask their parents about the mill and to record evidence from their parents. We would come back together as a class and discuss what the children have learnt from their parents. We would then conduct our own research as a class and possibly invite a local historian in to the class. We could have science lessons about the mill wheel and investigate forces and pulley systems.
I would use all this learning in a connected STEM project. I would use the County Council needing to build a new mill in the local area as the brief and starting point of the STEM project. Children would then work in groups to plan and create a modern mill system and present it to the class.
This project would be multi-disciplinary and incorporate History, Science, STEM, local studies and more.
I have enjoyed this module and I know children would be very excited by it and would really get on board with conducting a seasonal biodiversity project. As I teach the senior classes I would encourage children to take ownership of this project. We would have lessons on biodiversity and common Irish animals and birds.
I would split the class into groups and divide out different animal types (eg: one group would look at birds, one group at insects, etc.). I would then encourage the children to research what animals would be in our local area and create a presentation. Children would then present their learning to the class as a whole.
We would then put all the information together and as a class we would then create the recording sheet. Working collaboratively on this would give the children ownership of the project and really help with by-in. I feel this is a project I would really like to conduct with my class this year.
To begin a lesson I would display a map of the town where my school is located. I would encourage the children to explore the map and see what they notice. A discussion would then follow on how a map is taken from above and is like a birds-eye view of the location. We would discuss scale and how larger buildings appear bigger on the map, etc.
I would then encourage children to explore Google Maps and towns in the local area. I would pose prompt questions and children in pairs would need to explore the maps and investigate.
To create a hands-on map I would create a novel problem of the school principal wanting a map of the school made from natural materials. Children in groups would create the map outdoors and then I would take pictures using the school iPad. Children could then present their ideas and designs to the class and principal. I feel incorporating iPad and digital technologies would help with 21st Century Skills and would aid in making it a STEM lesson of kinds.
Hi Joan,
I agree with you that STEM Education should be hands-on with inquiry-based learning as the main focus. I also believe that 21st Century Skills focus is also essential.
From my own research, I know that STEM Education is when two or more of the four disciplines are integrated. Often teachers can be hard on themselves and aim to integrate all four disciples at once. This is not always possible. Instead we should try and integrate at least two disciplines. Maths is the backbone of STEM Education in my opinion and many strands and strand units can be integrated into STEM explorations and projects. Many science topics can also be integrated together. I believe this is a really good start for many teachers.
I have found this module beneficial and it has refreshed for me the many principles of STEM Education contained in the department’s STEM Education policy statement. In my opinion, it is very important that STEM Education is hands-on, active and relevant to the children’s lives. Children need to be able to make connections between the learning and their own lives. Teamwork, creativity and communication are also important 21st Century skills that STEM aims to develop. STEM Education provides fantastic opportunities to develop these important life skills in children.
I really like the ESERO Framework for Inquiry and I feel that it is really broken down into manageable and achievable steps. This is something I will definitely use in my classroom in the future.
I also have spent some time looking on the Curious Minds, SFI and ESERO websites and I am impressed with the range of resources available. I will definitely use these with my class in the future.