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The ARC resources are really lovely, easy to use and very engaging. The children would love the video on sustainability and it really highlights the importance of maintaining our seas and oceans. It would be easy to use them to plan a lesson around food labels and how to read them. This is an important life skill especially in a disadvantaged area where it can be difficult to access unprocessed foods. We could visit the local supermarket and look at labels or even go into the city to the English Market and explore the food on offer. This would work well with the STEM plan to give opportunities to promote learning and curiosity. It would also be easy to link it with writing or project work as well as many art opportunities. This could also work very well with the Salmon of Knowledge and the lessons linked to the Nutrition of Seafood.
I find sustainability is definitely becoming more mainstream and commonplace. I think there is a big emphasis in schools on sustainability now and children are being exposed to lots of information in various ways about sustainability. Our school has a variety of initiatives in place in school and also participate in various competitions and workshops around sustainability. Our student council are our energy monitors ensuring that all classes understand the importance of not wasting energy. We also grow a variety of produce in our school garden organically and attend workshops in the local library exploring gardening. Children are encouraged to walk or cycle to school if possible and we have had walking school bus initiatives in the past. Cork has a thriving sustainability scene. In our own local area, many farmers are now practicing organic farming which really emphasizes sustainability. I also think the new return scheme for bottles is something children will really understand as they get money back!
It’s a good idea to explore what options are available locally. This is definitely something I will look into.
This module was very interesting. We wouldn’t be the best household for eating fish so from a personal point of view, it reminded me of the importance of fish in our diet. It really highlighted the importance of seafood in our diets. This could be incorporated into lessons in many ways. Initially, I would like to explore the different types of seafood that can be found. In a DEIS environment, many of the children may not be familiar with the variety of seafood available. This could be done through SPHE or even through literacy as project work or comprehension and reading. We could also explore where fish fits into the food pyramid. We could then explore the various components of a healthy dinner and what foods would fit into that. I really liked the I Spy lesson mentioned in the module. More writing could be done around healthy menus and the place that fish has in these. It can be tricky sometimes in a DEIS setting as many children would not have been exposed to fish as an option but knowledge is key and it may lead them to make healthier choices in the future.
I found this module very interesting. I grew up on a farm and I am married to a farmer so I was interested to see the comparisons between agriculture and aquaculture. Both of course are very dependant on climate and I think this is being highlighted more and more every year, certainly in agriculture. We also wouldn’t be a million miles from the coast and am familiar with seeing aquaculture industries but would not know anything about them. Locations of aquaculture farms play a very important role in communities. They provide employment in a number of ways, on the farm itself and also in areas such a processing and transportation. This also has a knock on effect on the local economy indirectly in many ways such as accommodation for workers, maintenance staff, equipment and feed supplies, etc. The road network in Ireland obviously plays a key role here as these communities need to be able to transport their product quickly and efficiently to their customers. Rural broadband can also be a major factor in the location of any industry outside of bigger communities and I imagine would be a hindrance to some aquaculture industry locations as every business must be online now.
I really enjoyed Module 1 as an introduction to Aquaculture. It’s not something I would have any prior knowledge of but I like to expand my interests through various summer courses. Working in a DEIS school in Cork City, it would be easy to say it’s not applicable to our setting but of course, we’re in a port city and very close to the sea. The children would love to learn about Aquaculture and we could explore it’s placein Cork. I would love to explore further how it can be used within STEM learning in schools. I could definitely see myself using these tools within my own teaching. The BIM Social Licensing projects are so interesting. The Aquaculture Remote Classroom is an extraordinary resource to have for schools and one that I had never heard of. The children would be so interested and engaged if this were to arrive in school. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the videos myself and am excited for the next module.