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The GLOBE Ireland project sounds really interesting Triona, I must look into it. Your ideas sound pracitcal and easy to put into action.
Living in Kildare, I’ve definitely noticed some of the effects of climate change, especially the wetter weather, heavier rainfall and some really warm spells during the summer. It’s something pupils are starting to notice too, so I think it’s important to make it relevant to their own lives rather than just talking about it as a global issue.
Our school is part of the Green Schools initiative, and this year we had a big push to recycle cans and bottles through the Deposit Return Scheme. It was a great way to get everyone involved, and the money we raised is going towards developing our school garden. I think projects like this help pupils see that their actions can make a real difference.
In the classroom, I’d encourage pupils to investigate local changes in weather, carry out litter picks or biodiversity walks, and discuss ways to protect the environment. Three simple actions we could all take are reducing waste, walking or cycling to school where possible, and planting more flowers or trees to support local wildlife. Small changes really do add up.
Mairead, the translation services and Ukranian language education are fantastic supports. It’s so important to be able to communicate with each other to gain an understanding of each other and help everyone to feel like connected and like they belong.
After looking into organisations that support refugees, I found that the Irish Refugee Council and Kildare County Council’s Local Authority Integration Team both support refugees and families settling into communities across Kildare. It made me think about the role schools can play in helping children feel welcome from the moment they arrive.
In my school, I think the Student Council could lead simple but meaningful initiatives. For example, they could organise a buddy system so every new pupil has someone to help them during break times and show them around the school. They could also create welcome packs with a school map, a timetable and cards made by the class. Another idea would be to organise an “International Day” where pupils share food, music or stories from different cultures, helping everyone learn about each other’s backgrounds.
These activities would fit really well with SPHE and the school’s wellbeing goals. They also show pupils that inclusion isn’t just something we talk about—it comes from small, everyday actions that help everyone feel they belong.
Mairead, that’s a great idea to look at practical changes that the children could make such as using refillable bottles and solar panels. You could also link this to the green schools initiative.
One Sustainable Development Goal that I think really connects with 6th class is 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, especially when talking about children’s rights. At this age, pupils are much more aware of what’s happening in the world through social media, the news and conversations at home. They often ask questions about wars, poverty or unfairness, so it’s a good opportunity to help them understand that every child has the right to be safe, go to school and have their voice heard.
I think the best way to encourage action is to make it something they can relate to. We could learn about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, discuss what children’s rights look like in our own school, and come up with ways to make our classroom more inclusive. Pupils could also organise a fundraiser or awareness campaign for a children’s charity or write letters about issues they care about. These activities show them that even small actions can make a difference. I think this is a great example of ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5, as it empowers children to take action in their own school and community while learning about global issues.
Hi Jonathan, your example of what happened during free-play really stood out to me and highlighted that from even such a young age children are extremely influenced on what they believe each gender should do and be like. It’s crazy to think that situations and comments like those could impact a child at such a young age and perhaps even influence their future career paths.
Teaching 6th class has really highlighted to me just how much gender stereotypes influence children, even before they reach secondary school. At this age, they’re becoming much more aware of what their peers think, and it’s obvious that many of their ideas about gender have already been shaped by social media, family, friends, and wider society.
One thing I notice quite often is comments during PE or games about girls not being as good at sport as boys. Some boys automatically assume they’ll be better or should be picked first, even when that’s not the case. I also hear children describe certain activities, colours or interests as ‘girly’ and boys can be reluctant to get involved because they don’t want to be teased. As they’re getting older, there’s also a noticeable pressure on boys to act tough, avoid showing emotions, and not appear ‘weak’.
I think development education methodologies can really help challenge these attitudes because they encourage children to think critically about the messages they hear and the assumptions they make. Through discussions, group work, role-play, and using examples of people who break traditional gender stereotypes, children can begin to question these ideas and see that interests, abilities and emotions aren’t determined by gender.
It has also made me reflect on my own practice. Sometimes, without even realising it, we can reinforce these stereotypes ourselves. For example, it can be easy to ask girls to help tidy the classroom or work with younger children, while asking boys to move tables or carry heavier equipment. These decisions are often made without much thought, but they can unintentionally send messages about what we expect from boys and girls. It’s something I’ve become much more aware of and I’m trying to be more mindful about giving all children the same opportunities and responsibilities, regardless of gender. I think challenging stereotypes isn’t just about responding to comments children make but it’s also about reflecting on our own habits as teachers and making small changes that help create a more inclusive classroom for everyone.Hi Claire, I agree that it’s important to discuss and ambed Development Education across the curriculum and use real-life situations and issues to help the children to understand it and relate it to their own lives.
After reading Ehigie (2021), it really made me think about what it means to be a global citizen today. I think Development Education is so important because it helps children realise that the world is much bigger than their own community and that they can actually make a difference, even in small ways. It also encourages them to think for themselves, ask questions, and see things from other people’s point of view.
Teaching 6th class, I’ve noticed that the children are really interested in topics like climate change, equality, and current events. They often bring things up that they’ve seen online or heard at home, so it’s nice to be able to use those conversations as learning opportunities. Earlier this year, we were looking at sustainability in Geography, and it led to a really good discussion about fast fashion and waste. The pupils had lots of opinions and even came up with ideas for how our class could reduce waste in school. It was one of those lessons where they were completely engaged because they could relate it to real life.
I also think Development Education links really well with School Self-Evaluation (SSE). If a school is working on wellbeing, student voice, or improving teaching and learning, Development Education fits in naturally. It gives pupils a chance to work together, think critically, and have respectful discussions while making learning more relevant.
I’d love to see more whole-school involvement too. Even small things like linking global themes into different subjects, marking awareness days, or sharing resources at staff meetings could encourage more teachers to include Development Education in their classrooms. I think when it’s built into everyday teaching instead of being treated as an extra topic, it has a much bigger impact on the children.
Amanda, that’s a really interesting project. I like your idea of the ‘what if’ scenarios. Definitely a good way to encourage discussion and get the students to engage. Building a water cycle with egg cartons is also a fun idea.
How much waste could our school reduce by introducing a composting system for lunch leftovers?
I thought the Climate Detectives research planner was really useful because it helped me narrow my ideas down to a question that pupils could realistically investigate. I chose this question because since the free fruit and hot lunches started in our school in January, I’ve noticed a huge amount of food waste every day. I think that this could be a really interesting research question for my 6th class students and it has a clear link to climate change by looking at food waste and sustainability in our school.
I’d encourage pupils to take ownership of the project by carrying out a waste audit over a week, recording how much food is being thrown away each day and discussing what could be composted instead. They could work in groups to collect data, create graphs in Maths and present their findings to the rest of the school. We could even compare our results with other schools in the area or develop a proposal for introducing compost bins or creating a better system for lunch waste. I think giving pupils a real-life problem to solve would make the project much more engaging and show them that small changes in their own school can have a positive impact on the environment.
The activities sound really interesting Jacqui. I like your ideas of how to add to them. I think it could be a nice idea as well to have the children illustrate some of the weather proverbs or perhaps act them out/create freeze frames to make the lesson active and engaging.
I have to admit, I’ve never thought about how many satellites orbit the earth before or their purposes. I had a look at the N2YO satellite tracker. It was really interesting to see how many satellites are constantly passing overhead without us ever noticing. Some of the satellites that recently passed over Ireland included the International Space Station , Starlink-37158, Sentinel-2A, NOAA-20, and Terra. These satellites all have different jobs. The only ones I’d heard of before are the ISS, which is home to astronauts carrying out scientific research and Starlink which provide satellite internet. I found out that Sentinel-2A captures images of Earth to monitor forests, crops and natural disasters, NOAA-20 collects weather and climate data and Terra studies Earth’s atmosphere, land and oceans to help scientists understand climate change.
I think this would be a brilliant activity with my 6th class. I’m sure the students would be surprised to learn that satellites are passing over Ireland every day. It’s a simple activity that could spark lots of curiosity and discussion.