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I liked your idea of a weather station Marina, and also having biodiversity walks, as our school and its surrounds lends itself to this. A weather station would be a living example of daily changes we experience, and allow children become familiar with weather instruments and how they record temperature etc.
Climate change is a topic that children are very familiar with. Even over the last few years, there has been an increase in weather related closures, whether they are caused by storms, snow or more recently in our near neighbours in England, extreme heat. As we are constantly reminded of catastrophic events worldwide, caused by climate change, it is increasingly important to inform children of the causes, and what we can do to combat it.
In our school, I would establish class monitors who are in charge of ensuring lights are switched off, bins are used correctly and recycling is not mixed with compost/waste. Teachers could also be encouraged to remind children to use both sides of a worksheet/ photocopied sheet, even to use the blank side for relection post activity. Photocopying generally, is also encouraged to be purposeful and not just for a quick filler in for 10 minutes.Thirldly, I would encourage an initiative like Walk on Wednesdays to school, to reduce CO2 emissions in our local area.
I really liked the idea that the teacher in Donnybrook used with her third class, to use group work to decide where in the world children lived and the problems they encountered because of climate change. I will use this activity myself going forward.
I could also see potential links across the curriculum and feel Development Education could be fully integrated across history, geography, art, maths, science etc. Our School Self Evaluation could reflect this new, more inclusive approach to Development Education.
I agree with Avril that the local library is a key facility which is inclusive, and often offers courses, meeet and greet times and just a place where refugees can ask questions and be informed. It is also a place where children are exposed to a wide variety of simple English language books to increase their vocabulary, and where English classes for adults often take place.
There are a number of organisations working with refugees in my area. There is an integration service and a local authority integration team which helps settle refugees. On a class library visit, I was delighted that some recently arrived children seemed familiar with the staff, and obviously find the library a welcoming hub in the community.
As a school with 35 nationalities, we welcome all students and their families and have had no issues with integration. Children from other countries are encouraged to speak their own language in organised groups, as well as being supported in English. Circle time is an opportunity to allow children talk about themselves and their families/cultures.When their confidence increases orally, they do little presentations for the class about their country and their traditions. We also have a Multi Cultural Day where children, parents etc dress up in traditional costume and bring in some of their foods and have displays on stands. This inclusive approach makes everyone feel welcome.
I agree with Avril that climate change is also a very current topic, and children nowaday have far greater awareness of reducing, reusing and recycling that even twenty years ago. As a sustainable development goal, it allows initiatives like walk to school one day per week, establishing class monitors who are in charge of correct use of bins, turning off lights etc. We could also do projects using recycled materials only and have a no photocopying day to reduce paper use.
Tackling homelessness in Ireland and worldwide is a SDG goal that children can relate to. It is constantly being referred to in the media, and can potentially affect children in many schools across the country. It would have to be introduced in a tactful way. I particularly liked the way the teacher in the video clip in Walkinstown, allowed the topic of homes to develop in an organic way… to use her own phrase. I also thought the use of the 100 people analogy and how inequalities exist around the world, could also be a way to introduce the topic of homelessness… the musical chairs game was particularly effective. This topic would involve cross curricular subject areas like literacy( building critical thinking), numeracy( statistics), SPHE, SESE etc.
I agree with Avril, that children have preconceived ideas about who fits certain roles eg SNA. I also enjoyed Emma Watson, and her passion and determination to bring about awareness and change. I was shocked in an earlier clip, to hear that 62 million girls worldwide,are denied an education.
We also use those books that Avril mentioned, as part of our other awareness and well being library.
As educators, I think it is difficult to challenge gender stereotyping, as many children come to school, having already been immersed in their own family’s culture, attitudes etc. This can range from a father figure who only wants his son to excel at Sport, to cultures where girls are expected to do menial jobs but boys are not. We had a class discussion during the year on gender equality in 6th class, and one boy told me that his sisters must do the housework after their lessons while he and the other boys in the family play on their playstation! I think its so important to challenge theses attitudes, through introducing initiatives like Cooking for Fun, where everyone participates, and also to bring the students attention to what is happening worldwide, by using the lessons of Plan International. Through class discussions and role play, children can see the injustices that are taking place, and it can broaden their minds and hopefully give them greater awareness as they progress through primary and secondary school.
As a teacher, I would make children aware of other cultures within the school, and how each diverse culture should be valued and respected. As Emily mentioned, a multi cultural day is a great way to experience the way others live, and to show that we can all live in harmony together.
I would prepare and teach lessons based on Global Citizenship Awareness first, so that children have some knowledge and understanding in advance.Our Student Council could compile suggestions from students regarding how to develop and encourage inclusion and diversity in our school.
As children nowaday are exposed to a constant stream of news, much of which is related to the global issues of climate change, immigration and mass movement of people, it is important that they have the tools to understand and to critically analyse this information. As educators we need to empower them so that they feel they can make a difference in the world, whether locally or in relation to the bigger picture of global issues.