[Carmel Wright]

Hi Shona,
Thanks for your post. I really like your plan for this activity, and I particularly like the SMART plans you have in place to act as a result of what your group learns about climate change.

By creating a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely plan, you have the most chance of success. Measuring progress is a great way to sustain motivation and for learners to be encouraged to do more. By making these actions apply to both home and school, the impact of this work reaches further, and the final results will demonstrate the power of collective change.

The following quote by Margaret Mead, anthropologist springs to mind,

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Ger,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course.

I can see you have taken time to reflect on the true meaning of STEM based on Liston’s paper. Her work serves as a great reminder of how to deliver an effective and authentic STEM experience in the classroom. It’s great to see your continuous improvement mindset in terms of making connections more explicit, and from your post, it is clear that you are already active in working to achieve this through the activities you cover.

I love the idea of a weather club-what a great way to get learners excited about learning involving the whole school, and furthering reach through leveraging digital platforms to reach the broader community.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Ciara,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course.
I am delighted to see that you are enjoying the content in this first module—lots more great content to come in the following modules! I really like your idea to incorporate art into this activity by getting the learners to use proverbs as their starting point for creative inspiration.

As you mentioned, this is a project that can roll for a number of months and may require a block of lessons to. In doing so, it will develop a deeper understanding of this important topic, along with digital and research skills.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Katie,

Thanks for your post. It’s fascinating to see how much traffic is passing overhead! You mention one of the most famous man-made features of our night sky, The International Space Station (ISS). This will continue to be used throughout 2030, but it is great to see how NASA, along with other space agencies, plan to deorbit this when it comes to the end of the time in space. Even in space, we need to take a responsible approach to what could become space junk. NASA has an interesting read about its plans for deorbit and why they chose this option here:

FAQs : The International Space Station Transition Plan – NASA

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Orla,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course. I am glad to see that you find this activity both simple and effective. Like so many STEM activities, it requires very little by way of physical resources. You make a great point about how this activity develops learners’ scientific way of thinking, accounting for variables and accuracy. Reflecting on how this activity could be improved after conducting it is also a great way to foster a continuous improvement mindset that will serve them well in the future.

There are lots of new terminologies and opportunities for cross-curricular links in English, consolidating learning of weather and climate as terms through writing exercises that feature these terms.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Catherine,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course. Your senior class of learners are a nice age to appreciate the history of sundials and take a leading role in their creation, measuring their accuracy, etc.

It can be interesting to discuss what happens when the hour change occurs to the sundial to get them thinking about how to solve this issue. By looking at examples from the past, learners can begin to appreciate how far this technology has come along, and there are some wonderful examples here in Ireland from medieval times.

With lots of new vocabulary, including gnomon, it may be worthwhile to capture terms on a poster and quiz learners on this via Kahoot or similar.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Roisin,

Thanks for your post. You make a good point about the importance of learners knowing what biodiversity means before diving into this activity. I quite like the simple yet effective definition in one of the videos shared on this module that opens by describing it as ”the variety of life on Earth.” It also sheds light on other topical terms, such as ecosystem services, that can add to learners’ terminology on this topic.

It could be worthwhile consolidating learning on this through a Kahoot quiz or similar, on this and other terms learners encounter during this activity.

I think it’s a great idea to make posters and presentations after exploring this topic, that could help this message reach other students in the school or the broader communitiy at a School STEM fair, etc.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Conor,

Thanks for your post. You have put together a great plan for creating a Dark Skies place that weaves together creativity, an appreciation for biodiversity, and drama to demonstrate the real-life challenge of conflicting points of view about lighting among various stakeholders. It provides learners with scope to reflect on the broader context of the societal reasons for lighting and how to forge a lighting plan that can work for all stakeholders.

It’s great to see a peer review process embedded in this activity of designing their own Dark Sky site to gently provide feedback and develop a broad range of skills and appreciation for dark skies.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Nicola,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course. I can see that you have taken a lot from this module, and it is wonderful to see that you plan to make use of the framework and teach STEM in an integrated way. The Curious Minds classroom resources are a great source of well-laid-out activities that ensure all aspects of the framework are covered while also offering Irish options with considerable opportunities for cross-curricular links. It takes a lot of the work out of planning, but of course, these can also be adapted and adjusted to the abilities of your learners as appropriate. It is wonderful to see you have taken the time to plan for the year ahead, making use of these resources while being mindful of the integration of STEM throughout the curriculum.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Ciara,

Welcome to the course, and many thanks for your post. What great luck to enjoy a VIP tour of the I-LOFAR’s! It just goes to show how sharing the STEM activities happening in a school can lead to further opportunities. It is great that you already had a foundational understanding of telescopes and had used your art time to create these-a strategic use of time to integrate topics.

Great range of options for comparing light and sound travelling with singing bowls, whistles etc, and relating it back to the I-LOFAR’s gathering of data. What an excellent opportunity for your school’s 2nd class learners! Here’s hoping you get another VIP experience in the coming year!

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Kate,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course. It’s great to see your passion for delivering STEM in SET and your ASD class, empowering your students with learner-led exploration of their preferred topics.
STEM literacy is more important than ever, not only for career opportunities, of which there are many but also to truly grasp the current challenges our planet faces.

The Curious Minds Framework for Inquiry is a wonderful tool for all and can be used to ensure you touch on all aspects during an activity, filling in the details yourself; there is also an incredible pool of already creating classroom resources available in Irish and English ready to go from their site, saving teachers precious time in preparation!

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Shauna,

Thanks for your post. HOME is a great watch, and as you said, it has considerable cross-curricular links with history and drama. I like your plan to explore learners’ carbon footprint and brainstorm ways to reduce this. As mentioned before, the circle of control can be nice to touch on here, as learners cannot change some aspects of this result.

Greta is a great role model for all, young and old, and her clear-cut approach to this issue is what is desperately needed to move the dial in the right direction. She has some great books for young people, too, which could make a welcome addition to the class library, like Greta’s Story: The Schoolgirl Who Went on Strike to Save the Planet.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Liam,

Thanks for your post. You have a comprehensive plan for exploring this topic with your learners, and I like how you will incorporate a practical demonstration, video resources, and a look around the locality to identify sources of emissions. It could even extend to cross-curricular activities like posters to educate others on climate change and explore the learner’s circle of control, as mentioned by a previous poster, to alleviate any eco-anxiety.

Plenty of scope for vocabulary development and new terms for learners to record/list on a poster in the classroom.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your post. You make a good point about how the TEAL app should not be a starting point for this activity without giving context and the appropriate terminology for this lesson and taking the time to demonstrate how to use this app.

This generation of learners is quite comfortable with technology, and allowing them time to play and explore on the website will be time well spent, as they will build their confidence in using it through free exploration. Plenty of maths opportunities, as you say. Reports could be created in PowerPoint and presented to other classes for further skill development in communications.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Orla,

Thanks for your post and welcome to the course.

I can see you have taken a lot from Liston’s informative paper and reflected on how to apply her definition of STEM activities in your classroom, moving away from a siloed approach to the four disciplines. You make a great point in that people often think technology means computers, but Liston’s paper is a great reminder that its scope is far broader than that.

I am glad to see you plan on using the two activities with your 5th-class learners in the coming year; there is considerable opportunities for skills development and a deeper understanding of climate and weather.

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