[Carmel Wright]

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for your post. It sounds like your learners will enjoy this learner-led experience, with autonomy to explore and decide where the sundial should  go. Of course, if and when things go wrong, this is all part of the learning and an opportunity for learners to develop their problem-solving skills to address issues that arise.

I couldn’t agree with you more about making full use of school facilities. As a site with plenty of space and a large yard, it’s great to have a reason like this to go out and engage with this activity. Fingers crossed for a sunny September ahead for conducting this activity with your 5th and 6th class learners!

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Fiona,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course. The sundial is a great and memorable lesson for learners as I see from your other post that you still recall this activity from your own school days.

I like your approach to bringing learners on a journey of discovery, looking at the sundial’s beginnings. This activity can be completed simply as you have outlined, which suits younger learners, or with more technical details in line with a class’s unique abilities.

It can also be interesting to reflect on whether there are any sundials in your locality-sometimes they feature in a local park or even a historical site nearby. I highly recommend the Time Museum in Waterford for anyone nearby; it’s a great collection of time measurement devices throughout the ages.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Fiona,
Thanks for your post and welcome to the course!
I am delighted to see that you find that the resources shared in this module will be useful when teaching your third-class learners in the coming year and that you have a beautiful school garden-what a wonderful resource for all.

By tying in with the student council/green schools committee, you will help make this a more school wide endevour, and will help ensure this activity is sustained, and other classes can participate in learning and reading the instruments.

There are lots of great opportunities for data collection—another poster has mentioned that his learners really look forward to this- and it’s a great activity as part of a movement break in nature, too.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Emma,

Thanks for your post and welcome to the course!
As a 2nd class teacher, I can see how elements of this activity may prove a challenge for learners, and that you have made a plan to adjust the resources to a level that suits your class’s unique abilities.

By demonstrating and focusing on one aspect, learners will take away a lot from TEAL, as a visally engaging prediction tool.

Designing posters for around the school is a great way to extend the lesson, integrate Art and English, and consolidate learning on this important topic, perhaps using some of your findings from TEAL as part of the poster.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Rachel,

Thanks for your post and welcome to the course! I am delighted to see how after reflecting on Liston’s paper, you can see the strengths in how you deliver STEM in a special education setting, sharing how are bringing STEM to life, with dynamic, engaging and hands on experiences for your learners, that are adapted to their unique abilities and interests, with a focus on real life scenarios.

I really like how you make the activity the learner enjoys a springboard for topic integration, covering maths during baking, etc., and using the simple but highly effective, fun, and hands-on activity of building a paper plane to explore aerodynamics.

Sometimes, there is a misconception that STEM activities require lots of expensive equipment, but this really is not the case, and your examples demonstrate this very well.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Shauna,
Thanks for your post. Proverbs are a great entry point for this topic, and students may be able to gather some good ones from their parents or grandparents, too, perhaps as part of homework. They are less common these days than before, but it’s fascinating to learn the scientific basis behind them.
Our senses are a great way to connect to weather and nature in general. It’s a great reason to get learners outside, immersed in the elements to explore and articulate using the senses as an opener and then build on language and explanations of how to describe weather.

There is a lot of potential for cross-curricular links with vocabulary development,  exploring the many ways we describe rain here in Ireland, from misty to light drizzle, and the role of weather as an antagonist in stories-can they identify this in the stories they are currently reading? etc.

I highly recommend the weather station instruments, which will bring this activity to life with a hands-on learning experience, including building equipment and measuring.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for your post. The BO browser certainly is an accessible way to explore Earth from space, and it is an important tool for showcasing how we are changing our planet over time. It gives learners a new vantage point and the ability to research those changes for themselves.

It is a tool that does take a little time to become familiar with, but with an initial demonstration from the teacher and some support, learners will grow in their confidence using this technology. Once they develop a level of competence in using the browser, it can be an excellent and engaging resource for a broad variety of projects to enrich learners’ understanding.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Siobhan,

Thanks for your post. The HOME video really is a stark and striking reminder of the beauty of our planet and the ways in which we are mistreating this finite resource we call home.

You make an important point about how this is not about one person’s actions; it is about a collective response. We all have a role to play, and educating and empowering the next generation to be part of this positive movement will help move the dial in the right direction.

I agree that we certainly dont want learners to be overwhelmed, and I think by being selective of the video segments you show and possibly even the use of a circle of control exercise, learners will see what is within their control to change.

Greta is a great role model. Closer to home, we also have young Irish climate activists who may be relatable too. Here is a link to an article about some: ‘A world with climate justice is a better world’: Meet the young Irish people fighting for the environment (irishexaminer.com)

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Siobhan,

Thanks for your post. I can see that you plan to give your learners the autonomy to define the research question. I think this is a great way to ensure they are passionate and engaged in the topic, making it of the most interest to them as a learner-led research project.

I would recommend brainstorming in groups and then perhaps voting on one specific topic for deeper exploration rather than several, as the project may become too broad. This way, this one area can be fully and comprehensively addressed.

It is a great idea to survey teachers and learners to measure changes. This could vary depending on what you choose to focus on; if it’s electricity, it could be usage, waste could be the weight collected, etc, and as you mention, there are plenty of opportunities for cross-curricular links, too!

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Aideen,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!

You make an important point about the need to differentiate content to meet the abilities of the learners. The resources provided serve as a template that can be adapted to become simpler or more challenging and are by no means prescriptive.

There is a lot to take in from the TEAL tool, and with careful guidance from a teacher on its use, it can add to the resource toolkit available to explain climate change. The PAXI video is an excellent video, and as you said, it explains the concept in a child-friendly way. It is a great conversation starter for this topic and is suitable for all ages.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Colette,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!

I am delighted to see that you view Liston’s paper as a worthwhile reference for colleagues who are concerned about the introduction of STEM as a subject. It certainly provides a considerable amount of clear-cut guidance and gives much-needed clarity to this buzzword.

Great to see that you plan on using the Weather vs Climate resource with your 4th class learners. Accountable talk techniques sound like a great way to ensure open and respectful communication on what is sometimes a contentious topic, particularly when we move on to the actions required.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Derbhla,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!

You make an important point about the nature of these activities being hands-on. It’s a terrific way for learners to engage with a topic in a fun and meaningful way, and by getting the learners to make the instruments themselves, there is a lot of scope for testing, comparing results of the team’s equipment, and addressing any challenges that arise during the design process or when in use.

By comparing results today to historical data, learners begin to see patterns and possibly even the changes that are underway as Ireland is becoming warmer and wetter.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Brendan,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!

You make a great point about how climate change is a hot topic and how, through learning about weather and climate, they have a solid foundation of understanding that must precede fighting and reversing climate change.
By getting the learners to create and monitor a weather station, recording and reporting results to others provides a wealth of opportunities for skills development and understanding of this topic.

As another poster who has a weather station mentioned, learners love the opportunity to go record results, and become confident in reading the apparatus.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Killian,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the course!

I can see that you have reflected on and are aligned with the principles outlined in Liston’s paper in your classroom through your meshing of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics together in a meaningful way.

I am delighted to see that you already have a weather station and it’s great to see that it also is something your learners are passionate about and are eager to take turns recording the weather using graphs and pictures.

Of course, you can refine the content of these activities to cover what is most important, shorten exercises, etc, to fit into a busy schedule. In your instance, the learners may already have an understanding of climate and weather so it, may only need to be visited briefly. It all really depends on the group’s starting point, which is what makes a KWL charts so helpful.

[Carmel Wright]

Hi Caoimhe,
Thanks for your post. I am pleased that you plan on using the “Nose up in the Sky”. Resource with your 3rd class come September. The seagull proverb is new to me, and I am sure you will encounter some interesting ones from your learners, too!

I quite like this article as it gives a lot of context to the development of weather proverbs as a means to hand on acquired knowledge before literacy was as commonplace as it is today, and some science behind them, too: Weather lore: What’s the science? – BBC News

I encourage you to consider the class weather station and to remember that it does not have to include everything- it can begin as one instrument and progress from there. Or perhaps each class in the school could consider being responsible for one piece of equipment to share the load? All the activities are not intended to be prescriptive and can be adapted to your time constraints and the unique abilities of your learners, etc.

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