Following the results of Sea
for Society social science research that 'ignorance' and 'lack of understanding' are key
barriers to the development of a sustainable marine ecosystem, Irish Sea for Society partners the
Marine Institute (in Galway) and AquaTT (in Dublin) have just finished
week-long training courses for primary school teachers on how to incorporate
marine studies into their schools in an enjoyable way.
Using the 'Explorers'
Primary School Marine Education Programme (see www.explorers.ie)
developed by the Marine Institute, local education centres and aquaria,
teachers in Galway have been trained on bringing marine themes into the
classroom to illustrate different aspects of the primary school curriculum –
including mathematics, English, geography, history, science and art for the
last eight years.
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Cushla Dromgool-Regan (right) of the Marine Institute with
teachers in Galway |
“Through the Explorers Education programme and teachers
training course we provide an opportunity for teachers to learn about their
local seashore as well develop an understanding about the importance of
Ireland’s marine resource and ocean wealth,” explained Cushla Dromgool-Regan
from the Marine Institute. “We hope the teachers will feel more confident and
enabled to innovate and inspire students in learning about the marine.”
The Explorers annual teacher’s training course, which is run
in collaboration with the Galway Education Centre and the Galway Atlantaquaria,
continues to be popular with teachers, booking up early each year.
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| Building a submarine to demonstrate 'Energy & Forces' |
As teacher Bróna Smyth of Scoil Mhuire, Maree said, “the
course was invaluable in offering practical concepts that can be used on the
seashore and in class by interlinking the subjects. The hands on approach,
learning about species and seaweeds, making seashore keys, collecting marine
litter data for graphs, completing water experiments to creating seashore
poetry and stories are all key to embedding the understanding of how important
the ocean is and how it impacts our daily lives.”
Simultaneously, on the other side of Ireland in Dublin,
twenty primary school teachers from all over the county worked with Sea for Society partner AquaTT, Tomas
O’Brien and Pat Seever of the Blackrock Education Centre along with the team at
the SEALIFE aquarium at Bray to learn how to teach about the contribution that
Irish people have made to marine history through the founding of the American,
Argentinian and Chilean navies, the invention of the Beaufort Wind Scale and
the modern submarine, as well as to Arctic and Antarctic exploration and even
(possibly) to the discovery of America through the efforts of St. Brendan the
Navigator.
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Using a Hoola-Hoop to quantify area
for seashore surveys in Dublin |
Sea for Society
Area and Work Package Leader Dr. John Joyce led the course, with assistance
from Lorraine Grant – a freelance marine biologist and marine mammal expert –
and essential input from Louise Power – a working teacher who has great stories
to tell of the positive impact of having a saltwater aquarium in the classroom.
“As always, the ‘Explorers’ course was a highly enjoyable
and truly collaborative effort by all involved,” said John, who worked with the
Marine Institute Communications Team, the Forfas ‘Discover Primary Science
Programme’, local education centres and commercial aquaria to set up the
Explorers programme eight years ago. “Teachers are the key to reaching the next generation of
world citizens regarding the vital importance of our oceans to our everyday
lives. If we can convince them to use their considerable skills to bring the
Sea into their classrooms on a regular basis, then we can literally change the
world for the better.”
Teachers in Dublin also undertook detailed analysis of
marine life at Sandycove Point on the south side of Dublin Bay and were treated
to a guided tour of the National Maritime Museum in Dun Laoghaire.
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| The Dublin teachers' group on the seashore in Dublin Bay |
Response to both courses was overwhelmingly positive and
teachers were keen to incorporate what they had learned in future lessons to
their pupils . . . spreading the Sea for Society message and the concept of a
'Blue Society' to future generations of Irish men and women all over the
country.
