The mid-term break is upon us at Coláiste na Sceilge, in Caherciveen. In addition to their classes, students have auditioned for the school musical, played in various sporting competitions and attended trips to colleges around Ireland; a very busy bunch!
We have started work on their main project for the term; a Pecha Kucha. This Japanese word for 'chit-chat' is a presentation style in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each (6 minutes and 40 seconds in total). The format, which keeps presentations concise and fast-paced, will help the students become more proficient and confident formal speakers; a skill that they will be able to transfer to their other subjects and life beyond school. In each TY class, students have formed groups of 4 to become 'experts' in the four Sustainable Development Goals we are working with on the project- 4,11,14 & 15.
They will present their Pecha Kuchas to our team in mid-December, which will form the assessment for the term. We have linked up with the school ICT teacher to extend the project into his class; providing digital skills and support to students as they design and layout their slides. It is our hope that we may be able to make another cross-curricular link after the Christmas break and have the students present their Pecha Kuchas to another year group to connect to what they are working on in their relevant subject area. At the end of the project the students' Pecha Kuchas will reflect their role as co-designers and peer educators within the toolkit that we produce.
We took advantage of the lovely autumn weather this week and took the classes out on a Scavenger Hunt around the town. In teams, students had a series of questions to answer, either through noticing, observing or interacting. Grounded in place-based learning principles, we looked at vacant space as wasted space, an awareness of the history of their town and what was happening there in the present, rubbish and recycling, interacting with people face-to-face and further developing their observational skills. All four SDGs were covered in the hunt, and we will be using the data and information gathered in the task to support our TY Spring Project. We are also in discussion with the school's principal to have the students show their learning and build on their knowledge by developing a scavenger hunt for their teachers - very exciting.
After mid-term break, we will be beginning a Marine Education module, designed by our WP2 Lead, Lucy Hunt. Looking forward to sharing an update again soon!