LC23-92A STEM Project for Primary Schools: SMALL SCHOOLS

 Schools are invited to register for a STEM Project which will commence here in Athlone Education Support Centre on Thursday September 28^th. The details of this project may be found below. Please note that you or a teacher from your school must be able to commit to attending the 5 sessions on the dates listed below.

• September 28^th
• November 9^th
• December 7^th
• January 18^th
• February 22^nd
• March 14^th

 The CPD which we will offer for this project will involve practical, hands-on workshops, using very simple materials. The workshops will continue right throughout the school year.

So what would participation mean for your school?

• There will be a number of practical, hands-on workshops in Athlone Education Support Centre during the next school year. The workshops will be designed to enable the participating teachers to develop their own skills so that they will be confident to undertake Science/STEM/STEAM work in their own classrooms. These workshops will initially explore the scientific and mathematical skills needed to undertake particular STEAM activities. Most of the topics will be suitable for all classes. Arising from the workshops, there will often be a few STEAM projects, that can be explored in the school
• Each participating teacher will then explore the topics in his/her own classes and will also introduce the topics/ ‘ways of working’ to at least one other classroom in the school.
• The emphasis is on building the skills of each participating teacher and then building the skills of the whole school staff and students
• Generally the materials needed for the STEAM projects will be freely available….mostly recycled materials but now and then there will be a little specialised equipment required….e.g. for electricity work….you may already have this equipment in your school but, if you haven’t, we will help you to find and purchase what is required
• After every workshop all of the worksheets, PowerPoints, explanations required…… will be emailed to each teacher, who attends the workshops.
• Only teachers that attend the workshops will get that email…..attendance at the workshops is absolutely essential.
• Throughout the school year it may be possible to organise a school visit to some participating schools….this could be used to deliver a STEM workshop during a Croke Park hour to the whole staff, to build overall understanding of the work in STEM.

There will NOT be sub cover available so the school will need to organise cover for the participating teacher(s) for the 6 workshops throughout the school year. We suggest that the teachers from 3^rd & 4^th would be the teachers, who should attend but each school can make that decision itself.