Intended End User: Teacher
Age Group: Lower Secondary
School Curriculum: Science; Social, Physical & Health Education; Social & Environment Science;
Themes and Topics: Energy Use and Production; Behaviour & Lifestyle; Collective Action; Environmental Change; Futures Thinking; Information & Knowledge; Pedagogy Approaches
Duration: 1 hour class x 3
Type of Resource: Experiment, Guidelines & Notes, Audio/Video, Lesson Plans
Keywords: Sustainable Energy, scientific knowledge, global warming, taking action, inquiry-based learning
Languages: English, Gaeilge
Description
These resources developed by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in collaboration with CASTeL at Dublin City University Institute of Education are a collection of online activities. They are designed to support the teaching and learning of energy and sustainability in the Irish Junior Cycle (Lower Secondary School). They are suitable for students of Science, Civic, Social Political Education, Geography, Home Economics and Religion.
These resources have been developed for use with an inquiry approach to education. They aim to enhance students’ scientific knowledge, skills and competencies. The focus is on providing students with opportunities to consider and tackle problems that the future holds, e.g. sustainable practices in schools, homes and beyond.
It will develop young peoples’ knowledge across a range of topics such as, energy sources, efficiency, conservation, climate change and global warming. These concepts will then be linked to students’ daily lives.
How to use this resource
The resources contained in Energy in Action by SEAI build on the science-based definitions and understandings of energy, progressing to the interconnectedness of energy production, conservation and consumption within wider systems and considerations. This embeds the scientific with SC’s social, economic and environmental considerations, allowing students (and teachers) to develop their knowledge and understanding incrementally.
The Energy in Action resources utilise an Inquiry-based Learning approach to engaging students in experimenting and experiencing energy-related themes linked to sustainability and individual/collective action. While developing students’ scientific literacy, it also supports the interdisciplinary appreciation required to address complex challenges.
Energy in Action represents a collection of interdisciplinary professional learning resources that teachers can use in a bespoke manner according to their needs, subject area and context. Teachers outside of Ireland should be supported in exploring the resources to map the relevance and applicability to other national curricula and identify suitable stakeholders in their learning ecologies.
The good practice examples contained in Energy in Action can be adapted and developed to meet the needs of teachers. Collaborative sense-making and lesson planning activated around this set of resources could provide useful stimuli for expansive learning experiences for communities of teachers.
The resources
ENERGY IN ACTION PDF:
An online version of the Energy and Sustainability lesson plan can be found here:
To explore the wider range of Energy in Action resources and lesson plans develop by SEAI and the DCU CASTeL Research Centre use the following link:
SEAI have also provided case studies to show how energy efficiency projects can been completed, including schools and public buildings. You can find the story behind these projects here:
Learning Outcomes
- Elicit prior knowledge and further develop knowledge and comprehension of key Sustainability Citizenship key concepts, challenging established worldviews and values.
- Apply a range of suitable tools and frameworks to promote student Sustainability Citizenship
- Reflect on practice and examine national curricula to identify opportunities to promote Sustainability Citizenship in interdisciplinary ways and engage with external stakeholders.
- Collaboratively synthesise the knowledge, tools and frameworks to create educational materials and lessons plans adapted to their own local context
Green Competencies
- Embodying Sustainable Values: Valuing Sustainability; Supporting Fairness; Promoting Nature
- Embracing Complexity in Sustainability: Systems Thinking; Critical Thinking; Problem Framing
- Envisioning Sustainable Futures: Futures Literacy; Adaptability; Exploratory Thinking
- Acting for Sustainability: Political Agency; Collective Action; Individual Initiative
Creative Commons
The Energy in Action resources were created by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and DCU’s CASTel Research Centre. It is shared here by kind permission of SEAI.
SDGs
