The Explorers Education Programme is delivered by centres around Ireland and now reaches up to 15,000 primary school students, 500 school teachers as well as attended a number of public events reaching over 300,000 people throughout the country each year
Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO, Marine Institute congratulated the centres representing the Explorers Education Programme on their delivery and supporting the Governments national marine strategy Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth, “where one of its goals is to increase Ireland’s engagement with the sea. A wave of ocean literacy has hit our shores this year, and it has been incredible to see the Explorers programme go from strength to strength over the last ten years from where we started with ten schools and now are reaching 500 around the country this year. The positive feedback from the teachers and their wider communities about student’s eagerness to learn about the ocean reinforces the importance of reaching out to primary schools to help build our marine science capital.”
As part of the Explorers Programme interactive marine based modules are introduced in classes that include aquariums in the class, seashore safari’s, and a range of marine based projects learning about marine biodiversity, marine environmental awareness and care, marine history as well as marine technology. “Over the last year we have worked with teachers assessing the level of awareness, engagement, and ocean literacy in the classroom and have seen a significant increase in the student’s knowledge about the ocean around them,” explained Cushla Dromgool-Regan at the Marine Institute.
The Explorers Education Programme aims to help promote learning and increasing our knowledge about the ocean in our communities. “At a national level the Explorers Education Programme has been recognised by teachers and schools as delivering a programme of high impact where students learn about ocean through cross curricular activities ranging from the arts to the sciences. Often the Explorer programme brings out new ideas and team work amongst the students that teachers also get inspiration from,” explained Dr Noirin Burke, Galway Atlantaquaria.
The Explorers modules and resources are used to support teachers in achieving their curriculum objectives and can also help schools develop strategies for teaching sustainability topics and hands-on inquiry based lessons which are inclusive of all students needs in the classroom ” Dr Noirin Burke further added.
Leave No Trace Ireland are delighted to be involved in the national programme and deliver workshops across Mayo, Donegal and Sligo in 2018. If your school would like to get involved, please contact training@leavenotraceireland.org or phone 01 9059009.
The Explorers Education Programme is supported by the Marine Institute, and is funded under the Marine Research Programme by the Irish Government and is available for schools to take part in throughout a number of coastal counties in Ireland. For more information please visit www.explorers.ie
