Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science

1. Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science National Workshop One

3. Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science Team Michael Domican Michael Quinn Contact Email agscience@pdst.ie

4. Overview of the Day

5. Purpose for Today • To encourage collaboration in engaging with and implementing the new specification. • To begin to look at the new specification with a focus on student-centred approaches.

7. Core Professional Development Five Webinars Five National Workshops Five Professional Learning Community Evenings

8. Scoilnet Supports provided by PDST PDST Website School Visits PDST Supports Professional Learning Communities Webinars Seminars

9. Professional Learning Communities Starts Today! Knowledge created through collaboration Opportunities to build relationships Public sharing of work (central to CPD) Questions that prompt discussion Opportunities to reflect/problem solve Trust Increased self-belief Melissa Parker, Kevin Patton & Mary O'Sullivan (2016) Borg, 2012

10. The Role of the PDST What we are: • Teachers & school leaders • Teacher Educators • Facilitators / Enablers • Purveyors of lifelong learning

11. Exploring the New Specification Session 1

12. 180 hours minimum duration Higher & Ordinary level September 2019 introduction First examination June 2021 Assessment: Written Exam 75% Course Work 25% A student-centred approach to teaching and learning cultivates students’ critical thinkingskills in agriculturalscience by encouraging them to ask questions relating to the world around them and apply their learning in differentiated, collaborative, creative and innovative ways. Strand 1 is an overarching strand, the themes of which permeate all strands of the specification andwill be progressively developed over the course of senior cycle. AgriculturalScience is a subject for all and through its implementation of key skillsstudents, will be prepared and empowered to contribute to society and manage future challenges confidently. Key Messages

13. Exploring the Big Ideas in the New Specification https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Senior-cycle/Senior-Cycle-Subjects/Agricultural-Science

14. Top Ten Key Skills in 2020 Senior Cycle Key Skills Complex Problem Solving Critical Thinking Creativity People Management Coordinating with Others Emotional Intelligence Judgement and Decision Making Service Orientation Negotiation Cognitive Flexibility World Economic Forum, 2018 Figure 3 , Specification 2018, Page 13

15. Structure of the Specification Cross-cutting Themes in Agricultural Science Figure 4, Specification 2018, Page 11

16. Role of the Classroom Teacher Teacher Specification Students

17. Working with the Structure of Specification • Understand how a variety of soil factors influence productivity • Describe the different soil types/groups and soil profiles and their distribution in Ireland Sustainability Food Production • Apply their knowledge and understanding of Agricultural Science to develop arguments or draw conclusions related to both familiar and unfamiliar situations • Design manage and conduct practical investigations • Discuss, debate, reflect on and critically evaluate the outcomes of their own and others’ investigations.

18. Reflecting on Teaching and Learning with the New Specification Students hcreate.kahoot.it/share/pdst-ag-science/f7ef85d2-0625-49fc-a075-be9b410a2328ttps://

19. Exploring a Student-Centred Approach to Teaching and Learning Session 2

20. A student-centred approach to teaching and learning cultivates students’ critical thinkingskills in agriculturalscience by encouraging them to ask questions relating to the world around them and apply their learning in differentiated, collaborative, creative and innovative ways. Unit1 is a overarching strand, the themes of which permeate all strands of the specification and will be progressively developed over the course of senior cycle. AgriculturalScience is a subject for all and through its implementation of key skillsstudents, will be prepared and empowered to contribute to society and manage future challenges confidently. Key Messages

21. Exploring Student-Centred Teaching and Learning Through engaging in self-directed activities and reflection, students assume responsibility for planning, monitoring, and evaluating their own learning and, inso doing, develop a positive sense of their own capacity to learn. By engaging in group work studentsdevelop skills in reasoned argument, listening to each other, informing one another about what theyare doing, and reflecting on their own work and that of others. Teaching and Learning, Specification 2018, Page 15. What does a Student-Centred Approach mean to you?

22. The Roles for this Student-Centred Activity Teacher Specification Students

23. Stimulus BBC Countryfile at BGI ~ Farming Crops for Fuel BIOFUELS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCQa1gctl68

24. How can I ensure that the operation of my farmwill meet food and energy needs in the future?

25. Reflecting on the Process as Learner Through engaging in self-directed activities and reflection, students assume responsibility for planning, monitoring, and evaluating their own learning and, inso doing, develop a positive sense of their own capacity to learn. By engaging in group work studentsdevelop skills in reasoned argument, listening to each other, informing one another about what theyare doing, and reflecting on their own work and that of others. Teaching Learning, Specification 2018, Page 15 Padlet http://tinyurl.com/y7h2gw3e

26. Utilising a Student-Centred Approach Resourcing the Inquiry Support Materials Prior knowledge (Own & Others) Internet research Reporting Findings Interpreting Information • What information supports my task? • What information is not relevant to my task? • How does the information connect to what I already know? • What else do I need to research? • Other Classroom Presentation Does this raise new inquiry questions for further exploration?

27. Reflecting on the Process as Teacher • Discuss the implications of sustainable development for crop production • Describe the growth of an energy crop • Discuss harvesting techniques and storage methods for an energy crop Sustainability How did the selection of these outcomes inform the inquiry as it progressed? How could the cross-cutting themes enrich the activity? Environment • Communicating the procedures and results of investigations by displaying evidence and information in various forms, including flow charts, tables, graphs, and laboratory reports • Compile and interpret data or other information gathered from print, laboratory, and electronic sources (Including websites), to research a topic or solve a problem • Read and evaluate scientific information related to agriculture, drawing on a variety of sources: media, websites, agri-foods events and other agriculture resources – including people involved in the agri-food industry

28. Student-Centred Approach to Learning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u84ZsS6niPc

29. Developing Student-Centred Approaches for Teaching and Learning Session 3

30. A student-centred approach to teaching and learning cultivates students’ critical thinkingskills in AgriculturalScienceby encouraging them to ask questions relating to the world around them and apply their learning in differentiated, collaborative, creative and innovative ways. Strand1 is a overarching strand, the themes of which permeate all strands of the specification and will be progressively developed over the course of senior cycle. AgriculturalScience is a subject for all and through its implementation of key skillsstudents, will be prepared and empowered to contribute to society and manage future challenges confidently. Key Messages

31. Potential Methodologies to Support Inquiry Students

32. Pathways to Engaging with the Specification

33. In Collaboration Student –centred Approaches Accessible for all (teaching methodologies, modes of assessment & stimulus materials) Non-Linear (Selection of learning outcomes) Develop a Unit of Learning

34. Revisiting the Anticipation Exercise

36. Next Steps?

37. Scoilnet Supports provided by PDST PDST Website School Visits PDST Supports Professional Learning Communities Webinars Seminars