RCSI helps Southside teachers to ‘come to their senses’

A NUMBER of Southside teachers joined colleagues from across the country at a five-day science course hosted by the RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) recently.

The RCSI’s

‘Come to Your Senses 2015’ programme was held for 25 primary school teachers from all around Ireland to help them bring a passion for the subject into the classroom.

Among participants in the course were Southside teachers including Gina Fusco originally from Knocklyon; Kathy-Anne Brennan from St John of God School, Islandbridge; Aideen Carty from Scoil Maelruain, Oldbawn, Tallaght; Aidan Watson from St Thomas’s National school in Jobstown, Tallaght, and Kathleen Dunne, from Harold’s Cross.

The course, now in its seventh year, uses the theme of the human senses to enable primary school teachers to develop their interest and enthusiasm for teaching science with direct relevance to the primary science curriculum for Social Environmental and Science Education (SESE).

The programme puts an emphasis on learning through doing and provides teachers with alternative, hands-on and fun ways of teaching science to children, without the need for expensive materials or equipment.

Professor Hannah McGee, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at RCSI said the

‘Come to Your Senses’ course is a unique way for academic staff to support primary school teachers to develop their delivery of the science curriculum.

“This course provides instructions on activities and experiments for use in the classroom and in doing so, inspires the next generation of primary school leavers to value and maintain an interest in science subjects and careers in science and healthcare,

? he said.