Geological survey Ireland is proud to announce the continuation of the Geoscience for Leaving Certificate Geography Teachers course. Launched in 2021 and developed with iCRAG, the Science Foundation Research Centre in Applied Geoscience, this continuous professional development course pairs Leaving Certificate geography teachers with geoscientist professionals. Together, they create lesson plans based on curriculum that incorporate the latest geoscience practices. The resources are then made available for any teacher for free on the Geological Survey Ireland and iCRAG website.
Geoscience, with its associated industries, is becoming more and more important in today's world especially in the context of sustainability. For many students, geography classes serve as an introduction to geoscience topics and this course aims to spark students' interest in the world of geoscience. In previous years, the course has covered a wide range of subjects, such as geohazards, offshore wind energy, carbon capture, mining and seismicity.
The course is free for all participants and consists six online evening sessions running from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. After all the sessions teachers will receive a certificate of participation and a printed copy of each resource.
The dates of these sessions are as follows:
- October 4
- October 18
- November 8
- November 22
- November 29
- December 6
The 2023 course will be the largest and most diverse yet, with over 20 geoscience professionals involved in various fields, including peatland restoration and geothermal energy.
Previous participants have said:
"I really enjoyed getting the third level experience on the module. I found that viewpoint very beneficial and interesting."
"I found it (the course) completely fascinating, not only what I have learned but to gain the opportunity to work with such experienced people and the accomplishment of working on and producing a resource with them. I would certainly love to be involved in some way with similar again, as it was again an excellent experience."
To sign up for this year's Geoscience for Leaving Certificate Geography Teachers course click here. The deadline for applications is 29 September and places are limited! For more information on the course, please contact rory.selby-smith@gsi.ie or elspeth.sinclair@icrag-centre.org.
Resources for 2021 are available here with 2022 resources to be uploaded shortly.