On Friday 15th November, 3rd and 4th class from the North Dublin National School Project (NDNSP), along with their teachers, joined our Primary BEd 2nd year science specialist students to participate in a range of science investigations for Science Week 2024 on the DCU St Patrick’s Campus. The students, in groups of 3, planned a range of investigations and the children got to engage in three different investigations over the course of an hour. Investigations for the 3rd class children involved investigating if the weight of a car affects how far a car travels when going down a ramp, investigating simple electric circuits and investigating which materials are best for insulating an ice cube!  

For 4th class, the children investigated static electricity, electric circuits and current, magnets and heat energy.

Through the investigations, the children observed a range of materials, made predictions, sorted materials, investigated, gathered data and discussed and shared their findings.  The class teachers were really impressed by the engagement of the children and the scientific discussion which was facilitated by the students. The children thoroughly enjoyed it too and there was a real buzz throughout! The activities ranged from teacher directed investigations to child-led inquiries but they all involved children being hands on and minds on!

The BEd students are all taking a science specialism and are completing their first specialism module co-ordinated by Dr Orla Kelly on the Fundamentals of Science, with a focus on developing conceptual knowledge around materials, energy and forces.