Publications
This is the Education publications section. Here you can find all publications, reports and presentations for this heritage area of interest.
Learning in the Outdoors: Commissioned Reports by Natural England (2011)
Natural England is a Public Body responsible to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in the UK. Their purpose is to protect and improve England’s natural environment and encourage people to enjoy and get involved in their surroundings. Natural England publishes a wide range of publications as well as making available the research that supports its evidence base.
The UK's Natural Environment White Paper - The Natural Choice: Securing the Value of Nature (Dept. for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs 2011) sets out the need to strengthen the connection between people and nature, and gives an explicit call for every child in England to be given the opportunity to experience and learn about the natural environment. To help achieve this ambition, the UK Government sets out several key reforms which include a commitment to removing challenges and increasing teachers' and schools' abilities to teach outdoors. It is within this context that Natural England undertook the following three pieces of research which explore different aspects relating to outdoor education.
Children First: National Guidance for the Protection & Welfare of Children (2011)
Published by the Dept. of Children & Youth Affairs. This publication is intended to assist people in identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect and deal effectively with concerns. It highlights the roles and responsibilities of the HSE and An Garda Síochána, which are the two agencies with statutory responsibility for child protection. It also offers guidance to agencies and community and voluntary organisations which have contact with or provide services to children.
Wild Child Poll: Quantitative Survey (2010)
This research, commissioned by Heritage Council, was undertaken in order to understand the types of activities that today's adults undertook as children, and the extent to which their own children undertake the same activities today. An agreed questionnaire was included in the Behaviour & Attitude July 2010 TeleBarometer. TeleBarometer is a nationally representative survey of adults 16+, with quota controls on gender, age, social class, region and area. The fieldwork took place between 20th July and 3rd August 2010.
Exploring Biodiversity: A Guide for Educators around the World (2010)
Published by Conservation International (CI) and World Wildlife Fund-US (WWF). This publication provides a number of ways to engage young people with nature and to learn about biodiversity. Its illustrations highlight species not found in Ireland but it also has a section focused on distinctive local biodiversity in section 3. You may find it provides some helpful tips and ideas for educational purposes.
Download Exploring Biodiversity: A Guide for Educators around the World here [PDF 3.6MB].
Wild Things at School: A Book for Primary School Teachers (2009)
Published by Laois, Meath and Monaghan County Councils with support from the Heritage Council. This publication, written by Eanna Ni Lamhna and illustrated by Christine Warner is a beautiful resource for primary school teachers. A limited supply of the book is available from your local education centre.
View Wild Things at School: A Book for Primary School Teachers here [PDF 3.1MB].
PLEASE NOTE
A general Licence has been issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to all centres of Education in Ireland to collect and study frogs as per page 33 of Wild Things at School. The local NPWS conservation officer must be contacted prior to any activity commencing under the terms of the licence. The spawn/ tadpoles must be released in due course at the location of capture, or into a suitable waterbody as near as possible to the original capture site, if the original site has dried up. The full terms of the licence can be viewed at www.npws.ie/media/npws/publications/legaldocs/Ferdia.pdf
Stepping into Kilkenny's History: A Resource for Primary Schools (2009)
Published by Kilkenny Education Centre with support from the Heritage Council. It is intended that this publication will support and encourage teachers, students and others to explore the rich historic legacy that surrounds us. This beautifully illustrated publication and CD provides a depth of knowledge about this medieval city of Kilkenny with its narrow streets, its distinctive townscape and rich historic fabric.
A Geological Field Guide to Cooley, Gullion, Mourne & Slieve Croob (2008)
Published by Louth County Council, with grant support from the Heritage Council and the Geological Survey of Ireland. This book was compiled as a field guide to the geology (and geography) of the greater Carlingford Lough region (north Louth, south Armagh and south Down), and written to maximise its value to senior secondary teachers (and to college lecturers). It aims to show educators how they can use some of the best and most accessible field sites in the region to teach essential elements of the Leaving Cert and A Level geography curriculum (and geology where this is taught in a few northern schools and on undergraduate courses).
Download A Geological Field Guide to Cooley, Gullion, Mourne & Slieve Croob here [PDF 4.2MB].
Scoping Study for Development of On-Line Heritage Materials for the Primary Sector (2007)
The objective of this study, commissioned by the Heritage Council, was to provide a comprehensive audit of on-line heritage materials for the primary school sector that relate directly to the remit of the Council and to assess their current and potential use by teachers and children. This is to inform decision-making and planning around the possible provision of web-based resources for primary schools.
A Policy Framework for Education, Community, Outreach (ECO) (2004)
Developed by the Education, Community, Outreach (ECO) Working Group of the Council of National Cultural Institutions (CNCI) in association with Arts Consultants, Martin Drury and Susan Coughlan. The aim of this publication is to establish shared understandings and common points of reference that would clarify the nature and purpose of ECO work, assist dialogue about ECO within CNCI and between CNCI and key Government departments and agencies; and to establish a basis for any future joint actions in this field.
Download A Policy Framework for Education, Community, Outreach (ECO) here [PDF 96KB].
Geographical Exploration, Investigating Ireland’s Heritage (2004)
The Heritage Council, in cooperation with City of Dublin VEC - Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) published this workbook to support the revised Geography Leaving Certificate which was introduced to schools in September 2004. It is a comprehensive workbook that covers the broad context of the physical landscape and the impact of human activities on the physical environment and it has been very well received to date from both teachers and education inspectors.
The workbook includes 17 exemplar field studies along with sections on the place of heritage in the curriculum and the skills required in fieldwork. It adopts a step by step approach to field studies and includes a variety of resources including maps, photographs and identification sheets for use in the field.
This publication is not available in PDF format on this website, please email eva.hornung@cdu.cdvec.ie to order a hard copy of this book.
Survey/ Policy Paper on Heritage Awareness in Ireland (2000)
This report presents the findings of the first ever survey on heritage awareness in Ireland. It clearly illustrates the importance that the public places on heritage, the perceived benefits of heritage and its conservation; and commonly held attitudes towards the protection of our heritage.
View Policy Paper on Heritage Awareness in Ireland [pdf 2.2mb].