Workshops to be held in education centres around the country during May will give teachers the chance to have an input into an innovative, interactive multi-media education programme aimed at Transition Year students. The programme called Project Forest is the first of its kind in Europe and includes web site access for second level schools, virtual forest management, a CD ROM, interactive games, video and graphics.
"There has been a lack of a tree culture in Ireland up until now," explains Patricia Flanagan, director of the Tree Council of Ireland, the organisation which has organised funding for the project. "This is reflected in the fact that one of the biggest causes of tree loss here is vandalism. Project Forest aims to make a whole new generation more aware of the beauty and complexity of our trees, their environment and one of our most vital industries." The programme includes six modules which look at different aspects of the forest. Students examine the overall benefits of trees - Irish forests remove two million tons of carbon from the atmosphere annually, for example. They learn to identify different tree species and the different woods that come from trees. They look at the forestry industry and the variety of jobs it offers. The rain forests and the woodland systems of Ireland are also studied. The virtual forest meanwhile, will give students the chance to plant and manage their own sitka spruce forests.
"Forestry has had a lot of negative press in Ireland and we want to make people aware that forestry, the environment and the human race are positive forces for each other and can live and work together in harmony," Flanagan says. Commercial forestry, if managed properly, has major benefits and does not diminish the landscape or encroach upon the environment, she argues. "It's a very rich theme for interdisciplinary work in Transition Year," comments Gerry Jeffers, who is a member of the support team and educational adviser to the project's steering committee. "It will help youngsters connect a range of different subjects including history, geography, business, science, woodwork and construction," he says. The project incorporates the key learning features of the transition year, which include negotiated learning, personal responsibility in learning and group and project work.
We all know about the role of the three Rs in our education system. These are about to be replaced by the three Ts - thinking, teamwork and technology, Jeffers says. "It's the three Ts that will empower students in the 21st century; this initiative aims to to maximise on the three Ts for transition year students nationwide."
The project, which is the brainchild of Windmill Lane Studios, is funded by the Forest Service of the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources and the EU.
For details contact the Project Forest Hotline - (01) 617 4790
