STEM Creative Cluster 2024-2026
We have been participating in a STEM based Creative Cluster from 2024-2026. The Creative Cluster initiative is a two-year Department of Education and Youth (DEY) initiative that enables schools to collaborate on bespoke, innovative arts and creative projects to improve teaching and learning. It fosters partnerships between primary and post-primary schools, offering funding, training, and the freedom to design projects that enhance student creativity and personal wellbeing. In conjunction with Laois Education Support Centre (LESC) and our partner schools of Tobar an Léinn N.S, Raheen, St. Fintan's Boys' N.S, Mountrath, Castletown Primary School and Mountrath Community School, we have collaborated to create a project entitled ‘Using the IZAK-9 Cubes resource to facilitate playful approaches to teaching and learning within the context of exploring and using cognitively challenging tasks'.
The main thrust of the Creative Cluster project, centres around the pupils in 5th & 6th Classes in the four respective primary schools in Raheen, Shanahoe, Mountrath and Castletown, using the IZAK9 cubes resource to design their own cognitively challenging tasks for pupils in the younger classes in their schools. The participating teachers in the four schools felt that sufficient time and attention is generally not given to children to formulate their own questions, challenges and problems-this being very much a higher order, critical thinking skill, and to that end this became the main focus of the Creative Cluster project.
Child agency, voice and leadership is very much to the fore, as the 5th and 6th Class assume responsibility themselves for designing the tasks for their younger counterparts. As well as designing the tasks, the 5th & 6th Classes work with the groups of pupils from the younger classes in their own school settings to familiarise these pupils with the IZAK9 Cubes, together with supporting them to solve the tasks which they have specifically created and set for them. This has led to very meaningful and worthwhile learner experiences being facilitated, that are very much underpinned by cross-age peer tutoring approaches to teaching and learning. The work of the cluster in this regard aligns very well with the ongoing roll out of the Primary Maths Curriculum (2023), and the emphasis therein, on the key pedagogical practices of (a) Using Cognitively Challenging Tasks (b)Promoting Maths Talks (c) Emphasising Mathematical Modelling and (d) Encouraging Playfulness.
An integral part of the work of the Creative Cluster, is the Transition to Post-Primary Project organised in conjunction with Mountrath Community School. To this end, the IZAK9 cubes resource is used again as a stimulus and bridging tool to facilitate the transition project for the 5th & 6th Classes in the four aforementioned primary schools, all of which are feeder schools for Mountrath Community School. 5th and 6th Classes in the four respective schools, collaborate again with the Transition Year students in Mountrath to undertake cognitively challenging tasks using the IZAK9 cubes resource. The vast majority of these tasks were designed and set by the Transition Year students, and in that respect mirrors the approach undertaken within the primary schools, as aforementioned. This ensures that very meaningful and purposeful cross-age and cross-sectoral (primary to post-primary) approaches to teaching and learning became a tenet of the transition project. This aspect of the project culminates in a large scale 'Cubeathon' event in Mountrath Community School around the time of the Easter holidays. It is the firm intention of all participating schools to continue with the transition programme once the Creative Cluster project has reached a conclusion, as there are a myriad of benefits inherent in it for all participating schools.
The Creative Cluster is led at school level in Scoil Fionntáin Naofa by Principal/5th & 6th Class teacher, Mr. Barry Whelan.
Please click the button below entitled 'Year 1 2024-2025 of the Creative Cluster' to see a record of the work completed over the course of year 1 i.e. 2024-2025. For optimal viewing, click 'Slideshow' in the top right hand corner.
Local newspaper, 'Laois Today' also ran a feature article on the work of the Creative Cluster in Year 1 (2024-2025) and this can be accessed by clicking the second button below.
The main thrust of the Creative Cluster project, centres around the pupils in 5th & 6th Classes in the four respective primary schools in Raheen, Shanahoe, Mountrath and Castletown, using the IZAK9 cubes resource to design their own cognitively challenging tasks for pupils in the younger classes in their schools. The participating teachers in the four schools felt that sufficient time and attention is generally not given to children to formulate their own questions, challenges and problems-this being very much a higher order, critical thinking skill, and to that end this became the main focus of the Creative Cluster project.
Child agency, voice and leadership is very much to the fore, as the 5th and 6th Class assume responsibility themselves for designing the tasks for their younger counterparts. As well as designing the tasks, the 5th & 6th Classes work with the groups of pupils from the younger classes in their own school settings to familiarise these pupils with the IZAK9 Cubes, together with supporting them to solve the tasks which they have specifically created and set for them. This has led to very meaningful and worthwhile learner experiences being facilitated, that are very much underpinned by cross-age peer tutoring approaches to teaching and learning. The work of the cluster in this regard aligns very well with the ongoing roll out of the Primary Maths Curriculum (2023), and the emphasis therein, on the key pedagogical practices of (a) Using Cognitively Challenging Tasks (b)Promoting Maths Talks (c) Emphasising Mathematical Modelling and (d) Encouraging Playfulness.
An integral part of the work of the Creative Cluster, is the Transition to Post-Primary Project organised in conjunction with Mountrath Community School. To this end, the IZAK9 cubes resource is used again as a stimulus and bridging tool to facilitate the transition project for the 5th & 6th Classes in the four aforementioned primary schools, all of which are feeder schools for Mountrath Community School. 5th and 6th Classes in the four respective schools, collaborate again with the Transition Year students in Mountrath to undertake cognitively challenging tasks using the IZAK9 cubes resource. The vast majority of these tasks were designed and set by the Transition Year students, and in that respect mirrors the approach undertaken within the primary schools, as aforementioned. This ensures that very meaningful and purposeful cross-age and cross-sectoral (primary to post-primary) approaches to teaching and learning became a tenet of the transition project. This aspect of the project culminates in a large scale 'Cubeathon' event in Mountrath Community School around the time of the Easter holidays. It is the firm intention of all participating schools to continue with the transition programme once the Creative Cluster project has reached a conclusion, as there are a myriad of benefits inherent in it for all participating schools.
The Creative Cluster is led at school level in Scoil Fionntáin Naofa by Principal/5th & 6th Class teacher, Mr. Barry Whelan.
Please click the button below entitled 'Year 1 2024-2025 of the Creative Cluster' to see a record of the work completed over the course of year 1 i.e. 2024-2025. For optimal viewing, click 'Slideshow' in the top right hand corner.
Local newspaper, 'Laois Today' also ran a feature article on the work of the Creative Cluster in Year 1 (2024-2025) and this can be accessed by clicking the second button below.
Cubeathon Event in Mountrath Community School in April 2025
