A teacher's experience at the SEAI Oide Creativity Workshop

Bringing the energy

After a long Tuesday at school, I approached the SEAI Oide Creativity Workshop at 7pm with a notable lack of energy which quickly dissipated once Mary Gorey, the facilitator, a teacher from St Joseph’s College, along with Una Halpin Environmental Educator, introduced the workshop and outlined the objective of the hour. The workshop title, Making Connections – Energy within and across the Junior Cycle Specifications, aptly reflected the content, and the focus on energy was enhanced by the enthusiasm and energy of the facilitators. Mary and Una kept the session lively with a conversational tone that encouraged engagement and made sure that every minute of the hour session was an opportunity for teachers to deepen their understanding of the concept of energy. 

Warm-up activity

I find teaching energy is one of the most challenging aspects of science education. It’s an abstract concept, difficult to define precisely, and comes with with misconceptions from contradictions between everyday language and scientific terminology. 

At the start of the workshop, the facilitators carried out a great warm-up exercise that encouraged us to explore the meaning of the word 'energy'.  I hadn’t considered the alternative conceptions and misconceptions before. This simple but effective activity illustrated in the first five minutes that a major barrier to understanding for some students is when teachers can't not come to a consensus on meaning. 

Language matters

One of the key challenges lies in the everyday use of the word 'energy'. In casual conversation, energy often means effort, enthusiasm, or even electricity. As we collaborated on the meaning it emerged, we might say, “I’m out of energy” or “this appliance uses a lot of energy”, which conveys the idea of energy being consumed or used up. However, I learnt, in scientific terms, that energy is an invisible, intangible substance that is neither created nor destroyed but transferred and stored in various ways.

We discussed how our students often associate energy with physical quantities like fitness, work, or power, or think of it as something that runs out, like fuel in a car or food in the body. Without addressing these misconceptions head-on, students may struggle to grasp the concept of energy conservation, believing instead that energy is lost or used up. As a CSPE teacher, this fundamental difference between everyday language and scientific meanings was an eye opener and emphasised the importance of language in shaping scientific understanding in our schools.

Breaking out of breakout rooms

In our first breakout room, we inevitably wasted the first few minutes trying to figure out the colour-coded task and decide on who should type! We agreed it was a great opportunity to step into the shoes of the learner! There was no time to drift with the pace set by our energetic facilitators and by the fourth breakout room, we were more proficient. The science teachers I met on the call really appreciated the examples and graphs presented and felt these resources could be adapted in their subject. 

Addressing misconceptions through a whole school approach

The final breakout room and discussion point referred to how we would connect the concept of energy across the subjects and create a more civic approach to teaching energy conservation. Participants reflected on how students can come across the concept in five different ways in five different subjects. This demonstrated the importance of a whole school approach when it came to our understanding and messaging. 

Changing how students think about energy requires consistent use of precise language across the curriculum from maths, geography, construction studies to science at Junior Cycle level and regular correction of misconceptions. For instance, when a student says, “thermal energy is created,” Mary Gorey suggested we might respond: “You need to say ‘thermal store of energy.’ Energy isn’t created - it’s transferred to the thermal store because the object is hotter.” 

The SEAI workshop emphasised the importance of this approach, showing how small changes in language can have a big impact on students’ understanding. Teachers were encouraged to repeatedly bring discussions back to the idea that all energy ultimately originates from the sun. A quick whistle stop tour of the excellent resources available on the SEAI website for schools, and our workshop was coming to an end. 

Looking ahead

The shift to a more precise model of teaching energy is not without its challenges. Non-science teachers, for example, may find the language initially daunting, and students accustomed to thinking of energy as something that is 'used up' may take time to change. However, the long-term benefits of clarity and consistency far outweigh these obstacles.

Workshops like the SEAI session are essential in helping teachers to address misconceptions and adopt a unified, cross-disciplinary approach to teaching energy. 

Interested? Book an SEAI workshop

Mary Gorey, the facilitator on this course, is hosting another workshop on behalf of SEAI at the Irish Science Teachers’ Association annual conference on 5th April 2025 at Maynooth University. 

No booking required. Just turn up. 

Alternatively you can book a workshop with SEAI using the link below.