Bunratty Castle and King John’s Castle
In January 2019, Limerick Educate Together Secondary School partnered with Shannon Heritage to develop a project/theme-based learning initiative which saw teachers and students collaborate across different subjects on a common theme – Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Project-based learning (PBL) prepares students for academic and career success, and readies young people to rise to the challenges of their lives and the world they will inherit. It provides schools
with a framework for project work over an extended period of time that engages students in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question.
Teachers designed a framework that used Bunratty Castle and Folk Park as a starting point. Education is a key pillar of Shannon Heritage’s engagement strategy providing a natural environment for children and young people to learn from its custodial and curatorial role. This in turn helps to reinforce and stimulate curiosity and imagination for local and wider environment. When Shannon Heritage approached us about engaging with the Junior Cycle curriculum using the historic Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, it was a no-brainer really.
The Bunratty Project demonstrated the potential for a school to look beyond the traditional curriculum and dig a little deeper. Students were assigned various tasks, many of which were blended or integrated with different subjects. Students in Limerick ETSS do not look at subjects in isolation. They use project-based learning approaches to integrate the curriculum and identify commonalities via Junior Cycle learning outcomes.
For example, during the Bunratty Project, we witnessed
History students studying the defensive features of the castle
Geography students examining features of a meandering river from the turrets of the castle.
Music students engaged in a music workshop with the World Famous Bunratty Castle Entertainers
Home Economics students tested their skill in the art of 19th Century bread-making with the Bean an Tí’s.
Science students gathered and tested soil samples
Woodwork students were researching the types of indigenous trees in the adjacent woodland.
Business students were profiling the tourist industry and its effect on the community of Bunratty.
Art students were engaged in a photography task.
Project-based learning helps students to develop deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, creativity and communication skills in the context of doing an authentic, meaningful project. This type of teaching and learning initiative has unleashed a contagious, creative energy among the
students and teachers. We are on point with the vision of the Junior Cycle and how it advocates for a balance between knowledge, skills and understanding in the curriculum. We have only scratched the surface of learning potential from Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and look forward to visiting its neighbours Craggaunowen and King John’s Castle.
About Limerick Educate Together Secondary School (ETSS): As the city’s newest secondary school, it is breaking ground in terms of how it approaches teaching and learning both in the classroom but more significantly, beyond it. Teachers are driven by three fundamental principles which underpin the vision and ethos of the school – curiosity, creativity and diversity. This leads to impressive student collaboration and innovation.