A new online resource for teachers, launched this week at the University of Ulster’s Jordanstown campus, will help young people engage with and learn from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
‘Aspire, Aim and Achieve’ is aimed at pupils at Key Stages 2 and 3 and contains a range of interesting and educational classroom activities, PE games and video material based on the Olympics and Paralympic Games.
Speaking about the resource, Education Minister John O’Dowd said: “Aspire, Aim and Achieve is an inspirational eLearning tool that enables teachers to get pupils involved in activities that promote a healthy lifestyle and that help them learn about the world around them. The virtual learning environment provides a novel and engaging way for pupils to connect with subjects including history, geography, art and citizenship.
“I urge teachers across the north of Ireland to make use of the range of opportunities that Aspire, Aim and Achieve offers.”
The Minister added: “The resource is the result of significant collaboration between my Department and a range of local educational and sporting organisations and I commend all of those involved in developing the material for the website.”
Aspire, Aim and Achieve also offers teachers the ability to arrange video conferences with local sporting personalities, elite athletes and with other schools, enabling pupils to network directly with their peers and work together on a cross-community basis.
Sports Minister Carál Nà ChuilÃn said: “This project really demonstrates how the Olympic and Paralympic Games can be a catalyst for learning and engagement across a range of subjects. Through the Games, its history and ethos, pupils here can explore relationships between sport and the arts, and between different countries and cultures. This eLearning tool will be an excellent legacy of the Games for local schools which they can continue to use in years to come.”
The resource is delivered in schools via the C2k platform. Jimmy Stewart, Director of C2k, said: “Bringing schools from different backgrounds together using eLearning is an exciting and innovative approach to helping them discover more about the Games. The opportunity to videoconference with each other and Olympians and Paralympians allows pupils to share and discuss, at first hand, the experiences of athletes as they prepare for the events later this year. C2k is delighted to work in partnership with our colleagues across the services to facilitate this collaboration.”
Aspire, Aim and Achieve is funded by the Department of Education and is the result of collaboration between the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), C2k, ESAGS TV, Sport NI and the Sports Institute (SINI).