

Paul Nugent
IOPI Teacher Network Coordinator
paul.nugent@gmail.com

Dr Eilish McLoughlin
Director CASTeL.
eilish.mcloughlin@dcu.ie

Science on Stage Ireland
Ireland has been participating in Science on Stage/Physics on Stage and bringing teams of Irish science teachers to the biennial European festivals since Physics on Stage 1 in November 2000. Every two years Science on Stage Ireland launches a national call to identify and select teachers that will represent Ireland at these festivals and disseminate Science on Stage at national science teachers conferences and events.
Ireland Science on Stage teachers are actively involved in public engagement in science and presenting these ideas and demonstrations at events such as National Science Week, Busking Physics, Festival of Curiosity and Dublin City of Science in 2012.
Science on Stage Ireland is grateful for the ongoing support for organisation and dissemination of its activities from the Centre for the Advancement of Science & Mathematics Teaching and Learning (CASTeL) at Dublin City University the Institute of Physics in Ireland (IOPI) and the Professional Development Service for Teachers.
For any further information or to get involved in this project in Ireland, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Irish teacher delegation for the European Science on Stage festival 2019
Science on Stage Ireland invited primary and secondary school teachers to apply with extraordinary science teaching ideas for the European Science on Stage festival 2019 via a written application process. Deadline for applications was 1 February 2019.
Irish Science Teachers Association Annual Conference, 24 March 2018
From 23-25 March 2018 the Irish Science Teachers Association Annual Conference will take place at the Athlone Institute of Technology in Dublin. Members of the Irish festival team 2017 and from previous festivals will join together to demonstrate new project ideas and old favourites at the event on 24 March 2018. Suitable for secondary and primary teachers of science. The Irish team will also share the new collection of video resources and the publication of the latest collection of demos and ideas selected by the 2015 and 2017 Irish teams, available on www.scienceonstage.ie/resources. Find more information via ista.ie
RDS STEM Learning National Conference, 25 November 2017
On 25 November 2017 the RDS STEM Learning National Conference took place in Dublin. Paul Nugent and David Keenahan brought their presentation “Playful Physics” and presented new ideas from the European Science on Stage festival 2017 in Hungary. The workshop was attended by primary teachers and each received a copy of the Irish Science on Stage booklet. Find further information here.
Science on Stage Ireland at Playful Science in Belgium, 21 October 2017
On 21 October 2017 Playful Science11 took place at Maison de l'Automobile Brussels, Belgium. Paul Nugent and David Keenahan where invited by Science on Stage Belgium to bring their presentation of Science on Stage ideas “Experiments to make you wonder!!!” to this conference. They also took part in the busy Science Fair.
FÉILTE –Teaching Festival, 7 October 2017
FÉILTE is an annual Festival of Education in Learning and Teaching Excellence, organised by the Teaching Council of Ireland. On 7 October 2017 Paul Nugent and David Keenahan took part in the event at the RDS, Dublin, and demonstrated some of the best ideas and projects from this and previous years Science on Stage festivals. Attendees were very busy with 'Make-N-Take' when they made their own version of the experiments for use in their own classes. Primary and secondary teachers attended. Learn more here.
Frontiers of Physics 2017, 23 September 2017
On 23 September 2017 Frontiers of Physics 2017, the annual conference for teachers of physics, including junior science teachers, took place at the University of Limerick, Ireland. The event was organised by the Institute of Physics. In a workshop on site the #SonS2017 teacher team of Science on Stage Ireland demonstrated various festival projects and highlighted the current range of resources for STEM teachers. Learn more:
Irish 2017' STEM teachers delegation at annual Irish Science Teachers’ Association conference, 7-9 April 2017
Members of this year’s team and from previous festivals joined together to demonstrate new project ideas and old favourites at this years Annual Irish Science Teachers Association Conference. The event was attended by approximately 350 delegates from all over Ireland, including secondary and primary teachers of science. Learn more: www.ista.ie/ista-conference-2017
Get to know the Irish team for the European Science on Stage festival 2017 here.
iStage 3 workshop at IoP Conference Dublin, 24 September 2016
On 24 September 2016 the Institute of Physics teachers Conference took place at the Dublin Institute of Technology Grangegorman Campus. Philippe Jeanjacquot from France gave a workshop based on the new Science on Stage teaching brochure 'iStage 3 - Football in Science Teaching'. Find more information at the webpage of 'Frontiers of Physics 2016'.
Science on Stage Ireland at Irish Science Teachers Association National Conference
The Irish Science on Stage team has presented a plenary presentation 'Looking Forward-Resources for the Classroom' at the Irish Science Teachers Association (ISTA) National Conference on 9 April 2016 in Limerick Institute of Technology.
Paul Nugent, David Keenahan and Eilish McLoughlin, from the National Steering Committee, presented the aims of Science on Stage initiative which is designed to encourage teachers from across Europe to share best practice in science teaching. The presentation outlined the current and planned resources arising from the Science on Stage 2015 London festival as well as included some ‘fun favourites’ from previous festivals that inspire and re-enthuse science teachers. The presenters invited the participation of the teachers in future science on stage activities and provided details on opportunities for participating in the 2017 festival in Debrecen.
Irish organisers and sponsors are: CASTEL at Dublin City University, Institute of Physics, Professional Development Service for Teachers and Science Foundation Ireland.
Find further information at: www.istaconference.com
Follow-up activity, 19 September 2015
On 19 September 2015 the Irish Science on Stage Team had a big presentation with new ideas from SonS 2015 within the conference Frontiers of Physics at the School of Physics NUIG Galway, Ireland.
The team demonstrated some of the best ideas from SonS 2015. These form the basis of videos and other resources available from www.scienceonstage.ie.
Take a workshop to your country, 27 September 2014
A Canadian and an Irish teacher hold a workshop about their projects presented at the last Science on Stage festival 2013 in Galway on 27 September 2014. The teachers will give first-hand knowledge about how their projects can be implemented in class to Irish teachers.
These projects are presented:
- ‘Hands-on-Minds-on Inquiry Based Demonstrations that make you go Hmmm??’
(Paul Nugent, Ireland) - ‘Modeling the hero scientist: The Sword and the Beaker'
(Johanne Patry, Canada)
Registration: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Teaching ideas, books and booklets of Science on Stage Ireland
Science on Stage Ireland is committed to the national dissemination of teaching ideas and demonstrations that are presented by the hundreds of European science teachers at European Science on Stage festivals.
A series of books from these festivals has been compiled and printed and distributed to every science teacher in the country with teaching ideas and demonstrations from Physics on Stage 2 and 3 and Science on Stage 1 and 2. These have proven to be an invaluable and much sought after resource be teachers.
Booklets and links to 211 Science on Stage demonstrations and teaching ideas can be downloaded in pdf format from www.scienceonstage.ie/resources.html
Videos of teaching ideas
In 2012, Science on Stage recorded and launched their first set of 45 video resources of teaching ideas. A further set of 65 videos was recorded in 2013. These 100 videos are also available from the science on stage Ireland website, in both English and Irish languages.