EPE Projects

CAPERS Project

Children And Parents Enjoying Reading and Science (CAPERS) is literacy & science initiative which builds on AMBER’s successful Smalltalk project, delivered with Fighting Words. CAPERS invites involvement from primary school communities, with support from local libraries.

Supporting Transitions in Education Primary to Secondary through Lesson Study (STEPS LS) Erasmus+ project 

Project partners: AMBER; Learning Flanders, Belgium; University of Malta and European University Cyprus. STEPS LS (2024-2026) is funded under Erasmus+ KA210. The project uses Lesson Study to bring together primary and secondary teachers and school leaders to share knowledge and support students to make successful transitions from primary school to the secondary STEM classroom. AMBER is working with teachers in two local DEIS schools , 1 primary and 1 secondary school.

STEAM Microscopy with Henrietta Street School x Microscopy Society of Ireland

AMBER is collaborating with Creative Schools artist Fiona Harrington to support the STEM endeavours of students and staff in Henrietta Street School. The students will use optical and scanning electron microscopes in the CRANN Advanced Microscopy Lab to explore their fabric and fibre creations.

We are grateful to Dr. Kerry Thompson, the Microscopy Society of Ireland, the Royal Microscopy Society and Prof. Lewys Jones for their support for this project.

Exploring Integration of STEM with Teachers North and South (ExISTeNS)

The award-winning ExISTeNS project comprised a cross-border study with primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Project aims were two-fold: Firstly, to capture and share primary teachers’ STEM perceptions and practices in both jurisdictions; and secondly, to design, deliver and evaluate a STEM leadership professional development programme. . The project team of AMBER EPE Manager Dr. Mairéad Holden and  Dr. Michelle Fitzpatrick from the Department of STEM Education in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick and Beverley McCormick from the School of Education at Ulster University were awarded the John Coolahan Award 2025. The presentation for this year’s John Coolahan Award was made by Professor Noel Purdy, Director of Research and Scholarship; Director of CREU (the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement); and Head of Education Studies at Stranmillis University College Belfast.

You can read the project report here:  https://scotens.org/site/wp-content/uploads/ExISTeNS-Report.pdf

STEM Teacher Internship Programme

The STEM Teacher Internship (STInt) Programme is a nationwide initiative which provides primary and secondary teachers with paid STEM internships in a variety of industries. From June-August 2024, AMBER hosted 3 STEM Teacher Interns: One primary and two secondary school student teachers, providing them with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in cutting-edge scientific research while developing new skills that they can bring back to the classroom. By gaining hands-on experience in a real-world STEM environment, interns enhanced their subject knowledge, strengthened their teaching methodologies, and gained insights into the latest advancements in materials science research.