DCU Institute of Education
DCU Institute of Education
From left: Peter Whelan, DCU; Ross Maguire, Creative Hut; Dr Maura Coulter, DCU; Dr Denis Moynihan, DCU; Dr Joe Usher, DCU; Dr Anne McMorrough, DCU; Niamh Gregory, Creative Hut; Dr Nicola Broderick, DCU.
From left: Peter Whelan, DCU; Ross Maguire, Creative Hut; Dr Maura Coulter, DCU; Dr Denis Moynihan, DCU; Dr Joe Usher, DCU; Dr Anne McMorrough, DCU; Niamh Gregory, Creative Hut; Dr Nicola Broderick, DCU.

New FIRST LEGO League Explore teacher resource UNEARTHED launched

From left: Peter Whelan, DCU; Ross Maguire, Creative Hut; Dr Maura Coulter, DCU; Dr Denis Moynihan, DCU; Dr Joe Usher, DCU; Dr Anne McMorrough, DCU; Niamh Gregory, Creative Hut; Dr Nicola Broderick, DCU.
New guide specifically designed for Irish primary schools to inspire children to develop vital STEM skills

This week saw the launch of the new FIRST® LEGO® League Explore Teacher Guide for the UNEARTHED℠ season at an event on the DCU St Patrick's campus. The guide is specifically designed for Irish primary schools, with the aim to inspire even more children to develop vital STEM skills.

Over the past four years, over 50,000 children across Ireland have been exploring STEM through FIRST® LEGO® League. With the launch of the new FIRST LEGO League UNEARTHED Explore Teacher Guide, specifically designed for Irish primary school teachers, we aim to inspire even more children to develop vital STEM skills. The new Guide assists primary school teachers in integrating the FIRST® LEGO® League Explore programme into their classrooms and curricula, making STEM education more accessible and engaging. It has been designed with explicit links to the Irish Primary Curriculum, including the most recent developments in the STEM curriculum specifications, and the Digital Strategy for Schools, providing a hands-on, fun, approach to learning science, technology, engineering, and maths.

It was created by an interdisciplinary team from the LEGO Education Innovation Studio team in the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies at Dublin City University’s Institute of Education (including Anne McMorrough, Peter Whelan, Nicola Broderick, Denis Moynihan, and Joe Usher), with the support of Ross Maguire, Niamh Gregory, and Gerry Kelly from Creative Hut.

Dr Denis Moynihan of the DCU Institute of Education remarked: 

The FIRST LEGO League programme gives children a powerful way to connect with the past while developing skills for the future. Through this year’s UNEARTHED challenge, they step into the role of young archaeologists - investigating history, uncovering hidden stories, and using technology to bring their discoveries to life. This kind of hands-on, project-based learning nurtures curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, while helping children build vital STEM competences such as problem-solving, collaboration, and digital literacy. It also empowers them to see themselves as explorers and innovators, capable of making meaningful contributions to the world around them.

The publication of this Guide was made possible through funding from the Research Ireland Discover Programme. For more information or to download the new FIRST LEGO League UNEARTHED Explore Guide for Primary School teachers in Ireland, visit fll.ie/unearthed.