Institutions and Partner Organisations

Maynooth University, University College Dublin, BiOrbic, European Commission

Description

The Bioeconomy Elective 2024/2025 is a unique Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) initiative within the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education at Maynooth University (MU). It equips future teachers with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to integrate sustainability into classroom practice. Framed through a Froebelian Ecofeminist philosophy, the elective connects scientific knowledge, indigenous ways of knowing, and traditional crafts to foster a holistic approach to climate, care, and culture in education. 

This initiative responds to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), BioBeo bioeconomy themes, and the Ethics of Care. A key aim is to show how language, storytelling, and everyday actions can inspire environmentally responsible behaviour. The elective aligns with the 1999 SESE curriculum by fostering inquiry, environmental awareness, and citizenship. It also supports the 2023 Primary Curriculum Framework by emphasising sustainability, integrated learning, and values-based education. Rooted in Froebelian Ecofeminism, it reflects curricular aims to develop informed, empathetic, critically engaged learners and active citizens. 

Initiative Description 

The elective introduces the bioeconomy as a hopeful and practical response to the climate crisis, emphasising nature-based pedagogy. Through craftwork and ecological awareness, students explore circularity, waste valorisation, and sustainability in ways directly applicable to the classroom. 

In 2025, the elective partnered with the Horizon Europe-funded BioBeo project and BiOrbic, the SFI Bioeconomy Research Centre. A defining feature was participation in the BioBeo–BiOrbic Education Workshop co-hosted by Maynooth University and UCD, 

where teaching students engaged with researchers, educators, and practitioners in a creative, transdisciplinary space. 

Alongside this, UCD engineering students designed and constructed a puppet theatre frame entirely from recycled materials. This became the stage for the final group project: a puppet show on interconnectedness, crafted with techniques such as crochet and hand-sewing. 

The puppet theatre was both a product of circular design and a metaphor for the bioeconomy in action. It bridged technical innovation and educational practice, making abstract concepts accessible and engaging for children. 

For final-year teaching students, the collaboration was transformative. It showed how integrating STEM disciplines can enrich bioeconomy education and how recycled resources can become low-cost, accessible teaching tools. 

This project was showcased: 

• At the European Commission (March 2025) as part of BioBeo dissemination 

• At the UCD Festival (June 2025) highlighting sustainability in higher education 

Throughout the elective, students also developed skills in traditional crafts, exploring how these can teach sustainability, creativity, and care in ways that respect heritage and foster stewardship. 

Student Engagement and Learning Impact 

The elective is experiential and student-centred, integrating craft, storytelling, cultural reflection, and ecological inquiry. Student teachers reported enhanced confidence in: 

• Explaining sustainability in child-friendly terms 

• Integrating environmental themes across subjects 

• Leading low-waste, craft-based activities 

• Applying Froebelian and ecofeminist principles in daily practice 

The use of Irish language, folklore, and oral storytelling reinforced cultural identity as integral to sustainability. 

Institutional Significance and Next Steps 

This elective represents a scalable model for embedding sustainability into initial teacher education (ITE). Its strength lies in its transdisciplinary, values-based approach, uniting science, heritage, ethics, pedagogy, and the arts. It shows how collaboration between education and STEM can lead to deeper engagement and systemic change. 

Next steps include: 

• Embedding elements into core BEd and PMEd modules 

• Building partnerships with craft experts and sustainability educators 

• Expanding collaboration with BioBeo, BiOrbic, and engineering departments 

• Gathering feedback from graduates implementing ESD in schools 

Conclusion 

The Bioeconomy Elective 2025 is a powerful example of embedding ESD in teacher education in ways that are meaningful, creative, and transformative. Grounded in culture, craft, care, and collaboration, it prepares future educators not only to teach sustainability but to live and lead it. 

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this elective, students will be able to: explain the bioeconomy and its relevance to climate action and sustainable development in education; action BioBeo themes, BiOrbic pillars, UN SDGs, and curricula; explore key competencies in the Draft Curriculum Framework—Being an active citizen, well, learner, and creative—through hands-on relational experiences; integrate STEM, Wellbeing, Arts, and Social/Environmental Education interdisciplinarily; apply traditional crafting skills (crochet, sewing, knitting) to promote sustainability, creativity, and heritage; collaborate with biosystems engineering students; critically reflect on language, storytelling, and indigenous knowledge; co-create educational resources (puppet show, An Talamh Bhláfar); and engage in nature-based learning, deepening ecological literacy and interconnectedness.

Teaching and Learning Approach

This module employed a Froebelian ecofeminist framework to embed ESD, highlighting interconnectedness, care, creativity, cultural relevance, and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Experiential, interdisciplinary, student-centred teaching enabled deep engagement with the bioeconomy through craft-based learning, nature pedagogy, and storytelling rooted in Irish folklore. Traditional skills—crochet, sewing, knitting, and nature-based paint creation—were nurtured. Relational pedagogy supported students and staff in fostering ecological literacy and creative expression, emphasizing dialogue, reflection, and community-based learning.

Through transdisciplinary collaboration with UCD and BiOrbic—including workshops, co-creation of the puppet show, and the Irish-language song An Talamh Bhláfar—students internalised ESD principles personally and professionally. Final-year student teachers reported confidence using this relational, empathetic approach in their future teaching.

Assessment Strategy

As a non-graded module, the Bioeconomy module adopts an engaged, process-oriented approach to assessment, prioritising collaborative, reflective, and experiential learning over summative evaluation. This fosters a low-stakes, high-impact environment where students explore complex sustainability concepts with creativity and criticality. Assessment focused on co-construction of knowledge, exemplified by the collaborative development of a puppet show integrating indigenous crafts, ecological themes, and cultural storytelling. Students also co-authored the Irish-language bioeconomy-themed song An Talamh Bhláfar and participated in the transdisciplinary ESD workshop ‘Ceardlann Oideachais: BioBeo and BiOrbic Bioeconomy Education Workshop’, co-developed by MU, UCD, and BiOrbic partners. The absence of grading enabled deeper cognitive and emotional engagement, promoting reflection, interdisciplinary thinking, and the dispositions necessary for future educators to teach sustainability meaningfully in primary schools.

Impact and Outcomes

The initiative demonstrated a significant positive impact on participants. Post-module feedback indicated that all participants reported enhanced connectedness with nature, increased well-being, and a heightened awareness of ecosystem interdependence. Participants also demonstrated an improved understanding of the bioeconomy and its relevance to sustainable practices. Creative workshops were particularly valued for facilitating reflective, therapeutic engagement with the natural environment. Quantitative evaluation using a 10-point “harmony with nature” scale revealed a substantial increase in mean scores from 5.08 (pre-session, indoor) to 9.38 (post-session, outdoor), indicating marked gains in environmental connectedness. Overall, these findings suggest the initiative effectively fosters environmentally responsible attitudes and practices, equipping participants to integrate principles of sustainability and the bioeconomy into future educational contexts.

Collaboration, Partnerships & Student Participation

This elective thrived through student engagement and cross-sector partnerships within the BioBeo Horizon Europe project and BiOrbic. A highlight was the BioBeo-BiOrbic Bioeconomy Education Workshop (20 Feb 2025, UCD), where students worked with international experts—including keynote John Bell (European Commission)—through interactive activities such as a bioeconomy board game, comic launch, and VR/AR experiences. Collaboration spanned Maynooth University, UCD, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, and Odisee University. Students joined the BioBeo Blended Intensive Programme and co-created Finding the Curlew, a puppet show using recycled biomaterials. They led content design, reflected critically on ethics and heritage, and demonstrated authentic agency throughout the initiative.

Student Engagement

50 students

Disciplines

• Arts and Humanities
• Education
• Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction

Programmes

Bachelor of Education (Primary) and Professional Master of Education (Primary)

Best Practices & Resources

Top Tips

• Integrate Sensory, Creative, and Nature-Based Activities: Hands-on, calming experiences like sewing with natural materials, plant-based paints, and reading outdoors foster emotional connection, well-being, and deep ecological awareness, which is key for embedding sustainability meaningfully into education.
• Embed a Pedagogy of Love/Relational Pedagogy and Cultural Relevance: Linking nature with language and cultural identity (e.g., Irish-language storytelling) enhances engagement and belonging, especially when grounded in values like care, empathy, and interconnectedness with a shared sense of stewardship in the absence of inking nature with language and cultural identity (e.g., Irish-language storytelling) enhances engagement and belonging, especially when grounded in values like care, empathy, and interconnectedness with a shared sense of stewardship in the absence of e ecoanxiety, which is vital for students and staff.
• Use Reflective Tools to Measure Impact: Pre- and post-activity reflections (e.g., harmony with nature scores) offer valuable insights into emotional and cognitive shifts, supporting evidence-based advocacy for outdoor, values-driven, and research-informed teacher education.

Useful Resources

• Beo’s Bioeconomy Sing-Along – Child-friendly video and guidance notes (English & Irish) introducing bioeconomy concepts through music.
• https://youtu.be/GAuu3bJ3DGI An Talamh Bhláfar – Connecting Communities to the Bioeconomy – A song co-created by MU and UCD that bridges heritage, culture, and sustainability.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6i6wsYFEF4 BioBeo Comic Books – Engaging comics that introduce children and teachers to Beo and the world of the bioeconomy.
• https://www.biobeo.eu/meet-beo/ Note: There are additional resources freely available here to support all ages and abilities. https://www.biobeo.eu/

Funding Details

Froebel Trust Grant , Erasmus – BioBeo Blended Intensive Programme, BioBeo Horizon Europe funding.