Month: December 2018

Sustainable Development Community Project Blog

 

For the community project, myself and three of my classmates helped in the community garden outside the university building.  The garden itself is quite small, so there was not a lot that we could do. The weather was wet and windy meaning it was harder to complete some of the tasks to a high standard. We fixed benches, swept and raked leaves, dug up plant pots and tidied the ‘bug hotel’.

While helping in the garden, I was surprised at how much time and effort goes into gardening. A lot of the jobs are hard work and take patience and determination to finish. There were some challenging aspects of the project too. As it was very windy, and the weather was not ideal, raking the leaves proved difficult. While trying to keep a pile of leaves in the one place before putting them into bin bags, the wind was very problematic, and it was challenging to keep everything tidy while doing the work. However, I did find it enjoyable. Working with my friends while doing the community project was entertaining and kept the experience lively even during the unpleasant weather. It was also enjoyable, as it was something that I would not usually do so it was interesting to do a task out of my comfort zone and have fun while doing so.

The role of the community is very important, especially when it comes it public spaces. It is always pleasing to see well kept areas of communities and it is evident that the community come together to make their own place a better area. While in the garden, it was rewarding to be part of the university community and know that while working, the area we were in would be getting the attention it deserved and we were helping by making some changes and tidying up the garden. For passers-by, the appearance of the garden might be important to them and by making it look more presentable, there will be a sense of community spirit and togetherness to make the area better. While doing this community project, I found myself using skills that this module has helped me develop. Communication is key, and I feel like this skill was used well between myself and my class mates while gardening. Teamwork is essential in tasks like this and the project was very successful as we work very well together, and this made sure that our job was completed at a high standard. It was important to be determined during this task as the day was not as nice as we had hoped it to be and the activities we were doing were tough and hard work, so we had to be patient and determined to finish our volunteering to an acceptable level. There was also a sense of accomplishment when we were finished, we felt as though we had given something back to the community and worked well together to deliver a good standard of work. We all assigned ourselves our own tasks, for example two people raked and tidied away leaves, branches and anything that could be fixed and the other two focused on digging up and tidying 4 large plant pots. This gave us all our own authority and meant we oversaw something each. It was important to make sure all our own tasks were completed before we carried on with anything else.

All these skills are important for teaching and education. Using these in the classroom can help you to become a successful teacher and a good role model for the children you are teaching. Communication with both the pupils and other staff within the school is fundamental, as without communication, it would be very difficult to become successful without it. Team work is also linked to this, as it is professionals and children working together to make sure both the learning and teaching is suitable and beneficial for the pupils while they are working and learning. Furthermore, determination and drive are essential for teaching, as it is very important to never give up on a child if they struggle with the work load. Be determined to drive for the best results possible for a child and make sure they can strive for their potential and they can flourish in their learning.

There are many connections between this experience and the rest of the Sustainable Development module. This community project links in well with the environment theme. It is very important to be aware of our surroundings and know how to make a change for our own benefit. It links in also with interdependence and it is interesting to know that many people depend on gardening to make a living or it is there full-time job. While making connections to other areas of the modules, it is necessary to remember that outdoor learning is essential for children while in education. It deepens their knowledge of their own environment and can make them more creative and interested with their own learning.

  

Sustainable Development Serial Day Task

1. Within the school grounds, there is a lot of engagement with sustainable education. In classes and in the school hall there are food and paper recycling bins which are frequently used by everyone in the school. There are also normal general waste bins used in the playground. In the primary 7 class, there are litter and recycling wardens, who go around the school and playground to pick up any litter and empty the paper recycling bins. For the wildlife in the area, the school have bird boxes and bug hotels which are located all around the playground.
2. There is good play space for children. They have play equipment which is big enough for the whole school. These include climbing frames, climbing walls and obstacles to climb. There are grassy areas for children to go to and large open spaces. The school also have a small football and basketball pitch for the pupils to use.
3. After a discussion with a few children, I found that the pupils enjoy being involved with recycling and litter picking. They want to make a difference. They also enjoy having different places to play and go to at break and lunch times.
4. Mapping of school grounds: