learning Log 14th October
Theme: Interdependence Soil Farm Visit Key Learning: Soil: In the morning we had a lecture with Sammi Jones who is an Education & Engagement Officer for ‘Food for Life Scotland. She came to inform us of the work this charity does and to … Continue reading →
Theme:
- Interdependence
- Soil
- Farm Visit
Key Learning:
Soil: In the morning we had a lecture with Sammi Jones who is an Education & Engagement Officer for ‘Food for Life Scotland. She came to inform us of the work this charity does and to teach us all about the life of soil.
The charity itself was formed in 1946 by farmers, scientists and nutritionists who campaigned for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use. The first activity we took part in was a quiz about soil which I done very badly in and so this highlighted my lack of knowledge in the subject. The most surprising thing I learned in the lecture was that healthy soils store more carbon than all the forests in the world and therefore help us to combat climate change. We are currently not helping this situation though as every minute we lose the equivalent of 30 football pitches of fertile soil through erosion which is linked to deforestation and excessive farming.
The charity itself was formed in 1946 by farmers, scientists and nutritionists who campaigned for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use. The first activity we took part in was a quiz about soil which I done very badly in and so this highlighted my lack of knowledge in the subject. The most surprising thing I learned in the lecture was that healthy soils store more carbon than all the forests in the world and therefore help us to combat climate change. We are currently not helping this situation though as every minute we lose the equivalent of 30 football pitches of fertile soil through erosion which is linked to deforestation and excessive farming.
Farm Visit: After lunch we visited a dairy farm in Tarbolton. Here, we were able to see how the beginning stages of some of our food/drinks are made. The one thing which really surprised me about the farm was that not one of the dairy cows had been outside a single day in its life. When you think of a farm you think of cows grazing in a field but here they were all in the one shelter where they spent all of their days. The farmer ensured us that they were all happy, healthy and well looked after though. The technology used in the farm was quite outstanding as there were machines that done everything: feeding, milking and even backscratching! The trip here sowed me how important it is to help children understand where their food comes from.
These are some pictures of the cows on the farm, a newborn calf and a cow being milked by the machine:
Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice:
I was intrigued by the life at the farm. I am still in shock that the cows do not get to roam outside at all in their lives and I actually feel quite sorry for them although we were told they had everything the needed where they were. I hope to become further aware of where my food and drink comes from in the future.
Areas of interest to explore further/develop:
I would like to further my knowledge on the types of technology that is used in farms and such places as I found it quite fascinating seeing it all in action.
Daily Logs Master Copies
daily-logs
Climate Change PDP and Study Task
PDP I recently attended a lecture on climate change which was followed up by two workshops one which focused on the practical activities that could be performed to teach children […]
PDP I recently attended a lecture on climate change which was followed up by two workshops one which focused on the practical activities that could be performed to teach children […]
Learning Log: Disasters
Theme: Disasters Previous to this input, I was already very aware of natural disasters, especially with the recent Hurricane Matthew that devastated parts of Haiti, the Bahamas and Florida being all over the news and social media. What I was less … Continue reading →
Theme: Disasters
Previous to this input, I was already very aware of natural disasters, especially with the recent Hurricane Matthew that devastated parts of Haiti, the Bahamas and Florida being all over the news and social media.
What I was less aware of, however, was the varying responses by different governments, how some countries were more prepared for disasters than others, and how some governments were not as quick to help their citizens as others.
An example of this is the case studies that we looked at during the Political Factors and Economic Impact workshop.
When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010, it was devastating for the small, poor island nation. Much of the response for the people in Haiti came not from their own government, but from the US military and other UN nations who sent relief and aid from all over the world. This in itself had many issues, for example a language barrier between the natives and the aid workers as well as many countries promising financial aid but not fulfilling their promises. I found this awful as I had never thought of the government to not prioritise their people’s safety. I researched further different charitable organisations such as CAFOD who aided in Haiti to find out more about what they did in the aftermath. As well as helping to combat disease and give people food and water, they have also been helping with preparations for future earthquakes, such as training farmers to create natural barriers that can reduce the risk of landslides. I think it is vital for Haiti, as well as other less developed countries, to prepare as much as possible for natural disasters.
Alternatively, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan in March 2011, making it the 5th largest recorded earthquake worldwide since 1900.
Japan had preparations in place for the earthquake, but the shock was the Tsunami. The government had issued a tsunami warning 3 minutes after the earthquake and the Prime Minister had an emergency meeting to do what he could to minimise damage. Most of the relief effort was done by the Japanese government, and they did a lot for their people. Social media also provided a massive help using Twitter for updates.
References
Haiti Earthquake-Your Questions Answered (2013) [Online] Available: http://cafod.org.uk Accessed 3rd November 2016
Interdependence
This session informed me of the inner workings of a dairy farm upon visiting a technologically advanced one which made me more aware of the source of my food as I consume meat on a daily basis. Several controversial issues were brought to light such as: Is it right to conduct artificial insemination to create […]
This session informed me of the inner workings of a dairy farm upon visiting a technologically advanced one which made me more aware of the source of my food as I consume meat on a daily basis. Several controversial issues were brought to light such as: Is it right to conduct artificial insemination to create the best possible breed of cow? Should cows be kept indoors, or should they be exposed to the outdoors? This visit also brought to light issues such as farmers not getting equivalent money for the milk that they produce.
What interested me greatly was the organisation of “passports” which allowed the farmers to see records such as family history and how often the cows chose to get milked. This then provided useful information when considering which bull to match with which cow through artificial insemination which I was not previously aware that this system was used in farms. Additionally, when we first arrived and saw all the cows being kept indoors, it did bother me as I believe cows just like all animals should be free to live in their natural environment which for cows would be outdoors, however, I soon realised that the cows were content being indoors through the silence and that they were getting all their needs and being treated extremely well which caters for animal welfare.
Next, we attended a workshop where Sammi Jones, an Education and Engagement Officer, from Soil Association Scotland gave a presentation about Food for Life, soils and Future Farming.
I was thoroughly engaged in this presentation as geography had always been an interest of mine throughout high school, but what really interested me is just how much of our food comes from the soil as “one-quarter of the world’s biodiversity is found in the soil which supports most of the food chains on our planet”. (Sammi Jones, 2016). Furthermore, this linked to issues raised in the lecture whereby overfishing causes specific species to adapt to this sudden change or find other food which impacts the balance of food chains. There will be more competition from species as larger species may eat all the food that smaller species rely on which leads to those species dying out. This issue is significant as the balance of life in the ocean impacts on all life and results in “healthy people, food security, regional stability and a flourishing ‘blue economy’”. (WWF, 2016).
A useful experiment that was brought up by Sammi Jones that could be conducted in the classroom was investigating the effect covered soil has vs no cover to demonstrate the importance of having vegetation on soil. Children can investigate the impact of three different kinds of cover on soil Sammi Jones introduced several effects, one of which included heavy machinery and over-grazing has on soil that is not covered as soil requires nutrients, water and air which is all clogged up as there is no space for plant roots to find these nutrients and grow. Having learned about this, it is important that I continue to expand my knowledge on environmental issues that affect all life caused by human activities and solutions for these issues and other impacts that affect soil and solutions for these in order to correctly educate children and make them aware of concepts such as erosion, contamination, sealing and compacting which were the main issues affecting soil that Sammi Jones brought up.
References
WWF (2016) Oceans [Online] Available: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/our_global_goals/oceans/ [Accessed: 20/10/16]
Sammi Jones (2016) Soil Association Scotland [Module Resource] Available: Sustainable Development module on Moodle. [Accessed 20/10/16].
Sustainable development learning log 2: Climate change
Theme: Climate Change Key Learning: I learned the difference between climate and temperature, climate is over a long period of time for example 30 years where is temperature is just now. I also became quite interested in the effects that … Continue reading →
Theme: Climate Change
Key Learning:
I learned the difference between climate and temperature, climate is over a long period of time for example 30 years where is temperature is just now. I also became quite interested in the effects that climate change has as this is not something I have ever thought of before. The effects that we have on the environment by just doing things we do in our day to day life is quite surprising. After completing my carbon footprint test online I was quite shocked with my results. I had quite a high carbon footprint, I was surprised at some of the simple steps you can take to reduce this and will defiantly be doing some of these things in future to reduce my carbon footprint. I was also shocked at some of the things that can increase your carbon footprint for example buying clothes and footwear I did not think this would have an effect on this. When I saw there was a workshop on politics and sustainability I was quite confused as I did not know what that had to do with sustainable development but after Louise’s input it became clear to me. It became clear that they can introduce acts that can help the environment and climate change for example the climate change act 2009. This has helped with recycling by the new law having to pay a fee for carrier bags this is encouraging people to recycle their career bags. I particularly enjoyed Andrews Workshop as this was doing experiments making clouds for example this gave me good ideas for what I can do when I am teaching a class on science and also how to link it into a topic about climate. I feel children would really enjoying doing this.
Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice:
I am defiantly going to take more steps to reduce my carbon footprint especially after seeing how simple these steps are. I am also going to read more into this as I was really shocked at how little I actually knew about this and the effect it is having on us.
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Climate Change and My Carbon Footprint
After the lecture and workshops last week and reading the government’s Climate Change (Scotland) Act, I realised how much our actions in life affect the environment and the changes our planet is going through. Reading through the Act has made it a lot … Continue reading →
After the lecture and workshops last week and reading the government’s Climate Change (Scotland) Act, I realised how much our actions in life affect the environment and the changes our planet is going through. Reading through the Act has made it a lot clearer to me how much really needs to be done if we can achieve the 2050 target of ‘the net Scottish emissions account for the year 2050 to be at least 80% lower than the baseline.’ I work in retail and have seen a huge difference in the way in which people use carrier bags. The charge of 5p per bag was a great idea as it stops people taking extra unneeded bags and entices them to reuse and recycle their own ones.
My results of the WWF carbon footprint calculator was 188%
How your footprint is measured and tips on how you can make improvements to reach the targets.
- Food19%
- Home28%
- Travel43%
- Stuff10%
- Tip Buy more seasonal food.
- Tip Check your house for insulation and double glazing.
- Tip Take up cycling, carpool, or walk to work.
- Tip Recycle and buy second hand.
+ 3.06 Tonnes government expenditure”
I found my result incredibly surprising as I really did not think that my daily actions were so bad for the environment. Most importantly the travel part of my breakdown was quite shocking. I do tend to use my car a lot but after seeing this breakdown i will definitely be changing my habits and will try to walk to places which are not too far away instead of jumping in the car out of easiness. I also think my family would like to see the ‘home’ section as we could all make changes in this area, one big one i think would really benefit us and the environment is getting solar pannels fitted in order to save energy. The tips from the website will all be considered and I will definitely be showing this website to more people as for me it was amazingly eye-opening and I feel that it would be for others too.
IA Session 2: 27/9/16
This session further clarified the impacts that teacher’s choices have on the opportunities available to children as I learned through using organic forms in the art session. It also fuelled my imagination when we were instructed to enhance our handprints which we dipped in ink, I realised I am not as creative and imaginative as … Continue reading “IA Session 2: 27/9/16”
This session further clarified the impacts that teacher’s choices have on the opportunities available to children as I learned through using organic forms in the art session. It also fuelled my imagination when we were instructed to enhance our handprints which we dipped in ink, I realised I am not as creative and imaginative as I used to be when I was younger but also knew that children would be able to create much more wild ideas than what I came up with, shown below:
It was useful to be able to see other people’s creations as often a different perspective can be seen which may influence you to have more ideas, this is definitely an activity that I can see myself recreating in the classroom as it is a great stimulant for activating children’s imagination. Additionally, I have always had an interest for art, more so than the other forms of integrated arts, I remember always volunteering to help with decorations for school shows or wall displays. As an art educator, I hope to inspire the same enjoyment that art can bring and help children to realise it is more than just observing or copying from a famous artist but rather focus and develop the child’s artistic skill while letting them paint their own creative path.
With regards to the dance session, my prior dance experiences have been limited as I only remember participating in Zumba in physical education in high school as I never took dance lessons out with school.
I have summarised my initial feelings prior to the session below:
During this session, I participated in some activities that were outside of my comfort zone such as a variety of “Follow the leader” games whereby individuals would take turns leading the class as they all copied your dance move. We also did a useful introductory game which included striking a pose in the middle of everyone sat in a circle and saying your name. On one hand, I did not enjoy these activities as I am quite an introverted person and this brought me out of my comfort zone. On the other hand, I understand that more confident children would thoroughly enjoy these activities and it would provide a good stepping stone for less confident children as example moves could also be provided by the teacher or encouragement could be given from classmates. Cone (2011) made me question the activities in this session a lot as she raises concerns of too much teacher intervention in suggesting movements, however, this activity was mostly student led which I think is more effective and more fun for the students which I intend to recreate.
I also understand that many children may have a similar response to dance than I have and that some children may be even shyer and require more encouragement than I do. Therefore, I aim to make the most of these sessions and continue participating in activities that I am not entirely comfortable with in order to put myself in a potential shy child’s shoes. To counteract this, children could work in mixed groups so that more able and more confident children are put together with shy children as peers can provide moral support for each other. To further incorporate a cross-curricular approach to dance, Cone (2011) suggests expressing identity through dance which in the session, we assimilated the Scottish identity by recreating points of cultural significance such as the Scotland flag and Loch Ness. I think this is a great way to get all children to be able to relate more to dance and realise it is not all about learning steps or routines.
My whole perspective and anxieties on being a dance educator were turned around by the end of this session as through the activities I participated in, I realised as long as I had a firm grasp on the 10 basic steps that every dance educator should know, my exaggerated fears and anxieties were unnecessary.
References
Theresa Purcell Cone (2009) Following Their Lead: Supporting Children’s Ideas for Creating Dances, Journal of Dance Education [Abstract, Online] Available: http://dx.doi.org/10/1080/15290824.2009.10387390 [Accessed: 10/10/16].
