UWS BA ePDPs – Page 266 – Personal Development Plans of BA(Hons) students of education

The Environment (Learning log)

Key learning: I have learned what Sustainable Development means, and how it applies to the environment as a whole. I have also learned the definitions of concepts explored in the urban environment, while contemplating my own urban environment. Through this module, I am now more comfortable discussing different environmental issues in the classroom and would […]

Key learning:

I have learned what Sustainable Development means, and how it applies to the environment as a whole. I have also learned the definitions of concepts explored in the urban environment, while contemplating my own urban environment. Through this module, I am now more comfortable discussing different environmental issues in the classroom and would be able to lead several activities relating to various topics.

Impact on my views/lifestyle:

Outside Learning- Through this module so far, I have begun to appreciate outdoor learning more as a means to grasp the attention of the pupils and make learning more enjoyable to young children. The benefits of working outdoors for a topic such as Sustainable Development are numerous. Children can experience animals in their natural habitat and see how they interact with the environment, are able to create links between different parts of the environment such as leaves to a tree or food to an animal and are also able to actively learn while benefiting their health. In the future, I will use this technique to enable the children to take a break from the limitations the classroom enforces. This will ensure that the children will become more engaged in learning and will increase the chances of recall later as they may find it more memorable.

Awareness/knowledge expanded- Before this module started, my knowledge of the environment and sustainable development was limited. Now that I have had a few classes detailing the contents of the course, I now have better understanding of the environment as a whole and have been able to complete tasks related to the topic thanks to the reading given to us beforehand. I now know more about human relationship with nature and the demand for finite resources, which is now greater than the supply. Thanks to this module, I know feel a bit more confident in teaching this topic in a classroom.

Highly enjoyable- I have really enjoyed this module so far, and look forward to more classes. I found that I was more engaged and interested when we were being taught outside, and I would like to initiate this type of learning in a school in the future.

Areas of interest to explore further/develop:

Science aspects of the module- Throughout Primary school I was always curious about science. I was particularly interested in the biology side of science, which I continued to study at Secondary school. I hope this module will allow me to study some science and enhance my knowledge of the subject in relation to the environment.
School learning- I am interested to find out how schools teach this topic to pupils. I would like to know how the pupils of local schools interact with the environment during school times, how they act as a community and how that affects their local environment.

as a community and how that affects their local environment

Learning Log 28/09/2016

Theme: Environment Urban Environment Plants and Living Things Key Learning: Environment In the lecture with Louise, we were asked to define “environment”. We were also asked how we felt about the environment and what we knew about it. From this lecture I learned that the environment surrounds us in our everyday lives and … Continue reading Learning Log 28/09/2016 →

Theme:

Environment
Urban Environment
Plants and Living Things

Key Learning:

Environment

In the lecture with Louise, we were asked to define “environment”. We were also asked how we felt about the environment and what we knew about it. From this lecture I learned that the environment surrounds us in our everyday lives and it can come under the categories of land, buildings, natural spaces, air, water and weather. In terms of sustainability, it has synonymous with nature, including it’s surroundings, community and people. It also enhances human’s relationships with nature.

Following up on the lecture with Louise, we were involved in a workshop which resulted in us going outside and being ‘Nature Detectives’. We were provided with sheets with different aspects of nature on them, such as: bugs, birds, leaves and lichen. With these sheets we went away in groups trying to identify all of these different parts of nature. I must admit that I was shocked to see how many different birds there were flying about or the variety of different leaves that were lying around, considering I am in that environment almost everyday. Also from this workshop I was able to gain information and ideas about what I could do to teach nature to children both inside and outside of the classroom.

Urban Environment

From the lecture, I gathered that our urban environment is constantly growing. Urban populations account for 82% of the UK total. The urban environment can create environmental pressure as cities are responsible for more than 70% of carbon emissions. However, sometimes it can generally have a positive effect on our physical environment. For example, it can help our physical, career and social development. It can also contribute to lifelong care and resources in our area.

During this lecture, we were asked to provide a blog about our own urban environment. On here I will provide pictures, statistics and other important information about my urban environment and what benefits it brings to the area.

Plants and Living Things

In the workshop with Andrew, we focused a lot on Hyrdoponics. This is a method in which plants are grown without the soil, rather they are grown in units with water containing nutrients. The name “Hyrdroponics” comes from ancient Greek where hydros means water and ponos means work. We compared this way of growing plants to the natural way of growing them and identified advantages and disadvantages of both methods. There were two activities in this workshop that focused on Hydroponics. One in which we simply watched a video about plant growth and answered questions on it and one practical activity where we used two bottles with different nutrients in them in order to compare the end result of the plant growth. Again I gathered some ideas, mostly practical about what I could do to teach children about plants and living things, both inside and outside the classroom

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice:

I must admit that due to it being very early in the module, I feel that what we done in both the lecture and the workshops has not made a significant impact on my views/lifestyle/practices of environment. However, so far I have found this module interesting as I was able to learn more about my surrounding environment and I hope that I will be able to further develop my knowledge throughout the rest of the trimester

I feel that a view of mine that has definitely changed is the idea of participating in practical activities outdoors. Previously, I would have thought that going outdoors was a bad idea as I thought that it consisted of getting dirty and wet. However, I realise that teaching children about the environment, outdoors is a more effective and realistic way of allowing them to understand about it as it gives them a feel of what the environment is and what exists within it.

Areas of interest to explore further/develop:

From the themes that we have studied so far I identified that an area that I would like to further develop is Hydroponics. During Andrew’s workshop we looked into Hydroponics, which I briefly discussed previously. Prior to this workshop I had never heard of this before. However, I feel that after just one workshop I had gained quite a bit of knowledge about what Hydroponics are and how they are different from natural plant growth. In order to further explore on this topic, I intend to do some background reading on it as I would like to find out how Hydroponic units work and what sort of variables and nutrients they need in order to grow.

The Environment Learning Log

Key Learning Having completed my blog post on the urban environment, I now understand what makes up my own urban environment such as types of buildings, green spaces, air quality and population density… I have also reflected on how I feel about these different elements in my town and local area. I now have a greater awareness … Continue reading The Environment Learning Log →

Key Learning

Having completed my blog post on the urban environment, I now understand what makes up my own urban environment such as types of buildings, green spaces, air quality and population density…
I have also reflected on how I feel about these different elements in my town and local area. I now have a greater awareness about the pros and cons of my own urban environment. I found learning about the different historical buildings in Kilwinning especially interesting as I did not know much about them prior to this blog.This is important in sustainable development as I believe this awareness of where you live and your own environment make you care more about it. This should inspire you to make greener choices and want to look after where you live.
I am also aware of the importance of urban environments. They make up 82% of where the total UK population lives. Urban environments are helping to support a growing population as the UK population has grown by 18.7% since 1984.
During the workshops I learned about Hydroponics which I had previously never heard of. Hydroponics do not use soil, and is a method of growing healthy plants in places where it would not otherwise be possible. It does not take up much space and requires little water. It is a way of providing food for a growing population while still conserving water. I am also in the middle of an experiment that I started in the workshop that would allow children to learn and engage with hydroponics.
I have also participated in a number of different activities, many of which promoted outdoor learning, in the workshops that I would now feel confident in leading with school pupils.
I understand my responsibility as a future teacher to educate children about the importance of sustainable development and looking after our environment. We are currently using 50% more resources on our planet than Earth can sustain. According to the Scottish government, education is vital in order to progress towards making our society and world a greener place and to change people’s attitudes towards the environment around them. (2012)
I have also learned about the progress Scotland has made in education towards becoming a greener place. Scotland has one of the most successful Eco-schools programme in the world. 98% of local authority schools participated in the programme and 45% who participated were awarded the Green Flag.

Impact On My Views/Practice

During the workshops on 16th September I realised the significance of outdoor learning. While studying “The Environment” theme and completing tasks such as finding out what different trees, birds, insects and lichens there were around the university campus, actually being outdoors really enhanced the experience. While arguably the tasks could have been completed in a classroom I do not believe it would have been as effective. Being outside allows you to use your senses and it makes take notice of your environment and what is actually around you. This awareness of the different plants and animals around you makes you care about it more. I think that taking children outside and actually experiencing their environment is crucial when promoting sustainable development. It will encourage them to make greener choices, be more passionate about the environment and just enjoy being outside.

Areas of Interest to Explore Further/Develop

I realise that I need to continue to develop my confidence in science generally in order to teach it effectively.
I want to learn more about what schools are doing to promote sustainable development in Scotland.

The Environment – Learning Log

B.A. 2 Learning Log Theme: The Environment Key Learning: In this session we looked into our feelings on the environment and what we would describe it as. After discussing our own thoughts we found out how the ‘environment’ is actually … Continue reading →

B.A. 2
Learning Log

Theme: The Environment

Key Learning:
In this session we looked into our feelings on the environment and what we would describe it as. After discussing our own thoughts we found out how the ‘environment’ is actually everything around us; where we live, the countryside, towns, cities and even our own homes. We learned how even the smallest factors can have an effect on the environment in the biggest ways. For example global warming is having great effects on the environment as a whole including the habitats of animals, insects and plants.

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice:

Personally I have never been one to enjoy the outdoors, ever since I was a child I was more of a ‘play inside with my barbies’ kind of girl instead of getting mucky like the other children in my street would. However, I actually enjoyed getting outdoors in the workshops last week. Before the session, I was unaware of how much the conditions of an environment can change what is in it. In the workshop with Louise we searched for certain insects, lychens, leaves and birds, and the types of each of these things we found differed greatly by the area of the campus we looked on. This made me realise how important it is to keep the planet tidy as, if the small insects were unable to live in certain environments, then think of the bigger animals such as deer and rabbits who may be affected by our unenvironmentally friendly habbits.

Areas of interest to explore further/develop:

I hope to further develop my knowledge on the environment and how I personally can help keep the habitats of such animals safe for them to live in. I also hope that when I go into the primary schools I am able to educate the children on some of the things which I have been learning about and make them want to help with the environment around them too.

The Environment Learning Log

In engaging with the workshops, it opened my mind as to the possibilities that outdoor learning brings to a child’s education that indoor learning cannot. The tree identifying activity was the one I found most effective and intriguing as it gets children to directly be around their local environment and really engage with it which will be much more stimulating and interesting for children than learning about it indoors. It was also useful to summarise successes and issues with this activity when doing it with children as well as recreating similar indoor activities based on the same learning. I also found this activity most interesting as it led to several prompt questions that may arise in children that relate to environmental issues such as the impact of the loss of habitat and discovering the reasons behind why certain trees may be found in a particular area. This concern for environmental issues can be followed through with my role as an educator which Kemp (2004) highlights is a necessity as we are increasingly becoming more aware of these issues, evidence being that more individuals and groups are forming to resolve discrete environmental issues.

Moreover, the birds and bugs activity proved to be a more difficult activity, however I realise this was due to lack of enthusiasm for digging around in mud whereas children may be more keen to do this. The lichen activity was also less engaging than the tree activity, but may be an eye-opener to children when discovering the different factors that affect air quality in their local environment that are man-made. However, as a future role model and teacher, and as the Scottish Government (2012) describes, I should aim to become an “active global citizen” in order to inspire children to develop a positive and appreciative attitude towards the environment. In addition, Scottish Government (2012) describes common whole school approaches that support learning for sustainability and ultimately helps towards a more environmentally friendly planet. Such examples include the participation of Scottish schools in eco schools, the green flag award and fairtrade schools.

Furthermore, I have always had good experiences regarding the environment which has led to a deep appreciation and interest for helping to support a greener planet. This stemmed from always having an interest in studying geography and being an active eco community member in high school, therefore I hope to inspire the same enthusiasm and appreciation for the environment in children and guide them towards realising and understanding the importance of creating a sustainable environment for future generations.

Kemp, D. (2004) Exploring Environmental Issues. London: Routledge

Scottish Government (2012) Learning for Sustainability: The Report of the One Planet Schools Working Group. Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

Climate Change: Study Task

Through the reading and work on this module I have become more aware of the factors that our effecting my carbon foot print in my day to day life and […]

Through the reading and work on this module I have become more aware of the factors that our effecting my carbon foot print in my day to day life and what are consequentially affecting global warming when looked at across the world as a whole. From completing the survey my carbon footprint was outlined at being 71% however I was slightly surprised at some of suggestions that the site made to reduce my carbon foot print. It is easy to forget that simple things such as buying more locally produced produce and just less items in general can reduce my footprint as things have become so easily accessible and readily available within our society it is easy to forget how far they have been transported or where they have been imported from and the effect that must be having on the environment. It was also surprising just how much goes into calculating my carbon footprint I hadn’t realised quite how many factors of my life contribute towards calculating it.

It also reminded me that I should be more mindful of throwing food away with the World Wide Fund for Nature stating that “one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted”. However the survey did also remind me of what I am now doing to help the environment our flat has recently begun ensuring that we recycle more by using the recycling bins provided and making trips to places such as bottle banks so that our glass is reused. Therefore one value is definitely in reminding you of the bigger affect every little thing that we can do can have on the environment.

Learning about climate change in school is vital so that children take responsible for the environment and are more aware of the damage we can cause to it from an early age. It also allows linkage to other aspects that will help improve children’s lives such as encouraging them to walk to school or to use more public transport as not only will this lead to them reducing their carbon footprint but in the case of walking or cycling it could lead to them having a more active life style.

I was also intrigued to learn that the government had such long term goals in place to be completed by 2050 to reduce Scotland’s carbon footprint with the government’s legislation stating that by 2050 Scotland’s emissions will be 80% lower than the baseline. It will be interesting to see if by 2020 they are on track with their target of 42% lower as it is going to take some fairly drastic steps to lower Scotland’s emissions so dramatically. The document in general made for quite an interesting read to show more what the government has put in place to deal with climate change although ideally it looks as though some stricter rules and targets would be better for the planet however they would be a lot harder to implement and stick to. 2016-09-27

The Environment Learning Log

The environment itself could be defined according to Kemp, D (2004) as the surrounding area and everything within it, although it is most commonly thought of in terms of nature. […]

The environment itself could be defined according to Kemp, D (2004) as the surrounding area and everything within it, although it is most commonly thought of in terms of nature. Our interest in environment stems from an early age from our want to become aware of and then to start exploring our surroundings. Spatial awareness plays a big part in this. As when a child is first born it depends on taste and touch to engage with its surroundings but as it develops it begin to be able to focus on and see objects with in its environment and then as of about the age of ten months the child is capable of crawling and hence able to begin to explore its environment for itself. The environment itself could be defined according to Kemp, D (2004) as the surrounding area and everything within it, although it is most commonly thought of in terms of nature.

With regards to the environment Scoffham (2010) claims that “Our sense of identity, it seems, derives in some part from the social and physical environment in which we spend our childhood.” This means that our environment plays a part in how we learn to interact with others and how we feel towards certain tasks. In interacting with their environments children gain essential survival skills, life skills and learn to accept the consequences of their actions. This prepares them well for developments in later life however it can now be suggested that current generations of children are not fully engaging with the outside world and although schools cannot hope to take the place of the child’s own self-discovery it is important that we take the steps to encourage a child’s interest in nature and their environment through data collecting activities, field work or even school trips. This in turn allows us to encourage children to be more active learners and discover things in their environment for themselves rather than simply being passive learners.

A lot of my own attitudes towards the environment probably come from growing up in the countryside and having a very large garden meaning that there was always plenty for me to explore and lots of adventure to be had. I have also been left with plenty of positive memories of the outdoors through having a family that is very keen on hill walking and cycling whilst also being a part of the scouts and duke of Edinburgh.

Fridays session allowed me to see interesting examples of how we could encourage pupils to become engaged with the natural environment. Personally I found the tree identification task the most interesting and feel it would be easiest for pupils to undertake as unlike wildlife and birds trees are less likely to wander off or remain to elusive for the pupils to survey. I found the bug survey task to be the least engaging however I can see how pupils might have more luck as they would probably be more willing to dig around the mud for beetles where as we found very few. I also like the example used in the Andrews workshop of giving the class plants to grow. This educates pupils in plants and their needs whilst teaching pupils responsibility and getting them excited and interesting in plants and the environment around them. It also helps move pupils away from being in the bubble wrap generation that Scoffham by letting get involved and become active learners so that they can experience things first hand for themselves and learn not just from the lesson itself but from their mistakes.

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Session 1: 20/9/16

Considering the conditions to which several pieces of artwork was made was a useful eye-opener as I was not previously aware of just how much of an impact teacher intervention can be. One piece of artwork that stood out for me was a Primary 3 pupil’s oil pastel rabbit created on black paper as shown … Continue reading “Session 1: 20/9/16”

The steps to creation are evident as careful sketching of an outline can be clearly seen followed by the layers, tones and highlights which the pupil clearly had a good understanding of. This led me to realise the significance in the role of a teacher in not limiting the choices of material available as I remember constructing a silhouette on black paper in primary school which would not be possible on white paper. The pupil’s artwork benefits from the use of black paper to demonstrate the white highlights where necessary. By not limiting the conditions in which children can work, this provides ample opportunities for expression.

Moreover, this stage was deemed the scribbling stage by Lowenfeld and Brittain (1987) which made me think of how often it is overlooked as nonsensical, nonrepresentational, random marks on a page which I do not agree with just because adults may be unable to decipher a young child’s drawing. Furthermore, I felt this stage was the most significant as although children may not be at a stage where they can fully represent their thoughts and ideas, they are able to symbolise through their own creations a meaningful message that evokes a strong feeling within them, such as what I assume the pupil’s subject matter was evoked from a personal and appreciative feeling that led to the choice of a rabbit.

In regards to music education, although this is not one of my strongest subjects, it was incredibly helpful to see the plethora of opportunities music provides and how easy it can be integrated with subjects such as literacy which I previously would not have thought to combine it with. The session allowed me to critically observe how music combined with other subjects can bring together many skills which can afford every pupil some success even if they are not musically talented.

As Eisner (2002) established in his principles towards an effective arts educator, I should aim to stimulate these same emotions and personal connections to allow children to demonstrate self-expression in their artwork. I think the main issues arise when children are limited to observing from a particular artist or famous painting to be left to create their own reconstruction of it as this takes away from the creative process, children may appreciate and enjoy it less because of such a restriction, they are not free to explore or develop their own artistic skills as following an artist’s particular techniques may be compulsory.

In addition, Fleming (2012) further widened my view on justifying teaching the arts as my own opinions remained within the arts providing a different medium from where children can learn through, as well as it being a thoroughly enjoyable experience to divulge children in. This view was challenged by Fleming (2012) which caused me to question and think deeper as I have come to understand the equal importance of the arts to other more academic subjects. Also, through McAuliffe (2007), the variety of media that can be incorporated within each discrete section in Lowenfeld and Brittain’s (1987) stage theory that is both progressive and scaffolded led me to feel enlightened that the arts provided so many opportunities.

Lastly, my understanding of children’s development throughout the stage theory needs to be deepened as well as how different teaching approaches has impacted children at different stages, especially in less visual arts such as music and drama education, whether teacher intervention has proven successful or not.

References

Eisner, E. (2002) The Arts and the Creation of Mind, In Chapter 4, What the Arts Teach. London: Yale University Press

McAuliffe, D (2007) Foundation and Primary Settings. In Teaching Art and Design 2-11 (Edited by Sue Cox, Robert Watts, Judy Grahame, Steve Herne and Diarmuid McAuliffe) London: Continuum.