BA15-16 – Page 12 – UWS BA ePDPs

Learning Log 1: The Environment

Theme: THE ENVIRONMENT Key Learning: I learnt about both the natural and urban environment. The natural environment is made up of the elements which surround you, for example: the land, the people and the community. It is important to teach … Continue reading →

Theme: THE ENVIRONMENT

Key Learning:

I learnt about both the natural and urban environment. The natural environment is made up of the elements which surround you, for example: the land, the people and the community. It is important to teach sustainable development and the environment topic. If pupils can form a relationship with nature, and become interested in it, then they are more likely to care and look after it.

The urban environment refers to a built-up area such as a town or city. Urban areas tend to be packed full of buildings, roads, factories and transport.
Cities are responsible for a large amount of carbon emissions, whether this is from deforestation or burning of fossil fuels. There are a finite amount of fossil fuels and the demand for these is much greater than the supply.
As there is an increasing growth of the human population the urban areas must grow to suit. This can lead to cutting down forests, to make more space for buildings, which results in the loss of animal habitats and then eventually the loss of different species.
Our urban area is able to support human growth, allow us to physically develop through health care, allow us to socially develop through clubs and communities and provide us with education. It also provides lifelong care such as nursing homes and provides resources for life. Our urban area allows us to interact with nature and shows the diversity of different species.

I also learnt about the different parts of a flower as well as the process of germination and photosynthesis. I also learnt that hydroponics is the process of growing a plant without soil.

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice:

During the input on the environment we were able to go out onto the grounds surrounding the university and complete different tasks relating to the topic. We were given sheets with different types of plants, birds, insects and lichen and we were to go out a walk and try and identify them. This made me realise how little attention I pay when walking from the car park into the university as there were all these different species of living things that I had never really noticed before. It was good to get involved in the task.

I was able to look further into my own urban environment and it was interesting to see how many details you don’t really think about on a day to day basis. For instance I never really thought about the carbon emissions and how driving in my car every day is in some way adding onto this. It makes you think what a difference it would make if we were able to use different modes of transport, like the trams in Edinburgh, or try cycling to work and university instead of taking the car.

In the science lab we set up an experiment to compare the difference between two seedlings. One was set up with the complete solution and the other was without nitrogen. Over the course of the week we have been checking up on the seedlings and comparing the length and appearance of the two.

Areas of interest to explore further/develop:

I’m looking forward to becoming more confident about teaching science and sustainable development. To further develop my knowledge on the environment topic so far I am going to engage in some further reading as well as doing some more research online.

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.

Hello world!

Welcome to blogs.glowscotland.org.uk – Glow Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Hello world!

Welcome to blogs.glowscotland.org.uk – Glow Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

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.

Learning Log- The Environment

Theme: The Environment Key Learning: After this week I now have a more in depth knowledge on what sustainability is and understand why we need to educate and show children just how important it is. Although the overuse of resources … Continue reading →

Theme: The Environment

Key Learning:

After this week I now have a more in depth knowledge on what sustainability is and understand why we need to educate and show children just how important it is. Although the overuse of resources has improved living standards in many countries, it is also damaging our living systems. We need to find a way where people can live a good quality life without damaging the quality of life of future generations. (Scottish Government, 2012) This really made me think about how our actions today can impact peoples quality of life years from now.

Learning about the environment, has made me see how big a topic this is and how many different issues it covers. Before when I thought about the environment I immediately associated it with nature and recycling. I now understand that it is so much more than this and focuses not just on our surroundings but also the community, people and human’s relationships with nature.

Studying the urban environment highlighted to me how harmful these large cities can be. They not only account for 70% of carbon emissons but also keep buliding on more and more of our natural landscape. However whilst reading the EEA Extract on Urban Environment I realised that although urban environments cause a lot of damage they also have many benefits. Cities are the centre of Europes economy and where the majority of our wealth comes from. Also the ‘proximity of people, businesses and services provides opportunities to build a more resource- efficient Europe.’

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice:

I enjoyed the outdoor activities we completed during one of our workshops as it is not something I would normally do. It made you look up and examine the world around you and see things that you would normally miss. After this week I now see the benefits of children learning about the environment. I think it would be beneficial to children as it would allow them to explore their local environment and develop natural curiosity about places. Aswell as helping them to build positive attitudes and a global perspective. This topic is now an area that I would want to teach whilst out at schools as I think its very interesting and has so many possibilities of different activities and ways to teach it.

The Environment – Sustainable Development

Reflective log The environment I recently studied both on campus with the two workshops and the study task I completed recently. The first workshop I attended included searching the […]