Sustainable Development – Page 13

Sustainable Development – The Environment

Over the past 2 sessions in our Sustainable Development lectures and workshops, we have been learning about the environment. In the first week we looked at the natural environment and in the second we looked at urban environments. I have found this theme very interesting as it has allowed me to consider my surroundings in … Continue reading Sustainable Development – The Environment

Sustainable Development- Learning Log

This was our second week in the sustainable development module. We had a lecture outlining what this module involved and a short assessment briefing. We also discussed our natural and urban areas and how these areas can have an impact on our physical environment. It was a very informative and interesting lecture as it allowed me to learn the difference between both urban and natural areas as well as how the environment fits into the curriculum for excellence. It highlighted the learning outcomes for social sciences that we as educators will be using when we are out on placement, which was crucial information for us to consider and think of different activities we could do that would fit with these outcomes.

We also had two seminars to take part in. The first seminar involved us taking part in various activities outdoors. In a small group I participated in a sensory walk. It shocked me how our senses could see, smell and hear so many different things in our environment when you focus on it. There is a lot of green space around the university and through this walk we discovered areas that we had never seen before. We noticed various plants and wildlife on our walk which intertwined with the other activities we were to complete. Through doing this seminar, it gave me ideas on activities i could do with the children and how the outdoors is a very valuable and fun resource you could use with the children.

The second seminar of the day involved numerous work stations with tasks for us to complete. The one that stood out to me was when we had to go outdoors and take rubbings from tree bark and some leaves. This was not only a fun activity for us ourselves to take part in but it would be a very effective activity to try with the children on placement. It was interesting to see the various types of leaves and how you can see the differences even more so when you rub over it with a crayon. Another one of the activities we got to do was dissecting a flower and seeing the various parts that make up a flower. This was an interesting and more advanced activity, i feel like an activity like this would work better with the upper end of the school. Finally, we got to hold and feel snails. When i first saw the snails i was a bit apprehensive to actually holding one but once i did it was very fun and interesting to see how they move about and how they consume food. I thoroughly enjoyed this workshop as it wasn’t just an enjoyable experience but it also gave us ideas on how to apply this knowledge to the classroom.

We also had a directed study task to complete, the task was to create a blog post on our own urban environment (which can be read from my previous post). We were encouraged to look deeper into our environment and focus on essential areas that make up our environment. It was exciting and surprising to see how parts of my urban area can have an impact on the physical environment. Additionally, we also looked at ways we could develop a lesson on the environment with a Primary 5 class.

Through participating in the lecture and workshops i feel like i managed to develop a range of skills such as : observing, evaluating, analysing, listening and researching.

The environment, in my opinion, relates hugely to primary teaching. Prior to learning and researching more about the environment i never really had a huge opinion on it and the importance of teaching it to the younger generation. However, now i can see how crucial it is to develop the younger generation’s knowledge of how the areas in where they live can have both positive and negative effects on the physical environment. The Curriculum for Excellence highlights the importance of this through the Social Sciences learning and outcomes. Topics like the environment is an area that can also be interlinked with other areas of the curriculum such as literacy and mathematics, to make their learning more interesting, diverse and fun.

Like i mentioned above, beginning to to take part in this module has changed my thinking on areas such as the environment. Prior to this input, i never really had much opinion on the environment, i was never very interested in what happened in my area and the impacts that it can have on the environment. I always knew it was an area of the curriculum that i had to teach but i never had a particular interest or enjoyment for researching and looking more into it for me to teach to the children. However, now that i have taken part in the workshops, in particular, has changed my opinion in a very positive way. I am now very interested in how the area that i stay in can have a positive and negative impact on the environment. I also feel a lot more confident in teaching a topic like this in a school from the various activity ideas we were given throughout the workshops. I now realise the importance of teaching social sciences to the younger generation and how getting the children involved will make for a more positive and enjoyable learning experience. After all, children are the future.

Sustainable Development: Environment Learning Log

Last week’s input and this weeks directed study task had a focus on the Environment, both natural and urban. It’s crucial to note that while we covered both aspects, the inter-related nature of the two was also impressed on us … Continue reading →

Urban Environment

My urban environment is a small town called Saltcoats, located in North Ayrshire. The population of Saltcoats is approximately 12,000 with many of the houses being new builds because of […]

My urban environment is a small town called Saltcoats, located in North Ayrshire. The population of Saltcoats is approximately 12,000 with many of the houses being new builds because of the development of farmland. These new builds along with the older housing estates largely take the form of cul-de-sacs comprising of detached and semi-detached houses. The town centre is currently undergoing a regeneration project to attract more people to the area but at the moment – in the centre of the town – lies banks, pubs, bakeries and small shops. It also hosts a cinema, police station and gym. Public transport in Saltcoats takes the form of a train station and buses. Although the bus routes run through the town they were created before the expansion of the town so, for me, the nearest bus stop is a 10-minute walk from my house.

Saltcoats boasts a great deal of green space which takes the form of playing grounds and fields. The air quality as of the 21^st of September was ranked at 2, which is very low on the spectrum. There are five primary schools in Saltcoats, three of which are less than a five-minute walk from my house. There are also two secondary schools – one nondenominational and one catholic.

North Ayrshire has 51 data zones in the most deprived 0-15% in Scotland (North Ayrshire Council, 2016). My specific area is ranked as a 3 on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, meaning it is in the middle between the most deprived (1) and least deprived (5). It is clear from these statistics that my area suffers from high levels of deprivation which is why it is currently undergoing a regeneration project – as mentioned previously. The regeneration process focuses on three areas: town centre, waterfront and business quarter (Irvine Bay,2017).

Part of Saltcoats town regeneration project.

If I were to investigate urban environment with a Primary 5 class I would begin by considering the history of their urban environment (SOC 2-01a). This would help them have a deeper understanding of the area in which they live and allow them to compare what it was like in previous years compared to how they know it. I would also discuss pollution emitted by transport (SOC 2-09a) to encourage positive health and wellbeing through walk or cycling to school. This would link in well if the school were participating in a walk to school week.

Reference List

Air Quality in Scotland (2017). Latest Pollution Map. [Online]. Accessible: www.scottishairquality.co.uk [Accessed: 21 September 2017].

Irvine Bay Projects (2017). Countess Street, Saltcoats. [Online]. Accessible: http://www.irvinebay.co.uk/projects/countess-street-saltcoats/ [Accessed 21 September].

North Ayrshire Council (2016). Key Facts and Figures. [Online]. Accessible: https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/council/council-information/key-facts-and-figures.aspx [Accessed 21 September].

Scottish Government (2017). Curriculum for Excellence: Social Studies. [Online]. Accessible: https://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/social-studies-eo.pdf [Accessed:21 September 2017].

Sustainable Development- Urban Environments

I have lived in the residential area Burnside, which is situated in the town of Rutherglen since I was a young child. The estate I live in I would describe as quiet, leafy and very green due to the volume and range of trees and woodland area which surround the area. There is limited traffic … Continue reading Sustainable Development- Urban Environments

There is limited traffic around the estate as vehicle access is allowed for residents only, this implies that streets within the estate there is slight noise pollution created from traffic. The houses within the estate are all terraced with front and back gardens, with no driveways resulting in residents parking on street. However due to more resident having cars nowadays (as the estate was built in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s) this has provoked problems finding parking spaces and resulting in the local council using green space in the estate to provide more parking. Likewise, the estate has a burn (a small stream) which leads into a small pond at the end of the estate, there is a peaceful walk way that runs parallel to the burn. However, in the past the burn has caused flooding problems, resulting in some resident homes being flooded, as a consequence the local council has employed flood management systems to prevent homes flooding. Also within the estate there is assisted housing for the elderly and a small community hall that can be used for events and is also where the local councillor and MSP hold their monthly sittings. There is a bus stop outside the estate on a main dual-carriage way that provide services to Glasgow city centre and East Kilbride. The nearest train station is a 10 minute- walk and runs to Glasgow Central and Newton. Likewise, the M77 is close by too.

The area of Burnside is in walking distance to many amenities such as the Primary Health Centre, dentists, large supermarkets, two hotels and other necessary services, this is highlighted within the EEA document on urban environments which states towns and cities provide citizen with short travelling times to work, school, hospitals and other services due population density. Â Rutherglen Main street is a 10-minute walk from Burnside, the Main Street has a shopping centre that has a couple of supermarkets, home stores and pharmacies. There are no high street fashion stores in Rutherglen, the nearest shopping area is Glasgow which is 20 minutes by train, bus or car. Also on Main street there is a library, one Roman Catholic church, two Christian churches, restaurants, a couple of pubs and the town hall that has a café, a registers office and entertainment shows are performed throughout the year. Also within the area of Burnside there is a park with a children’s Play area and other grassed areas. The area likewise offers clubs for young and old, there are many Scouting, Guide and Boys/ Girl Brigade groups, dance groups, music groups and two gyms/ leisure centres within the proximity. There are several primary schools and three secondary schools. The nearest hospital is the Victoria Infirmary which has a minor injury unit, out-of- hours and outpatient services, the closest hospital that has accident and emergency would be the Queen Elizabeth University hospital in Govan, which is a 25-minute journey by car.

Using the Air Quality Scotland website, I was able to determine the pollution in my local which is 1 meaning it is low for Nitrogen Dioxide and other particulate matter, however nitric oxide was unrecorded.

In addition to surveying my local area I watched a insightful TED talk by Alessandra Orofino, are principle argument was about how technology should be used in urban environments to increase citizen participation in local and national decision making, as a response to declining in election voting throughout the world. I consider this is an innovative idea as the world is constantly modernising and technology is evolving too, this would be more geared at todays generation and I think voter participation would increase as a consequence.

Teaching children in regards to urban environment is essential as it allows children to explore their local environment (if they live in urban area) or not to compare to where they live (if rural). This gives children the opportunity to evaluate their surroundings, environment, culture and amenities. Within the curriculum for Excellence framework urban environment outcomes and experiences feature heavily.

A lesson idea on urban environment for a Primary 5 class would be looking at traffic in the local area. I would organise to take the class to different streets that vary in traffic (for instance a main street, a one-way street, a main road and no through traffic street) within the proximity of the school. I would provide the children with clipboards and worksheets of the different types (split into categories of car, bus, van, bike), they would use tally markers, to mark the vehicles as it past. Back in the classroom children would use the data they collected and display in graphs to compare the different areas, also writing what could be done in order to reduce traffic. Links to CFE SOC 2-08a and SOC 2-09a.

I have found this week’s sustainable development resources to be rather interesting, which has allowed me to reflect on my local area, but also discover new information in regard to its urban environment.

Urban Environment

Since i was a child, i grew up in a small town called Erskine. Erskine is a town in the council area of Renfrewshire. The town lies on the southern bank of the River Clyde and connects the town to Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire. It is known for being a commuter town and it borders Bishopton to the north and Renfrew, Inchinnan, Paisley and Glasgow Airport to the south. Throughout the years, the town has expanded and developed. The population increased to over 15,000 and in 2014 it was rated one of the most attractive postcode areas to live in Scotland.

This task required me to go out and really focus on my urban environment. I was surprised to see how much there was in my environment when i really focused on it. I looked at the aspects of community spaces, transport, physical characteristics, recreation spaces as well as industry and work.

Even though Erskine is a small town, there are many community spaces. We have 4 primary schools in the area, one of them being a catholic primary school and we have 1 high school. We also have two community centres. There is Erskine Community Sports Centre which is a larger allotment and we also have Bargarran Community Centre. As a child, i spent the majority of my childhood in these centres. Erskine Community Sports Centre has a range of sport activities, play groups, extra-curricular clubs, a gym and a hall to hold parties. Me and my friends used to spend a lot of time here playing badminton, basketball, football and many other sport activies. Bargarran Community Centre holds many clubs for children to get involved in. I spent a lot of my time here for my dance and drama club that i was part of for 5 years. There is also many functions for the older generation such as bingo, tea and coffee events. There is also a small doctors office in this centre as well as a music room for any inspiring artists. On reflection, I never fully appreciated the use of these centres until i looked back at how much of my childhood was spent there and the fond memories i have at these places. As well as these centres we also have a community library which is located next to the community swimming pool. The library was used very much throughout my younger years as in school we often took trips down to the local library to explore the range of books on offer. The swimming centre was also a place where i spent a lot of my childhood. I would go every Friday night for ‘fun night’ with all my friends from school and it was a great way of making new friendships and it was a good form of exercise. Aswell as going in my free time, in Primary 6 we went every Tuesday to develop and enhance our swimming abilities.

In Erskine, there isn’t a lot of transport facilities. We have various bus stops located around Erskine, where the bus service Mcgills is used through the town. There is a range of buses to take us to various locations such as Glasgow, Paisley, Clydebank etc. The bus service in Erskine is effective nine times out of ten, although they do often run late and have a tendency to drive past a bus stop without stopping. We do not have a train station in Erskine, there is one nearby in Bishopton but its difficult to get to unless you drive. We have a taxi service that runs through Erskine and that is normally reliable unless you phone in a busy period. Apart from the services i mentioned there isn’t really any other transport services. The roads are planned out very well for if your a driver and it is easy to get to most of the areas in Erskine.

When it comes to the physical characteristics of my town, most of the houses in my area are semi-detached, they are quite run down houses as they were built around the 1960s. A lot of the houses in my street are getting done up to make them more modern and efficient. However, there are many areas of Erskine that have been recently built and so are more up market, nicer, better built and bigger. Around my area there is a lot of green space than what I originally thought. We have a big green field where i often go and walk my dog, we have a beach with a lot of green space around it and woodland walks to go on. There is numerous swing parks with grass all around where you can play ball games or even just games like hide n seek or even tig with your friends. The road conditions in Erskine are alright, they are often getting fixed and updated due to there being more cars on the road and bus routes being made.

The industry and work field in Erskine is quite good, there are numerous retail jobs as we have a Morrisons nearby with many job opportunities, play centres for children such as pandamonium, cafes, food shops and many others. We have an industrial estate nearby where there are various factories and offices. We have a community farm where that is an agricultural place for children to visit and see some of the animals, as well as volunteering opportunities.

From completing this task, it has opened my eyes to how important our urban environment is to the making of a community and how we as educators need to allow children the opportunity to experience and learn about their urban and natural areas and how they impact upon our physical environment. It is crucial that children are given the chance to learn about what their urban and natural environment and there is various ideas that us as educators could use to allow the children this opportunity. The Curriculum for Excellence (Scottish Government, 2004) can be used as a resource in order for a lesson plan to be devised. Teachers could take the children on a walk through either their urban or natural environment to allow the children to see the different community spaces that their area have (SOC 2-10a). When they return to the classroom they could create a poster or even a picture book of the different places to live, work and relax in their area. They could also even do a follow up lesson where they could take a trip to the local farm to see how they have an impact on the environment. If its an activity for the natural environment, a good idea would be to take the children through an area with a lot of green space and they could take rubbings from tree bark or even leaves that they have seen.

Therefore, it is important that we as educators take our knowledge of our environment and allow the children that we teach, the opportunity to gain the same knowledge of the environment that they live in and the elements that create an urban area.

References:

Scottish Government. (2004) Curriculum for Excellence [Online] Available: https://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/social-studies-eo.pdf [Accessed: 22nd September 2017].

Renfrewshire Leisure. (n.d.) Erskine Community Sports Centre [Online] Available: http://www.renfrewshireleisure.com/erskine-community-sports-centre/ [Accessed: 22nd Spetember 2017]

Erskine. (n.d.) Erskine [Online] Available:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erskine [Accessed: 22nd September 2017]

Sustainable Development: My Urban Environment

Until the age of 8 I lived in the outskirts of Dumfries, and since then I have lived in a small, rural town in North Lanarkshire. Shotts is a relatively small-town half way between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Many years ago, … Continue reading →

Interdependence

Interdependence Key learning I learned how interdependence relate to sustainability, the importance of soil and many interesting facts e.g. It can take 1000 years to form 1cm of topsoil. Impact on view I hadn’t considered the importance of soil and … Continue reading →

Interdependence

Key learning

I learned how interdependence relate to sustainability, the importance of soil and many interesting facts e.g. It can take 1000 years to form 1cm of topsoil.

Impact on view

I hadn’t considered the importance of soil and food chains and now have a better appreciation for them.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity Key learning Biodiversity is important as it can result in medical discoveries, can absorb carbon and clean water. Some threats are pollution, habitat loss and climate change. Impact on view/ lifestyle I was able to consider ‘growing food’ and … Continue reading →

Biodiversity

Key learning

Biodiversity is important as it can result in medical discoveries, can absorb carbon and clean water. Some threats are pollution, habitat loss and climate change.

Impact on view/ lifestyle

I was able to consider ‘growing food’ and the different implications caused from where food has came from. This has allowed me to believe that it is best to buy food that is fair trade or from our country.

I will look into medical discoveries made through biodiversity as this is an area that interests me