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Learning Log 2- Climate Change

Climate Change is an extremely important subject, one that needs to be highlighted more often as it can have a serious impact on the world we live in. If I am being honest prior to this module I didn’t have much of an interest in learning about topics like climate change. I would often hear … Continue reading “Learning Log 2- Climate Change”

Climate Change is an extremely important subject, one that needs to be highlighted more often as it can have a serious impact on the world we live in. If I am being honest prior to this module I didn’t have much of an interest in learning about topics like climate change. I would often hear stories in the news about what it is and what is happening around the world due to it but I never really looked much deeper into it.

In the world the climate is constantly changing and with that means we are bound to experience the effects of climate change. These can vary from agriculture, sea levels rising which can inhibit floods, loss of sea ice and more intense heat waves. These effects not only have an impact on the environment but on people’s lives. This year alone there has been two main hurricanes: Harvey and Imra, that have been the effect of climate change. Scientists suggest that “rising sea levels and warmer oceans, made those storms far more destructive than they would have been in previous decades” (Cable News Network). Hurricanes like these have a tremendous affect on the residents of the area who are left homeless, injured and in the worst case dead. Many scientists believe that primarily climate change is man-made therefore we as the humans it is having an effect on, need to pull together to try and save our environment.

The Government are doing a lot to help lower the effects of climate change. I was surprised to realise that there is actually legislation in place: The Climate Change (Scotland) Act (2009). They have got set targets in place to hopefully reach by 2020 and 2050. These vary from the decrease of greenhouse gases and ensuring there are supplies in place to help the reduction and recycling of waste. There has already been a start on recycling. We now have coloured bins that state which type of material goes in which bin. In my household we have a black, blue and green bin. Our green bin is for any food waste, the blue is for any paper, plastic and cans and our black bin is for any other recycling. I never really cared much for recycling but the use of the coloured bins makes it so much easier and you almost don’t even realise that you are recycling the right way. Furthermore, the governments policy on charging for plastic bags has also had a positive impact on myself as I now rarely ever buy a plastic bag I just use one of the ones I already have in my house. I do think that me re using bags I already have is more so that I don’t have to pay for one but at least it’s helping the environment at the same time in a positive way.

Already, with the hard work from the government to tackle climate change. The first minister placed Scotland at the front of the world fight against climate change on the 5th September 2017. This just highlighted the our country is taking the effects of climate change very seriously and therefore we need to realise this and do our part to help stop climate change.

I took part in a quiz that analysed my carbon footprint. I was really shocked at my result and realised that there is a lot more that I could be doing to lowering it to have a positive effect on the environment rather than a negative one. It made me reflect on the ways I travel to work and university, the food that I am buying and the amount of energy that is used in my household that is unnecessary.

In conclusion, it is crucial that everyone at least tries to tackle and prevent climate change, whether this is walking instead of driving, switching the sockets off in the house when you go to bed, buying more locally produced foods if they are available. It is important to notice that the smallest positive difference in your daily routing can have a huge effective impact on climate change in the world. It is our job as educators to ensure that the newest generation are made aware of the impact we have on climate change and our environment, and how we can have an influence taking care and looking after our environment so that it can then have a positive impact on the world.

References:

Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, asp 12. Edinburgh: The Stationary Office.

WWF. (2017) HOW BIG IS YOUT ENVRIONMENTAL FOOTPRINT? [Online] Availabile: http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ [Accessed: 06 September 2017]

NASA. (2017) Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet Effects. [Online] Available: https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/ [Accessed: 06 September 2017]

Cable News Network. (2017) Yes, Climate Change made Harvey and Imra worse. [Online] Accessed: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/15/us/climate-change-hurricanes-harvey-and-irma/index.html [Accessed: 06 September 2017]

Sustainable Development – Climate Change

Climate change refers to a significant change in the climate over a long period of time. Scientists believe that the climate change which we are currently baring witness to is due to global warming which is being caused by excess greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere and creating a ‘greenhouse’ … Continue reading Sustainable Development – Climate Change

Climate Change Learning Log

Prior to the lecture I was aware of what climate change was having studied Geography in school but had never paid much attention to how I contribute to it and […]

Prior to the lecture I was aware of what climate change was having studied Geography in school but had never paid much attention to how I contribute to it and how it might affect me. In the lecture, we were shown how our planet has changed over the years (increase in temperature and decrease in ice cover) as well as how it is recorded and the effects it can have on the likes of agriculture and sea level.

The first workshop was very active and included a series of experiments. One of the first experiments we tired was making a tornado in a jar. This was done by filling a jar with water and adding food colouring and washing up liquid. The container was then swirled in a circle for a while and once stopped, it was clear the see what looked like a tornado. The aim of the experiment was to understand how real tornados are made – cold and warm air combining and spinning. Another activity involved having two plastic cups: one filled with cold water, pebbles and blue food colouring. The other with warm water, red food colouring and pebbles. Both cups were then put into a large tub of room temperature water. It was interesting to see that watch the red water rise to the top of the tub whilst the blue water sank to the bottom. I found these experiments amongst others to be very engaging and this workshop helped me understand ways in which climate change can be taught in the primary school using a cross-curricular approach.

In the second workshop, we looked at politics and global warming. I had not considered how much of an impact politics can have on global warming. However, after this workshop and the directed study task I now recognise the type policies being implemented by the government to reduce our carbon footprint and, ultimately, slow down global warming.

Through the tasks from last week and the directed study task I can now see how global warming can be taught in the primary school and how a cross-curricular approach can be used to link global warming to other subject areas. In addition to this, I have identified experiences and outcomes which could link learning to relevant curriculum areas.

I can consider ways of looking after my school or community and can encourage others to care for their environment. SOC 1-08a

I can discuss the environmental impact of human activity and suggest ways in which we can live in a more environmentally responsible way. SOC 2-08a

Having explored the ways journeys can be made, I can consider the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of transport, discussing their impact on the environment. SOC 2-09a

I can investigate the relationship between climate and weather to be able to understand the causes of weather patterns within a selected climate zone. SOC 3-12a

This topic has changed how I view climate change by allowing me to evaluate the impact I have on climate change. I think I will now be more conscious of my decisions as I know that even though my actions may be small they can influence others and therefore have a large impact. I have also learned ways in which I can teach this in the classroom.

Climate Change

In recent years, climate change has become a very important subject as it has a significant effect to the world that we live in. Floods, sea levels rising, and extreme weather is influencing people’s everyday lives and is become a huge problem. A great example of extreme weather that has happened recently due to climate change is Hurricane Irma which was the strongest hurricane recorded in recent years. It caused mass destruction in Florida and and the Caribbean with many homes ruined and lives lost. Climate change is also affecting our animals and many are become endangered such as polar bears due to shrinking ice sheets. Due to evidence, it is become apparent that climate change is not cause by nature but is man-made.

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 aims to create a growing, sustainable economy in Scotland. This act has helped to “establish Scotland as a world-leader in tackling climate change” (Scottish Government, 2017). The Scottish ministers have set a target that should be met in 2050. The target states that the net Scottish emissions account for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the baseline. The Carrier bag charge was a law that was implemented by the Scottish Government to help reduce and re-use the amount of litter in Scotland. The law came into effect on the 20^th October 2014 and all retailers must charge 5p for a carrier bag. This has a significant effect on my lifestyle choices as I now buy bag for life carrier bags and I must remember them every time I go shopping. This law made me think about how we should be recycling in everyday life and how easy it is if you put your mind to it. Taking things such as carrier bags for granted shows us how selfish and greedy we are as a nation. I think this law made people think about how they could help the environment by doing as little as keeping their carrier bags and reusing them.

The Scottish Government are still working hard to keep their promise to help tackle climate change. On the 5^th September 2017, the First Minister places Scotland at the front of the world fight against climate change.

After completing the WWF measure your footprint task I am shocked that my footprint is as high as 196%. This has made me think about how I could travel to work and university, how I could buy more seasonal food and how I could have more energy saving measures in my home.

In conclusion, it is very important that we try and tackle and prevent climate change globally. It is an issue that as educators we must raise awareness of and educate our children to take care of our environment.

Climate Change – Sustainable Development

Climate is known as the average weather at a given point and time of a period of time. Weather is something that is expected to change on a daily basis, however, we expect the climate to remain constant. If the climate doesn’t remain constant, it is known as Climate change. Climate change is an important … Continue reading Climate Change – Sustainable Development →

Climate change is an important subject across the world. This is due to drawbacks the world is faced with because of climate change, an example of a drawback would be the sea level changes and agriculture. There is much debate around the idea of evidence and figures that support the concept of climate change being man-made.

Most climate change septics dispute the findings of the intergovernmental Panel on climate change. Others, such as the danish Economist Bjorn Lamborg, argue that, although global warming is real, there is little we can do to prevent it.

Having become familiar with the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 I am aware of the result the 2050 target aims to achieve. The aim of the 2050 target is to ensure emission in 2050 is at least 80% lower than the baseline of alternative gases. However, the improvised target is to ensure the emission in 2020 is at least 42% lower than alternative gases. The Scottish Minister must set annual targets to improve problems revolving around emission.

The WWF Footprint Calculator helped to me realise my own carbon footprint was 106%, finding this out shocked as well as my annual carbon emission was 11 tones. Both higher than 2020 target set by the UK Government. Thus allowing me to realise that a change is needed to lower my carbon footprint taking on the advice given from the WWF calculator this will be something I will work to achieve.

These are the areas which make the biggest contribution to my carbon footprint.

Food 24% – could you buy more seasonal food?
Home 26% – do you have energy saving measures in your house?
Travel 31% – how much do you cycle, carpool, or walk to work?
Stuff 19% – could you buy more things second-hand?

Taking into account these questions will help to contribute as well as the advice given from the WWF footprint calculator will also help reduce my Carbon Footprint. As this has helped realise if I don’t take into consideration these question I will only be damaging the Climate in the future with my own bad habits.

In Conclusion, Climate Change is a matter of concern that is important to the worlds population. Everyone in the world has to reduce the use of bad habits as well as our carbon footprint, thus allowing 2050 target will be met to improve our living situations illustrated in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

Skilled Interpersonal Communication (Chapter 5)

Overall, I feel that the main aim of this chapter is to establish the importance of questions and how they are vital in the communication factor amongst humanity. Prior to reading this chapter my knowledge of questions was minimal as I thought they were a simple form of communication used to find out information, however, this could not be further from the truth as Hargie explores the idea that questions are very complex and there is more to them than it may seem. The main themes explored and developed throughout this chapter are the significance of questions, the several types of questions, the powerful effect questions have on everyone and the importance of questions in different environments, in particular in the classroom.
In relation to the significance of questions in various environments, I am going to focus on the particular importance of questions in the classroom. Hargie states that questions are the norm of everyday life and without questions conversation would seize to exist. To show his theory that questions are the basis of all young children’s development and maturation, Hargie gives evidence from an experiment conducted by Core (1940) which shows that in 6 classes on average the teacher asked a question once every 72 seconds, this strongly supports the point that questions are heavily relied upon for learning in the classroom environment and without questions children would not learn new information or how to use the key skill of communication.
Another key point raised by Hargie is that, in a classroom environment especially, many pupils find it harder as they grow in age to ask questions or answer out in class due to the fear of being judged by their fellow peers shown in the study by Dillion (1988). Due to own experience and evidence I have gathered from other people, I find this study to be immensely true as I think it is in some way instinctive to be less confident when in a room with 30 people or more.
I would say that weeding my way through this chapter I agreed with many points raised by Hargie, however, one thing I disagreed upon is the fact that Hargie said open questions are better suited to those who had spent at least a year in college than those who had left after secondary school (Schatzman and Struss, 1956). I personally would say that this statement is false due to the fact open questions should be open to everyone as they can give everyone an opportunity to feel more relaxed and not just give one straight answer. Instead they can express themselves fully and through this a teacher or whoever it may be can identify much more about a pupil for example if they struggle with something or if they have a sound understanding.
Reference list:
‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice.5th ed. London: Routledge

Integrated Arts – Entry 3

Arts During today’s lecture and seminar, we focused on how the arts can be integrated in all areas of the curriculum. We focused on visual arts and how Avril Paton’s Window’s in the West (1993) painting can be used as a stimulus and can be particularly useful in literacy. After researching this painting I was […]

Arts

During today’s lecture and seminar, we focused on how the arts can be integrated in all areas of the curriculum. We focused on visual arts and how Avril Paton’s Window’s in the West (1993) painting can be used as a stimulus and can be particularly useful in literacy.

After researching this painting I was able to find out that Windows in the West was painted using water colours and is now bought and owned by the city of Glasgow for the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art and is currently in display at the Kevlingrove Art and Gallery Museum. Paton (2017) explains that the painting took her 6 months to complete from the winter into the summer. The feeling of snow inspired Paton to create this masterpiece.

“Windows in the West” By Paton

As a group we used process, form, content and mood to help us discuss the painting. This allowed us to explore the art work in great depth and detail. This would be a great tool to use with children as they would be giving an informed response using visual analysis to describe the painting.
Using Paton’s painting, we then began to make prints of our own focusing on one particular section of the painting in great depth. To begin we used polystyrene boards to help trace the outline of the building onto the card. We then used our pen to fill in the marks on the board creating a drawing of the building. Using yellow, red and blue ink we rolled this onto our board and then transferred the board onto a coloured piece of a4 paper creating a print. While doing this task, my group was discussing how this would be a perfect task to integrate with literacy in the classroom. We could get the children to create prints of their own based on a story they have created themselves.

Print 1

Print 2 – In this print we added more detail and more colour – Making the print more visual.
As future teachers it is important we allow children to experience the arts through different ways. We don’t always have to deal with textbooks when we study literacy, we can get the paint brushes out and have fun with it. We can integrate the two subjects and make learning enjoyable for the children.

Using the Tallis Habbits Pegadogy Wheel (2017) always reminds me to be persistent and I must tolerate uncertainty.

Drama

When I first heard we were going to be taking part in drama lessons at uni, my legs started to tremble and a feeling of sickness and nerves took over me. When the word drama comes to mind, I think way back to primary school and how I was really never interested in the subject. However, as I know I will have to teach drama in the classroom, I wiped away past experiences in my mind and focused on the future. I was willing to take part and be open to new experiences.

The Curriculum for Excellence (2004) states that when children take part in drama it allows children to have rich opportunities to explore themselves and to be creative.
Through our seminars we have learned many teaching techniques that are illustrated in the mind map that I have created:

Drama allows sensitive subjects such as bullying t be spoken about and put into context. It allows learners to think about thoughts and feelings of others and the learner also has the opportunity to feel what its like experiencing being in other people’s shoes.

References :

Thomas Tallis School. (2017) The TALLIS Habits Pedagogy Wheel. [Online] Available: http://www.thomastallisschool.com/tallis-pedagogy-wheel-guide.html [Accessed: 3rd October2017]
Glasgow Life (2017) Glasgow Museums – Windows In The West. [Online] Available: http://shop.glasgowlife.org.uk/windows-in-the-west-kelvingrove. [Accessed :3rd October 2017]
Paton, A. (2017) Windows in the West. [Online] Available: https://avrilpaton.co.uk/prints/windows-in-the-west [Accessed: 3 October 2017]

Integrated Arts Week 4

In today’s lecture the main focus was on Windows in the West a painting by Avril Paton a living artist (1993) a painting made with watercolours and paper. This painting was stimulated from a memory of snow and the feeling seeing snow made her feel. This is a painting, which is currently on display in … Continue reading Integrated Arts Week 4 →

In today’s lecture the main focus was on Windows in the West a painting by Avril Paton a living artist (1993) a painting made with watercolours and paper.

This painting was stimulated from a memory of snow and the feeling seeing snow made her feel. This is a painting, which is currently on display in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Windows in the West is one of the best selling painting in Scotland.

The visual arts workshop was linked to today’s lecture about Windows in the West. This workshop was all about printmaking we concentrated on one specific section of Avril Paton painting. We had the chance to explore this painting in great detail working through a variety of stages with one colour then progressing onto using two colours.

In the next workshop was input of drama. We started off this workshop discussing our feelings of drama and how we would feel teaching drama. I personally feel, as through drama is an area I do not feel confident taking part in as well as teaching. In this input we also focused on the story of the lonely dragon the aim of this was to understand the difference between people, the danger of jumping to conclusion and how to solve problems. We had the opportunity to engage with the first five drama conventions throughout the workshop.

Throughout drama teachers must ensure students are engaged in collective enquiry and exploration (O’Neill, 1987)

Both workshops linked to one another, as there are a number of different stages you must undertake to get to an end production. This is useful to remember in relation to curriculum for excellence. In an art lesson printmaking could be linked to topic for example the Vikings or the Romans. Again for drama linking the topic in using books related the Vikings allowing pupils to use drama conventions.

Reference List:

Paton, A. (1993) Windows in the West. [Watercolours on paper 48” x 60”] Glasgow. [Online] Available: https://avrilpaton.co.uk/prints/windows-in-the-west [Accessed: 3 October 2017]

Paton, A. (2017) Windows in the West. [Online] Available: https://avrilpaton.co.uk/prints/windows-in-the-west [Accessed: 3 October 2017]

The Skill of Questioning

The main aim of the chapter is to inform the reader of the skill of questioning by explaining the different types of questioning used in society. Key themes throughout the chapter are education, health care, crime and criminal justice and the use of questioning in everyday life.
Hargie claims that pharmacists asking closed questions could lead to them missing out information. He backs this up by including an example from a study by Morrow et al. (1993) A pharmacist asks a series of closed questions and proceeds to give a product to a client, the client then asks. “What about if you have taken any other tablets?” This then required the pharmacist to reduce the recommended dosage, without this knowledge the client could have overdosed on medicine.
An argument in the chapter that I found interesting was the effect of leading questions on children. Studies show that leading questions can have a distorting effect on children. This has made me think more about the way I would address questions to them.
While I agree with most of what Hargie says I do not find it surprising that social workers mainly ask closed question unlike other councillors. Social workers require accurate and precise information on the children they work with and they are more likely to get this information by asking closed questions. Hargie states that open questions may not be appropriate for respondents with low intellect therefore it is possible that social workers are dealing with clients of a lower calibre.
To help me understand the reading there were a few words that I had to research the meaning of to help me, this included: Stenographer, pervasive, subsumed and abhor
One theory that is explained in the chapter is by Fiedler (1993:362): “The way in which a person is questioned may have a substantial effect on his or her credibility, regardless of what he/she actually says.” I understand this to mean that the way a person is questioned can alter their response.

References

‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge.

BA1 Situated Communication Independent Study Task

The main aim of the chapter is to look at how questions fit into different contexts and how these different contexts may change the meaning of a question or the answer required. It is also to show that while, on the surface, questions can seem simple, there is a deeper layer of understanding to them. […]

The key themes in the chapter are: what is a question- the definition of a question, the different types of questions and how we use them and also children and their learning of questions and use of them.

On page 147, Hargie discusses the Clearinghouse probes. He states that while this is useful to gain more in depth knowledge of, for example, an interview candidate, it can sometimes be used incorrectly. He claims that this skill of effectively probing is “at the core of effective questioning.” (Hargie, 2011) This is evidenced by studies Hargie quotes, backing up the idea of a gentler technique.

I would say that generally I agree with this chapter and the ideas outlined within it. Parts of the article I found helpful, for example the section on multiple questions. As I am in future hoping to be a teacher and take my own class, this has helped me realise how to ask questions in a way that will be fully understood by the children. By asking multiple questions I may confuse them and this could affect there education and understanding of the task negatively.

Although I did not explicitly disagree with any particular point in this article, I do wonder if the use of questions is quite as important as the article implies. I feel that there are perhaps other, more important aspects of communication that were not discussed.

References:

‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5^th ed. London: Routledge.