I was unsure of what to expect within the module of Sustainable Development before participating in the first input. When we were asked to define our understanding of the word ‘environment’ I was firstly unsure of my response as I’ve never really stopped to actually consider my own views on this topic but I’ve also mainly heard the term used within a negative context. However, after my involvement in the first session and engaging in further reading, I have learned that as a prospective future educator it is vital for me, especially in today’s society, to be knowledgable on the subject matter involved within this module.
Over the two weeks of ‘The Environment’ I have been able to learn about the natural environment as well as my own urban environment which have both allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of the benefits of sustainability. These include not only the environmental benefits but also the health and social benefits such as promoting respect, creativity and culture. As a future teacher, I believe that these are largely relevant aspects to consider including when teaching children as it allows them to develop a more positive attitude about their environment.
Our first workshop on the Environment involved BA2 participating in various outdoor and indoor activities within the University grounds and Science lab in order for us to fully experience the surrounding environment. The activities I participated in throughout this workshop included dissecting a flower and taking tree and leaf rubbings. I got involved with many of these tasks and made sure to try to see them through the mind of a child to fully engage in the tasks.
The second workshop involved us taking part in a number of activities within the grounds of the University campus. I found the most effective activity to be the sensory walk. Within this walk we were permitted to split off into several groups where we engaged in hearing, seeing, feeling and smelling our surroundings and share our sensory experiences with the others within our groups. We discussed that this activity would be beneficial to primary education as it can help to educate them on their natural environment and also allows the children to work in teams and collaborate their ideas. We were also able to discuss how this activity could be adapted to suit in a primary school context by ensuring the children have a clear sense of their boundary limits. I also found this activity to be highly beneficial in my own learning as it allowed me to see how to integrate various other curriculum subjects into this task. For example, the children could be asked to find a stick that is roughly a metre long and find out the length of the school building which can incorporate their mathematical skills or they could be asked to pick out something from a specific area and develop a story involving that specific object which could develop their literacy and story-writing skills in an enjoyably practical way. The sensory walk activity helped to develop my skills as a teacher as I was able to experience effective communication, idea sharing and lesson planning within the one task.
The task we were assigned within the second week of ‘The Environment’ involved us finding out about and experiencing our own urban environments. As a student, this allowed me to develop on my research skills as I had to interact with and educate myself on my own environment and develop it into a piece of writing which I will find myself doing throughout the course of my University career. As a teacher, I was able to develop my skills on planning how I could incorporate my own findings into teaching a class of children about their own urban environment in a fun and enjoyable way.
Being able to research and find various resources and lesson planning on the Environment such as the Woodlands Trust has helped me to develop my own knowledge of the environment alongside the importance of the topic to the education of children.
Links:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/naturedetectives
http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resources/keystage2-ks2/ks2-topics/ks2-the-environment
