Before attending the lecture I was briefly aware of what Climate Change was due to it being such a relevant topic on the news nowadays. However, I had never really stopped to consider the affects of climate change to myself and how I contribute to these changes. In the lecture we discussed how climate change is affecting our world today with the increase in temperature and decrease in ice cover which I feel is an extremely relevant subject that should be discussed in schools. The Met Office defines climate change as “a large-scale, long-term shift in the planet’s weather patterns or average temperatures”. Therefore, if the climate does not stay the same over a period of time it can be defined as ‘Climate Change’.
During the lecture we were introduced to how the evidence for climate change is recorded and collected. Climate change experts collect various data and items such as weather recordings, fossils, ice cores and analyses of pollen and trees in order to determine the changes to our climate. Some of the main dangers to climate change include:
- Sea level changes
- Damage from flooding such as house or crops damage
- Flooding of low lying coastal areas
The British farming industry is massively suffering from the affects of climate change due to the weather. Therefore, a poor quality of crops are being produced which are causing farmers problems in selling and in some areas masses of crops are being completely destroyed due to flooding which is causing a detrimental effect to many farmers and their livelihoods. Over the past couple of years the UK has experienced a lot of flooding due to climate change such as the 2015 flooding in Cumbria as well as the more recent floods once again in Cumbria in October this year.
The first workshop allowed us to be very interactive as it allowed us to participate in a number of experiments. One of these experiments involved us taking two plastic cups: one with cold water and blue food colouring and the other with warm water and red food colouring. Both cups had pebbles put in them and they were both placed into a large tank of room temperature water. I found this experiment to be very significant as is allowed us to see the warm, red water rise to the top of the tank whilst the cool, blue water sink to the bottom.
In the second experiment we made a tornado in a jar in order to understand how a real tornado is created. This involved filling a jar with water and adding washing-up liquid and food colouring. We then swirled the jar for around 60 seconds before stopping to see that we had produced a tornado by seeing the cold and warm air combining and spinning. I found both of these experiments to be very beneficial to my education as it allowed my to fully engage and understand how the topic of climate change could be taught in a primary education setting.
In the second worship we explored the impact of politics on global warning. Prior to this input I had never considered how much politics can have an impact on global warming. However, having researched how much the UK Government is involved in climate change and the ways in which we can strive to reduce it I have a better understanding of how to tackle climate change and the impact these changes in the climate has on me.
Through the inputs I participated in and the directed study task I can now see how global warming and climate change can be taught in schools and how to use a cross-curricular approach to link climate change and global warming to other subject areas. I have more confidence in being able educate children on how important it is to be aware of climate change and what we can do to reduce our carbon footprint to ultimately help to slow down global warming. Furthermore, I was able to identify various CfE experiences and outcomes which could link this teaching to the appropriate curriculum areas such as:
I can consider ways of looking after my school or community and can encourage others to care for their environment. SOC 1-08a
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
References
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-guide/climate-change
