The Environment
The Environment includes our surroundings, community and people. This can be in a workplace, outdoors or within the company we keep. The Environment is the land, buildings, natural species, air, water or weather. I learned about different trees/leaves I was not previously aware of and discovered some bird species I would not previously have recognized. Insight into the formation of a plant and the elements it requires to grow were included in Andrews workshop and we are currently carrying out an experiment on the effects of plant growth without Nitrogen.
This theme expanded my views on the Environment and helped me to become aware of the meaning of the term. During outdoor activities I now consider my surroundings more thoroughly by paying attention to the details such as surrounding trees and insects. Science was an area I found boring and hard to understand however I now have more motivation to learn and get better at it.
I would like to look into outdoor activities for children that will encourage a likeness for outdoors. I plan to do this by researching online. I would also like to be more open minded about science and expand my own knowledge as I have little experience with science. This could be carried out during placement by getting as involved as possible in activities I would have previously shied away from.
Climate Change
There is evidence to support that at certain times the world has been much warmer than it is now. As well as evidence that says the ice cover was much greater than it is today. Climate change has significant effects on agriculture and sea levels. These include desertification and loss of crops due to flooding. This means that as a society, our ability to grow crops is at risk. Arctic ice has also thinned substantially putting species success as polar bears at risk. The government has large influence when it comes to global warming. For example to protect habitats and species they brought in the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. They also work to find regional solutions, educate the general public on the matter and develop new technologies through investment, education and science.
As an individual, when measuring my carbon footprint, I found it to be higher than average meaning there is room for me to change my lifestyle in order to reduce the effects of climate change at an individual level. I aim to do this by making more use of public transport, sourcing my food from local productions and reducing the amount I waste in terms of food and rubbish. Throughout my student teaching and teaching career I would like for it to be a priority of mine to educate my classes on the detrimental effects of global warming and what we as individuals can do to help.
Areas which I found interesting and would like to know more about include government actions as I was not previously aware of all that the government do to help this cause. I would like to know more about what society can do and how we can adapt our lifestyles to reduce the way global warming is taking over our planet. I also would like to further develop the impact climate change has on agriculture as I feel this is hugely important as we need agriculture in order to grow crops not only to eat but for economic purposes.
Interdependence
Farm Visit
This was my first time visiting a Dairy farm and so I found the whole experience really beneficial and informative. I learned the process of Dairy farming and in this instance how the cows were milked which was using a high-tech modern machine. Overall their was around 200 cows on the farm some of which were show cows however mostly dairy cows. The whole process was modern and efficient, the cows were kept inside all of their life however the Farmer went to great lengths to ensure their welfare was kept intact. For example providing a machine which the cows used the scratch their backs the way they would use a tree if they were outside.
This would be really useful for primary children as it would provide insight into how the milk they drink is made and give them a good idea of where it comes from. The farmer allowed us to get up close to the cows some people even touching them as well as allowing us to watch some of the cows being milked. For a child this would be really good as a visual learning and brings learning to real life. Whilst enjoying time on a farm they will be expanding their knowledge and learning where their dairy products come from.
I would definitely return to this farm as the staff were extremely informative and as an adult I learned a lot so I would like for children to have the same first experience as me on a farm.
Interdependence is the way in which two or more living things depend on each other to grow and remain healthy. There are three types of interdependence environmental, economic and social. One of the key concepts we learned about was symbiosis which is the specific relationship between members of two different species that have evolved over hundreds of years of evolution.
Natural Disasters
Disaster is a term used to describe an event which impacts human society through social disruption, material damage or loss of life. The risk of disasters grows with population growth and as a society we impact these events by urbanisation, global warming and land use such as deforestation and construction. The impact of a disaster is determined by the area of the world in which it occurs and the preparedness of that area. Preparing and responding to a disaster is different in different areas for example a well developed country would have strong community supports, government action and assistance from other countries where as a less developed country may have a corrupt government not willing to help, lack of resources to provide a forecasting system and little help from other countries as a result of their corrupt government. The Haiti earthquake in 2010 killed approximately 222,000 people where as the Chile earthquake the following month was said to be 500 times stronger and killed just 500 people. Reasons for this could have been Chile have strict building codes which mean the buildings can withstand a certain amount of force where as Haiti does not have this so buildings were not strong enough. The Chile government responded quickly and effectively to ensure people were safe in comparison Haiti’s government was barely functional. Non-Government Organisations such as United Nations and the World Food Programme play a huge role in the response to natural disasters through providing an unbiased approach, preparing communities and prioritising human needs. Emergency aid is the most important type of aid needed when a natural disaster occurs this includes, food, shelter, clean water and emergency relief workers.
Ensuring everyone is aware of natural disasters and the impact they have on individuals whether it is relevant to their surroundings or not is extremely important. As teachers we must go to lengths to ensure our children are aware of what is happening in the world and what we can do to help. These disasters happen every day and just because it does not happen where we are does not mean we should ignore it nor does it mean it will never happen. Preparing children in schools for a natural disaster could be the very reason they survive it which is why it is so important. However we should cover this area carefully and ensure it is presented appropriately to the age of the children so focusing less on the deaths and injuries and more on what happened and how we can help. I am more aware of the natural disasters and how often they occur, it is not only the disasters that you hear of on the news but much more that do not receive media attention. Donating to charity shops such as oxfam and red cross will help with financial aspects and as these are established charities the money will be used to help people and not stolen by corrupt governments.
The Foreign Affairs article on disasters was an eye-opener for me and allowed me to really see the difference in response in different types of countries. I would like to see the development of these countries and if things are changing as time goes on, as they should be. For example building codes being implemented, houses rebuilt and water supply. I am interested in furthering my knowledge in how we as individuals can help those affected by these disasters and how we can prepare ourselves for it happening to us. I find this extremely important as these disasters occur naturally and therefore could happen to anyone meaning we need to be prepared to deal with that situation and prevent it as much as possible. I would also like to find out more on the impact we have as a society on natural disasters.
Interdependence
We had the pleasure of a presentation by Sammi Jones from the Soil Association Scotland which I found informative and beneficial to our sustainable Development module. We were introduced to the different aspects of soil Association which included Food for Life Scotland which works with culture, catering, community and curriculum within schools to promote Sustainable Development. 95% of the food we eat comes from soil which is why it is essential that as a society we look after the soil. Sammi used some good techniques during the presentation which could be reflected in our future classroom practice such as class quiz or using picture cards to familiarise ourselves with the order of the food chain.
Interdependence is the way in which two or more living things depend on each other to grow and remain healthy. Symbiosis is a key concept within this which is a specific relationship between members of two different species that have evolved over hundreds of years of evolution. Food supply is another key concept which children and adults are hugely dependant on which is why it is important to know where our food is coming from. As a potential teacher interdependence allows he opportunity for visits to local farms in relation to food production and animal welfare.
Energy
As a society we are hugely dependent on fossil fuels in order to generate electricity, provide transport fuels, cooking and heating and create plastics. It has been estimated there is only 45 years left of oil meaning the future generations are relying on us to sustain this fossil fuel. There are many potential lessons for children on energy which would be fun and interesting as the topic is really practical. In learning about electricity children could create there own circuit which would familiarise them with the different objects involved in a circuit. As a potential teacher, this topic would be beneficial to children of a primary school level as it would be informative on a topic which is hugely relevant and if we are aware this provides opportunity to sustain interdependence for future generations.
