http://Portal:Disasters/Selected picture – Wikipedia

Before these inputs, I had limited knowledge about disasters. I understood the different types and how it affects the lands structure which I covered in Geography class in high school. However, I was unaware of how a disaster affects people, and what the government does in these situations.

Throughout our first week we learned about what disasters were, the comparison in government action in different countries with similar disasters, and different ways we could teach this to a class.

First of all we learned about what a disaster was.

A disaster is an unexpected, catastrophic occurrence that impacts massively on society, therefore loss of people, financial problems and damage to construction and nature. This affect is beyond society’s control  to deal with the consequences. A disaster can be the result of the environment, or humans.

(www.ifrc.org, accessed November 2017)

As we are not really affected by many natural disasters, this is a great topic for us to teach to students, as they would be intrigued because this is something alien to many of us. We discussed some of the issues relating to teaching disasters and we need to put ourselves in a child’s shoes and think from their perspective. For example, if a child was to learn about the Grenfell Tower disaster this could make them feel terrified if they lived in a high rise flat. This made me think about how I could teach this topic and to be careful not to consume them with facts about how many people died and instead talk about more relatable topics such as floods, landslides and sink holes which are more likely to occur in our country.

In another session we learned about how we could teach disasters. An effective way is through practical experiments which children will find exciting and increase their focus. In one of the workshops we tried to make volcanic eruptions using vinegar, fairy liquid, food colouring and bicarbonate soda. We also done activities about where on a map would there be hurricanes, forest fires, tornadoes, floods, and tsunamis. I found this learning very effective as children would be motivated to get involved within the learning.

In the other workshop we learned about the government plans which were put in place in two different countries. We compared Haiti and Japan, which was effective as one is a developing country and the other is a developed country. From reading the two case studies there was huge differences in how well the country was prepared, what they done during and also after the disaster hit. We focused on the four stages of a natural disaster, mitigation, preparation, response and recovery. From observing the differences there was huge disproportion in the outcomes between the two countries.

In both study tasks, I really benefited from them. I learned a lot more about the different types of disasters from the micro teaching task where lots of information about hurricanes, tsunamis, flood were shared. I also developed my knowledge in the padlet exercise where we had to write three mind maps on what we would do before, during and after in a disaster situation. This also made me think of creative ways in which I could survive. I think this exercise would be great for children to work as a team and think of ideas, however I might change the disaster to a flood rather than a tsunami which is more relatable and less dangerous. In the microteaching I developed my understanding to how I could teach this to children. During this I also believe I developed my presentation skills and I believe I have gained confidence when speaking in front of the classroom.

http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/about-disasters/what-is-a-disaster/

 

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=lDONCsTu&id=C7AE40C73C0AF805973C9590CFECB940779C2DC7&thid=OIP.lDONCsTudVw6FQUo-zDdSgEsC5&q=forest+fire&simid=608005485129892631&selectedIndex=0&adlt=strict&ajaxhist=0

 

This topic was over a two week period. In the first week we visited two farms to learn about how interdependence is a factor affecting farm life. In the second week we had to get with a group and do a study task on Oceanic interdependence.

Week 1

We visited two farms, the first one we visited was a modern farm where the cows were kept indoors. When we arrived you could tell by the clean environment that this was well cared for. When we went in, there was many robotics being used to clean areas, move hay around, milk, massage and feed cows. This was done to keep the farm up-to-date.

When touring the farm, robots were a big part of the functions and helped maintain the system. From the picture above, there is an example of one of the robots which was an electronic feeder (the red robot). This made sure the cows were given three separate feeds a day. It ensured that the cows were given a fair share and cleaned it up to allow easy access for workers.

When calves are born they are separated from a very young age and kept in pens until they can move about.

When they reach a specific age, they are put in a wider pen with other calves which allows them to socialise. I did not agree with how the calves are brought up in this farm as the pens are very secluded and isolates the calves. I believe that as soon as they are born put them in pens which allows them to see beyond a wall. This is a dairy farm and female cows can only produce milk, they did not go into to much detail about what happens to the male calves which makes me believe that they are sent to slaughter houses or are killed as soon as they are born.

An area I felt really positive about at this farm was that the cows are not forced to produce milk. It is really relaxed and they can go whenever they please to get milked by the machine. I think this is a huge step taken in modern farms as they are not abused, which allows them to live a stress free life.

Before I arrived at this farm, I felt very concerned at first about keeping cows indoors. However, when I was shown how comfortable they were as many of their needs were met. This was especially through the robots and also for example the farm had an electric blind which monitored the temperature of the farm and could close it or open it if it was too cold or warm. However, I still believe that animals should have the choice whether to stay outdoors or indoors as it was quite crowded and I don’t believe they receive a lot of exercise.

When we arrived at the second farm and there was already a huge difference in appearance. The second farm was a lot older, however this farm was organic which meant that no chemicals like pesticides are put on the grass which is fed to the cows and also no chemicals in the milk. They changed to an organic farm as the price of milk per litre dropped from 27p to 12p which is a huge drop. They understand that due to an organic farm and having Ayrshire cows means that the milk is of better quality and creamy which many businesses like coffee shops want to use.

I also believe that the way they are brought up is a lot better at the organic farm as they are allowed to go outside on the open grass for exercise and fun. Also the calves are still put in pens however they are more open which allows for them to socialise with other calves. The calves are separated but are kept with mothers for a certain amount of time however, they can freely walk away and aren’t forcefully separated. Also the farmer explained that when male calves are born they never send them to slaughter houses or killed. They grow up indoors and outdoors and are used to help produce offspring.

I felt the cows were more healthy here as there was much more interaction with other cows.

Overall I learned a lot about both farms. I learned that brown cows are native Ayrshire cows which produce less milk however is creamier and contain more fat. I also learned a lot more about modern farming which are beginning to see a change in the function which is introducing more machines. I saw many positives to this as it saves farms a lot of money even if the quality is better. However, I also started to think about workers who have and would loose their jobs due to machines.

Throughout the trip I had to listen a lot to take in new information about the farms. I found the whole experience very inspiring and I have many people about what I observed throughout. Therefore, I believe I have developed my listening and observing skills.

Week 2

In the second week we started the day with a lecture

Lecture 1

This was an assignment briefing for both sections. This included important information about the assignment, areas that we need to think about and also some questions which were answered. I found this very beneficial and helped answer a lot of questions.

Directed study task

For our directed study task we had to create groups and write a piktochart about Oceanic Interdependence.

As a group we read the different readings which we were given beforehand which included:

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/conservation/marine/
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2011/03/16182005/63 (Detailed information on Scottish Fishing)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjZtIgQT4KI (Fishing community – family story)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn1eSjcRPss (Impact of EU Policy on Peterhead fishery)
https://www.msc.org/healthy-oceans
http://www.seafoodscotland.org/en/quality-standards/marine-stewardship-council.html
http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=5473 Endangered species lists
http://www.iucnredlist.org/ (Endangered species list)

This was to enable us to understand more about the impact of interdependence from fishing.

View our piktochart

https://padlet.com/louise_mckie/pybl2vzwsv0b/wish/199020300

I learned a lot from this group task, as we worked together, gave different perspectives, information, explanation and support. I actually felt like I developed more understanding this way more than some lectures in sustainable develop and would like it if we done this more often.

Information which I found interesting was that many fishing areas which have been used for years are now being taken for wind farms, this then affects how much produce fisheries receive, therefore, affects their profits. Many of these difficulties affect local communities who end of loosing many jobs.

I developed my team work, and communication skills throughout the task as we had to share as a team to understand everyone’s research and explain our thought and feelings with the presentation of the piktochart. I also believe that I developed my ICT skills as this was the first time I ever used it and found it easy to create good quality presentations. I will definitely use this in the future and even in the classroom.

 

 

 

This weeks theme was on climate change. First of all in the lecture we went through what climate change was. According to the lecture PowerPoint climate is the average weather at a given point and time of year, over a period of typically around thirty years. We expect for the weather to change however for the climate to remain constant in that area, and also we want children to understand this also.

We also learned about the evidence to show this. We could get this evidence from weather recording, ice cores rocks, fossils and analysis of pollen and trees. We even discussed the effects of climate change, and how many areas of agriculture and nearly becoming deserts and are becoming unusable to harvest and to habitat animals. This made me understand more about how scientists research and find out the evidence to support this.

We also had to think about why this was important, and why it has to change sooner rather than later.

In the first workshop there were different stations which had different experiments which related to different biomes. A biome when search on google is a large ecological area on the Earths surface. The list of different biomes are desert, grassland, rainforest, deciduous forest, taiga and tundra.

Before we started each group were given a piece of paper with a biome. We were given tundra. We had to fill in a worksheet about how we would survive in the tundra if we were in a plane crash. I found this effective as I had to research and I found out a lot more about the biome.

In the first station we tried to create a tornado with water, fairy liquid and food colouring. We added this all together and swirled it for about ten seconds which would create a miniature tornado.

In the second station we filled a tank with room temperature water we then had a cup of hot water with red colouring, and a cup of cold water with blue colouring. We then poured the water to the tank to see what would happen.

From the picture you can see that the cold water stayed on the bottom of the tank and the hot water raised to the top of the tank. This would be a great activity for primary teaching as the food colouring makes it easier for children to understand what is happening.

There was also other stations which made me think more about the biomes that there are. For example making snowflakes out of paper. Which I found was a good activity for children as they would find this fun and learn more about the weather.

I found the first workshop very interesting, as I believe children will learn so much from this, as it is visual and also a practical way of learning. I think a lot more children would be involved, as it is not boring like writing in a booklet.

In the second workshop we learned more about the government policies, issues and if they are effective or not. We were also given a group task where we had to discuss what action the government take to help such people as an elderly couple in New Orleans. This improved my communication skills as we had to work in team and work together to discuss our own ideas for each point.

Directed Study

1.Some misconceptions I had was that I did not know that the Scottish government had a aim to make by 2020 which was that they want the emissions to be 42% below bassline.

When watching “Antartica on the edge” I did not realise that Antartica was warming faster than anywhere else on the planet. I also did not think a metre of water would affect the globe very much, however it can cause so many floods all over the world. In the next 500 years scientists believe that the ocean will raise by 13 metres. If this is the case then this will case catastrophic disasters, for example many more hurricanes, tornados, etc.

2.The knowledge I have gained which is also shown in point one, will change the way that I live. I also completed the carbon footprint, and it analysed and said that I was at 140%, which is above average. I thought I was environmentally friendly, however I know I have to change the way a live so that I can at least make a difference. This is also important for me as a student teacher as I can teach children at a young age to do the same, and help them understand the consequences.

3.Things I will do would be to put less lights on in the house when I do not need them, eat local produce to decrease the delivery overseas. I would also try and eat more vegan produce so that a lot less animal farming is done so there is less methane going into the atmosphere. Also a lot of these cow farms are in the amazon where many trees are cut or burned down, which affects the environment even more.

Resources

“Antartica on the edge”

Measure you footprint – http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/?_ga=1.176985891.745195644.1442412124

Climate challenge (Scotland) Act 2009

Our first day in Sustainable Development consisted of mostly practical learning. However, in the lecture, Louise talked about what Sustainable development was which according to the Scottish Government “The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations.”. We also learned why this was beneficial to teach as children learn that we overuse the Earths resources, and how this has impacted on the world.

Throughout the day we learned mostly about the environment. In the first workshop we went toi the science lab with Andrew, and talked about the ways of teaching environment in the classroom. We done this by having a variety of stations, which included snails, food webs and microscopes. We also had the opportunity to go outside to the university’s Japanese garden and learn about the areas trees and leaves. We done this by taking paper and a crayon and imprinting the pattern of the trunk and leaves of the tree. I thought this was an effective way of getting children motivated to learn more about the environment we live in, and why it is important to take care of the planets resources.

In the second workshop, we went outside with Louise to do some activities. First we had to try and look for insects and tick them off on a worksheet. This got everyone involved as we tried to complete the exploration. The second activity was that we had to be mindful, and analyse the environment around us. From this we used different senses such as hearing, listening, touching and smelling. Usually on my way to university I would just walk right past and not acknowledge very much, however from this experience I have realised I took the environment for granted and did not realise the detail that was there.

An example of this was that me and a few others looked at the different ;plants and trees, and did not understand what substance was coming from the tree. It was syrup like, which we then later realised was sap. I researched this more and found out that it flows through sapwood which creates carbon dioxide according to gardenknowhow.com.

We also looked at the trees into great detail and noticed that the lichen on the tree was only on one side of the tree. Lichens also only grow in areas which are fresh aired. I also researched and found out that trees only have lichen on the north side of the tree trunk in the northern hemisphere as we get sun from the south more than the north, and lichen grows easiest when shaded according to scienceline.ucsb.edu.

For our study task we went home and done a blog about our urban environment and the area we live in. We answered questions which asked about the roads, the population, greenery and also entertainment. I learned a lot more about East Kilbride and also about the history.

I have developed a lot of my skills like creative skills, this was due to us thinking about different types of lessons we could create to teach children about their environment. This made me think more about practical and hands on learning, like going outside. I also believe I have developed my evaluating. This was improved when I was doing outdoor observation and being mindful about the world around us. Due to this I learned quite a few things about nature.

This lecture and workshops related to primary teaching as we had to think of ways in which to combine nature with learning. I believe that outdoor learning is the best way to teach, as children are more motivated and excited to move rather than sit in a classroom and write for too long.

 

I live on the outskirts of East Kilbride in a hamlet called Jackton. I have lived in East Kilbride all my life however I have moved three times. Me and my family moved to Jackton nine years ago when new estates were built on farm land.

East Kilbride once called Kilbride used to be a small village. However after the war, in 1947 they began turning it into a new town to house 2500 inhabitants from Glasgow according to South Lanarkshire Council.

The type of buildings around me are new estate buildings made of brick and are well secure. There are also some cottages near my area also. There are not many roads around Jackton, however the roads around my estate all have cul-de-sacs. They made these types of roads because a lot of families moved into the houses and they want to make the streets safe for children to play in.

There are also a lot of greenery where I live. For example, in front of my house is an open space of grass where many street party events like bonfire night is heled. Also about fifty metres down my road there is farm and grass landscapes which hold animals such as sheep and cows.

To get public transport you can walk 15-20 minutes to reach the train and bus station. The train is about thirty minutes from Glasgow so there is easy access to lots of shops, and entertainment. In the centre of East Kilbride there is a lot more transport mostly near our town centre which has its own bus station.

East Kilbride is the second biggest town in Scotland with a population of 74,000 people so there are a lot of community halls around the town. Some of the halls are used for cafes, spaces for sport activities like gymnastics, charity events and clubs like scouts or guides. There is a town centre which has a lot of shops and opportunities for work. There is also a lot of entertainment like cinemas, shops, pubs and restaurants. There are also leisure centres which have gyms, swimming,a track field for athletics and its own football club.

There is a lot of things to do like walk around the James Hamilton Heritage Park with a man-made Loch. There is also the biggest on soil wind farm called the Whitelee Wind Farm which is in Eaglesham, South West of East Kilbride.

East Kilbride was Scotland’s first new town and was built to home the overflowing population of Glasgow. A green belt surrounded East Kilbride, however due to East Kilbride increasing in population, a lot of new housing has been built on this area, which is like the PERI-urban space. Even though there has been an expansion of population in East Kilbride, the air pollution seems to be quite low according (www.scottishairquality.co.uk).

To teach children about urban environment, I would want to do some practical work. I would start by creating simple tables for children to compare traffic, urban appearance and cleanliness in an urban area and a rural area. This would show children how different the areas are, and how population affects these places.

TED TALK

1. The increase in urban population has affected negatively in places south of the equator. A reason for this is due to rapid growth. For example, it took 150 years to reach eight million people however Mexico took fifteen to reach that same interval. Another reason for violence in over populated cities would be that in fragile cities 75% of the population is under 30. A lot of their parents die young and end up in gangs, turn to drugs, alcohol, and no education. This leads to a lot of violence in these cities.
2. I believe that a lot of people move to urban areas instead of rural is due to smaller houses, which means, less rent, less bills, less money spent on energy and furniture. Another reason I think there is an increase of people living in urban areas is because their work is nearer there, which means they can get there quicker but also pay less money on petrol and public transport.
3. EU policies are trying to get countries to compete to try and use the energy and use what their country can resource them. This will make countries more enthusiastic about being resourceful and will hopefully make a difference by 2020.