On the topic of disasters, our learning took place through a lecture, workshops and a group microteaching exercise.
The inputs for this topic were interesting, and although learning about political approaches to issues such as disasters can be somewhat dry in terms of the reading involved, I personally found it quite engaging. As teachers, we are expected to teach to a certain understanding of politics, particularly at second level (which also ties into the E’s and O’s around disasters, which are second level as well), so it is necessary that we ourselves have a reasonable level of understanding, not only about disasters themselves and how they originate and impact on the environment, but also how we as humans respond to disasters in a humanitarian context. As I only had a very basic understanding of how humanitarian response to disasters were implemented and the wider impact of disasters on the communities affected, I found this topic to be informative and beneficial to what I intend my teaching practice to be.
My initial reading (The Global Casino, Middleton, N.) for the session was quite informative in terms of refreshing my knowledge of natural disasters and some of the impacts they can have, such as the impact of composite hazards, which was expanded upon in the politics workshop. I believe it is important for teachers to understand the nuances of the impact and human response to disasters, as much as to have a basic understanding of disasters themselves. Naturally, I will not be expected to teach those nuances to the degree that I understand them due to the age and intended stage of learning of primary classes, but it is necessary to impart to children that it is not simply a case of “a disaster happens and people from other countries talk about it in the news and send aid”. The situation is not so clear cut, with countries’ global standing playing a role in how/to what extent disasters are covered in the news, for example the recent hurricane and the damage it inflicted on Barbuda vs the hurricane in Florida), which countries respond and how, and how the impacted community eventually recovers, if at all.
In a primary school setting, it is likely that the stage at which we would begin to teach about disasters and a degree of the human response would be from primary 5-7. As a future teacher, I have come to the understanding that while, yes, the E’s and O’s around disasters and society begin at second level, it will be necessary for me as the teacher to have an awareness and understanding of the pupils in my class, their current level of learning and how they are likely to respond to learning about disasters – whether that is accepting the learning well, or potentially becoming upset or unsettled. This has been an important consideration for me as it will inform the kind of content I teach to the children in my classes when it comes to that point, and exactly how I aim to implement that content.
It was made clear to us during the inputs that, while teaching to us about disasters, it is acceptable to consider in a relative amount of detail, the mortality and casualty rates of disasters and that it was appropriate for us to see certain images relating to that. As teachers, however, it was made explicitly clear that it is crucial to audit the images we intend to use, considering their content and how that will affect or impact the children in the class.
What has also become apparent to me through these inputs is the importance of critical thinking skills, both for myself as a teacher in auditing the content I intend to present to a class and the sources I use to create that content (for their reliability as sources and bias), but in developing those higher order thinking (HOT) skills in my pupils. To this end, when planning lessons (in any curricular area, but for the purposes of this piece, lessons on disasters), it may be good practice for me to refer to and consider Bloom’s Taxonomy when planning what kind of language and questioning approach I would intend to take.
When initially teaching about disasters it may be prudent to question from the recall and understanding sections of the taxonomy, before moving on to application, analysis, evaluation and creation in subsequent activities, using prior learning to inform further activities. For example, initial facts and activities based around understanding and recall of the information learned, before moving on to other activities such as writing activities, data handling, group presentations on a given area of learning, and group discussion in class. As previously stated, it is important to develop HOT skills in children while teaching a subject which does not present on a simple “black and white” scale, and presenting information and encouraging class discussion is a good way to develop critical thinking whilst also impressing on the pupils that different people have different views on the same subject and how to appropriately consider and respond to these differences in opinions.
In addition to the aforementioned points, it was also stressed to us that while it can be tempting to simply approach the subject of disasters and response in a clinical, purely factual way, perhaps in some effort to prevent children from becoming frightened or uncertain, it is in fact necessary to openly acknowledge and discuss that uncertainty in class. In doing so, it will provide children with an outlet for their questions and, if handled appropriately, build resilience in the face of that uncertainty. Visser and Visser (2004) said: ‘The general tendency from the classical instructional design perspective was to recommend the elimination of ambiguity, in the interest of clarity and efficiency in instruction’, which I believe sums this approach up succinctly. However, I consider it necessary for teachers to understand that children are more resilient than they are often given credit for, and provide an environment where ambiguity is not shied from, but instead welcomed and discussed.
Wals and Corcoran (2012) also said “Although uncertainty is of all ages, the sort of uncertainty we are now facing is rooted in complexer and more far reaching dynamics in science and society.” (pg 300.) I have developed a better understanding of this notion throughout my first and second years on this course, particularly through this module and through Literacy for Understanding. Our world is more connected than it has ever been through social media and easier methods of communication. This is absolutely a benefit, but as a future teacher it is important for me to consider the other side of this situation, which I believe I have done. I am now able to more critically analyse, not only the information that I am reading, but our general global situation and the nuances of its impact on communities and individual.
For children now, they are growing up in a global environment where it is possible to access and view content from all over the world, and some of the information they may access can be unsettling, for adults as well as children. Particularly in the view of this module, I believe I have developed a better understanding of how to consider the impact that our global situation and the technologies we can access to learn more about them can have on children, and a better understanding on how I can inform my own practice to ensure that I teach appropriate content in an appropriate manner, while creating a classroom ethos which welcomes and understands ambiguity and provides reasonable opportunities for questioning, discussion and building resilience.
References
Middleton, N. (2003) The Global Casino (3rd Edition). London: Hodder Arnold
Vanderbilt University. (2017). Bloom’s Taxonomy. [online] Available at: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/ [Accessed 13 Nov. 2017].
Visser, J. and Visser, Y.L. (2004) ‘Ambiguity, cognition, learning, teaching, and design’. TechTrends, 48(1): 40-43. Boston: Springer.
Wals, A. and Corcoran, P (eds) (2012) Learning for Sustainability in Times of Accelerating Change. [online] Netherlands: Wagenigen. Chapter 19
