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Energy: Learning Log

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Theme: Energy

Key learning: During this session, we were introduced to the theme of energy by first looking at various objects; such as a candle, a plane and a petrol station, and were asked what do these things have in common? The answer to this question is that they all make use of fossil fuels.  I think this would be a good teaching point in introducing energy to children, as it highlights how much we rely on and use fossil fuels. We are dependent on them for the generation of electricity, transport fuels, cooking and heating, and plastics.

In 2005 it was estimated by World Oil that we had only 45 years of oil left. Statistics such as these may not be completely accurate, but it is still evident that we are running out of fossil fuels at a fast pace, and it is important for us to know the other options that we have. This is why I believe that although fossil fuels at some point in the future may not be so relevant as we attempt to move onto the use of renewable energy, it is still important for children to be educated on the fossil fuel crisis. It is something that will ultimately affect us all. During my teaching I think that my focus would be on the different forms of renewable energy, but I would also highlight to children what we have relied on for many years.

We touched on certain renewable energies; including wind, hydrogen and biofuels. It is very promising to see developments in the environment. In 2008 Honda created the first hydrogen fueled cars; which only emits water vapour. This is a massive step forward in reducing carbon emissions.

During Andrew’s input we looked at electricity. This was very useful in allowing us to fulfill Curriculum for Excellence outcomes through practical work. I feel that practical tasks such as these would be very effective in engaging children. Learning of atoms, currents and circuits is something that I myself find daunting, however if a child is able to experience the building of a circuit, it makes the learning much easier.

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I can describe an electrical circuit as a continuous loop of conducting materials. I can combine simple components in a series circuit to make a game or model. SCN 1-09a

 

During Louise’s workshop, we took  a closer look at wind energy by carrying out a debate on the positives and negatives of it. This allowed me to utilise my researching and debating skills. My group was supporting wind energy, and we looked at various websites to gather our information to use as supporting arguments. I found this workshop very useful as it allowed us to see both the good and the bad side of renewable energy; showing that we are far from reaching a perfect source of energy that will not run out. It also allowed us to decide for ourselves, if wind energy is something we saw as a positive thing.

The information that I gathered included:

‘25% of all of Europe’s wind energy crosses Scotland’s seas, therefore Scotland is well positioned to reap the benefits of offshore wind.’

‘It represents the biggest opportunity for sustainable economic growth in Scotland for a generation. The government is working in active partnership and collaboration with all offshore wind developers active in Scotland, grid companies, manufacturing firms, academia…put in place necessary components to secure these benefits.’

‘The offshore wind industry group has formed to provide a forum for the public sector, offshore wind developers active in Scotland and other relevant parties to drive the success of this industry into Scotland. Their role is to identify and take forward the actions necessary to support this industry in realising the fullest economic and environmental benefits for Scotland.’

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice: Safety has been a recurring theme throughout this module relating to practical tasks. It has highlighted to me the importance of ensuring proper safety measures are carried out. As a teacher I should be able to safely carry out an experiment myself and show it to children as a guide, as well as taking notice of any possible dangers. For the theme of energy, working with electricity means that children should know of these dangers and as a result conduct themselves in a mature way while practicing experiments.

I know how to stay safe when using electricity. I have helped to make a display to show the importance of electricity in our daily lives. SCN 0-09a

Areas of interest to further explore/develop: Electricity is a topic I struggle to get my head around, so this is an area I wish to further explore. If it came to a point that I was teaching children about electricity, it would be important for me to fully understand it myself, otherwise it may be more difficult to have children engaged in the topic.

DISASTERS: STUDY TASK

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Tsunamis

For our study task on disasters, we were to present as a group to our section on a specific natural disaster. Our presentation looks at tsunamis, and is attached above.

Reflecting on this, possible improvements for the future may be to attempt to have more freedom from notes, and being more prepared by practicing the presentation as a group.

Positive aspects include the content that we used. I think that we used relevant content that was suitable for the age group that we were pitching to (adults).

Disasters: Learning Log

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Theme: Disasters

Key learning: During this session, we first looked at what disasters are and how they are classified. A disaster is only considered so when human society is impacted. This includes social disruption, material damage and loss of life. It is also considered a disaster when  it costs more than $1 million or 100 deaths (Burton et al,1978).

According to IFRC, ‘a disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources.’ Natural disasters can destroy infrastructure, cause public hygiene problems which leads to an epidemic of disease, and take the lives of many.

We also looked at the various types of natural disasters; such as earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, disease epidemics and hurricanes. The question of ‘are these all natural disasters?’ is however raised as humans may be to some extent responsible for these natural occurrences through their actions. We have altered our environment to such an extent that, through climate change, our natural systems are no longer able to protect us from disturbances. Through deforestation, construction, road cutting and global warming, we are not only harming our environment; we are removing barriers that were once there to protect us from some natural disasters. As a very clear example, by trees being cut down, they are no longer there to decrease or stop a landslide.

Disasters are also inherently political. Although a natural disaster in itself can do a great deal of damage, factors such as political will and funding priorities come into play in how difficult it will be for a community to recover. During our workshop, we looked at case studies which highlighted this to us. The Haiti earthquake of 12th January 2010 caused the majority of damage to an area of over 3.5 million inhabitants, where the UN approximated 230,000 lives lost. Public health implications came in place as decomposing corpses lay among the rubble, 1 million people were left homeless, and some hospitals and medical facilities were badly affected. These are just some of the damages caused by the earthquake. There was a poor response from the government, where humanitarian principles were not always prioritised. By the 22nd of January the Haitian government had called of its own search for survivors.

In comparison, we looked at the Japan earthquake of the 11th of March 2011. There were 2,000 people confirmed dead, and another 10,000 people expected to be dead. Many buildings remained standing due to Japan’s preparedness for the earthquake, and immediate warnings were sent out through Prime Minister Naoto Kan; who said that the government would do its utmost to minimize damage from the quake.In response 91 countries provided aid; offering blankets, food, search dogs and military transport.

The role of the government is to prepare communities and urban areas by carrying out hazard assessments and ensuring physical structures to support are in place, and respond quickly by search and rescuing, providing sanitation, food and healthcare. It is however clear that priorities can vary, which has a massive impact on suffering communities.

We also discussed organisations that provide support for areas affected by disasters. The role of international organisations is to work with governments within and between nations, support government actions, and prioritise humanitarian needs involved in disasters and conflicts. These include United Nations, World Food Programe, and World Health Organisation. Reflecting on this, I find it concerning that part of international organisations role is to support government actions, when it may be the case that the correct priorities are not in place.

Non-governmental organisations have a rather different role. They use an unbiased approach, meaning politically neutral, and work alongside governments although not directly with them. Humanitarian needs are prioritised, and they work to prepare communities through education and communication. Some examples include Red Cross, Oxfam and Save The Children. Although NGO’s to me seem like the ideal in terms of handling a crisis, it is unfortunate that what they can and cannot do is dependent on the funding they receive. It results in NGO’s being less powerful and able to respond to emergencies.

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice: Having lived in a country for my full life where natural disasters are not something I’ve ever had to worry about, learning about them has made me think a lot more about the tragedies that are happening in other areas of the world. Exploring this topic has also highlighted to me that whilst teaching in a class, it is of great importance to ensure that information given to children is not too graphic or upsetting. I will ensure to consider the videos and information that I choose to share.

Areas of interest to further explore/develop: Although I had previously looked at government and NGO responses to emergencies in modern studies during secondary school, I found the case studies very interesting to compare in terms of priorities and communities success in recovery. I plan on seeking information to understand how these decisions are made.

I also wish to further develop my knowledge of how humans are having an impact on natural disasters. It is something that if children are educated about in the correct way, could be really effective for our next generation to think about in their future actions.
During research I came across a book called Unnatural Disasters by Janet Abramovitz, that I am interested in reading and think it will help me better understand the role of humans in disasters.

A quote from this individual that I found very effective in summing this up: “By degrading forests, engineering rivers, filling in wetlands, and destabilizing the climate, we are unraveling the strands of a complex ecological safety net. We have altered so many natural systems so dramatically, their ability to protect us from disturbances is greatly diminished.”

Interdependence: Learning Log

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Theme: Interdependence

Key Learning: During this session, we first looked at what interdependence is. It is defined as the way in which two or more living things depend on each other to grow and remain healthy. There are three components; economic, social and environmental.

Economic interdependence refers to a society or macro-economy with high levels of division of labor, such as global market and trading, multinational/global financial institutions, and stock markets.

Social interdependence works on individual level, as well as within media, cultural integration and advertising.

Environmental interdependence involves the need to look beyond local impact, as there is global repercussions and responsibility. From early human cultures, there has been an awareness that their existence depended on utilising the environment for resources, while also understanding that there are limits in doing this as nature can only provide so much until there are consequences, ie environmental damage. Slight changes in an interconnected system can mean great fluctuations in other parts such as weather.

interdependence

During our lecture, we also looked at symbiosis. It is defined as the close and long-term relationship between two different organisms that has evolved over hundreds of years. There are three types; mutualism, commensalism and parasitism. Mutualism involves two species that work together to benefit each other. Commensalism is when only one of the two species benefits from this relationship, whilst the other is not affected in a positive or negative way. Parasitism is when one organism benefits, and the other is affected in a negative way, for example weakened or damaged. This reminds me of the relationship between a herbivore and the plant that it eats.

During our workshop we learned about Soil Association Scotland; particularly looking at the importance of soil in our ecosystem. Some key facts and statistics that I gained from this included:

  • Healthy soils store more carbon than all the forests in the world; helping us to combat climate change.
  • 95% of our food relies on healthy soils.
  • One quarter of the world’s biodiversity is found in the soil, which supports most of the food chains on our planet.
  • In general, soil is made up of 45% minerals, 25% water, 25% air and 5% organic matter.

soil

This workshop highlighted to me how essential soil is, and that without it our environment would suffer greatly.

During our visit to Strandhead Farm, we were educated on a great deal of advanced technology that is involved in the success of this dairy farm. It is the most technologically advanced dairy unit in the UK, with robotic systems that transport hay, carry out milking the cows and an automated cow handling system.

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Voluntary robotic milking unit

Strandhead Farm is also known for having the best animal welfare. The technology involved ensures this; for example shutters that automatically move allowing air to move through the barn depending on the weather outside. The cows also live within the barn, rather than staying outside. Alterations have been made to ensure that they have a better living situation inside than they would have out, for example sleeping on hay is more comfortable than grass.

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice: Learning about interdependence has emphasised to me how everything in our environment is linked in some way or another. If one aspect were to be removed, then it would have very negative consequences. This is something I have already been aware of in some ways. Bees are an essential part of our ecosystem. The production of plants, berries, seeds, nuts and fruits would not be possible without insect pollination. This is a very relevant issue right now with recent reports of honey bees becoming endangered. This stretches as far as being very political; governments are approving harmful pesticides to be used on farms that are poisonous to bees, causing them to die out when in contact.

bee-2

Soil is something I have never given much thought to, but the workshop relating to this has made me realise how much importance lies beneath the ground I walk on every day.

To conclude, being educated on interdependence has encouraged me to pay more attention to what may seem to be minor parts our ecosystem.

Areas of interest to further develop/explore: I found the visit to the dairy farm very interesting, as I was introduced to such advanced pieces of technology that I was not aware existed. It is somewhere that I would be interested in visiting again as a school trip, so that pupils could be educated on this as well.

 

Climate Change: Directed Study Task

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Reflecting on our input on climate change, it has become clear to me that a lot must be done on an individual and worldwide level to tackle the issues of global warming. I think that political parties should be much more concerned with making improvements in urban environments to cut down carbon emissions.

From completing the WWF Footprint Calculator, which ranked my annual carbon footprint based on my day to day lifestyle, I was surprised to receive 90%, which is above the world average, however below the UK average.carbon-footprint

Admittedly, I don’t find myself paying extra attention to reducing this on a daily basis, although I try to do my bit where I can. I never drop rubbish, I turn appliances off when I’m not using them, and I choose jumpers over turning the heating on when I’m too cold. This has highlighted to me that particularly in the UK, there is a major issue with caring for our environment. Living within a developed country, I do often notice that a lot of money has been dedicated to making alterations such as wind turbines, however when I go on holiday to countries such as Spain, there is a glaringly obvious difference in people’s willingness to keep the streets clean of litter.

My carbon breakdown showed that 51% of my carbon footprint was from home. I currently still live at home with my family, so there is already this issue of the carbon emissions being produced by 4 people. This test has made me realise that there are not enough alterations in our home to promote a sense of eco-friendliness. The tips provided by WWF have been helpful in highlighting to me what can be done to save energy in a home, as well as making me think about what I can do when I’m living on my own to reduce my carbon footprint. carbon-breakdown

I have realised now that there is so much more that I could be doing. Small changes to my lifestyle, such as purchasing locally sourced food and walking or cycling wherever I can, will help a great deal. I have previously participated in earth hour, and WWF reminded me of this. I think it’s a great idea and if people were to participate on a worldwide scale, it is all the more encouraging to make even more changes.

From reading the government’s Climate Change (Scotland) Act has reminded me of the long road we have to go in order to reach our target. “The Scottish Ministers must ensure that the net Scottish emissions account for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the baseline.” Working in a department store, I easily notice the difference that it makes charging 5p for carrier bags. Constantly, customers have already come prepared with their own plastic or reusable bags, so this shows that this change has worked in a positive way. I have also observed at UWS many rooms with lights that automatically dim down and eventually turn off when there is no movement, and separate bins for general waste and recycling placed around the university. It is very positive to see our university being conscious of the issues of our environment and global warming.

 

Climate Change: Learning Log

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Theme: Climate Change

Key Learning: During this session, we first took a look at what climate change is. Climate is the average weather at a given point and time of year over a long period of time, typically 30 years.  A common misconception is that climate change is the change of weather within a day. Although we expect weather to change a lot from day to day, and within a day, we expect climate to remain relatively constant. When this climate does not stay constant, it is known as climate change.

We also had a look at the effects of climate change, in various areas of our environment. Agriculture is effected, as significant amounts of agricultural land on the end of deserts has become unusable through the process of desertification. Crops are wiped out in low-lying areas that suffer from flooding, sea levels rise, and ice caps are melting. This is of great danger for many animals in their natural habitats, as their land is gradually being destroyed by the effects of climate change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The greenhouse effect is a process where the earths surface heats up. The sun’s energy reaches the earth’s atmosphere, and some of this is reflected back into space, which results in the remains being absorbed and re-radiated as greenhouse gases. An example of a greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. 

The thinning of the ozone layer is a major issue as this layer shields earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. The more this decays, the more harmful rays are allowed to reach earth.

Below is an infographic that I created to summarise some information that I learned about politics and global warming during Louise’s workshop.

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“Success has come about where science and education have been backed up by appropriate levels of funding and coupled with the political will to make decisions that are not popular with all sections of society.” (Kemp, 2004, P399)

During Andrew’s workshop, we focused on climate change and weather through various practical tasks. This gave me some interesting ideas for my future teaching, as well as furthering my knowledge.

In one experiment we created a cloud by covering the bottom half of a jar with black paper and filled it with hot water. We emptied the water and held a match in the jar before dropping it in the remaining water. We then held a bag of ice cubes over the mouth of the jar, and this in turn created a cloud.img_3787

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice: I now feel well educated on what climate change is, and this has made me much more aware of to what I extent I am contributing to climate change. Politics and climate change is an area that I had not previously looked into in much depth, and it has been highlighted to me why tackling this issue may not be their top priority. I feel much more passionate now about the government taking control of this, as the people with power are those that can make a great difference. Despite this, I plan on taking a closer look at what I can do to reduce my carbon footprint and damage to the environment.

Areas of interest to further explore/develop: This topic as a whole is one that I have become greatly interested in. I plan on reading the additional materials provided by Louise and Andrew. I specifically hope to become confident in the politics of global warming and executing practical tasks/experiments to carry out in schools. This includes explaining instructions and performing the experiment first as an example.

 

The Urban Environment: Learning Log

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Theme: The Environment

Key Learning: During this session, I learned about the natural and urban environment. Our natural environment is all living and non-living things around us that has occurred naturally. This may include land, living species and other signs of natural life. Our urban environment is generally the area surrounding a city, and includes any man-made structures such as buildings, railways and roads.urban-vs-natural

It was highlighted to us during our lecture that urban areas account for more than 70% of carbon emissions (UNEP 2012). This is having a great impact on resources, as they are running out. This in turn is causing a rise in gas prices. Reflecting on these statistics, it highlighted to me the power of the human race. It is us that are causing such a massively negative impact on our environment, and us who will be affected as a result of this. This to me shows why it is important for children to be educated about the environment. If they can be influenced by being knowledgeable about our environment, then our future generation may work more to protect it. On the other side of things, the urban environment allows humans to develop socially, economically, as well as improving the physical environment.

During our workshop that focused on the natural environment, we were provided with a task to go outside and search for various species of insects and birds, and different types of leaves and lichen. I found this task interesting and valuable, as it highlighted to me how much natural life was in the area that surrounded me. I also learned that lichen comes in different types, and this is affected by the levels of air pollution in the area. When lichen is yellow, it means that there is high levels of pollution due to car emissions.

lichen

Reflecting on all of this information, it made me think about animals in their natural habitats. With a human population constantly growing, more space is taken away from our natural environment. This is having an impact on many species, that are becoming endangered through deforestation as an example, and so their natural habitat is ruined. For some species, this may even mean extinction. Some animals and insects are very valuable parts of our ecosystem, so it is important for them to be protected.

During our workshop focusing on plants and living things, I learned about hydroponics. This is a process by which a plant is grown without the use of soil, but instead with nutrients. I discovered the great advantages of this, as it makes it possible to grow plants anywhere and all year round, 20% less space is used up while growing, and harvesting is easier. I found this interesting to learn about, and it has also provided me with ideas for lesson plans when educating children about the environment.

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Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice: Learning about the environment has reminded me of how I am affecting it. I have always been quite aware of looking after the environment and try to do my part, however now I am much more interested in learning about others ways that I can reduce my pollution levels. I think that with future lectures it will have a further impact on my views as I learn more about sustainable development.

Areas of interest to further explore/develop: One topic that I have picked up on that I would like to further explore is hydroponics. This is a term that I had not come across before, and I think it would be a very valuable lesson to teach to children in class. In order to achieve this I plan on doing further reading so that I can be better educated on hydroponics.

 

 

The Urban Environment: Directed Study Task

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burns_statue_square

My local urban area is called Ayr. It is a coastal town located in the south-west of Scotland.

Physical Characteristics

Physically, Ayr consists of housing, green spaces, roads, shops and transportation, along with many other characteristics. It has much likeness to a small city. Housing covers a large portion of Ayr; including bungalows, detached and semi-detached housing, flats, council housing, student accommodation and retirement homes. Ayr is also a very historic town, with the County Buildings which consists of the administrative offices and the Sheriff Court dating back to the 1800’s, the Gaiety Theatre  built in 1902, and Burns Cottage; a famous historic landmark built in 1957. There is also a number of green spaces open for the public to enjoy. The Low Green is an open grassy area located next to the seaside and is used occasionally to hold evens such as the Air Show. Rozelle, Belleisle and the Old Racecourse are woodland and grassy areas made useful for dog walkers, family outings and school sports days. Grassy areas exist throughout Ayr, giving it a balance of both rural and urban areas. Roads are connected throughout Ayr, which makes it easy to travel from place to place by car, and also easily accessible with routes linking to other towns and cities.

Transport

There is much transport available in Ayr. The railway station is located in Ayr’s town centre, and has frequent services to Glasgow, Ediburgh, Girvan and Kilmarnock. The bus station is also located in the town centre, with eight local services available. With such accessible routes to cities, it can in turn cause environmental issues within Ayr. In summer, Ayr’s beach is a popular place, with hundreds arriving from outwith Ayr and polluting the beach and town with rubbish left behind.

ayr-train-station

Community Spaces

Opportunities for education also exists within Ayr. There are two nursery schools, fifteen primary schools, four secondary schools, one private school and one special needs school. These are spread throughout the town; ranging from near the town centre, by the seaside, and in areas such as Belmont and Alloway. There is also two colleges; Ayrshire College and SRUC, as well as UWS. This shows that Ayr has much opportunity for education and brings students from other areas of the world to study here. There are three public libraries; one of which is attached to Alloway Primary school.

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Industry and Work

There is a wide range of industry and work within Ayr. In the past, this town’s economy was greatly improved by ships that were built on the River Ayr. It and the River Doon were used for fishing whitefish and salmon, which were exported from the Ayr Harbour. Today, the Ayr Harbour is still used as a commercial port; mainly for exporting coal. Following the opening of Ayr’s first department store, Hourstons, this town transformed into an area with much retail work. Marks & Spencer’s, the Kyle Centre, Debenhams and Ayr Central have also contributed towards making Ayr’s economy today very successful. Ayr is also rich in pubs, clubs, restaurants, as well as having a cinema and leisure centre.

harbour

Recreation Spaces

Many sports clubs, teams and centres exist in Ayr. The Ayr Racecourse is a well known racecourse used to host National Hunt and flat racing. Ayr’s senior footbal team, Ayr United F.C plays at Somerset Park, and Ayr’s rugby team Ayr RFC plays at Milbrae. There is also an ice rink used for figure skating teams and ice hockey, as well as Dam Park Stadium, an athletics facility used by running clubs, and for athletic events and sports days. Ayr’s leisure centre, the Citadel has a swimming pool and gym, as well as gym halls that are open to the public and used for kids sports clubs.

Peri-urban Space

Ayr is a peri-urban space; with much rural land that has been urbanised with roads, schools, shops and housing. The countryside area surrounding Ayr has links running through it connecting to major cities such as Glasgow.

Population Density 

In South Ayrshire, there are 92 people per square kilometre. This is the lowest number of people per square kilometre in all of Ayrshire.

Air Quality

Ayr’s pollution level sits at 3, which is quite low.