Urban Environment Study Task

In this blog I will discuss my local urban environment which is the town of Ayr and I will look at the different aspects of Ayr that together make up its urban environment.

• Physical Characteristics

Ayr town centre has a lot of old and rundown buildings of which some have been renovated inside and are currently being used for shops, banks and restaurants while others are completely run down and have no purpose. However, there are fairly new buildings such as Ayr central shopping centre which is no more than ten years old and is the most popular place for the public to do their clothes shopping as it contains shops such a New Look, Debenhams and Topshop.  Ayr high street is a one-way road which is only meant for buses and delivery trucks to go through. Any other traffic is supposed to go around the high-street using other one way streets to get through the town. There is plenty of parking near the high-street that are of reasonable cost. Wellington Square is a large park in Ayr town centre that is situated very near the beach and is surrounded by Ayr sheriff court, offices, restaurants and take away. There is often people sitting in Wellington Square on a sunny day eating their lunch or taking in the surroundings. Not far from wellington square is the low green which is also busy on a sunny day. This is a large green space that the public may use to walk their dogs or have a picnic. In front of the low green lies the promenade and Ayr beach. The beach is kept in relatively good condition and is often busy. There is also a large beach play park that is often used by families at the weekend.

• Transport

Ayr has a bus station just five minutes from the high-street. The buses leave the station and go around the high street, then down it and out the other side. These buses run every five to ten minutes and take the public to surrounding towns and villages. Traffic is always busy in and around the town centre but there is never many problems or congestions because of the one way systems that are in place. There is also a train station in the town centre that provides transport to surrounding towns in Ayrshire and Glasgow. As said above, cars aren’t supposed to use the high-street unless it’s for disabled access to shops therefore the surrounding streets can get quite busy.

• Community Spaces

There is only one primary school and one secondary school in Ayr town centre. The primary school is five minutes outside the town centre so it doesn’t cause any issues. The secondary is in the middle of the town centre on a one-way street so it can be quite busy at nine in the morning and at three in the afternoon. It can also get really busy at lunch time when the pupils go up the high street for their lunch.  Ayr town hall lies at the bottom of the high street which is the slightly quieter end as there are not many shops open down that side. However, the town hall is still used frequently. Along from the town hall there is the large public library. This lies on quite a busy road so is quite hard to access by car but is still used by the public.

• Industry and Work

In Ayr town, a lot of the work is to do with retail as the high street still holds a many shops, supermarkets, chemists and boutiques. Ayr is also big on the catering trade as it has a lot of popular bars, clubs and restaurants. It Is often very busy on a Saturday afternoon with shoppers and a Saturday night with people that want a good night out. There is also a lot of farming work in around the area of Ayr for example, there are many dairy farms.

• Recreation Spaces

At the top of the high street there is a cinema. This has been there for a number of years and is quite old and run down now. It still gets used by the public however I think that many people choose to go to cinema in Kilmarnock as it is bigger and more up to date. There is also the gaiety theatre that holds pantomimes and many other popular shows throughout the year.

• Peri-urban space

Between the countryside and Ayr town centre there are houses and flats. As well as this there are primary and secondary schools along with a few big supermarkets.  The roads that lie between these two areas contain a lot of roundabouts.

• Population density

In South Ayrshire there is only 92 people per square kilometer, compared to the rest of the UK that is not very many.

• Air Quality

The air quality for Ayr is low (3). This is because it is a town not a big industrialized city.

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Learning Log Theme:  The Urban Environment

Key Learning:

The first important point of learning that we discussed in this session was “what is the environment?” The environment is the elements that surround us for example the community that we are in and the people that are around us. The type of environment that we are in can depend on the people that you are with. For example, if someone in a lecture room was to get up and chuck a chair about the room in an aggressive manner then the environment would be threatening. Then we went in to more detail about urban environments, we know that urban environments are continually increasing and have been for many years now. These kind of environments may seem like a good thing. However, they have many disadvantages for example they are responsible for more than 70% of carbon emissions, there is more demand for gas which means the prices are higher. Furthermore, finding room for buildings required deforestation which means the atmosphere has more carbon dioxide. It also means that there is a loss of natural habitats and species as deforestation takes away the homes of many animals.

We then went on to think about how our urban area can have an impact on many different things. For example, my urban area (Ayr) has an impact on the physical environment because Ayr is quite a small, old and run down town with little money which means that the physical environment doesn’t look as nice as what it could. The buildings, streets and roads all look old and worn out. This urban environment supports human growth through physical development as there are many health care facilities for the public to take advantage of. For example, there is ayr hospital, many doctors and dentist surgeries, clinics, and pharmacies in and around the urban area of Ayr. It also has an impact on social development. Ayr is filled with places for the community to interact. For example, there are clubs, pubs, groups, and restaurants in Ayr where people meet up every day and interact with one and other. The urban area of Ayr also impacts skill development as there are many primary and secondary school as well as a college and university. There is also a job center and skills center. These are all places that people have a chance to develop skills and build and education. In and around the Ayr area there are leisure facilities, gyms and sports club that the public can enjoy and can help them with maintaining a healthy lifestyle

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice:

After having this session, it has made me more aware of the urban environment that I live in and the many different urban environments that there are around the world. It has taught me that while urban environments are a good thing I must still pay attention to the serious damages that they may cause. I also think that the knowledge I have gained from this input will help me to understand how people adapt to different environments and how people can alter environments (Scoffham, 2010, P273). It has also taught me that rural, urban and peri- urban areas are all important  in todays society. Furthermore, I have thought about how all these different environments need each other in and compliment each other. For example, urban environments depend on  fresh food from rural environments.

Areas of Interest to explore/ further develop:

I think in the future I would like to look at different types of urban environments from my own for example a bigger city such as Edinburgh or perhaps a completely different urban environment altogether like one in England or even America. I think it would be interesting to find out how that environment can have different impacts on its physical environment and how it can support human growth.

Friends of mine are just back from a trip to Barcelona. I asked them about the urban environment in Barcelona and they said that the quality of air over there was much poorer than the urban environment of Ayr. This was because there was a lot more traffic and a lot less green spaces in the city of Barcelona. They said that they could feel the difference in air from inside the city to parts just outside the city where there was more green space. I found this very interesting as it shows how all urban environments are different.

Study Task – Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

In this task I will consider how the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 has an impact on my lifestyle and choices.  Firstly I will discuss number eighty eight (charges of supply of carrier bags).  This act has made me realise that carrier bags are making a big contribution to climate change and that it must be reduced as much as possible. There for, now every time I go shopping I make sure that I have enough carrier bags with me for my shopping so that I don’t have to pay for more. A lot of the time I if I forget to bring carrier bags with me for shopping I just do without and put my shopping straight into a trolley or carry it to the car and I suspect that a lot of other people will do this do because they don’t want to have to pay for them.

Another point I will discuss from the Climate Change (Scotland) Act is number eighty ( Recyclable Waste: facilities for deposit etc.) I believe this makes a big difference because now that we have blue bins and bins that are just for food waste means that every house hold now have the opportunity to recycle and do their bit for the environment every day. Personally, I take this very seriously and find it very important to recycle and ensure that I do it properly every day because I know the positive effects that this can have on climate change and the environment.

I will also discuss point number ten (greenhouse gases ) I know that greenhouses gases can be very harmful for our environment and make a huge contribution to climate change. There fore, often if I have the opportunity to walk somewhere instead of taking my car I will walk as I know its not only benefiting my health but also the environment as well as it means that there is less gas in the atmosphere.

Learning Log Theme –  Reflection On My Carbon Footprint

Misconceptions

The biggest percentage from my carbon footprint was from my home with 45%. This is because we often have the heating on in my house because the house can be quite cold and the house docent have a lot of insulation. I have never really thought about how this can have an impact on climate change until now. It never crossed my mind before that by putting the heating on I am doing damage to the environment that we live in. From now on I will layer up with clothing, blankets or use a hot water bottle. I also didn’t realise that the food that I eat and buy effects my carbon footprint but 22% contributed to it. My tip for this was eat more seasonal food. However, now I know I must do this in order to decrease my carbon footprint.

Knowledge Gained

I feel that all round after this input I am more knowledgeable about climate change and what I can do to reduce it. i know that the government try and aim to reduce climate change each year however it is incredibly important for me to do my own bit to reduce it. I know that I must recycle every day and take advantage of the opportunities where I can walk instead of taking my car.  I know that deforestation is a big contributor as land that holds lots of trees reduces the amount of co2 that there is in the air. Also, land that holds urban spaces increases the amount of co2 that there is in the air.

How I can reduce my footprint

Food 22% – Buy more seasonal food

Home 45% – Check your house for insulation and double glazing

Travel 20% – Take up cycling, carpool or walk to work

Stuff 13% – Recycle and  buy second hand

Overall my carbon footprint was 104% which is quite high which mean I need to try hard to reduce it. In order to do this I will follow the above tips very carefully. Personally, I think the hardest tip to follow will be to buy things second hand instead of often buying brand new things. Also, I think It will be hard to walk more than what I do as often the weather will put me off from doing this but I will try.

Learning Log Theme – Interdependence

Key Learning:

Interdependence is the way in which two or more living things depend on each other to grow and remain healthy. For example we have interdependent relationships with communities that we belong to as we depend on the community to remain healthy and the community depends on us to help sustain it. There are three main ways in which we are interdependent; environmentally, socially and economically.  Economically, our society is impact by factors such as the global market and trading our economy Is effected by the value of euro, dollar and yen through the international stock markets. The price of labour in china had designated the UK steel industry. We can also be seen to be interdependent socially through the sharing of media products for example, we watch TV shows and films from America that are all very popular in our country and in turn boost Americas economy. Environmental independence can be seen through things such as global warming for example, because of the increasing use of fossil fuels it effects species, weather, sea levels and places. This means that things have to change for example sea  temperatures rising mean that fish/ species have to migrate to other waters which then effects their food chain and lifestyle. We also discussed some of the key concepts in interdependence such as food supply and security. We currently have a growing population which mean that there is more demand for food but still the same amount  of resources that we always had to provide them e.g. water. We also discussed interdependence in past, present and future. This means that our ancestors actions effected our life and similarly we will have an impact on our great grand children.

We also read lots of different sources on interdependence that helped to the concept. For example I read bout oceans and how issues such as over fishing effects many species that live in the sea and also the life of fishermen as they cant afford to pay fees for fishing. The WWF page stated that over 3 billion people rely on fish as a major source of animal protein. But because of things such as global warming and over fishing this is becoming harder and harder to achieve.

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practise:

This session allowed me to really think about interdependence and all the interdependent relationships that are around me in everyday life. I think now I will be more aware of my interdependent relationships and all of the relationships that I am involved in because I now understand that these are very important in regards to the economy, the environment and social aspects. The world relies on interdependent in order to survive and it is important that we don’t take these for granted or misuse them.

Areas of interest to explore/further develop:

I found it very interesting to read about the issues that over  fishing brings and would study this further. I also think that as a teacher it would be a good idea to make my students aware of the interdependent food chain as this is an important part of their everyday life. I think it would be valuable to take them to the farm for them to see where their food comes from and be able to question and find out more about it.

Learning Log Theme – Disasters

Key learning:

Firstly in this input we discussed the classification of a disaster. For example, its only a disaster when human society is impacted e.g. Social disruption, Material damage and Loss of life. Types of disasters include tsunamis such as the 2004 boxing day Indian ocean, earthquakes which often occurs in countries such as Japan and floods such as the 2016 floods in Cumbria, England.  After this, we then discussed how human impact can have an impact on natural disasters such as deforestation, global warming and urbanisation. We also discussed the political responses that often occur for example in Haiti the government response was slow and delayed as its not as a well of country as America for example. Where as in North America, when fires start the government response is rapid. We also discussed how countries can prepare and respond to disasters at a local, national and international level.  For example forecasting systems or assisting other governments. After this, we went on to discuss the role of governments for prepare communities and urban areas by hazard assessment, physical structures to provide support, communicate procedures e.g. evacuation. They also must respond quickly by  search and rescue and providing sanitation. They must also work with communities and international partners by rebuilding infrastructure of communities.  Some of the international organisations we talked about that respond very quickly and give great help and aid to countries that have suffered disasters are the Food and Agricultural Organisation and United Nations Children’s Fund. These organisations work along side governments and support their actions. Non governmental organisations are also key in helping countries for example the red cross and save the children. These NGOs have a non biased approach and are politically neutral. They prioritise  humanitarian needs and focus on working to prepare communities.

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practise

I found this session on disasters very interesting and of great value to me. The facts and different disasters that we learned about were of great value to me as it allowed me to think about how disaster effect many different countries around the world differently. I also think that disasters are a very important part of the curriculum and the study task that we done on disaster allowed me to gather information and ideas about ways that we could teach disasters to primary children. It is important for them to learn about disasters as it provides them with elf awareness and reminds them that all countries are different and although we might not suffer from these terrible disasters in our country but other children just like them in countries such as Haiti do.  Although, it is important to make children aware we must be careful of how we teach this to them for example, we must make our materials child friendly and not focus to must on things such as death and the scariness of these disasters.

Areas of interest to explore/further develop:

In the future, I will use the presentations that we created to help me come up with lesson plans and ideas of activities and materials that would be appropriate to use with children in a primary setting. I will also look at these presentations to help me with my assignment as I think I would like to include disasters. I found it tsunamis and earthquakes particularly interesting and I would be happy to focus on these and research particular case studies further.

Learning Log Theme: Energy

Key Learning:

Firstly we ad a lecture that introduced what fossil fuels are e.g. coal oil and gas and what we use them for in today society e.g. transport fuels such as petrol and used when cooking. However it is thought that these fuels that we so desperately need will not last long enough. “Temperatures have already increased by nearly 1° in the past 100 years and are projected to rise more quickly over the next hundred years” this is because as our lifestyle becomes more and more industrialised the more fossil fuels we are burning and the more fumes we are realising into the atmosphere which causes global warming. We then went on to discuss how we need alternatives to the use of fossil fuels; We need to find new ways to Generate electricity, Power vehicles and Make materials. After this, we discussed different ways of generating energy such as wave power in Scotland, solar energy, wind energy or the use of hydrogen. Hydrogen is an effective alternative for fossil fuels because; High energy efficiency, Can be produced from water and has no carbon emissions. We also had a debate about whether wind energy was a good alternative energy. There was many mixed views during this debate but personally I think that they are a good alternative source. They provide jobs for thousands that are involved in building them all of the country, they are effective and produce energy without burning any sort of fuel and often wind farms can be a sort of tourist attraction and  nice play to go walks e.g. white lees in Glasgow. However many say that they destroy habitats for wild animals, they are unpleasant to look at and are a waste of space where green space could be. We also talked about electricity and completed a few practical activities that showed how we can teach children about electricity in the classroom

Impact on views/styles/practise:

After this input I will now be more thoughtful of the energy I use everyday.  it is important that as an aspiring teacher I understand that it is important to be aware of fossil fuels and how they can have massive effects on our future. I must be able to inform my future pupils of ways that they can save energy and use alternative sources to energy as one day fossil fuels are going to run out. We also learned various activities to do with energy that primary children will find enjoyable and interesting. I believe this topic is a good one to use with all stages of primary children as its different from other curricular topics that they do every day and it is related to real life situations that effect them. There for, they are likely to be more engaged in the learning.

Areas of interest to explore/further develop:

I will further develop how I can use this topic in my future classroom and different activities that can be  used to keep the children engaged while learning about energy. I would like to look into the topic of wind energy or wave energy in Scotland and see in further detail the advantages and disadvantages that they may have.

Learning Log Theme – Diversity

Key learning:

Diversity can be defined as “A range of different things” that are important for living things to survive. There are two main aspects of diversity. These include cultural diversity and biodiversity. Cultural diversity is diversity in a human  society and biodiversity is within the natural environment. We need biodiversity because it provides food sources and range, medical discoveries, ecological services, absorbs carbon, cleaning water, resilience of species to adjust to catastrophes, presents diseases within species, the wonder of it. However, despite its importance there are many threats to biodiversity. For example, the loss of habitat or destruction such as forests and woods getting chopped down to use for wood which means the habitat that live there have nowhere to go, climate change, pollution and spread of non – native species or diseases.

Impact on my views/styles/practise:

From this input and the activities from the RSPB I can now see how I can take this topic further and use it with my future pupils. This gave us ideas of activities that would allow us to use with a class that would widen their knowledge about birds and other parts of nature. The purpose of this is so that children learn about their environment and how they can preserve it. Nowadays, children are too interested in technology and don’t spend as much time outside. in fact Scotland is the worst country in the world when it comes to how much children exercise. Outdoor learning is not just a break from the classroom but it gives opportunity for children to get active, work in teams and can involve inter disciplinary learning.

Areas of interest to explore/further develop:

The RSPB gave us websites that we can access to find out more information in about how they can help us with outdoor learning further down the line in our career. I will take his into account when I have my own class in the future.  I found this topic very useful to learn about as I think it will benefit myself in the future which means I can pass this information onto my pupils.

Serial Day Task

Mapping of school grounds/areas.

Evidence of existing engagement with sustainable education within the school such as garden area, recycling bins, litter picking wardens, bird boxes, and so on.

• There is a garden area in the playground that the children visit as a class every second week
• There is a gardening lady that comes in to teach them about gardening and how they can grow heathy foods in the school garden and at home.
• There are two litter picking wardens from the Primary seven class. This rotates every week so that every pupil gets a chance.
• There are plenty of litter bins in all areas of the large playground for the children to put their rubbish in.

Consideration of actual play space and its sustainability.

• The children have a large play ground which is concrete but includes a section for a school garden and objects such a rubber tyres.
• The children are aloud to bring their bikes and scooters to school so they can use them at break and lunchtime.
• The nursery have their own separate outdoor play space that includes a shoot and many other outdoor toys that can be used.
• The play space is always kept immaculate with no litter at all due to the litter picking wardens and the garden.
• This school is newly built therefore everything is kept in really good condition.

Discussion with children on these aspects of sustainable education.

• This school have an eco council and they have achieved a silver and bronze award for achieving a sustainable lifestyle.
• There are two eco pupils per class. It is there job to attend pupil council meetings to discuss issues around the school that occur that are to do with the sustainability of the school.
• All pupils enjoy the gardening as they find it a different kind of experience from the classroom. They are always able to recall information that the gardening lady has told them which shows that they are engaged and interested in what she has to say.