September 29, 2017
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Climate Change

Climate change is something I have always been aware of. Throughout my primary education we had an Eco committee that were a very influential group, and by having this group we got the chance to learn about how we could help the environment. As I have gotten older I still keep the idea of helping in my mind however I am not very pro-active in doing so.

It is a topic that is quite often on the news. In recent years the majority of people have been issued with information leaflets, bulletins and resources that help us help the planet. Personally I find it really hard to recycle, I almost always forget. Which is why the use of various coloured bins for different materials is extremely useful. However, recently my local council have introduced a new recycling process and many people are finding it hard to get into a new routine and get their heads around the process. My mum has always been one to reuse bags, even before the government introduced their new legislation, and has many large reusable bags so rarely has to buy any of the smaller ones.

Before learning more about climate change I never realised how much the Scottish government was doing to help. While reading the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 I discovered that there is set targets for the years 2020 and 2050. I was also shocked to find out that scientists think that our global temperature could rice by 6 degrees Celsius within this century. That a rise of 2 degrees Celsius could mean more acidic seas leading to a destruction of food chains (WWF, 2017).

After completing a task to measure my carbon footprint I realised that I could be doing a lot more to lower it. A high percentage of my carbon footprint is caused due to travel as I highly rely on my car for travelling especially for university and work and commuting takes up a huge part of my day. I am going to take the first step on improving my carbon footprint by turning all appliances of by the main rather than leaving them on standby.

References

Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. asp 12. Edinburgh: The Stationary Office.

WWF. (2017) HOW BIG IS YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT? [Online] Available: http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ [Accessed: 28 September 2017]

September 28, 2017
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Integrated Arts 2

ART

In today’s seminar we had the opportunity to let our creative minds flow and put ourselves in the shoes of the children we will soon be teaching. We were given a bunch of different materials and asked to make a paintbrush. To begin with I was quite confused as to why we had been asked to do such a task, but as the lesson progressed the answer became very clear.

As children start to appreciate others works around them, they begin to realise that everyone’s skill level is different. They then start to compare each others work and some children’s confidence begins to drop as they may not think their art and design is as good as the person next to them (McAuliffe, 2007). When a child is given a standard paintbrush, it is as if they are all expected to produce the same art work. Before the children even begin their work, we are giving them the means to compare and how can we possibly expect anything unique. As an educator it is very important that we make sure children are given equal opportunities and that they feel as valued as one another.

Our task in the seminar was to create our own paintbrush. We were given a wooden broomstick, and many materials such as wool, string, tape, and feathers. Everyone in the class created a very unique piece of art.

After creating our paintbrushes, we then had the chance to then paint a picture. Our lecturer described a scene and then we began to paint with our own creations. I felt confident when doing this exercise as I was proud of my creation and knew that no one else was going to have the same painting as me because we all had a different painting material.

The Curriculum for Excellence (2004) ensures that all children should have equal opportunities. Providing a lesson such as creating your own paintbrush will not make the children feel as if they are all the same. From this lesson in today’s module I walked away with the clear understanding that no one or nothing is perfect, and as a matter of fact, we are all perfect in our own unique and different ways.

MUSIC

In today’s music lesson, we had the chance to explore music within the expressive arts. As I had not taken part in any music lessons the early stages of secondary school, I was quite nervous, especially with anticipation of having to play in front of my peers, however when being introduced to Figurenotes (2017) I felt confident and I was able to follow and read the music with ease using this strategy.

Figurenotes allows you to play the instrument by looking at colourful symbols, instead of normal letters. This would be a very appropriate technique to use in a primary classroom as it is a step by step way to read music and can be easily followed. When trying a few songs I began to build my confidence, and I was willing to improvise in front of the class. I did however find it quite difficult to follow the symbols as I learned how to play music using letter, so it was challenging to use the symbols. However I think this is a fantastic way to introduce music to children for the first time.

This lesson proved to me that anyone can play music. The Curriculum for Excellence provides many opportunities for music to be played in the classroom, and figure notes would give children the confidence to do so.

References

McAuliffe, D. (2007) Fondation and Primary Settings. In Teaching Art and Design 3-11. (Edited by Sue Cox, Robert Watts, Judy Grahame, Steve Herne and Diarmuid McAuliffe) London: Continuum.

Scottish Government. (2004) Curriculum for Excellence: Expressive Arts. [Online] Available: https://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf [Accessed: 28 September 2017].

September 21, 2017
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Sustainable Development: My Urban Environment

Until the age of 8 I lived in the outskirts of Dumfries, and since then I have lived in a small, rural town in North Lanarkshire. Shotts is a relatively small-town half way between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Many years ago, Shotts was a large industrial town, known famously for its mining and ironworks, unfortunately now these industries no longer exist, however you can still be educated about this period at Shotts’ Heritage centre where they provide a detailed history about the local area.

Most of the houses are council owned and are terraced, four to a block. There are three primary schools and a secondary school all within walking distance from where I live and for safety precautions many streets have reduced speed limits and traffic calming measurements are also in place.

The town of Shotts also hold their annual Highland games every summer, which attracts people from all over the country. There is also a community centre, sports centre, library, and healthy living centre within Shotts that all hold a variety of different activities and for all age groups. Shotts also has a National Trust where they work cooperatively with the local primary schools. They work together to educate young pupils how to look after their environment.

Our nearest hospital is over 10 miles away which is easily accessed using public transport. Shotts has very good transport links to Glasgow and Edinburgh by train, and nearby towns such as Motherwell, Hamilton, and Livingston by bus.

Shotts has one small supermarket alongside many small convenience stores. There are also a couple of restaurants, takeaways, and cafes. There are many local businesses that work well with the community as most workers for these businesses are local and they also provide work placements for those in secondary schools.

As Shotts is situated almost directly central of Glasgow and Edinburgh the M8 motorway bypasses the town, because of there being a lot of traffic this will cause pollution to the air. According to Air Quality Scotland (2017) the air quality in my postcode is at level 3, which is considered low.

By using Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes (Scottish Government) many different lessons could be created. Using (SOC 1-07a) I would take pupils out into their local environment to get a hands-on investigation but also get them to complete some further research online. And as a follow-up to create a group presentation.

Air Quality in Scotland. (2017) Latest Pollution Map. [Online] Available: http://www.scottishairquality.co.uk/latest/?postcode=G21+3HY&postcode-submit.x=0&postcode-submit.y=0 [Accessed: 19 September 2017].

Scottish Government. (2004) Curriculum for Excellence: Social Studies. [Online] Available: https://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/social-studies-eo.pdf [Accessed:19 September 2017].

September 21, 2017
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Integrated Arts 1

Visual Arts

In this workshop our class as a whole, analysed children’s visual art work, art created by 3 year old ranging to work created by the senior phase of secondary school. I found it very interesting to see how the children’s ability within the arts develops over the years. As well as seeing that everyone has their own unique way when it comes down to expressing themselves in the arts.

From an early age children enjoy making marks. This is closely linked with a number of stage theories by the work of Lowenfield and Brittain (1987). The 4 stages are closely linked with children’s age for example the pre-schematic stage is where children from ages 4-7 are seen to perform. However, as the times have moved, as educators we tend not to slot children into these stages as we appreciate that children come from different backgrounds, cultures and often progress at different times as one another.

It is important that we also make cross curricular links with the expressive arts. As numeracy and literacy often take priorities in the classroom, it is important that we can incorporate the arts into these areas of the curriculum. This may help children understand areas that are more difficult for them, and they may also find enjoyment in an area of difficulty. As educators we can set different tasks for example giving children a story and then asking the children to draw pictures over the words which might engage the children. We want children to express their literacy and numeracy through art.

Music

The introduction to music in today’s workshop was very interactive and fun! The workshop was based on different types of music and how it made us feel.

The lecture began by 5 different pieces of music being played and we were to write down how it made us feel. We then had a whole class discussion which was interesting to see that music can make different people feel different things. After this, we were then played another piece of music. In groups, we were to create a story board that linked with the music. This was a great task as it allowed us to share our ideas, and create a completely random story. When discussing our stories at the end of the seminar, everyone had created a similar storyline. My skills of teamwork developed through this task as we had to work together to create the story behind the music.

We can use music throughout the curriculum. After creating the story board, we could have deepened our learning by creating a piece of writing. It is important that we understand that both music and arts can be integrated through other areas of the curriculum, such as literacy.

References :

Lowenfeld, V. and Brittain, W. (1987). Creative and mental growth. 8th ed. New York [u.a.]: Macmillan.

February 13, 2017
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At Risk Behaviour’s in Society

In this week’s input, we focused on the behavioural risks of individuals. We started the lecture by being active and moving around. From this I learned that you should only stay seated for about 20 minutes at one time. During this part of the lesson we found out some key information about people’s lifestyle habits in today’s society.

There are several causes for deaths in both adults and young people. Adult deaths are mostly caused due to factors such as dietary habits, smoking, alcohol use and inactivity whilst young people’s deaths are mostly caused by motor vehicle crashes, other unintentional injuries, such as falls, fires and drowning, and suicide.

During this week’s Society and lifestyle group seminar, we discussed about the risk behaviours that can be prevented but still cause deaths in many young people and adults. Risk behaviours are actions people take that place their life in a danger; it can cause injury, illness, or premature death.

The main at risk behaviours that effect the lifestyles of today’s generations are;

Behaviours contributing to unintentional/ intentional injuries
Tobacco use
Alcohol and drug use
Sexual behaviours resulting in unintended pregnancy and STD’s
Dietary patterns leading into disease
Lack of physical activity

As part of this input our groups were given a specific factor to look in to and present to our peers.

February 7, 2017
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Inclusion and Diversity – Focus on Disability

During this input we focused on having an understanding of what disability is, the importance of having awareness of disability and how this impacts on society. I feel that as a student teacher I should have a brief knowledge about all the different support needs as this will allow me to provide my students with the support they will need. Every individual has a different definition of what disability is. According to the Equality Act 2010, a person who is disabled has a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term effect on their ability to carry out normal daily activities. Although many people have disability from birth, there is always a possibility to acquire disability at any point in our lives.

The society we live in is very diverse; it contains people with different cultures, religions, and abilities. In today’s diverse society, people hold different views and attitudes towards others who are different to them. In my opinion, raising awareness of disability within schools is important, as it allows our students to have a understanding that regardless of the differences anyone has, every individual should be treated fairly.

February 1, 2017
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Inclusion and Diversity

During this input, we looked in detail about the importance of inclusion and equality in today’s society, with relation to the Equality Act of 2010. I found this input very interesting and relevant to becoming a teacher.

As a perspective teacher, I now understand that a child must feel included and comfortable within their learning environment and to feel happy and at ease around their peers in order for them to grow and learn with an open mind.

Another important lesson I took from this week’s input was that although equality is highly important and as a teacher the Equality Act of 2010 will have a recurring role in my practice, in order to give every child a fair chance in every given opportunity, I feel equity is an even more beneficial practice to go by. This is where every child will get the same experiences and opportunities despite their race, religion, ability etc. Therefore, this should lead to a fair classroom environment where every single child feels equal and that no one is more advantaged or less advantaged than others.

I now understand how significant the awareness of inclusion and equality is in everyday life. Especially being able to link this to practices in the classroom.

January 23, 2017
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Religion, Society and Diversity 2

Today I learned about more aspects of religion and focused on ‘unchurched’ spirituality. I had never heard of the term ‘unchurched’ spirituality so I was interested to gain an understanding of what it meant. This means a type of spirituality that is not related with an organised religion. We also discussed more on how religion and culture are connected, both positively and negatively. I thought it was interesting to find out different aspects of certain religions, for example, the refusal of medical treatments due to the beliefs of a Jehovah Witness. We also discussed more theorists such as Max Weber and Karl Marx. To understand the theorists and their findings, I will have to research more and read up on them as I was struggling to understand what they believed in and how their beliefs impacted on society positively and negatively. I believe this module is expanding my knowledge and giving me a better understanding that there is a larger range of religions and beliefs even though I am struggling to understand certain concepts. I believe that this module will help me when I become a teacher as I can develop my understanding of religion and have an open mind and non-bias views which is important for teachers in a classroom environment.

January 16, 2017
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Religion, Society and Diversity 1

Reflecting on the first lecture of Society and Lifestyles I now understand that there is a lot more to society and religion than what I already thought. Although the lectures and tutorials were filled with lots of new information, I was kept engaged and intrigued throughout. Throughout the day, I gained a lot of new knowledge. We discussed the meaning of religion and sociology, the impacts they can have and the theorists who discuss religion within their work. As part of the tutorial workshop, we were to pick a theorist and look more into their work. I choose Emile Durkheim. Durkheim had a very important role in the development of Anthropology and Sociology and he influenced many other sociologists as well as the Turkish nationalism. During the lecture, I found out that there are many different types of religion and how close religion and society are connected. Many people around the world have different outlooks on what religion actually is. For example, historians believe that religion is a series of events due to beliefs, or a sociologist sees religion as an agreed way of looking at something. I believe for myself to deepen my understanding of religion and society, I have to complete some further research into the theorists related to this topic and to also look into the types of religions and how they impact society. The lecture has shown me that throughout schools, pupils may not be learning as much about religion as they potentially should be. I do understand how parents may not want their children influenced in schools by teaching religion as it is of course their child’s own decision. However, I do feel that if religion was taught more in schools, there could be more respect shown towards others and their religion. I believe their would be a positive effect as the pupils would be learning more into different cultures and would understand why certain religions do what they do and therefore their would be less stigma and racism related to different religions and cultures.

December 8, 2016
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Personal Response to “Room”

I have always enjoyed reading from a young age. My parents always encouraged that I read whether that be a bedtime story when I was younger or continually practising my reading book while at school. I was mostly interested in fiction novels as I enjoyed imaging the story coming to life and always had many questions which consisted of “what if?”. I read a range of genres of books but I am more inclined to read light hearted, teen-fiction books.

I found “Room” by Emma Donoghue was a very enjoyable read but was also quite difficult to understand and interpret certain aspects. Donoghue used language which allowed the reader to immerse themselves into the stories of the main characters. I was intrigued by the story of ‘Jack’ and ‘Ma’ to know what was going to happen next and the actions and the character of ‘Old Nick’. The story of ‘Room’ was very engaging due to the mysterious themes portrayed throughout.

‘Room’ was quite challenging to read at times as you had to put yourself in ‘Jack’s’ mind to understand what he was talking about. Jack would often use personification when talking about furniture in the room. His language acquisition was at times very typical of a child his age however he would often discuss subjects and use words not typical of a five-year-old. I found myself having to re-read sentences or even full paragraphs to fully understand what was meant by ‘Jack’s’ language. The main aspect in which I struggled with most was Jack’s use of personification. At the beginning of the novel I was very confused with words such as “Meltedy spoon” and “Rug”, and questioned myself about the use of the capital letter for objects. It wasn’t until I had read further into the novel that I became aware of the differences of Jack’s language to a ‘typical’ 5-year-old.

I really enjoyed reading ‘Room’ as it was a book that I had never heard of and was very different from something which I would usually read. ‘Room’ has encouraged me to read other novels as ‘Room’ is not typically a novel that I would pick to read for enjoyment and I believe this will allow me to discover many more types of novels and genres.

I would highly recommend ‘Room’ to friends and family, however I think that they may be a bit apprehensive about ‘Room’, as like me, they would probably dismiss this type of book for an easier and light hearted read. With the encouragement to read ‘Room’ and to take time to fully understand, not just the language but the entirety of the story, they would really enjoy ‘Room’ due to its unusualness.

Kerry Graham UWS ITE ePDP

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