Key Learning-
After this weeks input on the Urban Environment, I feel I have a much better appreciation for the environment around me. Before the lecture on the urban environment I had always just related environment to nature and wildlife, I had not thought if it as being much more about you’re interaction with where you are, rather than just the location.
I learned a lot about the harm Urban environments are creating, such as being responsible for 70% of carbon emissions, overcrowding, traffic and social inequality. However these big cities also have advantages such as consuming less energy, as many of the high rise flats and multi-family houses use up less heating and less ground space.
Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice:
I enjoyed the workshops we did outdoors, it made me so much more aware of what is around me everyday that I would normally overlook; such as the different species of wildlife and plants surrounding the campus. It also gave me a better appreciation of outdoor learning and made me realise the benefits of letting children explore what is around them.
There are many activities to do with the environment topic which simply could not be taught as effectively in a classroom as they could outdoors, such as the identifying different animals, trees etc activities that we did. This gives children an opportunity to be independent learners and gives them a more hands on experience. This often helps them to engage better in the topic if they get a hands on activity, rather than textbook work.
Areas of interest to explore further/develop:
After learning about the effects urban environments are creating, such as being responsible for many environmental pressures, made me want to look into ways in which we can reduce these environmental pressures in more depth and how to be more eco friendly, such as using more public transport, not overusing central heating etc. After enjoying the outdoor workshops we took part in, I’d also like to look into more ways and which types of lessons could be adapted to be taught outdoors.
