Reflective log

 

The environment I recently studied both on campus with the two workshops and the study task I completed recently. The first workshop I attended included searching the campus for types of birds, lichen and trees. I thought about how this kind of activity could be used in schools and analysed where they would be appropriate and why. For example the lichen task was the most difficult although informative regarding air quality so upper school would be a more appropriate setting for this activity. It could also be tied in with environmental issues like air pollution if a global warming topic was being carried out in class. The tree activity was enjoyable and found it quite educational and surprising on the variety of trees in such a small area. Using leaf types to differentiate trees especially if the leaves could be picked up and touched would be an excellent activity. It ties in nicely with the benefits of outdoor learning as well as good homework task could be to go home and document the trees near the pupil. Finally the tasks identifying the types of birds and bugs would be provide beneficial for letting the pupils experience nature in a more active way. It also requires them to be more active than the other tasks as they need to move rocks to find bugs or listen for unique bird sounds for example. The second science workshop focused more on activities you could do in the classroom setting. These whilst more theory based did provide interesting insights into environmental issues again. The growing your own only exercise could be especially fun for pupils as they get to see it grow over time.

The study task I completed required me to create a study on my local area Ayr. I found this task mostly straight forward as I am very familiar with the area as a result of the large amounts of walking, driving or even running I do around Ayr. It revealed to me that the service and retail sectors were most prevalent and the agricultural and manufacturing sectors were far decreased as a result. I was pleasantly surprised by the air quality being of relative cleanliness as found by the Ayr reading tool found online (www.scottishairquality.co.uk). I also learned that there are actually air monitoring stations spread around Ayr that I only noticed after discovering their existence online. However finding peri-urban space was rather difficult as I struggled with concept even after reading the EEA report. Eventually I settled upon an area down the beach that could be considered peri-urban. I intend on carrying out additional research on what peri-urban space is and try find examples of it so I can better identify them in the future. In conclusion it has been an interesting topic that I feel I could teach myself in schools particularly if outdoor teaching could be utilised effectively.

 

STUDY TASK

 

• Physical characteristics
  • Including the types of building, organisation of roads, green spaces etc.
  • My home is an upper flat in Barns street. The buildings along Barns street are large stone buildings with a range of both houses and other businesses such as solicitors and dentists. Ayr’s buildings vary greatly from the large sandstone buildings near the beach at wellington square to small brick estates.
  • The roads in Ayr follow a one way system in the centre of town and allow for easy access to Prestwick in particular. The Whitletts roundabout (which is approximately 10 minutes from the centre of town) allows travel to Ayrshire’s smaller surrounding towns as well as Glasgow and Prestwick.
  • Nearby there is a small park called Wellington square containing 4 monuments and is well maintained with well cut grass and flowers.
  • There is also a beach nearby with excellent parking facilities.
  • Ayr is a particularly flat town with virtually no hills which could be attributed mainly to it being located at the beach.

 

 

 

• Transport
  • The types of transport used and to what extent, any issues caused etc.
  • Both buses and trains are available in Ayr with links to Glasgow and Prestwick being especially helpful from the train station. The buses are frequent and get special uses of lanes by the racecourse and allow for travel into the main town as well as out to neighbouring small towns such as Annbank.
  • Air travel is also available from Prestwick airport (approximately 15 minute drive or Train journey from Ayr).

 

 

• Community spaces
  • There is a college and university located in Ayr called Ayrshire college and The Univeristy Of The West Of Scotland respectively.
  • There is a footbal field called somerset park near the racecourse that hosts games with the local team Ayr United.
  • There are 18 schools located round Ayr ranging from Primary to Secondary.
  • The council building is located in the centre of town and is a large stone building with a spire and Scottish flag at the top of it.
  • The courthouse is located by the beach in a very large stone building with a large dome on top.

 

 

 

• Industry and Work
  • The service sector is very prevalent in Ayr containing at least one of each fast food restaurant.
  • The main town also contains a large selection of shops selling most items from clothing to furniture.
  • There is a low amount of manufacturing present in Ayr although there is a manufacturer for salt called Peacock Salt by the harbour.

 

• Recreation spaces
  • There is a racecourse available hosting highly attended races often bringing in large crowds of people. There is also a cinema and leisure centre called Citadel in town. There is also a recently renovated theatre open called the  Gaiety theatre.
  • There is also a large soft play are for children called Pirate Petes down by the beach and also offers laser tag.
  • LA Bowl is another recreational venue containing a bowling alley and laser tag. There is also a bar and an arcade.

 

• Peri-urban space
  • See EEA report
  • There isn’t much peri-urban space in Ayr although down by the beach there are fields that are accessible to an urban estate nearby.

 

• Population Density
  • 92 people per square kilometre
  • Interestingly despite having the lowest population density in the UK we have the second highest population. This suggests that Scotland’s population is sparsely populated.

 

• Air Quality
  • See charts below
  • Ayr has a low air pollution amount which could be attributed to the low population density and therefore less car users creating harmful emissions