Learning about energy has been something which I have found very interesting and I feel that it could be easily implemented into the classroom in a relatable way for children. We all use energy every day, without even thinking about it. Being asked to reflect and to think about how I had used energy from when I woke up to when I got to university made me realise the vast amounts of energy which our modern, Western way of life has accustomed us to use. I think that by asking children to do a similar task it would be very interesting to see how many of them would know just how much we do that uses, or has used, energy. This would be a very relatable way to begin a lesson on energy, helping children to see energy use as something which relates directly to their lives.
We then moved on to consider which of our activities used energy in the form of fossil fuels. For primary school aged children, the meaning of a ‘fossil fuel’ would have to be discussed and explored, and at this point making fossils using toy dinosaurs, shells and clay, would be a good way to contextualise to learners what a fossil is. It would also provide us with a concrete material with which to explain to learners that after many years, we use these fossils as fuel in the form of coal, gas and oil. This would then allow us to explain to the children that if we are running on fossil fuels, there are only so many fossils in the world; because there were only so many dinosaurs etc. so one day, fossil fuels are going to run out. Current statistics state that oil is going to last for around 50 years, gas is going to last for around 54 years, and coal is going to last for around 110 years. It would therefore be very important to explain to children why we need to cut down on our uses of these types of fuels and to get them to come up with ways in which they can contribute to doing so. This could be done by making mind maps in pairs and then bringing them all together as a class, discussing which actions use the most energy.
After explaining this to children, it would be important to begin exploring option of alternative fuels such as nuclear power, wind power, tidal power, and solar power. This renewable energy will never run out as we will never run out of wind, sun light, the tide, or nuclear power. Experiments could be done to show how solar power and wind power work, using strong lights to power battery Lego cars with solar panels on them, and using fans to blow model windmills, and potentially taking children to a wind farm, to learn about how the windmills actually work and to see them up close. This would be the perfect opportunity for a STEM project such as the one we heard about today. Projects like this one require the children to work in teams to make a model windmill, following a set of instructions. Taking part in a debate about the use of wind power as an alternative energy source helped me to understand that there are ups and downs to every form of energy and that some of them, particularly nuclear power, can be controversial and have negative impacts on the environment if we are not careful. Instilling this critical way of looking at information in children is very important as this skill will allow them to analyse and evaluate and create more effectively. By getting the class to take part in a debate, it would open up space for a research task which could be done during a visit to a windfarm; the children could ask the person doing the tour about the pros of wind power. They could also take part in a drama when we returned to the classroom, in which I was doing teacher in role, acting as an annoyed home owner who lived near the windfarm, while the children would ask me questions about whether or not I liked wind power and why. A debate could then take place after the drama in which half of the children acted as homeowners and people against wind power, and half acted as people who were for wind power. This could then be concluded by another drama in which the children act as council officials who have to decide whether or not to build a wind farm in a plot of near by land, and how to solve any of the issues and reasons against wind farms that people who live nearby may have. Once this discussion is over and the decisions have been made, the children could take part in the technology task in which they make their own model windmills in groups, which follow the original plan and which also follow the new criteria for windmills which they have decided to try out. They also must decide where on the land to put the windmills. This will be the experiment, as the children can take their windmills outside and count how many times they spin in 2 minutes, at different areas of the playground. This experiment will be to allow the children to make connections and to see if whether or not buildings and trees get in the way of wind power, and if the height of the propeller effects the wind power. The process, hypothesis, results and conclusion could be recorded in a learning log, which would allow the children to reflect on the experience and to highlight any problems which arose and how they solved them. It would also allow them to record their connections and evaluations of their wind farm project. This experiment would develop key skills such as hypothesising, systems thinking, problem solving, adapting, reflection and collaboration.
This project would be about the children planning and constructing their very own wind farm and would allow them to take on many different roles. It would also provide an abundance of opportunities for IDL and would take place over a long period of time. It would be an interesting context in which children could both learn about fossil fuels, and become aware of why and how we need to cut down our uses of them, and the use of renewable energy to fuel our planet. It would also allow the children to develop numerous skills such as the ones mentioned above and to explore some of the challenges which their designs and ideas may face.
There are also various other routes which this type of lesson could take, including swapping windmills for another type of renewable energy, or considering the use of hydrogen to power cars.
From listening to a guest speaker today – a teacher from Onthank Primary School, the main lesson which I have learned would be that maths and literacy are not for everyone in the traditional sense. However, the education system can and must change to suit those who it is currently not working for, and projects like this can be an opportunity for engagement and for learning for those pupils who find traditional methods of learning tough to cope with. By showing us the work she has done with her pupils, this teacher inspired me today and reminded me that teaching is about so much more than learning how to read, write and count; it’s about setting children up for life and giving them the skills they needs to be resilient and successful.
