Disasters were the topic of discussion this week in Sustainable Development. In the workshops we looked at the political/economical aspects of natural disasters and the science behind them.
The first workshop was on the political/economical side of disasters. We looked at in detail the political nature of disasters, the governmental actions in relation to response and rebuilding, the role of international agencies in disaster relief and also how you would go about teaching disasters to children of a primary school age.
The topic of disasters is the one I am most interested in that is included in this module. However, before today I was only aware of the effects of disasters on both the population and the areas that were affected. The political side is something I had never considered.
Today I learned that a disaster is only a disaster if human society is impacted (social disruption, material damage and loss of life). Whereas before I thought that if there was for example a small hurricane, that would be classified as a disaster, no matter the affects that it had.
The most beneficial thing that I learned today however was how you would teach the topic of disasters to primary pupils. I was scared to teach somewhat controversial issues to children at such an early age as they may be affected by what has happened. Nevertheless, I now know not to shy away from disasters. There are so many things that can be done in a school, including but not limited to: fundraising, social subjects, topic work (weather) and simply just talking to the children about what is going on in the world. I’m aware also that images can be a powerful thing, but to use them you would have to provide local and global viewpoints, so that the child is getting the most out of the information. There is also the risk that your class may be more at risk to become anxious towards that sort of thing, so it is important to really know your class before you decide how deep to go into the topic.
I have developed several skills due to this workshop one of them being investigative. I have better investigative skills after looking at two case studies and picking out the differences which will help me as a student and future teacher as it is important to look at the full picture and be able to pick out the relevant pieces of information.
The science workshop was more practical than the first. There were several investigations placed around the class which we were to work through in small groups. Each investigation was different, ranging from making your own fossils to creating your own volcanic eruption.
Thanks to this workshop I am now able to group different disasters such as: hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, into four categories: metrological, biological, geological and hydrological.
This workshop was particularly helpful in relation to primary teaching as it was active learning which was for the most part doable in a classroom setting. Due to the work being so interesting it is likely that the pupils would be engaged and eager to learn.
I have developed several skills thanks to this workshop. My investigative and hypothesising skills have increased as I had to think about the outcome of most of the experiments. My ability to work in a group and share resources with my peers has also increased. Another thing that has developed for me would be my confidence in teaching the science behind disasters to a class. Upon completing each task and thinking about any risk assessment that would have to be considered, I can successfully say that I would happily stand in front of a class and teach them about disasters.
However, something that I still want to work on would be my note-taking skills as throughout the workshop I was to fixated on what was going on that I never took the time to write any of it down which may have a negative impact on my when I come to write my assignment.
Relevant Experiences and Outcomes:
· I can describe the physical processes of a natural disaster and discuss its impact on people and the landscape. (SOC 2-07b)
· Having explored the landscape of my local area, I can describe the various ways in which land has been used. (SOC 1-13a)
· By exploring a natural environment different from my own, I can discover how the physical features influence the variety of living things. (SOC 1-13b)
· I can explain how the physical environment influences the ways in which people use land by comparing my local area with a contrasting area. (SOC 2-13a)
· I have contributed to discussions of current scientific news items to help develop my awareness of science. (SCN 1-20a)
