These past two weeks have focused around natural disasters, a topic that I am extremely interested in. To begin with, we looked at the political and economic aspects of natural disasters. We then moved on to look at the science behind certain disasters and how they have an impact on the world (see blog titled ‘Disasters’).
The tasks we did were both interesting and useful as each were linked in some way to teacher, whether that be how you would teach it or if you would teach it to a class, depending on age, maturity etc.
For our directed study task, in small groups we were to research a natural disaster and create a presentation collating all the relevant information that we found. My group researched hurricanes, tornados and typhoons. Each of these is some form of extreme weather and so any reading that we had to do was interesting as opposed to a hindrance. In our presentation, we were to include; definition and explanation of the disaster, mitigation strategies, facts and figures, preparation, recovery, response, teaching points, lesson ideas, E’s & O’s and a reference page. As this was a big workload, my group divided the tasks and worked together to create the PowerPoint.
I have developed several skills whilst taking part in these workshops and tasks. Skills include;
1. Team work skills– the ability to work well with others and divide up tasks effectively.
2. Investigative skills- the ability to research relevant topics.
3. Reading and extraction skills- the ability to read through information and pick out the best parts.
4. Presentation skills- the ability to create an eye-catching presentation.
5. Speaking skills- the ability to project my voice to the whole section.
6. Listening skills- the ability to listen to the other groups present.
7. Confidence- I was not as nervous as I was last year to present in front of the section.
8. Communication skills- the ability to share and receive information in a civilised and controlled manner.
The topic of disasters relates to primary teaching in several ways. In the news there are increasing coverage of natural disasters such as hurricane Irma, so you have the possibility to teach disasters as a stand-alone topic in the sense that the children are curious and want to know more. Or you could teach it as part of topic work. However, you need to be cautious of the information you give as you don’t want to scare the children. Therefore, you need to know your class before you decide what to do.
The relevant Experiences and Outcomes include:
· I can describe the physical processes of a natural disaster and discuss its impact on people and the landscape. SOC 2-07
After all the inputs, I have decided that disasters is a potential choice for me to write about in my end of module assignment. It has a lot of information from reputable sources and is an interesting topic to discuss.
Useful links/resources:
• Americares (n.d.) Emergency Programs [Online] available at: https://www.americares.org/en/what-we-do/emergency-programs/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInKH7mNab1wIVRbcbCh1rYASvEAAYASAAEgJp0PD_BwE (Accessed 31st October)
• a-z central.(n.d). How to prepare for a Typhoon. [Online]. Available: http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/how-to-prepare-for -a-typhoon-12124957.html (Accessed 31/10/17)
• Beyond The Basics- Best Practises in Local Mitigation Planning. (n.d.) [Online] Available: http://mitigationguide.org/task-6/mitigation-actions/ [Accessed: 29/10/17]
• C.N.N. (26th September 2017). 3 storms, 3 responses: Comparing Harvey, Irma and Maria. [Online] Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/26/us/response-harvey-irma-maria/index.html (Accessed 1st November 2017)
• Department of Homeland Security.(n.d).Tornadoes. [Online]. Available: https//www.ready.gov/tornadoes (Accessed 31/10/17)
• Department of Homeland Security.(n.d). Hurricanes. [Online] Available: https//www.ready.gov/hurricanes (Accessed 31/10/17)
• Middleton, N. (2003) The Global Casino (3rd Edition). [Online] Available: https://www.dawsonera.com/readonline/9780203529249 [Accessed: 01/11/17].
• National hurricane Center. (n.d). Hurricane Preparedness- Be Ready. [Online]. Available: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ready.php (Accessed 31/10/17)
