EDSS428 Assignment 1B.
S00090279 Emily Walton
Research Question:
What can community groups do to improve the quality of our rivers and creeks?
In this research question, the two main themes that are being covered are: different community groups and focussing on improving local rivers and creeks. The main aim of this question is to get students to understand that local rivers and creeks can be in poor condition and that there is something that can be done about it. Students will learn about a connection between people and society, which is relevant in each student’s life. Students will learn that their actions can have an impact on the environment that they live in. This research question is relevant as it is focussing on a local issue which impacts on the local environment where the students live. By incorporating local waterways as part of the unit of work, students can identify relevance and importance and how this can affect them.
VELS/Introduction:
This unit of work is aimed at VELS level 2; grade 1 & 2 students.
See Appendix 1 for VELS Strands, domains, dimensions and aspects of the standards which relate to this unit of work. However many standards do not begin until Level 3 VELS. (Victorian Essential Learning Standards, 2007.)
Learning Focus Statements for VELS level 2
(Victorian Essential Learning Standards, 2007)
Physical, Personal and Social Learning
Interpersonal Development
· Students learn to work in teams to complete structured activities within a set timeframe
· In response to questions and prompts, they learn to reflect on the team’s challenges and successes
Personal Learning
· responding to prompts which help them acknowledge their successes
· Students begin to take responsibility for managing their time and resources within the context of structured tasks
Civics and Citizenship
· They begin to appreciate the similarities and differences between individuals and groups, including the language, cultural and religious groups which make up the Australian nation.
· They explore the roles, rights and responsibilities of various family and community members.
· Students investigate the ways individuals, families, groups and communities can work to improve their environment.
Discipline Based Learning
English
· Students write short texts that include several related ideas in sequence, and, where relevant, combine writing with drawing or computer graphics.
· Students practise the skills of being attentive listeners in a wider range of contexts.
Interdisciplinary Learning
Communication
· They practise the skills of being attentive listeners and viewers in pairs, small groups and as a whole class.
· They are encouraged to use questions to clarify meaning and to extend interaction.
Design, Creativity and Technology
· Responding to open-ended design tasks, students develop imaginative and practical design solutions to problems
Information and Communication Technology
· they use ICT to acquire new knowledge and skills in all areas of the curriculum and to create and present information in meaningful ways
From the Australian Curriculum (2011)
General Capabilities: Intercultural Understanding
“Intercultural understanding is an essential part of living with others in the diverse world of the twenty-first century. It assists young people to become responsible local and global citizens, equipped through their education for living and working together in an interconnected world.”
This capability brings forward the connection between environment and society, and also educating students about our interconnected world. This also leads students to realize that they are a part of many communities and when working together, great things can be achieved.
Rationale
Educating children about society and the environment should be a priority within education. It should be made a priority as children should develop a greater understanding about the world in which they live in, and how human’s actions can affect our quality of life. “Environmental issues directly affect the quality of life that people are able to enjoy, not only now but in the future as well.” (Marsh, 2008 p.4) Therefore this should become a priority in education to teach students about the impact that people have on the environment which can greatly affect it.
Storm water pollution and litter are the two main contributors to pollution in rivers and creeks which is gradually affecting the quality of our water ways. (Melbourne Water, 2009) As this is a local and important issue in Melbourne, it is important that teachers educate the future generations about litter and pollution. Melbourne Water also states that we need to remember that whatever we put in our gutters, whether it is grass clippings or rubbish, can end up in waterways. Therefore children need to become aware that their actions can damage and affect Melbourne waterways for the future generations. If students are aware of the affect that littering can have on the environment, this can lead them to changing their behaviours and attitude on waste disposal. As well as awareness, education can also lead to action where students spread awareness of the affect of pollution into the rest of their community. Therefore this unit of work aims to do both these things; educate students about pollution in waterways and also to discover ways that by working as a community, water pollution can be prevented.
In order to teach students problem solving and to come up with a solution on their own, teachers need to develop and foster students’ holistic thinking where connections and relationships can be identified. This links in directly with SOSE lessons where students make the connections between people, society and the environment. (Sterling, 2005) This unit of work aims to foster and develop students’ problem solving skills where education and awareness leads to action. This unit of work also aims to educate students about relationships and connections between groups of people which can be different types of communities. See Appendix 2 (Activity 1) where students explore different communities that they may be a part of which comprise different groups of people. See Appendix 3 (Activity 4) where students are putting their knowledge into action by brain storming and implementing different strategies to prevent further litter and pollution in local waterways. This activity is targeting students’ holistic thinking and problem solving skills.
Discussion
For teachers, it is important to design lessons in different ways and also allow students to respond in a variety of ways to allow for different learning styles and needs. As students learn and think differently, teachers need to allow students to present their ideas in different ways which include their strengths and skills. “Gardner provided a means of mapping the broad range of abilities that humans possess by grouping their capabilities into eight comprehensive categories or intelligences.”(Armstrong, 2000 p. 6) As Gardner stated there are eight different intelligences, students should be allowed to present their work in ways that incorporate their skills and interests. This theory of multiple intelligences is seen in Activity 4 (Appendix 3) where students are given the option of presenting their preventing water pollution strategy in a way they think is suitable. This is allowing for students to incorporate their skills to present the best possible quality of work. “Gardner suggested that intelligence has more to do with the capacity for solving problems and fashioning products in a context-rich and naturalistic setting.” (Armstrong, 2000 p.7)
As educational theories can shape and change approaches to teaching, it is important to consider how children learn and develop when presenting this unit of work. Fox & Risconscente (2008) state that Piaget’s theory of development comes from children’s speech and social interactions with others as well as spontaneous constructed problem-solving situations. Fox & Risconscente (2008) go on to state that evidence collected from observing these situations reveal the characteristics of Piaget’s stages of development. Therefore it is important to include elements of social interaction and problem-solving within the classroom in order to foster a students’ cognitive development. Fox & Risconscente (2008) goes on to mention Vygotsky’s theory of development, which in some aspects is similar to Piaget however it has a greater focus on social interactions. “Development proceeds through the internalization of social interactions, with the fundamental social interaction being interaction through language.” (Fox & Risconscente 2008, p 383) This therefore means that children learn best through interaction with language, which also should be an integral part of classroom lessons.
Assessment
The Department of Education and Early childhood Development (2009) states that the purpose of assessment should be to improve student learning. However to do this there are three main types of assessment practice which should be incorporated within the classroom. See Appendix 4 for the three purposes of assessment. Therefore these three types of assessment should be used by teachers to improve their own teaching ability, to allow students to reflect on their own learning and also to evaluate students’ levels of knowledge.
Assessment procedures within this unit of work for each activity.
Activity 1: Assessment of Learning.
· The teacher assesses the students’ level of understanding about communities to see if any further work needs to be done about different types of communities or whether students have a clear understanding of what a community is.
Activity 2: Assessment as Learning.
· At the completion of this lesson, students complete a Self Reflection, to reflect on their learning to see if they have gained new knowledge about different types of waterways.
Activity 3: Assessment of Learning.
· At the completion of this lesson, through teacher observations, the teacher discovers whether students are able to observe and identify different types of water pollution which they have learnt from the Excursion to Maroondah Reservoir.
Activity 4: Assessment of and for Learning.
· In this lesson, the teacher reflects on the students’ progress and makes inferences as to whether their teaching has been effective.
· In this final lesson, the teacher also assesses the students overall knowledge gained by this unit of work and observes if they have been able to implement what they have learnt into an action plan against water pollution.
Conclusion
Overall, this unit of work aims to educate and inform students about pollution and litter in our local waterways and how it is affecting the quality of our waterways. By informing students of environmental pollution, this unit also aims to implement action by students using holistic thinking and problem solving skills to come up with ways to prevent pollution. By implementing a problem solving activity, it is allowing students to use their problem solving skills which aims to develop their cognitive thinking. It is important to educate students’ about the connection between society and environment and the negative impact that humans can have on the environment. By designing lessons that incorporate multiple intelligences, problem solving skills and social interactions they are incorporating different theories which aim to accelerate students’ development. By including multiple intelligences within the lessons, students have the chance to incorporate their interests and strengths into their final presentation.
References
Armstrong, T. (2000) Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zCdxFRFmXpQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Ar mstrong,+T.+(2000).+Multiple+intelligences+in&ots=g9sqdxpdE1&sig=-TcwHKHSFV- Jld7wW_EULzfGQN0#v=onepage&q=Armstrong%2C%20T.%20(2000).%20Multiple%20intell gences%20in&f=false
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2011) The Australian Curriculum. Retrieved from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2009) Assessment Advice. Retrieved from: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/assessment/preptoyear10/assessadvice/default.htm
Fox, E. & Riconscente, M. (2008) Metacognition and Self-Regulation in James, Piaget & Vygotsky. Springer Science. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/education/docview/234395101/fulltextPD F/13652CE4CF01E5F3C57/1?accountid=8194
Marsh, C. (2008) Teaching studies of society and environment: Pearson Education.
Melbourne Water Education. (2009). Retrieved March 17,2012 from: http://education.melbournewater.com.au
Sterling, St. (2005) Linking Thinking. Linking Thinking, Education and Learning. Retrieved from: http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/linkingthinking.pdf
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2007). Victorian Essential Learning Standards. Retrieved from http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/
Appendix 1.
Strand / Domain / Dimension / Aspect of StandardsPhysical, Personal and Social Learning / Interpersonal Development / Working in Teams / …students work in teams in assigned roles, stay on task and complete structured activities within set timeframes.
Physical, Personal and Social Learning / Interpersonal Development / Building Social Relationships / …students behave appropriately in a range of social situations
Discipline Based Learning / English / Writing / …They write texts that convey ideas and information to known audiences.
Discipline Based Learning / English / Speaking and Listening / They contribute to group activities by making relevant comments and asking clarifying questions to facilitate communication.
Appendix 2.
Unit Planner Lessons Weeks 1 & 2
Week / Lesson / Activity / Outcome / Assessment / Resources1 / Defining and exploring “What is a community?” As a class create a concept map and discussion about different communities. eg. School, ethnicity and family communities. / Students write about one community that they are a part of and draw a picture to represent that community. / For students to develop an understanding of what a community is and to identify what communities they are a part of. / Students to successfully identify and write about at least one type of community they are a part of. / Students’ books, pencils etc.
2 / Investigating different types of waterways in our local areas including rivers and creeks. / Students receive a picture of a waterway and write about the elements that make up this waterway. Eg. Rocks, water, dirt, plants etc. / To develop students’ understanding of different types of waterways and their different elements / Students are able to list at least 3 elements or parts of a waterway / Images of local waterways displayed via projector and in hardcopy form.
Appendix 3.
Unit Planner lessons Weeks 3 & 4.
Week / Lesson / Activity / Outcome / Assessment / Resources3 / Excursion to Maroondah Reservoir, Healesville to learn about pollution, litter and water treatment in our waterways. / Through guided walking tour, students observe and familiarise themselves with the environment, also noticing signs of pollution and litter / For students to observe a river and to identify signs of pollution and litter. / Through class discussion observations, each student should be able to identify at least three signs of pollution. / Materials and equipment required for an excursion.
4 / Classroom community project to improve our waterways. / As a class, discuss ways which as a school community we can help to improve the quality of our rivers and creeks. / For students to successfully come up with ways that can help to prevent litter and pollution in our rivers and creeks. / Students cooperatively working in small groups developing a successful strategy to improve our waterways within the school. / Computers, poster paper, pencils textas, books/ internet for research etc.
Appendix 4.