Environmental Project Review

: :The Project: :Our Data: :Conclusions: : Review: :

: : Teachers Conclusion: :

One of the aims of the week was to make the students more aware of the environment around them and encourage them to question their surroundings. The students previously have studied settlements in geography so were aware of the characteristics of different land use zones within a city. They had also been introduced to global warming when studying the problems in Antarctica.

We wanted to use this knowledge to support the interpretation of the primary data collected in the field which was Carbon Monoxide and sound pollution data from an urban transect stretching across Bradford and into the countryside around Ilkley Moor. This would help them decide whether they believe different groups are more at risk from the effects of environmental pollution but then decide how this relates to global warming and is it the same groups of people at risk from global warming?

The students used the recent flooding events in South Yorkshire as an example of the possible effects of global warming on a regional scale. They then looked at a flood risk map of the locations that they recorded their results at, in Bradford and the surrounding areas to see whether there was a flood risk in those areas and could they relate this to their results. Their overall conclusion was that where the pollution is created is not necessarily where the effects of global warming are felt. For example in the inner city which had a higher reading of Carbon Monoxide there was no river or beck. In the suburb location however, with a lower reading of Carbon Monoxide these would be the areas affected if there was to be any flooding possibly caused by the effects of global warming because this is where the river happened to flow through.

We then discussed the impact that the pollution created in the local area may have on a global scale and one student suggested the recent flooding in Pakistan. The students agreed that it would be a good idea to look in more detail of the impact that developed countries that produce more air pollution have on the less developed countries in terms of the effects from global warming.

This will be a follow up task that the students have agreed to do as an after school activity in the next school year.
As a further goal it is hoped that this group will work collaboratively with other schools to share what they have found and for other schools to complete the project so environmental quality can be compared on a national scale.

A large part of the project was based on encouraging effective group work. The students were put into groups of three at the beginning of the week and we discussed the factors required for effective group work. Some of the groups worked extremely well together and progressed quite quickly through the activities. One of the groups that did not do so well in terms of teamwork realised during the evaluation process that the reason why their group was not getting through the work as quickly as some other groups was due to lack of communication when designating tasks. A comment made by one student when asked to name something they have achieved in the week was “I learnt how to work in a group”.

One of the most recognisable achievements of the week was the confidence that these students developed throughout the week and the positive relationships that were built within the groups.

When this cohort of students was chosen there were a number of factors that were considered during the selection process. One of these was to select several students that lacked confidence but would benefit from intensive group work which ensured they had to play an active role within the group. The student’s ability range varied from average to above average ability and this was considered when selecting the smaller groups.

C. Cassidy

: :CLC Managers Conclusion: :

Amongst the City Learning Centre’s aims are to develop new and innovative learning opportunities, work towards cross curricular experiences and build collaborative, sustainable projects to encourage interaction and promote cohesion.

This cross curricular environmental week was on its own a great success in all the above and more and promises to carry on both within Bradford and further a field. But on meeting with the students following a seven week break from the core activity and finding that the complex knowledge gained during that week was still there and could be expressed by the students in their own terms, then I feel a deeper learning experience had occurred than possibly would have by following more conventional ways of teaching.

In addition to having a deeper understanding of the weeks activities and being able to relate the topic to their own lives and those of others, the students are keen to pursue this way of working whenever possible. I feel they are developing and honing their enquiring minds, surely a positive for both school and their wider lives.

CLC is also developing along with its partners, a number of collaborative online learning experiences that are utilizing emerging Web 2.0 technologies and the ubiquitous upload culture to allow students to create and share learning objects at and from the point of inspiration. At one point during the week the students learned that their findings were to be made available for download to other students PC’s and mobile phones, there was a tangible rise in concentration and output on hearing this and we hope to use the system above to promote this further.

In summary I feel the students and staff have learned much from this initial activity that has already prompted further projects and hopefully sustainability. The use of easily available ICT hardware such as mobile phones married with open source software and applications has meant that the participants can develop this outside of core activities and should facilitate wider use within school and community groups.

The City Learning Centre has developed links with a number of schools in the UK and beyond who are very interested in working on similar collaborative projects and I invite people who wish to work with ourselves to get in touch.