Niki8686

Week  12: Our Environment and the Elementary Classroom

        As educators of future adults, we hope to be a part of developing great leaders in society, like a Prime Minister or a doctor. These leaders can significantly influence the public eye and an important area of focus should now be the health of our environment. As most people in North America (and many others around the world) have begun to realize, many of our day-to-day practices are impacting the lives of animals and plant life, as well as ours. We can use our influence on the children in our classroom for positive gains, specifically by teaching them the importance of caring for the planet, and not just for us, but for our wildlife as well.

        If we can integrate environmentally friendly practices into children’s everyday lives, and have them become second-nature, not only will our children benefit as adults, but so will many more generations to come. The industrial era human mindset has always been to take what we believe to be ours, and not to give back. When we continually take without replenishing what resources we use, the supply of naturally occurring resources we have come to rely on will deplete and eventually become extinct, leaving nothing for us or the plants and animals who also depend upon them.

        I purpose a mandatory recycling, composting and energy saving initiative in every classroom across Canada. Students should become excited about doing their part in keeping the Earth green, and about starting their own initiatives both in the classroom and at home. Just as teachers can have a great influence on children, so too can children have on their parents. Having children become involved in work that supports life on this planet may also influence other humanitarian work.  Another goal of mine as an educator is to encourage these “green” practices to become typical, and less of a chore. There should be easy access to recycling and composting because if these things are easy, they are more likely to be accomplished. Also, the risks of chemical uses, in food, household cleaners, body products etc. should be continually examined and alternatives should be explored. A likely cause to our health problems in the 21^st Century could be the amount of chemicals we are ingesting, breathing, covering ourselves in- all in the name of bigger, better, and more “beautiful” (which is a term that is up for debate in my mind).  

The Earth is an incredibly resourceful entity, it is beautiful, as well as the only planet to our knowledge that can sustain life. We are getting dangerously close to losing our precious planet, and I intend to help children understand what it is we are losing, and how we can help to prevent it all from disappearing.   

Word Count:466

Hi everyone,

My computer is not working well, it continuously shuts down after about 5 minutes of turning it on, sometimes it won't turn on at all. I'm taking it somewhere to get it fixed tomorrow on my day off. Sorry I won't be able to post my journal tonight, I'll be lucky if this even works.
I'll post as soon as I get my computer back.
Niki

I thought the chapter this week was interesting and full of neat magnet activities. This text never fails to provide resources and motivating ideas for teachers in the classroom. Not only does it explore some science concepts, but it links the ideas to other areas of classroom learning (like art, math, and creative thinking and even to the greater community). However, this week I felt compelled to do more investigation on my own. It got me thinking about the Earth as a magnet, and then space. For example, if bees use the Earth’s magnetism to navigate, how are humans affecting them with all of the magnetic waves we put into air? Does magnetism have anything to do with gravity? Also, if our planet is a gigantic magnet, how does that affect us in the universe? Are all planets magnetized? What about the sun? Does this magnetism impact humans on any level? I have so many questions I can’t type them all in this journal! I hope that the study of magnets in classrooms can bring up similar questions and that teachers can use these opportunities to explore magnets more in depth. And as children get older, the more contemplative their questions become, as well as the answers. This is a great topic for encouraging active, life-long learning!    

In the first few paragraphs, the textbook talks about how magnets are incredibly interesting to young children (and also adults). Magnetic attraction cannot be seen or felt but the effects of it can. This concept is so exciting to me. Magnets are used in so many things that make our daily lives easier and more enjoyable. For example, you can find them in computers and VCRs, heavy machinery, vacuums, CD players, and fax machines. They are also used in travel; on subways, trolleys, monorails, streetcars, elevators, escalators and moving sidewalks. Magnets can be found in medicine, like MRI machines, and researchers have found particles of magnetite in animals (like pigeons, turtles, honey bees, dolphins and salmon) that they believe help these animals find their way. Topics like magnetism make me realize how little we know about this world, it’s so much greater than us, and continuous learning is the only way I can work towards satisfying my desire to know! I am determined to pass this on to my future students, and anyone else who will listen!

Word Count:  408

In past chapters, I felt very excited and enthusiastic about teaching and exploring the topics. However, I found myself bored and lacking interesting ideas about how to explore rocks and minerals with a class of young children. Rocks and minerals can be neat if you look at them from the right perspective, for example, they have been around longer than anything I can think of. But in the textbook, on of the ways to explore rocks was to see what they looked like wet! Why should we have an entire lesson on that? We can discover what rocks of like in water in other ways, through other experiments. It just seems so boring to me. Couldn’t the author think of something a little more complex and intriguing?  It makes me feel as if the author believes children and less intelligent than I perceive them to be.

I would like to learn how to tell a rocks age (if it’s possible), or what kind of material it is made of? Where would a rock like the ones we are looking at come from? How does lava form rocks, or how it can make an entire island like Hawaii? What materials around us are rocks that we might not think of? And how are precious rocks, like diamonds formed?  

 Another thing that I disagree with is the “hands-off” aspect of the ‘Do all crystals look alike?’ activity. We all have learned that hands-on learning is the most effective way of teaching, and this example is a teacher-directed, observe-only activity. Children should be able to experiment making their own crystals, not watching a teacher or classmate follow prescribed directions! I hope teachers can think of more engaging ways to explore rocks and minerals. They are essential to our lives today, and I believe it is important to know about something so prevalent in our everyday lives.

 

Word Count: 320

My favourite topic to learn and teach is animals and their importance to this planet. Since I was very young (like many other children) I have had a strong fascination with animals. I hope to be able to excite children with how incredible living creatures can be, and to develop a lasting respect for them as well. This chapter is another one that excited me. I thought it was full of fun ideas for integrating wildlife into the lives of young students. As I began reading, my defenses went up when they suggested we "capture" some of the wildlife around us. I have a very strong opinion that animals, bugs, all living creatures should be allowed to live in their natural environments with as little disruption from intrusive and destructive human beings as possible. However, as I continued reading, the authors suggested that these wild animals be set free after only one day to emphasize the importance of "responsible stewardship" p.84. I do realize that in order for children to develop a strong respect for these creatures, they need to be able to experience them up close. I hope that teachers can find ways to admire the brilliance of animals in their natural environment as much as possible. For example, "nature walks" can be exciting for children. To make this activity even more meaningful, the teacher could supply groups of children with disposable cameras (or digital cameras brought in from home with parental permission) and ask children to photograph interesting wildlife that they see. In order for children to obtain more detailed pictures, they must be able to be slow moving, respectful and quietly observe the creatures in the own habitats. This activity can help children realize that it's possible to enjoy animals without disrupting them. After all, they are so much more incredible doing the things they were born to do in the wild than in a plastic "home."

Quickly, about animals that have been bred to live with humans, I think that having pets in the classroom is a great way to teach children how to care and love another living thing. This kind of interaction can also help to develop a lasting respect for animals in the world. However, care should be taken in explaining the difference between keeping pets from a pet store or breeder and "capturing" wildlife to keep as pets.    

 

Word Count: 393

	me and Nate
	Smiles
	Giggles with Grandad
	Coming home outfit (2 days old)
	Cuddling Dad
	Sleeping
	Sitting with Mommy and Uncle Chris