Education for sustainability learning opportunities (Week 5)

In year 3 Tyrrell, education for sustainability was the focus for our term 3 Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) lessons. Students developed attitudes and values, became aware and knowledgeable on sustainability issues and motivated to take action (Australian Education for Sustainability Alliance [AESA], 2016). They are now prepared to participate in Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week next term.

In Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE), an aspect of HASS, sustainability focuses on processes of engaging, valuing, connecting and taking action (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014). It is a lifelong endeavour which challenges your children to think about the prosperity of the future by understanding how sustainable patterns of living allow us to meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs (Australian Curriculum, Assessment & Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2017a). 

Recycling is recognised as an important part of a sustainable lifestyle to preserve the resources used by society and provide jobs for citizens (UAF Office of Sustainability, 2013). Involving students in recycling schemes and other activities to improve the environment is enjoyable and also teaches life-long lessons about teamwork, sorting, reusing and taking care of the environment (Backer, 2017).

Students used Cool Australia’s (2017) ‘Bin it’ resource to develop their understandings of what recycling is and why it matters. They discovered the ways recycling helps to preserve resources available and reduce the impact of processing these resources on the planet. This resource covered the common types of waste found at school and home and how it can be disposed, how quickly it breaks down and different ways waste can be reused or recycled (Cool Australia, 2017). Students then expanded this new-found knowledge by applying it to their classroom practices.

After as few weeks, students were then challenged to spread their knowledge to other classrooms by presenting PowerPoints, posters and speeches. Twice a week, groups of students went to other classrooms to provide information, give demonstrations and monitor progress. Students developed a school-wide bin system that helped others enact sustainability by sorting their waste effectively.

This required students to reflect on learning and propose actions to issues, and communicate their ideas in multiple types of media. Through this, it extended their critical thinking, personal and social capacity by allowing them to be innovative and provide solutions towards more sustainable patterns of living (AESA, 2016).

Students became active thinkers and responsible members of a group, giving them a sense of purpose and empowerment (Boyle-Baise & Zevin, 2014). By developing civic values and skills that empowered your children to be leaders in the transition to a sustainable future, teaching sustainability through CCE enabled them to appreciate real-life citizenship obligations and opportunities (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014). Students made real choices and decisions and through this discovered how people can work together to develop strategies for a sustainable future. 

I encourage you to discuss with your child the practices they have learnt and consider continuing these (where possible) at home to reinforce the ideas and concepts developed.

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017a). Cross-curriculum priorities: Sustainability. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/sustainability/overview

Australian Education for Sustainability Alliance. (2016). What does sustainability look like in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.sustainabilityinschools.edu.au/classroom

Boyle-Baise, M., & Zevin, J. (2014). Young citizens of the world: Teaching elementary social sciences through civic engagement. New York, NY: Routledge.

Cool Australia. (2017). Activity: Clean Up Australia – Smartboard lesson: ‘Bin it’. Retrieved from https://www.coolaustralia.org/activity/clean-up-smartboard-lesson-bin-it/

Gilbert, R., & Hoepper, B. (2014). Teaching humanities and social sciences: History, geography, economics and citizenship in the Australian Curriculum (5^th Ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria: Cengage Learning Australia.

UAF Office of Sustainability. (2013). Why is recycling important. Retrieved from https://www.uaf.edu/sustainability/recycling-program/why-recycle/index.xml

Images

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017b). Curriculum: F-7 HASS [image]. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/curriculum/f-10

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017c). General Capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking [image]. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/critical-and-creative-thinking/introduction/introduction

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017d). General Capabilities: Personal and Social Capability [image]. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/personal-and-social-capability/introduction/introduction

Green, H. (2016). How recycling works! [video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlRVPum9cp4&t=20s

Mocomi. (2012). What is Sustainability: Mocomi kids [video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTamnlXbgqc

Western Springs College. (n.d.). Recycling systems [images]. Retrieved from http://www.westernsprings.school.nz/Notices/WasteManagement/WSC_Waste_Management.html

Global citizenship (Week 4)

At the start of this term in Year 6 Tyrrell, we embarked on a new journey of Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) that is focused on developing student’s understandings of what it means to be a global citizen. By using the ‘poster design to change the world’ resource by Oxfam (2016), students’ will develop an awareness of what global citizenship is through inquiry based learning. The overall purpose for this allows students to identify an issue that affects them locally, and use change action to address it in an informative poster.

In three sections divided equally over 6 weeks, students will explore what a global citizen is and what makes a successful campaign poster (weeks 1/2); global issues and history of the Oxfam poster (weeks 3/4); and the design brief (weeks 5/6). Within this, students use guided discussions, debates, independent studies, and collaborative learning to develop their questioning, researching, evaluating and reflecting and communicating skills. They also use solution fluency to develop critical and creative thinking and personal and social capability by having to visualise possibilities, create, and then deliver a solution (Global Digital Citizen Foundation, 2017).

Throughout this week (2) and last (1), students explored the definition of a global citizen and examined successful campaign posters that present ideas, shift opinions, educate, and persuade audiences. Students gave excellent responses to what they think a global citizen is and made PMI charts after learning about and discussing successful posters.

In the coming weeks (3/4) students will explore larger-scale topics like poverty and world hunger to broaden their mindset and initiate thinking about topics that may not affect them directly, but occur throughout the world we live in (OXFAM, 2016).

This links to the three domains that global citizenship education aims to address, which are complimented by corresponding learning attributes and key learner outcomes shown in nine topic areas (UNESCO, 2015).

Like adults, young people enjoy seeing an outcome from their hard work but need to start at a smaller level (Department of Education USA, n.d.). In the last two weeks of this unit (5/6), students will identify an issue that affects them in the community, research the topic and address it in a poster that presents their ideas and a solution or suggestion to address the issue on a small-scale. This encourages them to start small within their local community and then expand to a greater region (Department of Education USA, n.d.).

To be effective global citizens, young people need to be flexible, creative, proactive; able to solve problems, make decisions, think critically, communicate ideas effectively and work well with others (IDEAS, 2017). These skills and attributes are recognised as essential for students to succeed in other areas of 21st century life, and are recognised under the ‘Active and Informed Citizens’ strand of Goal 2 in the Melbourne Declarations on Educational Goals for Young Australians (Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs [MCEETYA], 2008).

By using CCE to encourage your children to think globally act locally, it builds their commitment to civic life, develops their understandings of issues on multiple levels and forms their responsibility to be an active citizen (Department of Education USA, n.d.).

References

Department of Education USA. (n.d.). Think globally, act locally. Retrieved from https://y4y.ed.gov/learn/pbl/implementation/think-globally-act-locally

International Development Education Association of Scotland. (2017). What is global citizenship. Retrieved from http://www.ideas-forum.org.uk/about-us/global-citizenship

Global Digital Citizen Foundation. (2017). Solution fluency. Retrieved from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/21st-century-fluencies/solution-fluency

Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). The Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

Oxfam. (2016). Poster design to change the world - Primary school resource: Teachers handbook. Retrieved from https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Poster-Design-to-Change-the-World-downloadable-PDF-copy-primary.pdf

UNESCO. (2015). Global citizenship education: Topics and learning objectives. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002329/232993e.pdf

Images

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017a). Curriculum: F-6/7 HASS [image]. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#yl-6

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017b). General Capabilities [image]. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/overview/introduction

Brew, P. (2015). Real Australians say welcome [image]. Retrieved from https://pozible.com/project/183878

International Development Education Association of Scotland. (2017). What is global citizenship [image]. Retrieved from http://www.ideas-forum.org.uk/about-us/global-citizenship

Miller, J. (1942). Rosie the Riveter [image]. Retrieved from http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/rosie-the-riveter-1941-1945/

Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). The Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians [image]. Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

The Experienceship. (n.d.). Hello world [image]. Retrieved from http://theexperienceship.com/

UNESCO. (2015). Global citizenship education: Topics and learning objectives [images]. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002329/232993e.pdf

WWF. (2009). Lungs [image]. Retrieved from http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/wwf_lungs

Civics and citizenship – Learning about controversial issues and active citizenship (Week 2)

Here in 5 Tyrrell, students are learning about the values that underpin Australia’s system of government and how they shape our society. Through a Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) term 2 unit, they are exploring controversial examples of how different countries both past (Germany) and present (North Korea) share a different structure of government (dictatorship) to see how beliefs and values differ in comparison to democracy in Australia.

In Australia, our nation believes in elected Government; a commitment to the rule of law, equal rights for all before the law; and by belief in freedom of religion, speech and association (Victoria State Government, 2013). Through CCE, students expand their knowledge of why our society is accepting of various religious, political, social and cultural beliefs and values in the context of these beliefs in Australia’s democracy.

At the beginning of this unit, students will be immersed in a non-serious, safe and controlled non-democratic environment by following a set of ‘unfair’ rules. With these ‘new rules’ reflecting the ideals of a Dictatorship society, students will generate opinions for themselves through guided discussions, positive, minus, interesting charts and mini investigation projects about German and North Korean Government structure. These tasks monitor academic skill and intellectual development progress throughout, with a final research task used to assess overall learning at the end of the unit (Fisher & Frey, 2014).

By using Dictatorship as a controversial example, students will explore the complexity of this topic by experiencing what it is like to only have one perspective (Oulton, Day, Dillon & Grace, 2004). This will be enhanced by modifying/recreating our own classroom rights, responsibilities, roles and expectations to affirm the values of everyone in the classroom so the learning environment reflects a democratic society with equal opportunities (Department of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2010).

Through this, students become aware that a community is based on shared understandings of agreed values and principles, whilst together become responsible for maintaining those values and principles, through behaviour as an individual and group member. Through use of inquiry skills of questioning, communicating, researching and evaluating and reflecting, your children develop literacy skills, critical and creative thinking, ethical understanding and personal and social capability by covering controversial issues that address ethics, culture and diversity. By doing this, it increases their attention, motivation, critical thinking and appreciation of such topics (Steiner, Brzuzy, Gerdes & Hurdle, 2003).

By learning through CCE, it helps ensure that all young Australians can contribute to the ongoing renewal of Australia’s democracy, as well as foster relationships with others and promote an understanding of Australian society, citizenship and national values (DEEWR, 2010). As a parent/carer, you can support this learning by asking questions to reaffirm and promote further development of topics, understand how your child learns (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic etc.) and encouraging them to be inquisitive and innovative when conducting research (Smart, 2013).

References

Christopher Oulton, C., Day, V., Dillon, J., and Grace, M. (2004).   Controversial issues - teachers' attitudes and practices in the context of citizenship education. Oxford review of education 4(30), 489-507. Doi: 10.1080/0305498042000303973

Department of Education, Employment, Training and Youth Relations. (2010). Civics and citizenship education: Professional learning package. Retrieved from http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/verve/_resources/DEEWR_CCE_PLP.pdf

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2014). Checking for understanding: Formative assessment techniques for your classroom. Alexander, VA: ASCD Publishing.

Florida Virtual School (FLVS). (2014). FLVS Civics: Going global - Forms of government [video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdh9xo47OWM

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne declaration on educational goals for all young Australians. Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

Smart, J. (2013). Parent support: 30 ways to support your child’s education. Brandon, MS: Jackson Education Support.

Victoria State Government. (2013). Australian Democratic Principles. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/legislation/Pages/act2006democracy.aspx

Steiner, S., Brzuzy, S., Gerdes, K., & Hurdle, D. (2003). Using structured controversy to teach diversity content and cultural competence. Journal Of Teaching In Social Work, 1-2(23), 55-71. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J067v23n01_05

Images

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017). Curriculum: F-6/7 HASS. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#yl-5

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). General capabilities in the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and social sciences. Retrieved from https://acaraweb.blob.core.windows.net/resources/HASS_-_GC_learning_area.pdf

Leremy. (2017). Types of government in the world cliparts icons [image]. Retrieved from https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-type-government-world-cliparts-icons-set-human-pictogram-representing-different-types-democracy-dictatorship-image46819165

Wildwood, L. (2016). How to build a community website with WordPress [image]. Retrieved from https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/tips-tricks/how-to-build-a-community-website-with-wordpress