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Some great ideas here. I think it is so important for children to study the water cycle, water conservation and pollution.
Climate change is impacting my local area through a number of ways.Heavy rainfall and flooding is becoming more common. There have been a number of storms in recent years leading to many school closure days. In June we experienced very high temperatures. This can be explored with students a number of ways:
1. Weather observations: keeping a daily weather diary, collecting rainfall and comparing daily temperatures
2. Nature walks: Looking for signs and evidence of climate change and studying plants and animals in the area
3. Local interviews: interview locals about climate change that they have noticed or experiencedSteps to take to slow down climate change:
1. Reduce, reuse and recycle
2. Walk or cycle to school when possible or car pool
3. Create a school garden – plant trees and flowers and create a wild flower gardenThe Development Education modules in this course feeds well with School Self Evaluation in my school through well being active citizenship and sustainability
A school motto is a fantastic idea and something I hadn’t thought of. Our school logo celebrates a variety of cultures which I think is a lovely idea
There are a few organisations in my area that are working with refugees. First of all, my school supports these refugees by welcoming them to our school. We have a number of refugees attending our school. We have a huge focus and emphasis on EAL and implement strategies to help our EAL students for example visual aids around the school. We also have a strong emphasis on using visual aids in our classrooms and in every lesson eg a visual timetable.
Other ways that our school community can help support refugees in our area is by teaching students about why people become refugees and encourage kindness, respect and understanding. Storybooks, videos and class discussions can help students understand that everyone deserves to feel safe and included.
In addition, our school has organised culture days/assemblies and should continue this to further support refugees in our school community. This is an opportunity to celebrate different cultures by holding an international day where children share food, music, stories and traditions from around the world. This helps everyone appreciate diversity and learn from each other. By taking these small actions, pupils learn the importance of empathy, inclusion and helping others, while creating a welcoming school where everyone feels valued and respected.
One Sustainable Development Goal I would focus on is Responsible Consumption and Production. As mentioned by others here, this is an important topic for children because it relates to their everyday lives. It is important that children learn how their choices can make a difference. In their local area, they can see problems such as litter, food waste, and the use of too much single-use plastic at home and in school. In the classroom they can learn how too much waste and overusing resources can cause pollution, contribute to climate change, and harm animals and nature. By learning about this goal, children can understand the importance of reducing waste, reusing items, and making more responsible choices.
Activities that I would have the children engage in is promoting recycling throughout the school (using posters, advertising, surveys, class discussions). One thing I did this year with my class and would do again is, food and nutrition and I linked this with cooking and the buying of groceries (fairtrade etc). We looked at responsible consumption and production through cooking and gathered evidence of food waste and ways we can reduce this.
These activities support ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5: Accelerating Local Level Actions by helping children take part in making positive changes in their own community and develop a sense of responsibility and understand that even small actions can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Working together as a school also helps build good habits that encourage sustainability.
Project work, discussions and stories are excellent strategies to use in the classroom to teach children about the importance of housing as a basic human right
I agree that there is still very much evidence of people thinking there are boy things and girl things, not just amongst children but amongst adults too. It is present inside and outside the classroom. It is great to see more of a shift away from this way of thinking.
I work in an Educate Together and from my teaching experience in that school, we luckily don’t often see gender stereotypes affect our students too much We have a huge emphasis on equality which is largely respected. In saying that, of course there has been examples of gender stereotypes present in my classroom. One example would be, during PE lessons, often the boys are picked first over the girls when choosing teams. Often there can be times when I would be giving the children a choice over two activities and the choice between males and females can be very different. Often how the males and females manage and solve conflict can be quite different. Another example of gender stereotype seen in my classroom is when the Principal asked for 4 students to help him lift and move some heavy boxes and he chose all boys for the job.
Whole school initiatives are a great idea. We have tried this in the past in my school and they have been a huge success, in my opinion, for development education. We hold culture day yearly where both children and parents are involved.
Development Education is important because it helps children understand the world around them and their place in it. In The Role of Global Citizens in Today’s World (Ehigie, 2021), the author explains that global citizens should care about fairness, respect, equality and protecting the environment. Development Education encourages pupils to think about how their actions can affect other people and the planet. It also helps them develop empathy, respect for different cultures and the confidence to make positive changes.
In my own teaching, I would include Development Education through class discussions, stories, group work and real-life topics. For example, pupils could learn about different countries, climate change, human rights and sustainable living. I would encourage them to ask questions, think critically and share their opinions respectfully. By linking these topics across different subjects, I hope to help children become caring, informed and responsible citizens who want to make the world a better place.
Collaborative planning would encourage my colleagues to plan development education activities