Pedagogical Approaches Video 5

Summary

The video script highlights the importance of active citizenry in promoting local sustainability projects, as exemplified by the cancellation of a steel bridge project in Bangalore due to environmental concerns. It introduces a middle school project where students design a sustainable community, integrating various subjects and emphasizing the interconnectedness of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The project encourages interdisciplinary learning, practical skills, and real-world problem-solving, fostering a sense of responsibility and global citizenship among students.

Takeaways

• 🌿 Active citizenry is crucial for local sustainability projects, as seen in the cancellation of the Steel Bridge in Bangalore due to environmental concerns.
• 🏫 The middle school project on designing a sustainable community integrates various subjects and emphasizes the interconnectedness of social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
• 👥 Interdisciplinary integration is achieved through group work, where each group focuses on a specific aspect of the community, ensuring their plans are interconnected and holistic.
• 🔨 Practical application involves designing and building scale models or simulations of sustainable communities, using recycled materials and principles of sustainable design.
• 🤝 Collaboration with local experts is encouraged to gain insights and feedback, helping students understand the real-world implications and feasibility of their ideas.
• 📚 Reflection is an important part of the educational process, allowing students to document their entire process, including research, collaboration, and the rationale behind their design.
• 📈 Presentation of models and findings to the school community, parents, and local stakeholders helps students explain how their designs address sustainability from multiple perspectives.
• 🔍 Evaluation and feedback from peers and experts allow students to refine their ideas, learn from different perspectives, and engage in self-assessment.
• 🧠 Interdisciplinary learning fosters a comprehensive understanding of sustainability, real-world skills, and the development of practical, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
• 🌐 The holistic approach in ESD pedagogies encourages students to connect local issues to global contexts, emphasizing the broader impact of their actions and the importance of global cooperation for sustainability.
• 🔄 Traditional pedagogy is contrasted with ESD, where the latter focuses on active participatory learning, experiential methods, and the cultivation of values and attitudes that support sustainable development.

Q & A

What was the controversy surrounding the Steel Bridge project in Bangalore?

The controversy was between two groups of people: those who opposed the construction of the bridge due to the severe environmental damage it would cause, including the cutting of thousands of trees, and those who supported it. The opponents won, and the project was shelved by the government.

Why is active citizenry important for a country according to the script?

Active citizenry is important because it plays a crucial role in driving awareness and sustainability projects. It allows citizens to influence decisions that affect their environment and community, as demonstrated by the Steel Bridge Project outcome.

What is the significance of interdisciplinary integration in the sustainable community project for middle school students?

Interdisciplinary integration is significant because it allows students to explore sustainability through various subjects such as science, social studies, economics, and languages. This approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability.

How should students approach the design of their sustainable community model?

Students should approach the design by dividing into groups, each focusing on a specific aspect of the community like energy, transportation, housing, or food systems. They must consider environmental, social, and economic factors and collaborate to ensure their plans integrate seamlessly.

What materials should students use when designing and building their sustainable community models?

Students should use recycled materials to reflect the principles of sustainable design in their community models.

How can students gain insights and feedback on their sustainable community designs?

Students can gain insights and feedback by engaging with local experts such as urban planners, environmental scientists, or community leaders, who can provide guidance and critique on their designs.

What is the role of reflection in the educational process as described in the script?

Reflection is a crucial part of the educational process as it allows students to document their entire process, including the rationale behind their design, and to assess their learning experience, considering what worked well and what challenges they faced.

How does the script emphasize the importance of real-world implications and feasibility in students' projects?

The script emphasizes that students should apply the knowledge they have learned in practical life, ensuring their plans are not just theoretical but also have real-world implications and feasibility.

What benefits does interdisciplinary learning offer to students as per the script?

Interdisciplinary learning offers students a comprehensive understanding of sustainability, real-world skills, practical skills development, critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and a sense of empowerment to make a difference in their communities.

How does the script differentiate between traditional pedagogy and ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) pedagogies?

Traditional pedagogy is described as focusing on rote memorization and the acquisition of established knowledge, while ESD pedagogies advocate for active participatory and experiential learning methods that connect theory with practice and cultivate values and attitudes supporting sustainable development.

What values and attitudes does ESD pedagogy aim to cultivate in students?

ESD pedagogy aims to cultivate values and attitudes such as responsibility, empathy, global citizenship, and the importance of ethical considerations, emphasizing the impact of individual and collective actions on the planet.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Sustainable Communities and Active Citizenship

The script discusses the importance of local sustainability projects, such as green spaces and renewable energy installations, using the example of a steel bridge project in Bangalore that was opposed due to environmental concerns. It emphasizes the role of active citizens in influencing government decisions. The script then introduces a middle school project where students are tasked with designing a model sustainable community, integrating various subjects and emphasizing the interconnectedness of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The project requires interdisciplinary integration and group work, with each group focusing on different aspects of the community, such as energy, transportation, housing, or food systems, and ensuring their plans integrate seamlessly. The practical aspect involves designing and modeling buildings using sustainable design principles, possibly with recycled materials, and engaging with local experts for insights and feedback. The process encourages students to apply their knowledge practically and reflect on their learning experience, documenting their process and rationale behind their design.

05:00

📚 Interdisciplinary Learning and Real-World Application

This section of the script focuses on the benefits of interdisciplinary learning in the context of a project on sustainable communities. It highlights how students gain a comprehensive understanding of sustainability by exploring it through multiple lenses and acquiring real-world skills. The project encourages practical skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving, empowering students to make a difference in their communities. The script also discusses the importance of reflection and self-assessment, where students document their entire process, including the challenges they faced and how their understanding of sustainability evolved. The evaluation and feedback process involves peer and expert reviews, allowing students to refine their ideas and learn from different perspectives. The benefits of this approach include fostering a sense of responsibility, empathy, and global citizenship, ensuring students experience the complexity and interconnectedness of sustainability in a practical and engaging way.

10:00

🌱 ESD Pedagogies and Traditional Education Comparison

The final paragraph contrasts the pedagogies of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) with traditional education methods. It emphasizes the participatory and experiential learning methods of ESD, which involve hands-on activities, projects, and collaborative learning that connect theory with practice. In contrast, traditional pedagogies are described as teacher-centered, focusing on memorization and the acquisition of established knowledge without much emphasis on student engagement or interaction. ESD pedagogies aim to cultivate values and attitudes that support sustainable development, such as responsibility, empathy, and a sense of global citizenship, while traditional methods primarily focus on academic and cognitive development. The script also illustrates how ESD can connect local issues to global contexts, teaching students about the broader implications of their actions and the importance of global cooperation for sustainability.

Keywords

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain certain processes or conditions without depleting resources or causing long-term damage to the environment. In the video, it is the core theme around which the project on designing a model sustainable community is built, emphasizing the need for a balance between social, economic, and environmental aspects.

💡Interdisciplinary Integration

Interdisciplinary integration is the approach of combining insights, skills, and perspectives from multiple disciplines to address complex issues. The video highlights its importance in the project where students from different groups focus on various aspects of community planning, such as energy, transportation, and housing, ensuring a holistic approach to sustainability.

💡Active Citizenry

Active citizenry denotes the involvement of citizens in the decision-making process, particularly in matters that affect their community or environment. The script mentions a case in Bangalore where citizens opposed a steel bridge project to protect the environment, illustrating the power of active citizen participation.

💡Environmental Impact

Environmental impact refers to any effect that a project or action has on the environment, including changes in ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, or pollution. The script uses the example of the steel bridge project to discuss the severe damage it would cause by cutting down thousands of trees.

💡Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is energy that comes from resources that are naturally replenished, such as sunlight, wind, and water. The video script suggests that students, particularly the energy group, should consider renewable energy sources when designing homes in their sustainable community model.

💡Scale Models

Scale models are representations of objects or environments at a reduced size, used for planning, demonstration, or educational purposes. The script encourages students to design and build scale models or simulations of their sustainable communities as part of the project.

💡Recycled Materials

Recycled materials are materials that have been reprocessed after initial use, reducing the need for new raw materials and waste. The script emphasizes the use of recycled materials in the design of the sustainable community, aligning with the project's environmental goals.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration is the process of working together to achieve a common goal. In the context of the video, collaboration is essential among the different student groups to ensure that their plans for the sustainable community are integrated and cohesive.

💡Reflection

Reflection is the process of thinking deeply about one's experiences, ideas, and feelings. The script highlights the importance of reflection in the educational process, encouraging students to document their process, including challenges and learning experiences, as part of their portfolio.

💡Peer and Expert Review

Peer and expert review involve receiving feedback from fellow students and professionals, respectively. The script mentions this as a crucial step in the project where students refine their ideas and learn from different perspectives, enhancing their understanding of sustainability.

💡ESD Pedagogies

ESD Pedagogies refer to Education for Sustainable Development teaching methods, which aim to foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and a sense of responsibility among students. The script contrasts these with traditional pedagogies, emphasizing the importance of participatory and experiential learning in ESD.

💡Global Citizenship

Global citizenship is the idea of being responsible and aware of one's role in the global community, recognizing the interconnectedness of local and global issues. The script discusses how the project and ESD pedagogies encourage students to see the broader impact of their work and actions on a global scale.

Highlights

Citizen activism led to the cancellation of a steel bridge project in Bangalore to protect the environment.

Importance of active citizenry and awareness in driving sustainable projects.

Middle school project on designing a model sustainable community integrating various subjects.

Interdisciplinary integration in the project requires collaboration between different groups focusing on energy, transportation, housing, or food systems.

Groups must consider environmental, social, and economic factors for a holistic approach.

Practical aspect involves designing and building scale models or simulations using recycled materials.

Engaging local experts for insights and feedback on students' designs.

Reflection is crucial for documenting the educational process and understanding real-world implications.

Students present their models and findings to the school community, emphasizing social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

Evaluation and feedback from peers and experts help refine ideas and learn from different perspectives.

Interdisciplinary learning fosters a comprehensive understanding of sustainability and real-world skills.

ESD pedagogies empower students to make a difference in their communities through practical engagement.

Traditional pedagogy focuses on rote memorization and lacks innovation and problem-solving.

ESD encourages participatory learning with hands-on activities and collaborative projects.

Connecting local issues to global contexts helps students understand the broader impact of their actions.

ESD pedagogies cultivate values and attitudes supporting sustainable development, such as responsibility and empathy.

Traditional education may not address values and attitudes, focusing only on academic and cognitive development.

ESD emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations and the impact of individual and collective actions on the planet.

Transcripts

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you know local sustainability projects

like green spaces and renewable energy

installations for example in a busy

stretch in bangaluru a Steel Bridge was

proposed there were two kinds of people

who one who opposed the construction of

the bridge bridge and the others who

wanted it but the ones who opposed it

did it because there would be a severe

damage to the environment because it

would cause thousands of trees to be cut

finally that group won and the Steel

Bridge Project was shelved by the

government so this push and thrust came

from the citizens themselves active

citizenry is very important for any

country awareness is the key and we hope

hope to create generations of citizens

who are aware let us continue with our

project we started by saying there is a

middle school project where students are

asked to design a model sustainable

Community let us see how this project

integrates various subjects such as

science social studies economics and

languages and also emphasize the

interconnectedness of the the social

economic and environmental

sustainability we saw the first point

introduction and research so far now

moving to the second that is

interdisciplinary integration for the

project on sustainable communities we

require interdisciplinary integration we

can do it as a group work Learners can

be divided into groups each can be

tasked with focusing on a specific

aspect of the community such as energy

Transportation housing or Food Systems

each group must consider the

environmental social and the economic

factors while they are planning this is

a group project so definitely there

would be a lot of collaboration these

groups collaborate to ensure that their

plans integrate seamlessly with the

others you can't have Stand Alone one

group planning something it's like when

you're building a house you require

everybody whether whether it is a

designer or the person doing the wood

work or the person doing the plumbing

work everybody has to put their heads

together come up with a design which is

integrated similarly to here we have to

ensure that their plans integrate

seamlessly and they should reflect the

interconnectedness of a real Community

for example the housing group works with

the Energy Group to design homes that

uses renewable energy sources now the

Practical aspect effect of it how do you

design and model a building using

principles based on your research

students can design and build Scale

Models or simulation of their

sustainable Community these need not be

exact it just has to give them a focus

on how to if such a task is given how

should they go about it don't look at

the exactness of the whole thing they

could be a few rough edges never mind

but the joy is in doing and learning

students can use recycled materials

remember this is a sustainable community

so recycled materials apply the

principles of sustainable design you can

engage with local experts it's not that

students alone will know everything so

they can also take the help of people

from outside if they have know about

urban planners or environmental

scientists or Community leaders just

look around the school Community is

vibrant you may have parents relatives

of students who are there in each of

these different groups so they can get

inputs from them to gain an insight and

feedback on their own designs now this

step helps students understand the real

world implications and feasibility of

their ideas when they move to the real

world nobody is going to ask them Define

pressure define force Define weight

Define this Define that no what are the

10 things that you require to build it

is not going to be all Theory they have

to apply that knowledge what they have

learned in their practical life and that

is what you're trying to do even as they

are in their younger classes and then of

course allow them to reflect reflection

is a very important part of the

educational process students are able to

document their entire process whatever

they have done how they have gone and

got inputs from experts and the rational

behind their design all this becomes

part of their portfolio this can include

reports diagrams

multimedia presentations multimodel it

can be anything so then they present

their models and findings to the school

Community to the parents to the local

stakeholders explaining how their

designs address

sustainability from a social economic

and environmental point of view these

perspectives are very important for them

and then comes of course the evaluation

and feedback this is where your Ro go is

very important you can have a peer and

an expert review students receive

feedback from their own peers and also

from experts which allows them to refine

their ideas find out where they've gone

wrong find out where they can do better

learn from different perspectives and

reflection helps in their own self

assessment they reflect on their

learning experience they consider what

worked well for them what challenges

they faced and how their understanding

of sustainability has evolved over time

now what are the benefits of this kind

of interdisciplinary learning I'm sure

by now you would know it yourselves

students gain a comprehensive

understanding of

sustainability by exploring it through

multiple lenses and they getting real

world skills not science separately

social separately language separately no

they're able to mix everything use that

knowledge that they have gained and Gain

real world skills develop practical

skills they have done research they have

done collaboration they were able to

think critically they were able to solve

problems when there was one and this

makes students feel so empowered to make

a difference in their communities they

understand that their actions can

contribute to a more sustainable world

look at the amazing values and attitudes

which they give

it Fosters a sense of responsibility

that their voices are also important

empathy global citizenship because they

see as students they see the broader

impact of their work this holistic

approach ensures that students do not

just learn about sustainability in

theory but experience its complexity and

interconnectedness in a very very

practical engaging and meaningful way

this is what we mean by a holistic

approach in ESD pedagogies there is

something for everybody in the class we

spoke about the different kinds of

Learners if they are able to participate

in this kind of a collaborative activity

they would shine because you are trying

to tap into their strengths as opposed

to Mere root learning you give them

notes and say talk about 10 points how

do you build sustainable communities

then you give them 10 points they can

just go on doing a road memory exercise

and those are able to have a good

ability to recall come and re gurgitate

in the classes of what use is that

learning there is critical thinking and

problem solving in this kind of learning

they are able to reflect and also solve

problems and these are aimed at

addressing real life challenges because

this is what they're seeing in the

outside world they encourage these

students to question assumptions

consider multiple perspectives revisit

their own plan make changes nothing

wrong it's all in the development stage

and then find finally they develop

solutions for sustainable living in

traditional pedagogy unfortunately all

this is lost because it focuses only on

root memorization and the acquisition of

this established somebody's knowledge

somebody writes a textbook we want the

students to just mug that up and get it

by heart and come and give it in the

class they don't think what is their

role in it there is no innovation

there's no problem solving for example a

traditional physics lesson May question

a student students knowledge of the

definition on pressure define pressure

that's what most physics teachers at

least that's what my physics teacher

used to ask pressure is a force applied

per unit area on the surface of an

object and that is something that we had

to get it by heart instead explain how

pressure is experienced in everyday life

describe how a sharp knife Cuts better

than a dull one the sharp knife applies

the same force over a smaller area this

creates higher pressure making it easier

to cut through materials what is force

force is push or pull upon an object

resulting from the objects interaction

with another object many may not

understand illustrate it use Force by

talking about opening the door when you

push or pull the door you apply a force

which causes it to move different

amounts of force is required to open

doors of different weights now that gets

into the head very easily because you're

connecting it with daily relevance the

feeling of pressure on their feet when

they wear high heels that is something

all students will be able to relate to

what happens when you wear high heels

what happens when you wear flats there

is a pressure and this changes because

the surface area also changes similarly

with Force ask students to think about

activities which they do like playing

sports for example you kick a soccer

ball that involves applying a force to

the ball it causes it to bounce and

accelerate in the direction of the kick

so now you're trying to connect it to

ESD how can you connect it now that was

daily relevance how do you connect it to

ESD weather reports use barometric

pressure to predict weather changes high

and low pressure systems affect weather

patterns and this is very important for

forecasting if you have to plan

something you have to forecast so you

can also talk about the air turbulence

of for the last few days we've been

reading about it because of climate

vagaries how there is an air turbulence

cost there was even a death unfortunate

death in a Singapore Airline due to air

turbulence so this is caused by climate

patterns this is because of the pressure

systems so you're connecting about it

talk about car safety features like seat

belts and airbags which are designed to

manage forces during a collision

reducing the impact on passengers you're

trying to make them responsible citizens

you call this participatory learning

because ESD pedagogies they advocate for

active participatory and experiential

learning methods that's what we use

students engage in Hands-On activities

projects and Collaborative Learning

which connect Theory with practice

whereas in traditional pedagogies we

only rely on teacher centered approaches

whatever the teacher lectures students

listen and of course individual

assignments are given there is no

emphasis on student engagement or

student interaction and regarding values

and attitudes ESD pedagogies aim to

cultivate values and attitudes which

support sustainable development

responsibility empathy sense of global

citizenship the emphasize the importance

of ethical considerations and the impact

of individual and Collective actions on

the planet so every student feels that

he is wanted I must do my bit I must be

responsible whereas traditional

pedagogies may not explicitly address

these kinds of values and attitudes

instead they only focus on academic and

cognitive development it is just

stuffing the head with more and more ESD

pedagogies also encourage Learners to

connect local issues to Global contexts

understand the broader implications of

your own local action so whatever I do

if I throw garbage here it is definitely

going to have an effect remember during

covid times how whatever we did came

back to us so we stressed on hygiene

personal hygiene do not spit on the

roads be careful keep your surroundings

clean otherwise we would get affected it

was all Equitable Society no distinction

between the have they have not the rich

or the poor everybody gets affected so

these broader implications of their own

actions the importance of global

cooperation for sustainability are all

taught to the students through this kind

of handson on ESD pedagogy