Sustainability Goal: Quality education

Name of the activity: Voice it out

Duration of the activity: 1 hour

Level/Class/Age: Level 1, 7th and 8th std students

Site(s) of activity: Classroom/small auditorium

Resource/Materials Requirements: 3 boxes, paper, pen

Activity Description: 3 boxes would be kept in front of the class with the following questions to
be labelled to each of them:

a) What is one thing that you always wanted to learn but was never taught at school?
b) What is your idea of a perfect teacher?
c) Which portion of the society do you think is the most under-represented at schools and
why?

Each student would be asked to write answers to these questions on three separate paper chits
and be dropped in the respective boxes. The chits would then be read out and discussed upon.

Rationale of practice: One of the targets of the goal Quality Education talks about qualified
teachers and faculties, along with a ‘standard’ mode of education. Being quite vague and abstract
on what ‘quality’ in education really means, this activity premises on a mode of enquiry into the
same. Quality being a subjective aspect would be reflected through this activity, critiquing the
goal’s idea of literacy almost being synonymous to education.

Paths of critical inquiry: The activity aims for the students to question if education is a stoic
entity, or is made up of multiplicities and subjectivities, and if the current systems of education
aspire to work on the same. Most systems across the world are teacher-centric or institution-
centric, hardly taking into account the needs of the students. This activity should make middle-
school students ponder over the fact if the education that they receive at schools are adequate or
require reformations.

Experience/Knowledge focus: The activity would tap into the previous knowledge systems of
formal ideas about education and would attempt to question into the same. The team’s previous
experience would also play into picture, having been part of formal education systems
throughout, and critical modes of thinking.

Trajectories of development into other goals: The activity links goals such as No Poverty, by
questioning about under-represented sections of society in several institutions propagating
education, and the reason for their absences. Similarly, concepts like Good Health and Well-
being, Gender Equality and Climate Action might feature as answers to the first question in the
activity, with several students wanting discussions and classes on the same, but never receiving
it.

Instructions for the activity:

For The facilitator:

 Before the activity: Set up the three boxes and number them. Write the questions clearly
on the blackboard and clear any doubts regarding understanding the same.

 During The activity: Ensure that the activity remains a free, healthy space for discussions
devoid of judgements.

 After the activity: Hold a discussion about what their definition of education is, and if it
changed.

For the students:

 Before the activity: Make sure to answer honestly, remembering that the space for
discussions would be an anonymous and healthy one.

 During The activity: If you don’t feel that an answer is what you agree with, feel free to
opine, backing it up with critical arguments.

 After the activity: Ponder upon the idea of a quality education, and whether it can be
achieved.

General Observations: A critical assumption would be that of a development of a healthy space

where a critical discussion on education takes place within an institution propagating formal
education. Students are expected to engage in it, and make it an eventful activity, with diversity
of answers and opinions.

Review of the Activity: The activity should leave students with an enquiry about the long taught
definitions of education, and look at quality education being a multifaceted aspect. The activity
should also impact the students enough for them to think about whether their idea of education
can be fulfilled, and the steps to achieve so.
Level/Class/Age: Level 2, 9th and 10th std students

Site(s) of activity: A playground/field

Resource Requirements:

Activity Description:

Students would be asked who they think an educated person is.

Next, they would be asked to perform a variety of tasks such as –

a) Igniting fire without matchsticks

b) Trying to identify trees around
c) Trying to weave paper into fabric-like patterns
d) Trying to hold one’s breath longer than a minute

Next, a discussion on whether ‘education equals literacy’ holds relevance in a society as diverse
as others. The concept of education being a holistic concept, and its meanings changing for
people with different occupations will be deliberated upon. For example – a tribal person might
not be good at English, but might be excellent at identifying medicinal plants. The notion of
education thus differs, and thus, is not a static marker that everyone should aspire to achieve.

Rationale of practice: The rationale behind the activity premises on one of the targets of this
goal, that of promoting vocational skills, and not necessarily considering school books as a
benchmark for quality education. The activity thus rests on the famous quote “Everyone is a
genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing
that it is stupid.”

Paths of critical inquiry: The activity thus will focus on making students question what
education means in different fields, and if knowledge can simply be found within books. They
will also be exposed to the field of vocational and tertiary studies, a concept not often introduced
at schools who mostly believe in the standardized form of education.

Experience/Knowledge focus: The activity will develop on students’ existing knowledge of

education required in different fields, introducing them to vocational and technical fields of
education. The experience required to design the activity rests on the interdisciplinary knowledge
and how education as a concept is questioned in the course of our studies.

Trajectories of development into other goals: The activity links itself to the goal Decent Work
and Economic Growth, countering the popular notion of how a standardized education can lead
to good working conditions and amount to a national economic growth.

Instructions for the activity:

For The facilitator:

 Before the activity: Encourage the students to try out the activities, even if they don’t
succeed in doing so.

 During The activity: Ensure safety while the activities are being conducted.

 After the activity: Ask students how their definition of an educated individual has
changed.

For the students:

 Before the activity: Be careful not to over-try any of the activities.

 During The activity: Bear in mind the importance of looking at other fields, and how
standardized education would help/not help them.

 After the activity: To explore the field of vocational studies and learn about pursuing
them if possible.

General Observations: Most students assume that being educated comes with a certain set of
markers, like that of speaking English, of scoring good marks in school subjects, or by being
thorough with their textbooks. This activity would aim to change that view about the same.

Review of the Activity: The activity would leave the students with a higher sense of fulfilment
with the realization that success and education work beyond the boundaries of the schools, and
encompass several vocational fields too.

Level/Class/Age: Level 3, 11th and 12th std students

Site(s) of activity: Classroom

Resource Requirements: Blackboard, chalk, Paper

Activity Description: Students would be divided into groups of five. Chits of various topics
would be kept and each group will pick one out of them. Chits would consist of topics familiar to
students studying in 11th and12th grade, like climate change, gravity, kidneys, algebra, etc. Each
group would be allotted a preparation time of 15 minutes, after which they will have to teach the
class the topic on three different levels – kindergarten, middle school and high school. They will
be expected to modify their teaching of the same concept into ways understandable by these
three levels through their vocabulary, simplified ways of speaking, use of visual/audio aids, etc.

Rationale of practice: The rationale of this activity rests on the premise of two targets of the
goal of Quality Education, that of preprimary education and qualified teachers. The teaching of
the same concept on three education levels concerns the idea of introducing difficult concepts in
a simplified way to preprimary and primary education, instead of ignoring the are of study, and
introducing it all at once in a higher class. Next, the different ways by which a concept can be
taught stresses on the need for qualified teachers for appropriate classes, and qualified training
for teachers accordingly.

Paths of critical inquiry: The activity would encourage students to ponder over the need to
introduce concepts to primary education in a way which is understandable and kid-friendly. It
would also lead to an enquiry into the ways of teaching, and the inclusion of creativity and
empathy into the same.

Experience/Knowledge focus: The activity would develop onto experienced methods of

teaching in classes, and their knowledge on topics taught in primary education.

Trajectories of development into other goals: A link to Partnerships for the Goals is evident
here with the need for the government to team up with institutions to ensure a standard of
selecting teachers and ensuring the curriculum for different grades are appropriate both in their
styles of teaching and content.

Instructions for the activity:

For The facilitator:

 Before the activity: Write down the topics as headers on the blackboard after every group
has selected them.

 During The activity: Note important points while the presentations are taking place.

 After the activity: Encourage students to look at how the ways of teaching differed for the
three levels.

For the students:

 Before the activity: Deliberate upon the topic given, and distribute responsibilities to
team members.
  During The activity: Focus on the differentiation in the ways of presenting the same topic
to different ages.

 After the activity: Contextualize the activity among its need for appropriate training for
teachers teaching different grades.

General Observations: The class will bring into new sets of vocabulary, methods of teaching
and content for different age groups, despite the uniformity of the topic.

Review of the Activity: This will allow them to focus on the need for qualified teachers, as
much there is for appropriate content, and how an introduction to kid-friendly textbooks on
difficult topics may lead to a better understanding of the same while growing up.

Sustainability Goal:

Name of the activity:

Duration of the activity:

Level/Class/Age: Level 1, 7th and 8th std students

Site(s) of activity:

Resource/Materials Requirements:

Activity Description:

Rationale of practice:

Paths of critical inquiry:

Experience/Knowledge focus:

Trajectories of development into other goals:

Instructions for the activity:

For The facilitator:

  Before the activity:

 During The activity :

 After the activity :

For the students:

 Before the activity:

 During The activity :

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General Observations:

Check List:

Review of the Activity:

Level/Class/Age: Level 2, 9th and 10th std students

Site(s) of activity:

Resource Requirements:

Activity Description:

Rationale of practice:

Paths of critical inquiry:

Experience/Knowledge focus:

Trajectories of development:

Instructions for the activity:

For The facilitator:

 Before the activity:

 During The activity :

  After the activity :

For the students:

 Before the activity:

 During The activity :

 After the activity :

General Observations:

Check List:

Review of the Activity:

Level/Class/Age: Level 3, 11th and 12th std students

Site(s) of activity:

Resource Requirements:

Activity Description:

Rationale of practice:

Paths of critical inquiry:

Experience/Knowledge focus:

Trajectories of development:

Instructions for the activity:

For The facilitator:

 Before the activity:

 During The activity :

  After the activity :

For the students:

 Before the activity:

 During The activity :

 After the activity :

General Observations:

Check List:

Review of the Activity:

mining

Make puppet,

Hotel leftover

The problems with using fossil fuels starts with extraction. In this activity, students
"mine" chocolate chips out of cookies to demonstrate the effects mining can have on
habitats.

Objectives
Students will be able to:

1. summarize the environmental impact of obtaining and using fossil fuels.

2. recommend solutions for reducing use of fossil fuels.

Materials & Teacher Prep

 Chocolate chip cookies – relatively hard cookies work best (1 per student)
 Toothpicks (1 per student plus extras)
 Plates (1 per student)
 Cookie Mining worksheets (1 per student)
 Scientific Terms for Students
 fossil fuel: an energy-rich substance such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas formed
from the remains of organisms
 coal: a dark-brown to black solid substance formed naturally from the compaction and
hardening of fossilized plants and used as a fuel primarily for electricity generation
 natural gas: a mixture of hydrocarbon gases that occurs naturally beneath the earth’s
surface and is used as a fuel primarily for cooking and heating homes
 renewable resource: a resource that is never used up (e.g., solar energy)
 non-renewable resource: a resource that is not replaceable after its use (e.g., coal,
gas)

Introduction
1. Discuss where we get the majority of the energy that we use.
o How do power plants create electricity?
o What is a fossil fuel?
o What does it mean to be renewable? Are fossil fuels renewable?

2. What does our society get from fossil fuel mining?

o Discuss jobs, economic benefits, and energy.

3. Essential Question: How does fossil fuel mining affect the Earth and its inhabitants?
o Introduce the essential question by telling student that we will be investigating how
mining for fossil fuels affects the Earth and its inhabitants.

Procedure
Teacher tip: Start this activity by making sure students have washed their hands. They
will have the option to eat their cookies later.

1. Pass out the cookies, plates, and one Cookie Mining Worksheet for each student.

2. Students will sketch their cookie in two ways and answer the questions on the “Before
Mining” side of their worksheet:
1. In the box on the left, students will make a sketch of their cookie.
2. In the box on the right, student will draw what fictional habitat is above ground on their
cookie. Tell students to imagine that the cookie is actually the bedrock and dirt below
ground – the second box is a bird’s eye view of that habitat on top. They should think of
this as a fairly large area – the size of a city or national park. It can be a forest, desert,
mountain, or any other ecosystem they like.

3. Pass out the toothpicks and explain that the students are actually coal miners. The
chocolate chips in their cookies are the coal deposits underground, and they need to
 use their tools (toothpicks) to remove as much of that coal as possible. Give them about
5 minutes to “mine” for chocolate chips.

4. After mining, students will sketch their cookie in two ways and answer the questions
again, this time on the “After Mining” section of their worksheet:
1. In the box on the left, they will make a sketch of their cookie.
2. In the box on the right, they will compare the damage to the cookie and the “before”
image of the habitat to predict what their imaginary habitat looks like now. Encourage
them to be specific when drawing and writing about what damage occurred.

Wrap-Up
Teacher tip: Let your students eat their cookies during the wrap-up!

 Lead a discussion about what the land looked like before and after mining. Will it return
to its original state? Why or why not?

 Discuss what implications strip mining might have on local ecosystems.

o How has the cookie changed? Will the same plants and animals be able to live
there? Strip mining will destroy landscapes and wildlife habitats.
o Did the chocolate get on anything nearby? Strip mining can contaminate soil and seep
into groundwater.

 Are the chocolate chips a renewable resource? No, because they will not reappear. Is
coal?

 What problems might we face if we stop coal mining? How can we avoid those
problems? Loss of fuel for energy, loss of jobs, loss of income.

 Revisit the essential question: How does fossil fuel mining affect the Earth and its
inhabitants?

Extensions
For a more comprehensive unit on fossil fuels, follow this activity with Fossil Fuels: Air
Pollution and the Greenhouse Effect.

Background for Educators

Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas present environmental problems starting with
their extraction and going all the way through to their use. They are all different in their
properties and uses, but they have some similarities. Fossil fuels all come from
fossilized plant or animal material and are all nonrenewable resources; they take
millions of years to form and do not regenerate on the timescale of a human life. All
fossil fuels go through similar processes on their path from being extracted from the
ground to serving as fuels for human beings.

We use fossil fuels for most of our energy needs today. Coal, natural gas, and oil
accounted for 87 percent of global primary energy consumption in 2012, and they meet
82% of U.S. energy demand (Worldwatch Institute, 2013; Institute for Energy Research,
2014).

Mining

Mining is the process of extracting coal, oil, and natural gas from the ground. Strip
mining (also known as open cast, mountaintop, or surface mining) involves scraping
away earth and rocks to get to coal buried near the surface (Greenpeace, 2010). This
often has significant impact on the surrounding land, plants, and animals. As plants and
topsoil are removed from an area, it destroys landscapes and wildlife habitats. Soil
erosion follows, leading to destruction of agricultural land. As topsoil is disturbed,
sediments wash into waterways, damaging fish habitats and causing changes to river
channels which lead to flooding. There is an increased risk of chemical contamination of
ground water when minerals in upturned earth seep into the water table, and
watersheds are destroyed when disfigured land loses the water it once held.

Besides providing energy, coal mining, including strip mining, provides jobs and
revenue. Coal is mined in over 50 countries, employing approximately seven million
people worldwide (World Coal Association, 2015). Large mines are often the largest
source of jobs and income for some communities. For example, coal mining in the
Appalachians is one of the main sources of income in rural West Virginia. Over six
thousand residents are employed as coal miners, and thousands more are indirectly
employed because of the coal industry (National Mining Association, 2015). When we
face sustainability issues, it is important to also bear in mind the economic factors at
hand.

Energy Conservation

As global supplies of cheap fossil fuels steadily decline and fossil fuel related
greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, energy conservation is becoming a
critical topic of discussion. Climate change is an important reason for people to reduce
their fossil fuel consumption via conservation, efficiency measures, and switching to
renewable energy sources.
Some of these technologies include: wind energy, biomass energy, carbon capture and
underground storage, methane capture and use, geothermal energy, energy-efficient
buildings and solar energy. These technologies are explained in detail here.