A Lesson in the Life Sciences in Apam

When we think of new technologies and world development, we can't ignore the impact these advancements have on our community environments.  From the excess of un-contained trash to air pollution and diseases, as humans we can all be affected by these advancements if we are not careful on how we implement technology in our environments.  Today's lesson in Apam is on ecology.  My goal was to help the students understand and examine their role as inhabitants of a living environment, and how in small ways they can preserve the environment in which they live.  We started out with a small lesson in the classroom and then we took it outside to see the very space they occupy around the school.  I wanted the students to make a connection to how they can preserve their own lives by preserving their environment in small ways.  I said each plastic water bag they picked up and dispose of properly will preserve their lives by 12 minutes.  I used this example so the students can calculate how long they can live by how many plastic bags they find and dispose of.  I could see the eagerness in their eyes on taking on the challenge in picking up the bags.  After the lesson, we decided to put our learning to work in the real environment.  I told them as young scientist, they can examine for themselves the impact trash can have on a community.  So we decided to go on a field trip to the beach to apply what we learned.  This lesson has two parts in it.  There is a piece on life science that identifies a problem and provides a solution to make the environment better.  The last piece is development on their character as students and citizens.  Yes, taking a position on improving your environment shows that you care and have a natural respect for mother nature and people's well being.  So taking a holistic approach in education gave the students a deeper meaning in the "Why" they were doing this activity.   This field trip challenged the students to look head on into their own community and find solutions to improve it even if they did it in small ways.  Take a look at these young scientist from the Royal Preparatory School in Apam at work learning and applying what they learned in their own community.  They got the point of the lesson! The rest of the  videos will be on the next post...