Workspace
Pollution
Subject Area
This activity
can be used in any classroom environment to facilitate group work
skills, provide a bridge between activities, or to fill in the
curriculum when an existing unit is disrupted by unavailable hardware
or materials.
Learning
Outcomes
Teaching,
learning and evaluation will focus on the student's ability to:
- Gather
and organize data relating to types of pollution;
- Describe
and identify solutions to polluting situations;
- Propose
the implementation of solutions to polluting problems in the
classroom and administration offices;
- Justify
(defend) personal propositions by means of data gathered during
the activity.
Classroom
Development
This is
an activity which directs students to consider the physical space
that they inhabit on a daily basis as their environment. As such,
it is a habitat which will either nurture their growth or negatively
impact upon it. There are many ways in which this environment
can be considered, but in this activity traditional factors polluting
this environment will be targeted and hopefully reduced.
- Students
should be given the opportunity to critically assess the modern
classroom and compile information and statistics on the types
and levels of pollution in these areas.
- Students
should be presented with articles which describe various forms
of workspace pollution.
- Students
may brainstorm the topic of workspace pollution before considering
the articles.
- Articles
can be dealt with in small groups and then the information gleaned
from each article can be shared with the other groups by means
of the Jigsaw method.
- Students
can be sent to access the types and levels of pollution found
in the school. Students can prepare a report on their findings.
- As the
final step in the activity, students can develop and attempt
to implement solutions to the polluting situations that they
have discovered, and they should report on the success of this
implementation.
Background
Information
The teacher
should be aware of the various angles from which to consider workspace
pollution: architectural design, construction practices and building
materials form one perspective which might be studied in a business
curriculum. Workspace layout, noise, materials, the production
of waste materials (paper, coffee cups, computer parts) can be
considered within any curriculum. Such awareness can be the end
result of this activity, thereby making the students themselves
responsible for the creation of a knowledge base to pass on to
future classes through the teacher.
Timing
One period
can be allotted to a class discussion on workspace pollution based
on news articles, as well as brainstorming possible attacks and
the formation of workgroups.
A second
period can be used for the accumulation and presentation of data
and solutions to pollution problems identified in the previous
class. There may be a lag between the first and second class if
the teacher intends to have students do out-of-class research.
Resources
Comeau,
Pauline. "Office Pollution" in Language At Work.
Nigel Gough ed. Toronto: Holt, 1987.
Various
newspaper/journal articles on office pollution collected by the
teacher.
On-site
research of pollution in the working environment done by students.
This can be done in conjunction with science classes (building
data gathering skills).
Cross-disciplinary
links
- Mathematics-
Classes can compile graphs and other statistical representations
of data accumulated by students.
- Science-
Classes can use the study site (office/classroom) to compile
data on various pollutants and polluting practices which can
be charted and presented.
- Art-
Classes can create posters illustrating environmental slogans
intended for environmental improvement of the workspace environment.
Student
Activities
Workspace
Pollution
What's
this all about?
This activity
is designed to help you to explore, understand, and hopefully
improve the environment in which you work. This activity will
test your ability to imagine what is and what is not pollution-when
is your best friend a form of pollution?
Pollution
is not only what is created by cars and industry, but it comes
from anything that you do that overloads nature. You are being
asked to take some responsibility for what goes into and comes
out of your school. The students, staff and physical structure
that collectively exist as your school are responsible for many
important aspects of your education. This school is not a lot
of help if it contributes to polluting your environment. However,
since you are part of this school, it is your responsibility to
try to figure out what needs to be done and how to improve this
environment. Your school environment is as important to your successful
development as a thinking, breathing being as the rain forests
or the quality of the air you breathe.
How's this
going to get done?
This activity
will test your ability to work in groups, brainstorm problems,
and develop solutions. You should use the jigsaw model for group
work. Jigsawing helps in two ways. First, it makes the dead wood
float (the slackers), and second, it keeps the ideas flowing easily.
To jigsaw,
you must make sure that you have groups of equal size, but also
ensure that the number of members in each group equals the total
number of groups. For example, you need 5 groups of 5, or 4 groups
of 4. Extra members can be doubled if necessary. Each group discusses
the topic at hand, but all members MUST make full notes. Then
each group breaks up (jigsaws) into new groups formed with one
member from each of the previous groups. These new groups now
have one expert reporter from the former groups who will explain
what has been done up to this point. The process can now be repeated
with the new question. Get the picture?
If this
still doesn't make sense, ask your teacher to explain how to jigsaw,
but make sure that you do it correctly.
Now, work
in small groups to consider the problems. After each step jigsaw
into new groups to share your findings before continuing on to
the next point with your new group. Use the back of this page
or scrap paper for extra notes.
- Define
pollution as you know it.
- Define
pollution as an environmentalist might define it.
- Determine
all the sources of pollution in your classroom.
- Determine
all the sources of pollution in your school. Make extensive
notes.
- Now
jigsaw into new groups and share what you have learned.
Make sure that you learn everything that you can from the
members of your new group, because you'll need their information
later.
- Use the
literature provided by your teacher to chart the sources and
solutions to the pollution in other working environments. Record
the problems and solutions which apply to your own environment
- Now look
again at your classroom/school environments, and list all forms
of pollution you can find. Then list all possible steps that
can be taken to reduce pollution in your work area, and note
the problems that cannot be dealt with.
- Consult
with peers, teachers, and school staff to determine how easily
these "pollution solutions" can be implemented in
your school. Report.
- Do what
you can to solve the problem. Then document your plans, consultations,
opposition encountered, and action taken.
Evaluation
Your evaluation
will be based in part on your ability to work within the various
groups that you encounter during your jigsawing, because if you
can't work together, you're never going to solve anything in this
world. Your teacher will also consider your willingness to share
your learning with your peers, and to learn from them. Finally,
your final report will allow for summative written evaluation
of this activity.
If your
teacher wishes to assign a grade for this activity, why not suggest
methods of evaluation that you feel comfortable with? Don't expect
ideas that you know to be foolish to be taken seriously.
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