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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.

  1. Define pollution as you know it.
  2. Define pollution as an environmentalist might define it.
  3. Determine all the sources of pollution in your classroom.
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. Consult with peers, teachers, and school staff to determine how easily these "pollution solutions" can be implemented in your school. Report.
  8. 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.