Hosted by OSOS , contributed by eilish.mcloughlin on 6 February 2018
If we accept that water is necessary for life and it is a finite resource, how can we solve some of the problems of water pollution?
Water4Life – is about Water and how we can solve some of the problems humans cause. We consider how it’s used and governed, which is a vital consideration for human health and well-being. The aim of the project is to design learning resources that can be used to develop students’ scientific knowledge of water and marine education. These resources will be presented as a collection of inquiry activities in three content strands: Water and Health, Recycling Water and Marine Science.
- Strand A: Water and Health – role of Biofilms. This strand is a fun and safe way to introduce microbiology and the associated terminology to the students.
Biofilms can be found occurring naturally forming on any surface which is moist and is exposed to bacteria. Activities introducing students to biofilms including making models of biofilm using modelling clay and gelatine, simulating the action of biofilm using modelling clay and hair gel.
- Strand B: Recycling Water. This strand centres on various water remediation processes.
Activities in this strand will include – comparing the effect of a drop of water (from different sources) on agar gel, using a homemade plankton (tuile fabric, coat hanger) net to harvest a stream and examine what it captured, simulating rain pollution through drains, making a simple filtering system (fabric), using sunlight and PET bottles to disinfect water.
- Strand C: Marine Science. This strand will focus on the occurrence and extent and innovation solutions to the effect of micro/meso-plastics in the marine environment.
Activities explore whether we can develop strategies we can develop for retrieval involving electrostatic attraction, filtering, or other forms of harvesting, reduce energy consumption?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Strand Unit: Science and the Environment - The child should be enabled to recognise and investigate aspects of human activities that may have positive or adverse effects on environments: activities that affect the quality of water. (NCCA, 1999: 91)
- Strand Unit: Environmental Awareness - The child should be enabled to come to appreciate the need to conserve resources: recycling of materials [...] in contrast to some plastic packaging (NCCA, 1999: 90). The child should be enabled to foster an appreciation of the ways in which people use the Earth’s resources: using [...] water (NCCA, 1999: 90)
- Strand Unit: Caring for the environment - The child should be enabled to identify and discuss a local, national or global environmental issue: such as [...] pollution - investigate the causes of the issue / identify & use ways of assessing or measuring the extent of the problem / suggest possible actions and consider the effect of these on people and the environment / participate in the resolution of the issue (NCCA, 1999: 92).
RRI principles
One of the key aspects of OSOS is the inclusion of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)principles (more information at RRI-Tools.eu). This is how this Accelerator fits into the RRI model:
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Governance |
Students will establish a work method that allows them to anticipate possible problems when addressing the problems raised in this scientific project. Students will share responsibility to find solutions to the problems found by involving a wide variety of stakeholders.
I.e.: students will make decisions collectively and responsibly, taking into account both their own opinions and those of the stakeholders involved (including experts, neighbors and families). |
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Public engagement |
Students will get in touch with multiple stakeholders, with whom they will share responsibility to find solutions for the challenges and with whom they will also share their results and conclusions.
I.e.: students will get in touch with different experts in the marine world, with whom they will share the problems and look for possible solutions. Students will also share the conclusions of their project with the public and the neighbors to raise awareness of the importance of proposing solutions with which to improve the issue raised by this Accelerator. |
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Gender equality |
Students will consider the gender dimension when it comes to contact experts in the subjects addressed by this Accelerator, showing the role of women in the world of science and breaking gender stereotypes.
I.e.: students will contact experts in the marine world considering the gender dimension, trying to have both male and female experts. |
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Science Education |
Students will use critical thinking to solve problems in an interdisciplinary way and with the help of different stakeholders, who will be able to participate in the elaboration of policies that solve globally the problems posed in this Accelerator.
I.e.: students will find problems around the water and marine education, and will be responsible for solving them in an interdisciplinary way with the help of the stakeholders. |
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Ethics |
Students will understand the importance of the topics to be dealt with in this Accelerator, considering the social interest of proposing solutions and improving the issues contemplated by the project.
I.e.: students will study the marine world and its problems, and will work on the topic with the objective of understanding and sharing the need to improve the health of water and the marine world. |
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Open Access |
Students will access literature reviewed by experts that will allow them to better understand the context this Accelerator proposes. Students will also be able to create their own outreach materials that they can then share in order to raise awareness about the importance of water to society.
I.e.: students will read articles about water and marine education to better understand the real state of this knowledge context, and produce their own materials to disseminate the problems (and possible solutions) about the marine world. |
Addressed Challenge: water accounts for 70% of the surface of planet Earth, and oceans store more than 95% of water. For this reason, it is essential for the society to take care of the marine world, and with this we will be able to make our students aware of the problem in this FEEL phase. We also invite you to present the three content strands: Water and Health, Recycling Water and Marine Science, which will allow you to dig deeper into more specific topics about the marine world.
AVAILABLE PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
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Families |
To explore ways to reduce water waste in the home |
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Local Communities |
To raise awareness of water consumption from a community perspective To raise awareness of the destination of plastics we throw away |
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Water Institute Researchers |
To inform actors and provide resources for practical work |
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County Council/TD |
To involve public awareness initiatives, policymakers and public representatives |
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Electrostatic generator (e.g. Van der Graaf), plastic rods made from different plastics
URL TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION:
STRAND C: Marine Science - https://sites.google.com/dcu.ie/marine/home
Feel
Addressed Challenge: water accounts for 70% of the surface of planet Earth, and oceans store more than 95% of water. For this reason, it is essential for the society to take care of the marine world, and with this we will be able to make our students aware of the problem in this FEEL phase. We also invite you to present the three content strands: Water and Health, Recycling Water and Marine Science, which will allow you to dig deeper into more specific topics about the marine world.
[1] Raise Awareness
(90 minutes):
- Teacher awakes the curiosity of students for the theme of water pollution, showing images of places with and without water pollution.
[2] Search for Information
(50 minutes):
- Students discuss in the class their findings about water pollution and whether they are observable or ‘invisible’ to the students.
- Students search for examples of remediation of plastics in water
- Students use a Google map to identify the location of water pollution in their municipal area, barony or townland.
- Students search and learn about different types of water pollution.
Resources: Laptop/PC with access to websites
- Microplastics: small but deadly
http://www.scienceinschool.org/content/microplastics-small-deadly
- Marine Debris-Fishing for Microplastics in Your Home Instructor Manual: A teaching and learning exercise for students studying environmental topics. Julie Masura, University of Washington - Tacoma
- Mitigating Microplastics Teacher Lesson Plans A middle school curriculum about microplastics in our ocean
Imagine
[3] Measure
(100 minutes):
- Students learn how to test water for pollution (nitrates / phosphates / plastics)
Resources: Test-kitsprepared by research scientist (e.g. Water Institute PI in Ireland)
[2] Investigate
(100 minutes):
- Students learn how to set up a biofilm and test for presence of microorganisms
Resources:
Marlow, V. L., MacLean, T., Brown, H., Kiley, T. B., & Stanley-Wall, N. R. (2013). Blast a Biofilm: A Hands-On Activity for School Children and Members of the Public . Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education : JMBE, 14(2), 252–254. http://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v14i2.563
[3] Reflect
(100 minutes):
- Students prepare a written communication and/or a video to present their findings to the local policy makers and other stakeholders, and to suggest improvements in the outdoor lighting systems adopted in their neighbourhoods and cities.
Resources: Laptop/PC, Paper and pen, Video equipment
Create
[1] Influence
(60 minutes):
- Students will attempt to book a meeting with their Town Hall president and/or the Mayor in order to present the results of their study;
- Students meet policy makers and other stakeholders, and present their findings.
[2] Impact
(50 minutes):
- Students will share their findings in social media;
- Students present their findings to their school and local community.
Resources: PC/Laptop with access to the Internet