Unit 10: Introducing the Personal Eco‐Challenge
Record keeping activity guide
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This project was funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
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Unit 10: Introducing the Personal Eco‐Challenge
Record keeping activity guide
Estimated duration: 30 minutes Aim •
To develop a system of record keeping
Outcome By the end of the activity, students will be able to: • Describe what records they will need to keep and how they will keep them
Resources •
Log sheet from ‘what can we do?’ activity
Activity Description Students need to explain how the changes in actions will be recorded. Documenting their own development is one of the learning outcomes for the Personal Development Strand. Students should already have recorded in their log sheets what actions they will undertake as part of the personal eco‐challenge, and the units they will measure them in (this was part of the ‘what can we do?’ activity in this unit). For the record keeping activity, discuss with the students how they will measure and record their data. There are two phases of the measurement process:
1. Baseline data In the week between this class and the next, students will be recording baseline data. This is essential to be able to detect changes in the future. For example, do students already refuse plastic bags when shopping? How long do they currently spend in the shower? Some actions will require a simple yes or no, while others, like shorter showers, require measuring the time over a week in order to be able to calculate the average length of their existing shower time. It is important to discourage students from changing their behaviour in the baseline week. Note that students will not always be able to record data accurately and will
sometimes have to estimate (e.g. litres of water recycled could be a guess based on how many buckets full).
2. Change data The second stage is for students to apply the actions they have committed to and to record their changed behaviour over a period of weeks. It is important to do this over a number of weeks to ensure there is sufficient time for the students to work on making change. This is a key outcome for their learning in Personal Development. Making the challenge too short can reduce what can be gained by sustained effort. We would recommend no shorter than four weeks . However, the length of time is dependent on when you need to collate results for use in promoting their effort and achievements. Hence a five week time frame allows time to calculate results for them to use in media articles, for example.
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Remembering to record data While it is simply a matter of recording results each day, it is not as easy as it sounds. In fact it can be an onerous task which can get forgotten while attending to other priorities. In order to combat this, ensure students are given time in class each day to complete the log sheet. This will serve as reminder to them and also provides the necessary structure to ensure it gets done. Keeping log sheets in class could also be a good idea if you are worried about students losing them. Most young people also use mobile phones for everything so you can try to leverage off that. Ask them to set an alarm to record data or a reminder on the calendar on their phone. Or you could develop a draft text message or memo that allows them to record data direct to their phone. There are also some phone applications that can record data in spread sheets or a simple counter that they could download and use (e.g. from http://www.getjar.com/mobile/16210/counter/?s=phones). Offering these options might help overcome the issues of forgetting and recording the data they need to collect.
Student Roles and Responsibilities Participate in agreed tasks Contribute to class discussions Complete activities and worksheets Work cooperatively with others Participate in survey and collect data Seek teacher assistance and support when needed
Level of Teacher Support Facilitate discussion Organise materials and equipment Provide encouragement and assistance when requested Introduce tasks and activities Teach or reinforce numerical skills and understanding Advise on how to identify sources of information Remind students about timelines and commitments
Assessment To use this learning activity as an assessment task, collect evidence such as: Copies of student materials and worksheets Student notes Teacher checklist for class discussions Student documentation of planning and organising the project
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