Assalamualaikum and a very good morning everyone.
My
name is Nursyafiqah Mohamad Junid and I am an English teacher
from SMKA Tun Ahmadshah. Today, I’ll be sharing the lesson plan
that I have prepared for the AQUAMS Lesson Plan Challenge entitled
“Composting In A Bottle” (DIY ROT POT)
I’m sure everyone in this hall is well aware that the food waste
we produce is linked to greenhouse gasses and climate change.
Alright, if you are not, it’s fine. I’ll explain it to you. When we discard
food, all the efforts used in producing, transporting and storing the
food are also wasted. On an average day, in Malaysia alone we
produce 38,000 tonnes of waste and 44% of that are food waste.
Food waste does not only fill up landfills, they also worsen the
climate change crisis with their significant Carbon Dioxide emissions
and food waste also generate methane, an even more potent
greenhouse gas.
As a responsible citizen who cares for the environment, we
have play our part in addressing this matter. One simple way is to
start managing our food waste at home through small scale
composting. The reason why I chose composting in a bottle is
because it’s easy, cheap and effortless. Our school, SMKA Tun
Ahmadshah is very big on environmental programs like recycling
and SERASI. We have a designated corner in our school where we
would gather recyclable materials like papers, plastics and
aluminums. The materials needed for this small scale composting
are all readily made available.
Let’s take a look at the lesson plan. This is a 120 minutes
lesson plan which is equivalent to 4 periods. The theme is Health &
Environment (non-textbook lesson). There are three objectives for
this lesson, firstly is to conduct an independent online research on
composting. Then, based from the information gathered from their
online research, students will come up with a composting checklist.
They will be able to evaluate what are the materials suitable and
should be avoided. Lastly, a hands on activity of producing their own
‘rot pot’ using food wastes form the school’s dining hall.
This is a Project Based Learning activity. Hence, teacher-led
instruction is very minimal. However, the main aim of this lesson is
to raise awareness on climate change. We want the students to be
aware of the global crisis that we are currently dealing with. A part
from that we also want to instill the values of being responsible
towards nature and to always stay mindful of our actions. So, in the
Pre Lesson stage I included a brief explanation on what is carbon
footprints, a little bit on climate change and ways to help reduce
them as an individual. Then, also in the Pre Lesson stage I have also
list down all three activities that they will conduct as mentioned
before.
Moving on to the During Lesson stage, students conducted
their own online research on composting. Through this research,
they were able to gather a list of items they can compost and write
them down on their checklist. Once the checklist is ready, the
students will look for the items needed around the school compound
and start constructing their ‘rot pot’.
At the end of the lesson, students are encourage to share
what new things they have learned from this lesson, their
experience and also give feedbacks.
As mentioned before, this lesson implements Project Based
Learning (PBL). Students are given the opportunity to independently
work together and the teacher’s role is merely to facilitate their
learning. This activity is very student centered in a sense that they
conduct their own research and based from their findings, they are
given the autonomy to decide on the suitable materials they should
gather.
Another reason why I find this lesson interesting is, it opens up
space for them to creatively solve problems, they also learn to work
collaboratively and use relevant technology to produce the final
product. All those skills mentioned are so important when they are
finally working. They’ll need to understand that work isn’t as
straightforward as lectures and homework. It’s more aligned with a
project-based approach, where employees are expected to
prioritize, manage their time and also effectively communicate with
other workmates. Lessons that implement Project Based Learning
(PBL) provide students with real world skills they’ll eventually use
for the rest of their lives.
In the future, we are planning to have a mini roadshow on
composting. We are in the middle of preparing a program with a
neighboring primary school. This program will be conducted by Form
3 students as the organizer and facilitator for the program. Thank
you.
