Aspect of Action Competence: Knowledge

This section presents findings about the knowledge that students in this study had or were able to find that related to environment/sustainability. As in previous tables the movement from left to right on the table indicates improving skills in accessing and using knowledge.

Knowledge may be about a particular issue, its origins and solutions, its relevance to individual students and to a global sustainability issue. The need to access a range of types of knowledge is discussed in Jensen (2004) where he states that if students access a range of types of knowledge as well as aspects of sustainability then they are more likely to develop an effective understanding of an issue. This in turn will be more likely to lead them to take action themselves. The aspects of sustainability social, cultural, environmental and economic were remembered using the mnemonic SCEE. This abbreviation is used from this point in the thesis.

Students were encouraged to build on skills of accessing knowledge already developed in other units earlier in the year.

4.3.1 Student knowledge development in class

Finding information is a standard skill for students and many were comfortable doing this. By the time the action unit started most students had sufficient skills to find and identify relevant information on a given topic. Researching in previous

topics had honed these skills. From these results it was clear that there was a difference in their skill in looking for a sufficiently wide range of information and their decision as to what was reliable information. Mekala made a number of links in her report:

There are a number of reasons why we recycle because lowering the amount of natural resources we have to consume by reusing the old ones we have already used, it gives us an opportunity to clean up our country and secure our life for future generations.

It also reduces the amount of the Earth's resources that we use;

this will greatly impact on the reduction of our emissions too.

4.3.2 Student knowledge development outside of class

Student practise of researching in other subjects was an advantage here as all students had had this in addition to skill gained in my class. One area they only seemed to improve on with extra practise was choosing really relevant and reliable sources. Ilisapesi and Mereoni chose good information as did Lesieli and Sovaia. For instance, both Ilisapesi and Lesieli were able to find and access information put out by their local councils. Lesieli then contacted the Council directly and got someone to come and talk to her family.

4.3.3 Participation

Students who completed their report had researched appropriate information.

Despite reminders as to the breadth of information and the reliability of sources required these areas remained an issue. Some students had some relevant information but not enough to enable them to make all the required links. Farrah had information on growing vegetables but nothing on why this might be useful other than as food for her family, whereas Aroha had found information on how roof top gardens could positively improve Londoners‘ lifestyles. While students were able to work on their log books in class some would forget to bring them.

Students were encouraged to check they had the information needed and that they understood it and could make links. Students would say they did understand, and Salesi did say this, but her log showed she did not understand what was actually required. Students had practised linking ideas and information to the different aspects of sustainability in previous units of work and were provided with

Table 4.3 Aspect of Action Competence: Knowledge.

Aspect ^{Absent Awareness Emerging} Developing Action Competent

Knowledge: Knowledge

Has some basic knowledge of a specified

environmental/sustainability issue or impact.

Has skill to find and identify some relevant information on an issue or its impact

Has skill to identify simple links between dimensions and/or aspects of an issue.

Has reasonable knowledge and understanding of an issue & its impact.

Has skill to find and identify relevant information on an issue &

its impact.

Has skill to identify links between dimensions and aspects of an issue.

Can explain some of these links.

Has skill to adapt an action found by researching.

Class of 15 taught by Librarian to search school library catalogue, use INNZ (Index NZ), search Gale databases and conduct and refine online searches.

Class taught in class how to recognise simple links between dimensions & aspects of an issue

Class of 15 provided with time during this unit and earlier in year to conduct their own searches for relevant information on an issue.

Class provided with opportunity in class to practise writing links between dimensions &/or aspects of an issue

additional opportunities in this unit when it became apparent that more practise was required. This was an area where Tere improved with practise. She was able to produce a coherent understanding of global warming and how it works and could link it to effects on people, including loss of grave sites from erosion caused by sea level rise, to changes in infectious disease patterns, to changes in crop productivity. For this reason, she was placed under Developing as her rating for development of knowledge.

The skill in linking different types of information to aspects of SCEE was easier for students than the next step, which involved being able to link aspects of sustainability and information on the issue to the actual action the student was going to undertake. While most students found the first linking relatively straightforward, the second linking back to the action was much harder for many.

Pasifika students in particular found it easy to make some of the links because the Pacific Islands have been some of the first places to experience sea level rise and because they are finding the islands are more vulnerable to extreme weather events. Two of the Tongan students, Lesieli and Ilisapesi, had spoken to relatives about what was happening in Tonga and reported back verbally about storm damage during a class discussion.

4.3.4 Summary

Identifying the information they need and then finding it are skills that are improved both with practise and a clear understanding of the purpose the information will be used for. When students did not attempt or complete work then their skills did not improve. The skill appears to come from trying different search terms until you find ones that answer the questions you have. It seems to be a ‗hands on‘ skill. The two Year 13 students‘ extra experience showed in this area. This experience was as a result of having completed Year 12 with more research assignments. The best students were able to supply a chain of links to go from their action to international bigger picture which in this case was climate change or to international groups with similar concerns. Good research skills helped students find relevant information they could use to talk with whoever they were working with, to find solutions or actions and to help them write up their reports.