Sandra Aguilera's Blog Post (8/29/22)

Sandra Aguilera's Blog Post:

Climate Change.  Can Teachers Make a Difference?

It has been 17^th year when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans. Many of those who lost their homes, family and/or friends are still trying to recover from this tragic event. Others realized that something needed to be done, too. Among the young survivals who transformed frustration and bad feelings into social justice action are filmmaker Edward Buckles, Jr., and Jayden Foytlin, who were 13 and 11 years old when their houses were destroyed on August 22, 2005.

To me, these two young victims of New Orleans are good examples on how adolescents become more self-conscious and develop “a natural hunger for social value” caused by various forms of discrimination. Their “natural hunger for social value” is the result of how their brain “is primed to promote healthy and adaptive learning” when facing certain levels of discrimination, as Ron Dahl, a specialists in developing adolescent described.

For this first blog, we will take a quick look at how Climate Change is considered for “citizens in advanced economies” as the Pew Research Center reported in September, 2021. We will also learn how the population in the U.S. is willing to make changes on their daily routine to help reduce the effects of climate change, in comparison to other industrialized countries. Lastly, I will propose a suggestion and provide one activity that we can implement in our classrooms to “alter how we live and work” to help reduce global warming, such as Greece, Italy and Spain reported to Pew Research Center.

Unfortunately, we often hear on the news cases of droughts, wildfires, floods, and powerful and devastated storms affecting societies around the world. A few days ago, NPR dedicated a segment commemorating the anniversary of Katrina in All Things Considered. Years after Hurricane Katrina, a new documentary asks: What happened to children? The audio clip presented the new documentary of a young cinematographer, who at age 13 “experienced the tragedy firsthand.” Edward Bucklers, Jr. explained to NPR: “I realized that we weren’t just dealing with people telling their stories. We were dealing with people healing.”

His story reminded me of another Louisiana resident, Jayden Foytlin, who was 11 years old when her house was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. After this tragic event, she became an “indigenous climate activist” and was also invited by the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent and his director and founder, Rohn Dahl, to talk about what inspired her and how she got involved in activism.

Rohn Dahl, who specializes in youth development, describes how some adolescence “tend to become more self-conscious… more sensitive of being left out and easily humiliated but also thrilled by social success.” Jayden’s willingness to strive “isn’t simply about being popular. It’s about motivation, a natural hunger for social value”, as Dahl’s mentions on episode “When Mattering Really Matters” as part of his podcast Adaptivity. In my view, Jayden’s case could explain why “(y)oung people have been at the forefront of past protests seeking government action on climate change” as the  Pew Research Center published in 2021.

Is the U.S. making a difference?

Thought these two young activists are making a difference, the U.S. 2021 results in the Pew Research Center report “citizens in advanced economies” were not as positive as I predicted. When Americans were asked “How much, if anything would you be willing to change about how you live and work to help reduce the effects of global climate change? Would you be willing to make a lot of changes, some changes, only a few changes or no changes at all?” only 30% of Americans responded “A lot of changes” vs 62% of citizens in Greece, followed by Italy with 54%.

The fact that the U.S. obtained the highest number of individuals who responded “No changes at all” inspired me even more to take some responsibility as educator.

 

Small Moves. Start Local: Task Based Activities about Recycling

“In most publics, those with more education are more likely than those with less education to say they are willing to adjust their lifestyles in response to the impact of climate change” as we read on the same report. Furthermore, Belgium, France, Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Australia, “are more likely than those with lower income to express willingness to make at least some changes to reduce the effects of climate change” (Pew Research Center).

Therefore, my contribution would extend beyond home by developing and including cultural content and activities that focuses on Recycling when I become a Spanish teacher. I will try to create and adapt activities for Spanish learners where vocabulary and verb forms are related to understand how their own communities recycle in comparison to other communities in the area and in Spanish speaking countries. These activities (sample provided) will be based on the following ACTFL and IL State Standards:

 ACTFL Standards

Communication: 1.1 – 1.3

Cultures: 2.1 –2.2

Connections: 3.1 – 3.2

Comparisons: 4.1 – 4.2

 

Illinois State Standards

#1A – 1D and 1H

#2A – 2G

#3A – 3C

#4A – 4E

#5A – 5C

 

Climate Change Activities for Math, History, Arts, ESL?

My question to CI 414/504 class: How would you adapt activities that relate to climate change in your area?

Considering what Pew Research Center found about our “willingness to change behavior to reduce effect of climate change is tied to education” would you consider including this topic in your lessons? How about coordinating an activity or event in school where other disciplines and programs in your school raise awareness on topics such as climate change?

I will leave you with Ron Dahl’s statement about how adolescents develop: “the importance of feeling like we matter becomes amplified… We become more sensitive to being left out and easily humiliated but also thrilled by social success… It’s about motivation, a natural hunger for social value.”