Wednesday, 6 September 2017

Week 1: Tropical Skies Make Them Excited

Final year is here! This is one of the two remaining Geography courses required to be completed for the Social Studies/Geography Specialization. 

Apart from successfully passing this course on atmospheric systems and processes, I do expect to gain a deeper understanding of the content it entails and develop a clearer understanding of the way in which the dynamic atmospheric systems work.  I also intend on developing new skills which will allow me to successfully deliver a lesson efficiently and effectively using various teaching strategies and techniques. 


What makes the Earth's atmospheric systems and processes so intriguing?



Perhaps it is due to the way in which the elements of weather and climate interact within the environment to create the varying atmospheric conditions that are experienced across different regions and spheres of the Earth. However, its a bit more complex than it seems and i'm about to find out the reasons for such processes to occur.


Weather and climate are two distinct driving forces experienced by human beings. According to an article published on NASA's website (2005), the difference between the two is the measure of time. Weather is deemed as the short term state of atmospheric conditions that can change at any given time. For example, it can be sunny in a particular place during the morning and by the evening it can rain. On the other hand, climate is the average atmospheric condition of a particular region experienced over a long period of time, usually about 30 years. For example, some regions experience a Tropical climate where it is hot and dry while other regions experience a Mediterranean climate where there are mild winters and hot, dry summers (Locsin, 2017).

Dividing students into groups and then into peers to work together on each concept was a great strategy used to build on each others ideas and I do intend on implementing this strategy in my classroom. Additionally, discussing the differences between the two concepts in peers was also a very effective way in allowing students to share their knowledge about the concepts of weather and climate. In order for students to remember the concepts, a great tool that can be used is a Venn diagram graphic organizer to show the similarities and differences between weather and climate after they have completed their discussions.

Other activities incorporated outside of the classroom was a great strategy to keep students interested in the content.
  After this first class I know i'm in for a treat! I am definitely looking forward to learning other strategies that can be implemented in my Social Studies and Geography classes.

Sources
Locsin, A. (2017). What are the Six Major Climate Regions?Sciencing.com. Retrieved 5 September 2017, from http://sciencing.com/six-major-climate-regions-5382606.html 

NASA (2005).  - What's the Difference Between Weather and Climate?. Retrieved 5 September 2017, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.html  

4 comments:

  1. Hello Geography Enthusiast, wonderful to see that you used your mnemonic as the title of your post. Hopefully, you will never forget structure of the atmosphere! I am not sure why some of your post is highlighted, but I was able to read it. Good to see that you picked up several of the strategies used in the class. How do you find more strategies for your own teaching? What resources have you used?

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    1. Hi Dr. Joyanne, it was much easier to remember the structure by creating the mnemonic and I would love to try using that with my students during my upcoming teaching practice. I realized during this week's class that I need to do a bit more research on the structure of the atmosphere and its composition. Apart from searching the internet, I find more strategies by seeking inspiration from TED Talks on YouTube. For example, this is one of the videos I looked at to find more strategies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCFg9bcW7Bk. Additionally, I keep in contact with a Geography/Environmental Science teacher and ask for advice on strategies that can be implemented for some of my Geography lessons. I have used resources such as videos, interactive charts, pictures, games like jeopardy, graphic organizers as well as worksheets from websites like teach it geography and pinterest. I have yet to try making 3D models as a resource. I will continue to explore the internet to find other useful resources.

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  2. Excellent resources Shoba! I am not sure if I shared, but Weather Wiz Kids has a lot of interesting ideas for classes. Check it out!

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