sUsTaInAbLe engineering Learning objectives: 1. Develop an awareness of the impact of engineering on the environment and sustainability. 2. Identify their current values about engineering and its importance to and impact on the world. BELIEF CIRCLES Description of activity O rganise students in a circle and ask each one to write his/her name on a re-used piece of card. Decide on a series of belief statements you want to use in advance. Place a statement in the centre of the circle and read it out. Tell students they have one minute to decide on how strongly they agree or disagree with the statement. Tell them they must not put their card down until they are asked to do so. Then ask them all to put their name card as close to or as far away from the statement as their opinion is close to or far away from it. Then ask one student to explain why they have put their card where they have and allow a discussion to develop. Learning outcomes: 1. Students will be able to understand and explain that engineering projects have an impact on the world. 2. Students can explain and justify different viewpoints about the impacts of engineering. PLTS: 1. Reflective learners – listening to the opinions of others and evaluating their own opinions. 2. Effective participators – gives all students the opportunity to express opinions in and equal and non-threatening activity. Resources: you can make your own statements. the idea is to make them deliberately provocative to encourage different views to be expressed. here are some suggestions of statements that you can cut out to use with your students: Engineering/ ICT focused statements “computers are throw away Items – you neeD to have the latest moDels to be able to work effectIvely.” “It’s almost ImpossIble to complete an engIneerIng project wIthout havIng a negatIve envIronmental Impact.” “proDucIng somethIng that can be DIsassembleD Is much less Important than proDucIng somethIng that lasts.” “It’s ok to leave your computer on stanDby – It wastes harDly any electrIcIty.” “It’s much more Important for us to keep creatIng engIneerIng jobs than It Is to be worrIeD about the envIronment.” “usIng wInD turbInes to proDuce electrIcIty sounDs fIne In prIncIple but In practIce creates more problems than It’s worth.” “computer manufacturers have a Duty to reuse or recycle as many parts from olD computers as they can to save them goIng Into lanDfIll where they Do lots of Damage.” “we Don’t neeD to worry about usIng up the worlD’s resources – we’ve always founD new ways of DoIng thIngs In the past.” “the worlD’s a much better place to lIve thanks to nonrenewable energy transport users lIke raIlways, cars anD aeroplanes.” “programmes lIke youtube anD facebook are replacIng people’s abIlIty to talk to each other anD shoulD be banneD.” “reusIng olD components In new proDucts makes them seconD rate.” “It’s better to convert the natIon’s car fleet to electrIcIty than to reDuce carbon emIssIons by controllIng the number of journeys maDe.” “puttIng people’s personal DetaIls anD meDIcal recorDs on computer Databases Is no real threat to prIvacy.” “we shoulD be more concerneD about keepIng engIneerIng goIng In thIs country than In less DevelopeD countrIes. they shoulD learn to look after themselves.” “the threat of IDentIty theft Is an acceptable prIce to pay for the convenIence of easy access to people’s personal anD meDIcal recorDs.” “the posItIve Impact upgraDIng mobIle phones has on the economy outweIghs the negatIve Impact thIs has on the envIronment.” “It’s more Important that the materIals I use are fIt for purpose than sustaInable.” “engIneerIng anD scIence have vItal roles to play In ensurIng that humanIty can meet all Its basIc neeDs – water, sanItatIon, energy etc.” “the transport aDvantages of the channel tunnel far outweIgh any DIsaDvantages that result from the envIronmental Impact of Its constructIon anD use.” “the maIn purpose of engIneerIng shoulD be to antIcIpate anD plan for a sustaInable future.” practicalaction.org/schools
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