Introduction

Activities breakdown

Slide Presentation: Explore how participants can develop skills to observe communities and identify environmental issues.

Activity: Desk research and observation/field research

Output: Group discussion, verbal presentation, and formative feedback.

Debriefing: Feedback to the group, linking theory and concepts to a real-life scenario. Q&A session to identify gaps in learning and address them (Q&A, quiz, or case study) and what next.

Activity : Personal reflection and optional homework.

Assessment: Complete a training evaluation form

The overall duration of the session: 3 hours 30 minutes - (2 hours 30 minutes session + 1 hour homework)

Topic: Explore how participants can develop skills to observe communities and identify environmental issues. (20 minutes)

1. The trainer provides a brief overview of the module, the sessions, and the activities.
2. The trainer hands out necessary learning materials and makes clear where to find the learning resources and other OERs.
3. The trainer gives a short slide presentation of topics and fosters discussion and interaction
4. The trainer runs a quiz session at the end to consolidate knowledge and address gaps
5. The trainer will facilitate the group-based activities and the feedback process

Background information: The focus here is on observational research. Here, it is expected that the participants (observers) will review ongoing activities in the community and record their observations. Participants are players in what is going on, for instance, in trying to deal with the problem of plastic waste.

According to Marshall & Rossman (1989), “observation is the systematic description of the events, behaviours, and artefacts of a social setting”.

In the case of this module, an observational method is used to actively participate, understand, and record notes on how people, processes, and cultures impact the environment positively or negatively.

During the observation process, participants could draw, measure, take pictures and make notes to build up their knowledge analysis afterwards.

Slide Presentation: Explores the value of observational research at the local community level. Strategies (20 minutes)

• The trainer gives a short slide presentation or shows a video on what observational research is all about and how it is done.
• The trainer explains why it is important to have good knowledge about the area of study before they go and visit the case study local communities places.
• The trainer makes the short session interactive and takes questions.
• All aspects of access and safety will need to be considered and addressed as need be.

Aim of the activities: for participants to work in groups to define sustainable problems identified in the local community and map them to specific criteria. By this, they will be lacing the problem in context and backing it up with first-hand evidence of research.

Activity: Teamwork - Desk research and observation/field research (30 minutes):

• Participants identify which SDGs are specifically about environmental issues and discuss them in an open forum.
• Participants select two local areas of their own choice (or this can be given to save time) to visit and investigate issues relating to the SDGs about the environment and climate. 
• Participants work in groups carry out observational research in the local areas they have chosen and investigate for issues to do with, for instance:
• Nuisances: noise pollution, odours and waste storage.
• Water: water discharge and wastage.
• Soil: soil pollution and erosion.
• Air pollution: odours, emissions, gasses.
• Energy: energy consumption and its impacts.
• Waste: plastic recycling.
• Health: healthy lifestyles and eating.

Remember: The objective of this activity is for participants to gain a better knowledge of the impact of people using everyday resources and business operations and how that impacts on the local (and global) community/environment and to leverage opportunities for the future.

Questions to address: each group must answer the following questions:

• What are the local environmental issues discovered during your research?
• In what area is this problem felt?
• Who and what is affected by this problem (people, living beings, habitats?
• What environmental challenges need to be addressed imminently?
• How serious are environmental challenges?
• How big is the scale of the issues (statistical evidence)
• What changes and opportunities can be created for future sustainability? For instance:
• Who are the stakeholders concerned?

Output: Group discussion, verbal presentation, and formative feedback.

• Participants go on a local trip to observe their selection of issues
• Participants create two detailed mind maps relating to any two concerns listed above. 
• Teams create presentation slides showing their mind-maps.

Feedforward: Trainer provides formative feedforward to teams (30 minutes)

1. Trainer celebrates team success and acknowledges the creativity and critical thinking
2. Trainer reminds participants of the link between SDG theory, concepts, and real-life scenarios
3. Trainer asks teams to discuss merits of team working and groupthink. 

Aim of the debriefing session (20 minutes): trainer helps participants to reflect on teamwork and discuss the value of research and problem definition. This must be related to mapping a local sustainable issue.

Debriefing session to wrap up the session, the trainer will facilitate a debriefing moment where participants are encouraged to express their questions, doubts, ideas, and feelings toward the topics discussed.

Guide:

1. Recap on learning objective and outcome
2. The trainer uses Q&A session to summarize training session - (Q&A, quiz, or case study).
3. The trainer highlights new ideas generated by teams and closes gaps in knowledge about green issues. 
4. The trainer gets participants to review any strong opinions and issues of ethics that come up. 
5. The trainer diffuses possible tension amongst teams or team members regarding green issues.
6. The trainer formalizes learning by highlighting new green business ideas and possibilities.
7. The trainer encourages personal reflection and links sessions to the next session.

Activity 3: Optional Homework (60 minutes):

Aim of the homework: Participants consolidate what they have learnt through the process of revision and self-managed learning.

Although the homework activity set here is optional, participants are encouraged to have a go at completing this task:

1. Read this only article: Battery Recycling: Battery recycling facts
2. Brainstorm ways to solve the problem of disposing of common household batteries?
3. Watch this video: Batteries, Recycling and the Environment

Assessment (5 minutes): Aim of the session assessment: Participants are invited to give feedback on the module delivery and outcomes. Here, participants express the pros and cons of the session. Feedback is reviewed and sometimes used as a reason to modify or enhance the training material and delivery.

1. Trainer to guide participants on how to complete the assessment form
2. Participants complete the assessment feedback form.
3. The trainer takes questions about the assessment form.
4. The trainer collects all assessment forms for review.