Some topics grab some students, others don’t.
It is a fact of life that although some young people care very much about the environment, for others it is not of central concern.
What’s more, for many of those who do care about environmental matters, their concerns focus on saving rainforests and protecting whales. The question of the development and recycling of metals doesn’t automatically fit into their personal agenda.
And yet it should. Without metals our civilisation would not exist. Cars, ipods, houses, mobile phones… all require metals, and all raise recycling issues.
In fact it is hard to find many a non-food product that does not contain metal. Tables, beds, noticeboards… everything contains some metal. Which is why it is so vital that students know about how metals are used and recycled.
It is with this in mind that the British Metals Recycling Association has produced the free educational project: “Metals and Me”.
Written by an experienced teacher and reflecting current best practice guidelines, Metals & Me meets many curriculum and syllabus objectives for citizenship, PSHE and sustainable development, whilst encouraging students to think about the global environmental implications of the ever-growing demand for metal.
The Metals & Me resources are available to download free from the BMRA website at www.recyclemetals.org/metals_and_me and consist of:
Three specially commissioned video modules:
What’s recycling got to do with me? addressing how widely we use metals.
Where do metals come from? comparing the environmental and energy costs of mining vs. recycling.
How does recycling work? explaining how 95% of a domestic appliance can be recovered for reuse.
Twelve classroom activities with support materials that will enable your students to develop their enquiry skills, be involved in decision-making experiences and be actively engaged in finding out about a growing industry that will play an increasingly significant part in their lives, as well as offering job opportunities in the future.
Teachers’ notes with five exemplar lesson plans suggesting ways to link the activities into themed lessons. Each lesson plan is supported by a PowerPoint style presentation for use in the classroom.
We hope you find Metals & Me a useful resource and would welcome your feedback via the online survey on the website www.recyclemetals.org.
We have received the following feedback from teachers using our resources:
“Fantastic, saved me a lot of work” D&T Teacher, Whitehaven, Cumbria
“It is excellent! Up to date, visual, and informative and very relevant to the latest curriculum” Head of Geography, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire