Theme - “Ozone Layer Protection: The Mission Goes
On”
Howard Gardner, the Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at
the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Boston, identified eight distinct
intelligences of human beings. According to Gardner (1991), "… students possess different
kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in
different ways". The argument that he brought forward tells that, "we
are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis,
spatial representation, musical thinking, and the use of the body to solve
problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an
understanding of ourselves…”.
This idea
goes on to suggest that people, including students need different conditions to
learn. The idea of multiple intelligences, therefore, becomes imperative to
educators as it allows them to identify differing strengths and weaknesses in
students. Only after identifying the strengths and weaknesses, the
educationists, school administrators and teachers will be able to design
appropriate ways to make students learn.
Being aware of it, and
more so driven by the fact that it is indispensable to let students know and
feel, Baylling HSS, led by Mr.Yenten Nyingtob, GNH focal person took a step forward
to celebrate International Ozone Day on 16th
September 2014. It was also organized to create awareness on the importance
of ozone layer for human survival, and to allow students to stretch its arms
beyond classrooms teaching. It was an in-house celebration. We did it without
causing any disturbance to our normal classes. Students were provided the
materials in advance, to come up with the pictorial representation of their
ideas of ozone layer depletion along with their messages to help replete the
depletion. Students did it as their home tasks, and did it splendidly. In the
morning, the academic area gained its splendour with the charisma and exquisiteness
being added by the posters displayed by different classes. Sound of laughter,
movement with cheery faces, students struck in dilemma not knowing which poster
to tag the best - a total lovely scene were seen round the academic and
administrative blocks during the recesses. Non-class teachers, with papers and
marking criteria in their hands, were seen equally moving round the posters
almost giving their expression to the passerby that they were undergoing hard
time to judge. This is, I believe, could be truly because of competitive nature
of posters and messages. I too found the posters artistic and messages
meaningful this time.
In the afternoon, the culmination on importance of International Ozone Day was marked in our MPH where class XI Art students made visual presentation on ozone layer, ozone hole, causes of ozone layer depletion, process of ozone depletion, and effects of ozone layer depletion. They created a cause of big concern by pointing out that an ozone hole is detected recently around Tibetan Plateau. It is alarming for Bhutan because we are not that far away from Tibetan Plateau. So, it becomes equally important for Bhutan to fight or raise voices against the use of ozone depleting substances as much as countries like New Zealand, Australia etc. do.
We must avoid the use or find alternatives to the following ozone depleting substances:
1. Aerosols, sterilants and carbon tetrachloride,
2. Halons,
3. HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons),
4. Methyl bromide, Solvents, Coatings & Adhesives
Prizes were awarded to the deserving classes who displayed the best posters and made truly philanthropic messages. Congratulations to Classes XII Science A, XII Science B and XI Science B who made it to the position of first, second and third respectively.
