As part of the 4 th grade secondary’s curriculum, Colegio Concepcion’s fourth grade students prepared an oral report about controversial means. The students were prepared on how to use persuasive speech and deliver a 5-minute presentation about a controversial topic of their interest, and in order to clarify and provide an example of an oral presentation the teacher Mr. Marcos Riveros and the educational psychologist of our school, Ps. Camila De la Fuente modelled an oral presentation about “ecoanxiety” First and foremost, it is important to mention the importance of this example, modelling is essential in teaching as the teacher is able to engage students by showing them how to perform a skill while describing each step with a rationale. This provides students with both a visual and verbal example of what they will be expected to do. In other words, whenever a teacher demonstrates a concept for a student, that teacher is modelling. The example made by Ps. Camila de la Fuente was provided in Spanish with a simultaneous interpretation and translation into English by Mr. Riveros.
During the meeting held our students had the chance to interchange their thoughts and concerns towards this topic. Considering the aforementioned, what is Eco-anxiety? Climate change is a reality and threatens the future of the Earth. This can cause psychological impacts on some people, a phenomenon which is known as eco-anxiety. Eco-anxiety is not considered a disease, at least not yet, but the heightened concern about the climate emergency we are experiencing can lead to psychological disorders. The American Psychology Association (APA) describes eco-anxiety as “the chronic fear of environmental cataclysm that comes from observing the seemingly irrevocable impact of climate change and the associated concern for one’s future and that of next generations”.
Lastly, it is paramount to add that this activity was a chance of reflection, community, as well as the use of the English language as a mean of communication. As a department, we invite you to appreciate the pictures of the activity.
