Mobile Phones as Gold Deposit–Students Explore Sustainability in a Hands-on Project

Yıl 2018, , 459 - 472, 29.12.2018

Anette Regelous Frank Holzförster Alexander Stıch

https://doi.org/10.33403/rigeo.505236

Öz

Resources, resource efficiency and sustainability are one of the most important socio-political issues of
today. We here present a best practice example for project-based learning aiming to change student’s
understanding and attitude towards sustainability at school level. In this project forty-two Year 9
students explored by themselves the link between resources, sustainability and the consequences for
their own living environment. After an introductory school seminar the students washed gold in a
stream using gold washing pans. Afterwards, the students developed a hands-on model how gold
deposits form and carried out experiments concerning the physical and chemical properties of gold. At
the University the students then analysed the chemical composition of rocks containing gold. The
learning outcomes were measured by a self-designed questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire
before and after the project show that the students understood that mobile phones are “a valuable gold
deposit” and appreciated the value of the precious metal gold as a high-tech raw material. Before the
project only 24% of the students thought they had a good or very good understanding of the
interrelationship between resources and sustainability, but after the project the percentage has been
risen to 96%. In addition, the students realized the value of recycling as an important aspect of
sustainability. Only 5% of the students stated that they would recycle their mobile phones before the
project, after the project the percentage has increased to 67%. The students took action in their school
demonstrating a change in attitudes towards sustainability. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

Sustainability, School Project, Mobile Phone, Education for Sustainable Development, Project Based Learning

Kaynakça

• Ballester, M., van Schaik, A. & Reuter, M.A. (2017). Recyclability of EoL products – Fairphone as an example. – Conference Contribution. Circular-CRM IdeaCamp and Workshop “Innovation and research in the e-waste recycling chain improving circular economy of critical raw materials”, Aachen.
• Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt (2017). Auf den Spuren des bayerischen Goldes. 172 pp., Hof, Germany.
• Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Gesundheit Web Page. Handy Clever Entsorgen (in German). Available online: http://www.abfallratgeber.bayern.de/haushalte/ wertstoffsammlung/handy_laptop/index.htm.
• BITKOM. Fast 86 Millionen Alt-Handys zu Hause (in German). Available online: https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/100-Millionen-Alt-Handys-liegen- ungenutzt-zu-Hause.html.
• Blewitt, J. & Cullingford, C. (2004). The sustainability curriculum, the challenge for higher education. Earthscan. pp. 43-63 Sterling, S., pp. 157-166 Cowton, C.
• Boud, D. (2012) Developing student autonomy in learning (second edition), Editor David Boud, Tayler and Francis, London and New York.
• Chancerel, P. (2010). Substance flow analysis of the recycling of small waste electrical and electronic equipment. An assessment of the recovery of gold and palladium. – PhD-thesis, Technische Universität Berlin. ITU-Schriftenreihe 09/2010, Berlin.
• Cooper, R. & Murphy, E. (2016) Hacking project based learning. Published by Times 10, Hack Learning.org., Editor Jordan Young.
• Fairphone (2017). Fairphone’s report on recyclability. Does modularity contribute to better recovery of materials? – https://www.fairphone.com/wp-content/ uploads/ 2017/02/FairphoneRecyclabilityReport022017.pdf.
• Federal Ministry of Education and Research announced on the 18th August 2014. http://ec.europa.eu /environment /index_en.htm)
• Flick, U. Triangulation (2007). Eine Einführung (in German), 2nd ed.; VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften: Wiesbaden, Germany.
• Hagelüken, C. (2009). “Urban Mining” ist wichtiger Beitrag zum Klimaschutz (in German). Dow Jones Trade News Emiss. 5, 14–16.
• Hagelüken, C. (2011). Rohstoffsicherung durch Recycling – Chancen, Herausforderungen und Grenzen. – BMWi-Konferenz, 30.11.2011, Berlin. Available online: http://www.deutsche-rohstoffagentur.de/DERA/DE/Downloads/ DREP_2011_Hagelueken.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3.
• Hagelüken, H. (2013). Recycling kritischer Metalle – Anforderungen, Verfahren und deren Grenzen (in German). Evangelische Akademie, Bad Herrenalb, Germany.
• Harvard University Program on Survey Research, (2018) https://psr.iq.harvard.edu/book/ questionnaire-design-tip-sheet.
• Haubrich, H. (2007) Geography education for sustainable development. Geographical views on education for sustainable development, in Geographiedidaktische Forschungen, Sibylle Reinfried, Yvonne Schleicher, Armin Rempfler (Editors), vol. 42, pp. 27-39.
• Huckle, J. and Sterling, S. (2014). Education for sustainability, e-book, Earthscan, Taylor and Francis.
• Huy, D., Andruleit, H., Babies, H.-G., Elsner, H., Homberg-Heumann, D., Meßner, J., Röhling, S., Schauer, M., Schmidt, S., Schmitz, M., Szurlies, M. & Wehenpohl, B. (2015). Deutschland – Rohstoffsituation 2014, Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Hannover.
• Jones, B. F., Rasmussen, C. M., & Moffitt, M. C. (1997). Real-life problem solving. A collaborative approach to interdisciplinary learning. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Jonson, R.B., Onwuegbuzie, A.J., Turner, L.A. (2007). Toward a definition of mixed methods research. J. Mixed Methods Res., 1, 112–133.
• Kivinen, K. (2013) Education for sustainable development with a cross curriculum approach in line with European and international documents (https://kivinen.files.wordpress.com/ 2013/03/education-for-sustainable-development-european-schools.pdf.
• Kuhlhay, J. (2013). Die Mediengeneration. Jugendliche, Ihre Medienkonsum und Mediennutzung- Ausarbeitung zum Forschungsstand (in German); Konrad Adenauer Stiftung: Berlin, Germany.
• Lehrberger, G. (1997). Geochemische Untersuchungen an den Goldvererzungen bei Oberviechtach-Unterlangau im Moldanubikum des Oberpfälzer Waldes. – Geol. Bavarica, 102, 207-227.Lettenmeier, M., Liedtke, C. & Rohn, H. (2013). Roadmap to lifestyles of low resource consumption – New perspectives on sustainable transformation processes on the level of housholds. Resources. Submitted for publication.
• Liedtke, C., Bienge, K., Wiesen, K., Teubler, J., Greiff, K., Lettenmeier, M. & Rohn, H. (2014). Resource use in the production and consumption system – The MIPS approach. Resources 3 (3). 544-574.
• Liedtke, C., Wiesen, K., Teubler, J., Bienge, K., Greiff, K., Lettenmeier, M. & Rohn, H. (2013). Resource intensity analysis at micro level: Measuring dematerialization at product, company and household level. Resources. Submitted for publication.
• MPFS (Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest) (2010). Jugend, Information,(Multi-)Media Basisstudie zum Medienumgang 12- bis 19-Jähriger in Deutschland (in German). Landesanstalt für Kommunikation, Stuttgart, Germany.
• Schmidt-Bleek, F. (2007). Nutzen wir die Erde richtig? Von der Notwendigkeit einer neuen industriellen Revolution (in German). Fischer Taschenbuch, Frankfurt, Germany.
• Sprenger, S. & Nienaber, B. (2018) (Education for) Sustainable Development in Geography Education: review and outlook from a perspective of Germany, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 42:2, 157-173, DOI: 10.1080/03098265.2017.1379057.
• Tashakkori, A., Teddlie, E., Eds. (2002). Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social and Behavioral Research; Sage Publications: New York, NY, USA.
• Thomas, J. W. (2000) A Review of research on project-based learning, PhD, http://www.bie.org/index.php/site/RE/pbl_research/29.
• Thomas, J. W., Mergendoller, J. R., and Michaelson, A. (1999). Project-based learning: A handbook for middle and high school teachers. Novato, CA: The Buck Institute for Education.
• Vergara SE, Tchobanoglous G. (2012). Municipal solid waste and the environment: A Global Perspective. Annu Rev Environ Resour., 37: 277–309.
• Weinert, F. E. (2001). Vergleichende Leistungsmessung in Schulen – Eine umstrittene Selbstverständlichkeit (in German). – In: Weinert, F.E. (Ed.): Leistungsmessungen in Schulen. Beltz: Weinheim, Germany, 17-31.
• Welfens, M. A., Nordmann, J., Seibt, A. and Schmitt, M. (2013). Acceptance of mobile phone return programmes for increased resource efficiency by young people-experiences from a German research project. Resources, 2, 385-405; doi:10.3390/resources2030385.
• Widmer R, Oswald-Krapf H, Sinha-Khetriwal D, Schnellmann M, Böni H. (2005). Global perspectives on e-waste. Environ Impact Assess Rev, 25:436–58.
• Wilska, T. A. (2003). Mobile phone use as part of young people’s consumption styles. J. Consum. Policy, 26, 441–463.