Work Placement sustainability project

[Puddlefish]

So ive really been struggling with my workplacement sustainability project and dont seem to be getting the support i need from my teachers (, dont get an email for 3 days so contact different teacher, told to contact teacher that i could get hold off, to be told "im going away for the weekend cant help till then) etc etc etc

i could really use some help and support with it, if someone could give me some input or maybe make sense of what they have said etc..
Below is what i have so far and the replies to it ive gotten are in red...

1. Consult with the children and other educators to identify one aspect of the service practices which could be improved or extended to better reflect the service philosophy and Early Years Learning Framework in relation to sustainability

The area that could be improved that i have identified is " reduce paper wastage in the centre"

2. Define the aspect of sustainable practice you plan to focus on.

Reduce and reuse paper

3. Outline how you have involved stakeholders in reaching your decision.

After observations on how paper is used in the service verbal discussions where had with room leaders and head educator in regards to this aspect of the centre and how it could be improved, it was agreed that not enough was done within the centre, particularly in the individual rooms, to reduce and reuse paper

4. Suggest one way to communicate your ideas and your reasons for this change to each of the following stakeholders
Families = Through verbal discussions and newsletters
Children = Verbal discussions
Educators = Staff meetings and staff emails
Wider community = Notices in the local newspapers

5. Set a minimum of one measurable goal that you aim to achieve in relation to this change.

Reduce paper waste in the Joey room ( I Have implemented a paper recycling bin near the craft table)

6. Outline how the goal will be evaluated. The evaluation needs to use qualitative and quantitative methods and consider all stake holders.
Weekly photo to monitor the level of paper in the bin, survey of staff to see if it is working, ask children questions

7.Outline at least two staff training opportunities and/or resources needed for you to achieve your goal
Recycle bin/ signs
Staff retraining to use the recycle bin instead of the waste bin through verbal communication and roll modelling

8.Identify at least one source of support within the community you could access to gain further knowledge, input, skills and values when implementing the changes
The Clarence Valley Environmental Learning Facility

9.Outline possible barriers like time, money, resources you may need to consider when planning these experiences.
not really sure with this one??

10.Outline possible ethical dilemmas that may arise when implementing the change
"Children putting none recyclable and non paper materials in the bin"

This is not an ethical dilemma.

11. At the end of your work placement document an evaluation of the progress achieved towards the goals you set in point 5. Ensure you utilise both qualitative and quantitative strategies with evidence from all stake holders

would this be the suggestions made in question 6. for example? so i have taken photos of inside the bin to measure how much paper was in there on day 3, i will take another tomorrow etc. Do a survey of the staff in the room to see if they noticed children using it, if they have used it, simple questionnaires for children etc?

I don’t know what you mean here?
These would be reasonable strategies to measure outcomes and progress towards the goals you set. You want to encourage recycling of paper? Is that correct? And basically you are asking stakeholders to put any paper they no longer want to use/keep in the recycling bin- then what happens to it?

I think you should rethink how you express this. Is it “paper wastage” – because children using paper for art work is not “waste” is it? ( my thoughts on this is if children are taking the pictures home, then of course not, but if the paper just sits at the desk for 3 days getting drawn on each side and corner and then just ends up in the rubbish bin it kinda is) And paper used for hand wiping and nappy changes is a hygiene issue- how could you reduce this without compromising health risks?
Maybe you should think simple- “to encourage purchase of paper manufactured by recycling” and/or “ recycling of various types of paper used in the service”. So you could look at types of paper currently used in the service- has it been manufactured by recycling? If not would the service consider changing brands? Do some research on what is available and possible sources. Can the various paper types used be recycled easily? How?
Or maybe you could just measure the amount of paper that is placed in the recycling bin you have placed ( and discussed/educated/ signage etc) in the room you are working in. Do this as a trial and see what you can achieve. Measure the progress through ongoing observation, photos, a chart that children could add to perhaps, anecdotal evidence (ask children and educators what they think has been happening), weigh the box at the same stage every day over a few weeks to see what is happening etc. Then maybe you could discuss suggestions that how this could be applied to the whole service- even if you won’t actually be there to follow up.

I just cant make sense of it anymore im so stressed out..... she mentions "think simple" like encourage purchase of paper manufactured by recycling" but the next stage is that i have to implement 2 learning experiences based on the change ive implemented, what could i possibly do with the children if the learning experience is based on something done in the office?? and i dont really think reducing the paper in one of the rooms thrown in the bin is that complicated, ive already implemented a bin, its already being used, its already showing some success in working (ie staff and children are using it) now they can either use the paper for other activities, ie paper mache, making their own paper (was going to be a learning experience i did) or even simply just putting it in the big yellow recycling bin every fortnight, instead of it being thrown in the rubbish bin...

[Lorina]

Ok, so for Reduce and reuse paper, where do the children get the paper to draw on? Is the paper like printer paper that you use in a photocopier or to print on? Maybe you could use scrap paper for the children to draw on. So this could be scrap paper from the office or you could encourage families to bring in scrap paper from their work that the children could use to draw on. You could also implement drawing books. So a child has their own drawing book that they could use to draw in. This could be also made out of scrap paper stapled together or even notebooks, old diaries etc. This will reduce the amount of paper being wasted for simple drawings. You could also bring in catalogues, newspapers, magazines, brochures etc. This can all be used for the children`s drawings.

Another idea is to create your own paper with the children. This may be a fun experience to do with the scrap paper collected in the recycling bin at the end of the week:

Making Your Own Paper

,
Lorina

[Lorina]

This may give you ideas:

Recycling System

,
Lorina

[Puddlefish]

thanks lorina,
making paper i had down as one of my learning experiences.
i need 1 other as well, was thinking something then on the paper, but i dont know
i just dont see how what ive done doesnt fit the brief i guess, and tbh my assessor and head teacher have offered little to no support, throughout placement even tho ive repeatedly told them im struggling to know their expectations and i dont understand some parts of it properly.
i guess i can only do my best