Measuring Microclimates

Year 8 Geography students have been working on an exciting Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 13) project exploring how microclimates vary across our school environment. What makes this project particularly unique is that it combines Geography with Computing in a way students might not expect.

The students gathered data from different locations, recorded it systematically and are using digital tools to present and analyse their findings. This will allow them to identify patterns linked to factors such as surface type, shade and human activity.

Students are then going to deepen their analysis by comparing their suburban school data with urban data collected near Siam, exploring differences between urban and suburban microclimates to link their findings to the concept of the Urban Heat Island effect (What is an urban heat island?). Building on this, they are investigating how local and global organisations respond to climate change, focusing on achieving climate justice and reducing inequalities in our urban environments.

So far, it has been a valuable learning experience. Their next step is to present their findings by learning how to build a website. They will also reflect on the reliability and limitations of their investigation, while considering how their work could be improved. This project encourages our students to think critically about sustainability and their role in shaping a more sustainable future in Bangkok.