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GLOBAL EDUCATION: AN ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM OF STUDY
FOR PROGRESSIVE LEARNING
Douglas Bollon Archibdd
A thesis subrnitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts
Department of Cumculurn, Teaching and Learning Ontario institute for Studies in Education o f the
University of Toronto
O Copyright by Douglas Bollon Archibdd 200
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With Love
Abstract
Global Education: An Alternative Program of Study for Progressive Learning
Douglas Bollon Archibald hlaster of Arts
Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of
Toronto 2000
The purpose of this thesis is to create a global sduçation course to be infused into
the Ontario Curriculum for grade eleven. It has become apparent to me that school
curriculum needs to change. Our present system is based o n nineteenth century. linear
thinking. It is time to transforrn this paradigrn. This thesis serves as a rationale for
trmsformative learning, and a framework for a new global education program. 1 have
cailed this new program, Global Perspectives for Science (GPS) and is comprised of two
units. Tne first deais with the present state of the world. Students are presented with
resources and participate in activities that draw attention to some pressing world issues.
The second unit provides hope for students who may have k e n discouraged by the issues
presented in the first unit. The activities throughout the GPS cumcuIum encourage student
development, empowerment. and provide opportunities for fostering global perspectives.
Acknowledgements
1 thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. David Selby, who gave generously his
rime and effort into guiding me through this thesis and through my M.A. program.
As well, 1 would like to thank Dr. Derek Hodson for his input and reading of this
thesis.
And finally 1 would like to thank my wife Patricia, for king a great source
of strength and inspiration. As well 1 would like to acknowledge my mother, for
her love and support.
Table of Contents
. . Abstract .................................................................................. i l 1
Acknowledgements .................................................................... iv
Introduction ............................................................................. vi
Chapter
Chapter
C hapter
1 : S tate of the World ........................................................ 1
..................................... 2: The Elements of Global Education 15
3: The Ontario Curriculum ................................................. 29
Chapter 4: Rationale for a Global Perspective in Science Cumcuium ........... 54
Chapter 5: A Global Perspective for Science Curriculum ......................... 71
............................................................... Chapter 6: Conclusion 104
References ............................................................................. 115
Appendicies ............................................................................ 121
Introduction
Global education encourages teachers and students to take a broad view: to see
themselves as global citizens, with ail the concomitant joys and responsibilities, as
well as members of a particular comrnunity and country; to understand the key
problsrns afflicting the world today -- environmental abuse, poverty, nghts'
denials, violence -- and to play their part in finding creative solutions: to think
constructively about the future, and their role in shaping it, as well as leaming from
the past (Pike, 1998, p. 7).
The purpose of this thesis is to create an aitemative program for progressive
leming. This program will be about global education and how it can be intepted into the
present Ontario grade eieven curriculum. The program is called Global Perspectives for
Science (GPS), however, it is not resuicted to science classes per se. The original intent of
this thesis was to create an alternative science program because science has traditionally
been taught as a separate subject area. However, following much research it has become
very apparent that science cannot be taught or leanied in isolation from other subject areas.
In fact, to obtain a tmly global perspective in science, students need to malie connections
between their personal well-king and global, political, social and cconomic systems.
Therefore. global education must span the cumculum.
As weI1, students want to l e m more about global issues. Lyons ( 1992) comments
o n ri study from Dalhousie University entitled 'The global Outlook of the Class of 1990".
In this study over four thousand grade eleven students were surveyed to find out their
knowledge and attitudes about globd issues. The survey indicated that grade eleven
students üre very concemcd about global issues such as nuclear war. globai hunger,
poverty and environmentd degradation.
In addition, students' attitudes are forrned from the television and other electronic
media. "S tudents are faced with environmental, econornic, socid. and political concerns
that are personal, national. and internationai in scope. AU this can be overwhelrning and.
unIess addressed effectively in some way, may Iead to resignation. inactivity, resentment,
and excessive behaviour" (Ljlons, 1992, p. IO).
Having said a global perspective curriculum needs to span the cun-icülum ünd that
students want and ne& to learn about global issues, it is essential that students are taught
using global education strategies. In the chapters ahead 1 will first examine the global
issues that are pressing roday Then. 1 will critically examine the elements and perspectives
of slobril education. Afier doing this 1 wiIl discover where an alternative education
program can best fit into the present secondary curriculum in Ontario and which activities
would be most appropriate to use.
Global Education 1
Chapter 1 : State cf the World
As the twenty-first century begins, we enter a new and exciting era. Advancements
in science and technology have enabled us to create life from single cells, observe the
beginnings of the universe through satellites and telescopes. and communicüte
instantaneously with people on the other side of the worid on Our home cornputers through
innovations in cornputer technology and the internet. However, these great steps forward
have reinforced issues and trends in Western society and other cultures which began
centuries ago and are detrimental to the future of human civilization. These mutually-
reinforcing trends include mushroorning global population, increasing environmentai
degradation, globaiization, world conflict and oppression of peoples. economic growth and
development. and the ever widening gap between the rich and poor of our world.
An Historical Pers~ective
At one time, before the beginnings of modem Western society, people stili had a
connection and respect for the world. Hurnan beings experienced themselves as part of the
natural order. People had a niche on this Earth just as the birds and flowers do. The
Native people of North Anierica, for example, had the highest respect for animals. They
did not domesticate them; in fact, üfter a hunt of creatures such as caribou, there would
often be a ceremony of praise and propitiation given to the spirit of the animal. Whereas
the European settlers believed they had to tame the wilderness in order live in the New
World, the Native peoples did not believe there was a wilderness for anyone to tame.
Humans had their place in the world, which was conceived as a livingl breathing, vibrant,
creature itself. Any tarning of the wilderness would just upset the balance of the naturai
order.
Globd Education 2
In medieval Europe, it was thought that the Exth was the centre of the universe.
The idea of the Earth as centrai fitted in well with the religious doctrine of the time. In the
mid-sixteenth century, this was challenged by Copemicus. He said that the Sun had to
exist in the centre of our s o ! ~ system with al1 bodies orbiting around it. Therefore, the
E u t h was thus just like al1 the other planets. Copemicus was proven correct and the i d e s
of astronomy were to be changed forever, precipitating what has since k e n rekrred to as
the Copernican revolution. This revolution encompassed other changes in religious, social
and philosophicd thought.
The views of Renaissance scientists and philosophers distanced humankind from
the natural world. It was during the time of René Descartes and Sir Isaac Newton that the
Western view of the world beciune mechmistic. Darwin too believed the wodd to be no
more than the surn of its parts. His theory of natuml selection was grounded on the
rrssumption that the strongest species would survive and over time. would develop separate
parts or adaptations, resulting in an advantage over others.
Modem science has continued the trend of sepamting humankind from nature. One
only need look toward rnilitay projects to see this trend. Our govemmen's spend billions
of dollars zvery year to supply m m e n t s to third worId counuies. to develop nuclear
technolo,oy, and to prornote genetic engineering. The ultimate effect of these developments
is to create havoc on the environment. People have grown to associate progress with
zeparating themselves from the natural world, a process Edmund O' Sullivan reîèrs to as
"disenchantment" ( 1999, p. 84 ). Genetic engineering, as another example. &es people
the ability to manipulate the natural order of things. The technology is now available to
manipulate human life. The human genome h a been mapped which will lead to drastic
changes in how medicine is practised. The question we then should pose is, " And then
what'?" If scientists tarnper with creation, they put thernselves on as high a pedestd as
God. Is it their role to be playing creator? The Movie Jurassic Park explored the
disastrous ramifications resulting from interference with the natural order.
Global Education 3
CoIoniatism d s o flourished at the time of the Retiaîssance, and with it trends that
ied toward prejudice, vioience. and greed. "For over Cive hundred years Western cultural
ideologies have k e n operating on the assurnption that Our culture has a civilizing mission
for the world" (O'Sullivan, 1999, p. 152). The underlying assumption is that the Western
view is superior and al1 other views are inferior o r primitive. When Europeans started
trying to create an empire where the Sun would never set, their superior attitude created
trouble for native peoples in areas that they colonized. The lands they lived on becme
resources to drive the greed of the industrial revolution. A system was created that would
lead to prejudices against people based on their colour, class, customs and religions.
Unfortunately, such colonial trends have been increasing and we are coming to a point in
time that is crucial. If people don't do something to change the trend they will end up
destroying themselves. Third world countries are getting poorer. more people are dying
today of war and pollution than ever before. People need to move away from the superior
or "dorninator" mode1 that is currently the status quo otherwise many will continue to die.
People need to move away from the "us" versus "them" connotations. Al1 forrns of life are
"us". There must be movement toward, peace and equity arnongst people of al1 races.
oenders. and lifdorms. It must be done within our classroorn, school. and cornrnunities. b
The Issues
Lester Brown ( 2 0 ) of the World Watch Institute claims that there are several
environmental trends shaping our future: population growth, rising temperature. fdling
water tables, shrinking croplands, dwindling fish stocks, shrinking forests. and a loss of
biodiversity.
Population.
According to the Population Reference Btireau, as of June 2000 the world's
population has reached over six billion, and is projected to grow to 8.9 billion by 2050
Global Education 3
(Worid Population Data Sheet, 2000). Until recentiy, most g r ~ w t h occurred in both
industrial and developing countries. However, rnost of the world's projected growth will
occur in the already overpopuIated countries of the developing world. As our population
continues to grow Our resources become depleted. The per capita supply of fresh water,
fish stocks, forests and rangelands, for example, will dwindle, "threatening not only the
quality of l i îè but, in some situations, even life itself" (Brown, 2000, p. 5). Paul Erlich
writes of a formula used to measure the effect of population growth on the environment:
I = PAT The impact (1) of any population c m be expressed as a product of thtee
characteristics: the population's size (P), it's affluence or per capira consumption (A), and
the environmental damage (T) inflïcted by the technologies used to supply each unit of
consumption (Gretchen and Ehrlich, 1995, p. 84). According to the above formula, the
United States has the largest impact on the environment of any country. Growing
populations and their relative impacts on the environment cd1 upon dl of us to change our
lifestyles so that life may continue to fiourish. 'The physical lirnits to growth in human
uses of a tinitc planet indicate that we cannot sustain our present trajectory. In order to
change our trajectory, it is imperative that we change our society. If we do not plan alead
and change thoughtfully, nature will force change upon us through pain and death"
fiMilbrath. 1989. p. 17).
Environmental degradation.
Global average temperatures have been increasing as a result of rising carbon
dioxide levels. Crirbon dioxide levels have doubled since 1950. If carbon dioxide Ievels
continue to rise. at projected rates, the global temperature is likely to rise upwards of four
degrees c e n t i p d e by the year 2 100 (Brown, 2000, p. 6 ) . A temperature increase of this
magnitude can have catastrophic effects; it c m wipe out most of the worid's coral reefs,
melt icc caps and glaciers causing sea water levels to rise. Valuable arable land will be lost
forever.
Globai Education 5
Related to increasing population are fdling water tables. Water tables are falling at
the greatest rates in China and India. As these two countries müke up 180 million of the
world's population. water demand has ciimbed to a point where wells are running dry in
thousands o f villages ( Brown, 2000. p. 7).
Shrinhng cropland, again a result of an increasing population. is ü drastic
environmen tal trend. Since the rnid-twentieth century, grassland area has decreased by
half. In fact, it is projected that by 2050, ri family in Pakistan. for cxample, will have to
produce al1 its food on an area of land no larger t h m a tennis court ( Brown. 2000, p. 7).
Most of h e world's population which live on coastlines rely on tish for protein.
Since 1950, annual ocem fish catches have climbed from 19 million tons to over 90 million
tons per annum, a level of fishing that fish stocks carinot support. Forests are d s o feeling
the efîècts of growing human demands, especially in developing nations. Forest area per
persor! is shrinking from 0.56 hectares currently to a projected 0.38 hectares per person
(Brown. 2000. p. 8). As well 11 percent of the world's bird species. 25 percent of the
world's animal species and 34 percent of the world's fish species rire in danger of
becornins extinct (Brown, 2000, p. 8). The leading cause of animal extinction, is of
course. habitat destruction (Brown, 2000, p. 8). As we continue to destroy micro-
ccosystems. Brown and others agree that finally our grand ecosystem will coilapse and al!
of us will cease to exist. Are al1 of these environmental trends inevitable? Al1 of them are a
conscquence of population and econornic growth. We need to closely examine our growth
and development if we are to survive as a species. Educarion is the rneans by which we
c m study present trends and change direction for the future if we are to survive. The
values of our children must be different from ours.
The ecosystem will function better and we will live higher quality lives if we
produce fewer material goods, not more. Society will function better if it
nestlcs into a well-functioning ecosystem and carries out its activities
Global Education 6
without stressing the ecosystem. Sanctity of life is not an operative value:
in fact, it would diminish life. Growth is not a value. it is destructive if
pursued vigorously ( Milbrath, 1989, p. 37).
GtobaIization.
The term "globalization" has positive associations in certain contexts. Corporations
promote themselves using the catch phrase "global village." The world is smaller than ever
bccause technology has made it easier for people to communicate. But is it really a good
thinz' For some perhaps. But in the worfd of economics there is not a level playing field.
Only those who possess power and wedth reap the benefits of a global village.
O'SuIlivan looks at globalization in two contexts: the first, as the "new economic
order" and the second as "planetary organicity." The new economic order is based on the
dobal cconomy. The nch get richer, contrary to the daim thüt wealth spreads to everyone. b
The new econornic order involves trade. cornpetition, and other aspects of business.
PIanetary organicity sees the Earth not as a worid of business. but rather as a world full of
beriuty. mysticism and awe. It is this rendition of the term globalization that will be studied
in the second unit of the project. O'SuIlivan satirically uses the term. "globalony~~ to refer to
operators of the global marketplace who constantly advertise that their ideas of globalization
are best for our future.
As mentioned earlier, we Live in a society that emphasizes the individual.
Television epitornizes the individual right to consume (O'Sullivan. 1999. p. 26). MiIlions
of people around the world have access to television programs whose advertisements and
news are often influenced by its network owners. For example. The National Broadcasting
Network (NBC) is owned by General Electric and The Amencan Broadcasting Network
(ABC) is owned by Disney. Television messages do not encourage independent thinking.
but rather dictate what to do, what to eat and what to Wear. Does the content of television
p r o g m s promote equality? Are ethnic rninorities given q u a i consideration to Caucasians?
Global Education 7
Are women seen as equais to men? Furthermore, violence is a growins problem in
television today. Seventy three percent of violent acts on television go unpunished
(O'Sullivan, 1999, p. 146). 1s this a behaviour we want people to think is acceptable'? An
instrument a s powerfui as television must be addressed by Society. As teachers, we c m
address i t through the curriculum.
Contlict and o ~ ~ r e s s i o n of ~ e o p l e s .
The international news headlines are continually full of war in Africa and the Middle
East, political unrest in Northern Ireland, and ballot tarnpering in Central Amenca, just to
name a few injustices and violations of basic human rights. According to UNESCO. since
1990. more than 90 percent of wars have broken out within countries rather than between
them ( 1997. p. 10). There is not democracy in every country of the world and we have the
crrowth of facade o r quasi-democracy in countries such as Pem and Russia. Even in b
countries where there is democracy there remain inequdities: gender discrimination. rdcial
discrimination. inequitable job opportunities. inequitable social opportunities. and
covernments that are influenced by wealth and power. Paulo Freire talks of tïghting for C
dcmocracy in Brazil, however, the same can be said for cities and countrks di over the
world.
There is talk about fighting for democracy, abou: the active involvement of
the popular classes in shaping the destiny of cities. 1 would like to müke it
clear t h t it is not possible to rnake Brazilian society more and more
democratic without starting by attacking hunger, unemployment. the hedth
crisis. and that of education. The solution to these problcms irnplies
redesigning the roie of the state, moving away from an economistic
comprehension of development, and instituting an educationül practice
coherent with democratic values ( Freire, 1997, p. 89).
Global Educütion 8
Growth and develonment.
The World's population is increasing exponentially. With this astounding growth
rate we will shortly see the seven bilhonth person on this Earth. People will never be able
to ked a growing population if the menlbers of the Western dite continue to live the way
they do. An American will use energy equal to forty-five bmels of oil. fifieen times as
much as the average Chinese (Zero Population Growth. 1996, p. 61 ). Considering diet as
an example. it takes the area of five football fields to produce enough meat to keep two
people alive. but the same land if it were used to grow soya beans would keep 61 people
alive. I f one overconsumer would reduce individual meat intake by fifty percent it would
save two people in the mürginals who would othenvise starve (Selby, 1994, p. 27). We
must rcmember a few rules when we think of growth and development (Milbrath, 1989):
1 . Everything must go somewhere.
2. We c m never do merely one thing.
3. And then what?
.Mil brat h iisks u s the question, "Do we really want to grow'?" If concerned global ci tizens
wcrc to answer the above questions, the answer is no. Progress. power. and growth. are
actually countsrproductive.
The ecosystem will function better and hurnans will live better lives if there
are fewer humans, not more. The ecosystern will function better and we
will live higher quality lives if we produce fewer matenal goods. not more.
Society wiIl function better if it nestles into a self-functioning ecosystem and
carries out its activities without stressing the ecosystem (Milbrath. 1989, p.
37).
Global Education 9
Often when we think of growth and development the military cornes to mind. The world's
nlilitrtry forces are probably the largest single polluter on the Earth. Canadians do not think
of themselves as a militaristic nation, but we have some terrible scars remaining from the
wars in Lvhich we were involved. Newfoundland and Labrador are polluted with rusty old
barrels of waste, polluted pools of water, and contaminated soils at oId air force bases that
have not been used since World War II. These places are now receiving media attention
because people living near the old bases are becoming sick: and the causes are k i n g mced
back to their contaminated surroundings. According to Michaei Renner, in an article on
"Assessin_o the M i l i t q ' s War on the Environment", modem military manoeuvers use up
55.500 square kilometres per 100.000 soldiers. compared to 1 square kilometre in ancient
times. It is unfathomable to think of the potential farrn land ruined by m i l i t q endeavours.
not to mention the pollution. The military in the United States uses up to 150.000 square
kiIometres of land for military purposes (Renner, 199 1 ). 1s i t acceptable for the m i l i t q to
use so much Iand? If we look to developing nations. we can see that they share more than
20 percent of the world's rnilitary spending. that is about 700 billion dollars (Renner.
199 I ). In fact. the world spends over a trillion dollars per year on military endeavours.
Countries such as Angola, Iran and Pakistan spend twice as much money on the rni1ita-y as
they do on health care and education combined (Postel, 1991). The rcsources that have
been taken out of the ground to support military efforts are not admissible. For example it
takes 2. 27 1 , 000 litres of fuel to operate 348 tanks for just one day. 1s this depletion of
fossil !ùels acceptableb?
Ineciuitable distribution of wealth between the rich and noor.
For a small. privileged portion of the world's population, the twentieth century has
provided much wealth. Since World War 11, mmufacturing industry has grown
immensely and the once expensive luxury product, such as the automobile, is now
availrible to the average middIe income household in North Arnerica and Europe. Our
Global Education 10
consumption of resources and disposable products has k e n on a steady increüse over
recent decades. However, in Canada, we have seen drastic cuts to social prosrams that
have widened the gap between the rich and poor in our nation. There are numerous
institutions. such as businesses and banks that cater to the growing wedth gap. the
depletion of resources, the desecration of our environment. and some may even say to the
increase of violence and discrimination in society today. One percent of the Canadian
population owns more than 25 percent of the country's assets ( Clarke. 1997 ).
As the rich get richer, corporations are decreasing in number. We are seeing in the
news today that m m y companies are amalgamating to improve production and reduce
overherid costs. These corporations are becoming very powerful as they spread across
international boundaries and hence are referred to as transnational corporations. These
transnational corporations are slowly taking control.
Corporate Canada has d1 but succeeded in its mission to eradicatc the
Keynesian social welfare state in this country ... When it cornes to Canada's
future. the free market is to reign supreme, unfettered by government
intervention and regulation (Clarke. 1997. p. 106).
Given that 50 of the top 100 economies in the world today arc transnational enterprises
rather than nation States, it is not surprising that they conuol huge resources and pditical
power (O'Neill, 1998).
Our governments seem content to give large tax breaks to these transnational
corporations while simultaneously cutting social prograrns. Accordint to O'Neill i 1998).
the comrnunity. which she argues redly means women, have to take responsibility for
tilling in the services that the govemments have cut- 1s this rithta? if not. then what can be
done about it? The Multilateral Agreement to invest (MAI), which may soon be legislrited in
eovernnier!t, and the Nonh American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are two examples C
Global Education 1 1
that =ive transnational orgünizations power over government to move money and deplete
resources.
As the govemment reduces funding, the business world is entering our school
systerns. We can see this influence through advertising and intluences in curriculum.
APEC's list of 'principles and expectations on a school system that
integrates business practices' includes the setting of standards. the
acquisition of skiIls and attitudes 'necessary for adjustrnent in work
environments, the teaching of 'work ethics', and the development of a
cornmon, comprehensive 'achievement record' for each student to help
cmployers recruit and select workers more efficientiy ( Robertson. 1998. p.
25) .
1s this tnie? 1s it a good or bad thing? How much of it do we see in Ontario today? Bill
160: The Education Quality tmprovement Act (1997). was legislated by the present Ontario
Conservat i ve Government to reforrn schools. Teachers throughout the province of Ontario
protested this Bill for fear that it would lead to the privatization oEschooIs.
Centrrilizing funding and disemboweling local govemance can accomplish
that [controlling what it wants to give away]. To create demand for a
privatized system, a govemment must force public education io deliver
poorer services and an inferior product. Cutting funding drastically is the
quickest way to ensure that schools do less with less. Standardized tests.
reported school by school, will document this decline and stimulate demand
for alternatives (Robertson, 1998, p. 45 j.
Global Education 12
Issues such as Bill 160 need to be addressed. In the rest of this chapter 1 will be exarnining
some political and economic institutions from around the world, including Canada. By
doing so. we will be able to see who has power and who does not.
The fuel for the transnational corporations is consumption. Today wè are losing
our status as citizens and becornint consumers (Clarke, 1997). In our society we live for
more food, more money, more goods, more waste. Since World War I I we have gone
from a society that saves to a society that spends. In fact, Arnericans have gone fiom
savint about 2670 of their incorne in 1944 to less than 2550 today ( Malabre. 1987 ).
Although some of this rnoney may be going to worthwhile endeavours. most is increasing
consumption. We have also becorne a societ-y that has lost its sense of farnily and
community. Success now has to be measured in consumer wealth. "Personal fulfillment is
seen to reside within the purview of the individuai" (Cushman, 1990). Cushrnan refers to
the "ernpty self' who solves her or his problems through self indulgence. He argues that
the problem is the more we get the more we want. Consumption is only a superficial.
t c m p o r q tlx: as Cushman argues, and never fully satisfying. This is the generation of
people whose lives lives have everything except meaning. We need to have deeper more
tültllling solutions to our empty selves. People need to use alternative strategies from
indulgence. ones that have to do with connections to farnily, community and the natural
worId.
The lifestyle of the consumer seerns very attractive. Advertking givcs us the
impression of the ideal lifestyle. The trouble is that not everyone can have that lifestyle.
The Earth is tinite, and the consumer lifestyle is one of waste, extravapnce. abuse of
natural resources, and polIution. Many people throughout the world want this lifestyle but
the Earth just simply cünnot support it. Alan Durning has divided the world's population
into three socioeconomic classes. The first of these are the overconsumers, of which
Westerners are the greater part, comprising about a billion people. Second are sustainers,
comprising about 3 billion of the world's population, mainly in Eastern Europe, Asia, and
Global Education 13
South Amenca. And finally the marginals, who live in squalor and are mainourished, are
total about ü billion people. These people are mainly from Africa and poorer üreas of Asia.
The sustainers live lightly. They tmvel by bicycle or public transport. eat müinly a
vegetarian diet, live in modest housing, and create very Little w w e -- they are
environmentdly responsible (Korten, 1995). The solution is simple -- if dl the
overconsumers, who are responsible for most of our environmental problems. were to live
the modest life of the sustainer. then there would be no more people considered margind:
everyone would be a sustainer. Lives would be much simpler and many would argue that
people would be happier. For instance, Dr. David Mensah, of Ghana. told me that the tlrst
thino - he noticed about the people of North Americti was that they were not happy
(conversation, July 1998). In Ghana, the people have so much less yet their spirits are s o
nluch brighter. Isn't happiness what we really want?
However, today there is much discrepancy amongst the rich and poor. In k t ,
Latouche believes that in recent years the third world has become a fourth world. There is
no longer a hemispherical division that divides the weaithy ruid the poor. Even in the North
\ire have poverty. First, many of our native peoples live in squalor: and second, the
uncmploycd of our cities are forced to live their lives among drugs and violence. Child
poverty, in North America, has increased by about 60% over the p s t ten years (Robertson,
1998). O'Sullivan (1999) mentions that over 100 million people in North Anîerica and
Europe live below the poverty line. Also considered as belonging to the Fourth World are
people of the less developed nations. not the third world elite. but those that live as
marginals. We are surrounded by poverty yet we turn a blind eye. Those that have the
nlost to lose are the ones who deny the crisis in which we live. If anything is to be
chringed it has to corne from the overconsumers. Governments have to keep tight reins
over the transnational corporations.
Put simply, the global economy is rigged against both poverty alleviation and
cnvironmental protection. Treating the Earth's ecological ills as separate from issues of
Global Education 14
debt, trade, inequality, and consumption h a k e n compared to trying to mat hem disease
without addressing a patient's obesity and high-cholesterol diet ... few countries have
iicknowledged that they have caused thz preponderance of environmental damage (Postel.
1993, p.5).
However, there has been some progress among some overconsuming nations. For
sxrimple. in Europe, the price of gasoline reflects its uue cost by incorporating a dollar
figure on the carbon emissions that will be produced from automobiles. The revenues
generritcd from the increased price could be used to make enerzy efficient improvements in
the third world. What other improvements like this could be used to improve our cumnt
cnvironmentai crisis'? We have a steep battle against us. The United States only gives
0.2% of its GNP in aid to foreign counuies (Postel, 1992). Denid is very prevalent in our
world.
To this point, a number of global issues and trends have k e n identifieci. Each of
theni contribute to our present problems of environmentd devastation. seltïshness, loss of
community. l o s of spirituality, prejudice, and violence. It is in the next chapter that
alternative visions for a brighter. more celebratory. holistic world will be introduced.
Global Eduçation 15
Chapter 2: The Elements of Global Education
As we entcr a new mUenniurn we have a great opportunity for a fresh start - a
chancc to change present trends. David Hicks (1994) States, "It presents us with an
opportunity to reexamine ourselves, our values and institutions, how wc ficl about the
world wc have inherited and what sort of world we wish to c ~ t è " (p.4). The path to re-
examine ourseIves is through education and it is vital that many perspectives be considercd
in the re-cxarnination process.
Dclininy Glohal Education
Hicks bclieves that thc lirst s e p in re-examining ourselves or educating Kor an
dtcrnativc future, is teaching for sustainable dcvelopment. The wrrn sustainable
dwèlopment is in itsell' an oxymoron. Sustainability refers to kceping a balancc bctween
mccting basic hurnan needs and protection of Our environment. Devclopment. on the other
hand. has traditionaliy k e n thought of as the exploitation of natural resources and of
marginal pèoplès for the economic gain of the elitc. " U- we considcr 'devclopment' as it is
commonly used. referring to a capitalistic modcl of expansion, we can sce that development
has Favourcd only a small numbcr of countnes and has led to the unsustainable usc of the
world's naturd résources" (Padua, 1993, p. 35). However, if we an= to think of re-
cxamining ourselves and our values for an dtemativr: future, thcn thc wrrn sustainable
devclopment takcs on an en t i dy different mcaning. "Sustainable devclopment emphasizes
incrcascd Ievels of social and economic well- being , particularly for the léas t ridvantagcd:
increriscd èmphasis on the protection of the biospherc on which al1 lili: dépends; and at l a s t
ris much wcalth, natural and pcrson-madc, as we ourselves inherited" (Hicks, 1994, p. 5 ) .
ThcrcLorc it is cntical that educators tcach for "sustainability" not "dcvclopment~'. Studenis
nwd to know that when the term "sustainable developrnent" is used by politicians. business
pcoplc. and thc media, it is not necessarily good for their futures.
Global Education 16
For we who are educators the task is not to 'educate for sustainable
dcvclopment.' If we wish to think inwiligcntly about environmental issues
it simply does not rnaké sense to ailow our educative efforts to hè subsumed
by such prescriptive thinking. In a rapidly changing world WC must enable
studcnts to debate, evaluate, and judge for themselves the relative rncrits of
contesting positions (Jickling, 1994, p. 239)
Hicks contcnds that if educators kach for sustainability an altcmativc future will k g i n to
cmcrgc. This alternative Iùiurt: is the cmcrging paradigm. Rcfer 10 the following
cornparison ktween the present dominant paradigm and the cmerging paradigm,
( t i iprc 2.1).
Hicks and olhers belicvc that the uansition from the dominant mode1 is starting to
occur now. We can see some signs, such as the failing of the Berlin Wall in 1989. which
symbolizcs fwcdorn tiom politicai oppression. There have bcen international meetings such
a5 the E m h Summit in 1992, the Montreal Protocol in 1996, and international Conterencc
for thc Environment and Society in 1997. which have made progress towrirds saving our
cnvironmcnt. On morc localized scales there are numerous srnail groups that rcach out to
hclp stop povcrty, promote peace, and challenge thc status quo. This transformation tiom
thc dominant paradigm is part of a refoxm movement callcd global cducation. Lw
Anderson (1990) makes three arguments tor global education:
1. Ovcr thc past twcnty years, the= have k e n some profound changcs in the social
structure OC the world. Then: has been a growth of global intcrdcpcndcnct: in terms of
tcchnological. politicaI, économic and cultural networks and erosion of Western dominancc
and Amcrican hcgcmony.
Global Education 17
Dominant Paradigm
Low vduing or nature
-human domination of nature to
produce goods
-cconomic growth over environmental protection
Compassion for those closest -exploitation ol' other species and peopli-s -conccm for this teneration only
Risk ricccpted to crcate wealth -science and wchnology always benètlcial
-cmphasis on hard ttrchnology
No limits to growth -no r d shortages -continuéd consumption
Prcsènt society OK -cornpetition and hierarchy -cornplex and k t lifestyles
Old politics -ol'tcn opposes critical social movemcnts
-leil-righi party spectrum
Emerging Paradigm
High valuing of nature
humans and nature
-environmental protection cconem iç growth
More pénerril compassion -for dl specits and for al1 peoples
Risk minimised by forcsight -social / political regulation to protect from risk -developmcnt OC soft technologies
Limits to growth -many sources arc ilnite -need for conservalion
Transforrnèd sa-iety needèd -coopèration and participation -simpler and more rctlectivc Lifcstyles
New poli tics -cm bnces cri tical social movemcnts -participatory democracy
Changing worldvicws - David Hicks, Eùucating for the Future, 1994. p. 6-
Global Education 18
2. In the latter half of the twentieth century then: has been a globdintion of American
socicty. This globaiization has k e n in tems of the economy, the internationalization of
Arnerican political life, growth of global consciousness. and the continued
cosmopolitanirrrition of the Arnerican people.
3. Thc tinai argument is a r a d t of the tirst two, which is that social changes bnng about
èducational changes, 'The primary motors driving educational change rin: 1ocatt.d outsidi:
thc cducational syskrn, in the society at large" (Anderson, p. 32)
Anderson's arguments for global educauon are suong and relevant in Ontario,
Thcrc have becn =cent changes in the educational system which mirror thc agenda of the
Conscrvativc governrncnt in power. "As social institutions, schools retlèct the society thcy
serve, and sometimes our reflection îiightens us. Nor can schools do much about other
powcrful intluenccs: fear of the future, lost of community, growing anxicty about or
continucd national and personal prosperity" (Robertson, 1998)
In f-eneral, most cducators agree that global education is the vchicle for the
transition tiom the dominant to the emerginp trmsformativè paraditm. Howcvcr. thèrc arc
somc critics of this position. Greg Cunningham, author of "Blowing thc Whistle on
Global Education", found that global educators were biased towards what hc ~ r m c d
"naive-order" v d u a and that h y rnisuiterpreted reality and attemptcd to "[c]onvcrt young
studcnts to thcir miIlennial cause" (Lamy, 199 1, p.5 1). Critics such Cunningham fail to
rccognix that global cducators are teaching studcnts to bt: critical, Teachcrs prcsent the
issucs to studcnts by providing rcsourccs for h m . Howcvcr, thc studcnts l e m to hm
cducatcd opinions from lheir own perspectives and research. A good global educator also
tcachès srudcnts how to prexnt their research and debate issues. Teaching within a global
cducation f i m e is not easy. It involvcs deaiing with sensitive issues which c m be
sometimcs bt: conuoversial. This shoiild never be inttrrpreted as directing studcnts towards
Global Education 19
a "naivc-order." Teachers of globd education tind the rcwards of enlightening young
rninds most fultilling and that should never be quationed.
Goals of Global Education
Global Education covers a broad range of issues and subject arcas. David Sclby
and Graham Pike ( 1995) outiinr somc of the key overlapping issues: (a) developmcnt (b)
thc cnvironrncnt, (c) human rights, (ci) p.acc issues, ( e ) heaith, (t3 gcndcr equality. (g)
multiculturalisrn. (h) humanc trcauncnt of animals, (i) citizcnship. and ÿ) media. Howevcr,
studying thest: global education issues is not enough. Just as important as the content is thc
context in which it is taught.
Education for a Global Perspective is an approach to teaching which cnables
studcnts to idcnrify concepts and issues already prcscnt in the existing cumculum. This is
donc by providing students with child-centered. cross cunicular activitics. Tcaching for a
Global Pcrspective includes the following concepts. First, the ability to create a positive
image of onescll'and onc's rolc in society. Building selfesteem is the first stcp in attaining
a global pcrspcctive: 'Therc is an increasing need for young peoplc to sce a clcar and
positive rolc for thcmselves within thc Samily. thc community and the world at largc, and to
strivc io hc fair and just in dcaling with othrrs (Education for a Global Pcrspective. 1995.
p- I l ) .
Sccond. awarrness of diversity. One nerds to have sensitivity and responsivcness
to thc similaritics and differenccs between pcoplc, a s w d l as the capacity to enjoy ethnic
and cultural difkrenccs. Diversity also refers many species of tlora and fauna on b i s
carth. S~udcnts need to k aware that the diversity of life on Earth is gctting srndler
k.causl: of human interventions. Even primate diversity, which includes humans. is
dwindling. "A nicent rcport by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) cstimatcs thrit
ncarly half of d l apcs, monkey, lemurs, and lorises are thrcakned with extinction"
(Brown. Renner, and Fiavin, 1997, p. 100).
Global Education 20
Third. is the notion of interdependence, which means recogni-hg that nothing in
thc univcrse tlxists in isolation. A relatsd concept is that of interconnectcdncss. To dcvclop
a consciousncss of interconnectedness students nced to learn and undcrstand that lifc
consists of a complex interplay of systems. These systems are both nritural and human-
madc. How humans interact with their surroundings affects al1 life in the cnvironment, As
wcI1. "undcr this heading, too, the Iearner cornes to understand how hcr health. wcU-bcing
and scnsc of sclf inlluencr. are inîluencèd by. the condition of the planct" (Selby. 1995. p.
49). Interconnectedness will bc discussed in more detaii upon exarnining Pikc and Sclby's
four dimcnsiond mode1 for global education-
Fourth, is the ricceptancc b a t change is part of l i k Evolution has shown us that
nothing lasts forèvcr. Fifth. is the view of biocentrism, which is the mtithesis of
rinthropoccntrism (human centeredness). Biocentrism refers to living for the "good of thc
biotic cornmunity" (Selby, 1995. p. 10). Humans are just one of many spccics on this
pIanct and sliould not dominate it. Students need to be conscious that diversity of spccies
kccps the biosystem strong and hcalthy. Aboriginal people have continucd to hold this truth
d u t Iiurnans arc piut of the natural world, not above it, d a p i t e the pressures of Western
civiiization. The rest of us must Icarn that wc cannot continue to live without considcrrition
of the cnvironment. In addition to these concepts, cducators nécd to cach for a tuturc
pcrspcctivc, as discussed above.
A substantial body of rccent l ienturc points towards thc infusion of globd
cducrition into the cxisting cumcuium, However, individual educators have thcir own
unique pcrspcctives on which issues and concepts are of most relevancc and how global
cducation should be taught.
Graham Pike and David Selby ( 1999) have deviscd a four dimensional mode1 of
global cducation bascd on two basic strands of educational thinking. Thcsc strands o r
branches consist of worldmindcdncss--viewing the needs of the individual in relation to thc
Global Education 2 1
nccds of d l ; and child-centeredness--encounging chiidren to l e m through explontion and
discovcry.
The tirst dimcnsion of the mode1 is the spatial dimension. which involves the first
iaw of ècology: that is, everything is connected to evcrything elsé. Wirhin the spatial
dimcnsion are a number of i n t e r co~ec ted levels: inuapersonal, intèrpersond, locrri,
bioregional. national, international and global. An event that occurs rit one Ievt.1 c m have
drastic cffècts on the other levels, "the local tlows into the globrtl" (Sèlby. 1999). Thus, it
is important tor students to think of the complexities of the relationships bctwccn thc Icvd
cncomprissing a system.
The second dimension of the mode1 is the issues dimension. which also cmphasizes
intcrconnèctcdncss. Like the spatial dimension, it involvcs mdtiple levels ninging liom the
individual to the global. The main focus of this dimension is that any issue. whether it tx
cconomic o r environmental o r whatever. is comected to evêry other issue md c m bt:
studicd at any age and cumcuium lcvel. As students study issues. thcy will devclop
diCLcrcnt perspectives and become more empowcred and able to think for thcmsclvcs.
The third dimension. thc tcrnporal dimension, is based on thc notion that the
prcscnt, past, and h t u r e are interactive and overlap with one another. As Pikc and Selby
( 1999, p. 14) Say, "Our present thoughts and actions are shapcd not only hy Our expenencc
and undcrs~anding of the p u t but also by our future visions and aspirations". Of course,
this notion is contradictory to our present school organization. Our schools arc vcry
compartmcntalizcd, cspecially at the secondary level, crcating Lhc impression that the
tcmporal dimensions arc isolatèd or discrete pcriods of ~ imc . A crucial clemcnt of the
temporal dimension is that of the future. As with the issues dimension, studcnts necd to
havc thc opportunity to think of altemativc ~utures and to consider what action is necdèd to
rcach the alternative or preîërable future.
The t-id dimension discussed is the i m c r dimension, which involves studcnts
Ica-ning about themselves. "Personal developmcnt goes hand-in-hand with planctary
Global Education 22
riwrircncss. In this sense, global education is as much an exploration of the global self as
01' the global villagr" ( 1999, p. 14).
The mode1 of four intcrconnected dimensions adquak ly detïnes global educaiion.
The conccpt of systems theory, whert: nothing exists in isolation. but rather in relation to dl
othcr phenornena, is a t o m of postrnodernisrn (1999, p. 12). Arrm Gare (1995). author
o f Postmodernism and the Environmental Crisis. uses the mrtaphor of the
symphony to represent thc interconnakd conccpt of intcrconnectedncss. Every individual
prtlccss within thc univcrsc is likc a rnelody within the symphony and is evaluatcd in terrns
of i t s contribution to the rntirr work. A symphony is evaluated in trrms of its duration:
cach note o f e v e q mclody has significance. As we grow to understand ourselves and our
world. wc nrcd to bc able to appreciate that atoms. rnolt'cules. stars. plmets. individuals
and glohal ecosysems are like melodirs in a symphony. each having intrinsic signilicancr
to thc univcrse. "Thcy should be able to appreciate the signilïcancc: of thcir own 1ivt.s and
crich dccision and action as contributions to the world as a wholtr as wcll as to thc cultures.
socictics and cçosysems of which they arc: part" ( p. 142).
Anderson (1994) contends that in our changing worid, the global challenges that
LCL' studcnts art' : human rights, environmentai crisis. conflict. and social weIl heing. Shc
hclicvcs that global education should "penneatc the cumculum" as a "comprctiensivc,
cross-curricular, and interdiscipluiary enterprise requiring integration of the humanitics. thc
scicnccs. and Uic social sciences." Most global educators agrtx that as since world issues
arc interconnccted. they should bc taught in an inwgrated fashion. "In cumcular tcrms it
crills for lorms of integntion, intcrdisciplinary or other-than-disciplinary and speaks to
Lorms of l cming that cnablc: lcarncrs to cultivate a holistic mindset and itttcndant skills
usualIy m g i n d i s c d within the citadels of mechanism wc recognize as schools" (Sclby.
1999. p. 13 1). Anderson's messages a: very much related to Pike and Selhy's tour
dirncnsional rnodcl of global cducation.
Global Education 23
As teaçhèrs, we must convey some very important messages (Anderson, 1994).
First, as studènts mature they ntxd to be awarc of the interdependence humans sharc within
thcir spccies, with the underlying message that we are responsible for each other. In Pikt:
and Sclby's spatial dimension we cm perceive this message as ont; movès from the
pcrsonal to the globd levtrl. A second fundamental lesson is that wc livc on a planet which
is a lifc-support system. Ideally, students should grow up with a responsibility ror
intirnacy with the Earth, much like Native Americans have for thcir surroundings.
"Amcrindians have a fundamental respcct for Me and for the complcmcntary naturc of
hcings, who arc al1 its forrns of expression." (Sioui, 1992, p. 12). intèrconnectcdness is
vcry much part OC Sioui's message as in Pike and Selby's issues dimension. Third, di
pcople arc citizcns of a multicultural society. Nationality and çitixnship arc part of
pcoplc's lives. Pike and Sclby understand citizenship as how students rccognizt: others'
pcrspcctivcs (1999, p. 13). Finally. the last message is that we livc in an interrélated world.
Andcrson makcs a Lùrther very valid point that leaming about thesc messages is not
cnough. Students must also rict on rhc concerns thèy discover. Thcy must "demonstrate
commitmcnt to addressing the challenges and opportunities presented to themselves as
human bcings living on this planet in a multicuitural socit-ty in an interrclated worid"
( 1994. p. 7).
Thcrc hris b e n some conuoversy over Anderson's third message -- that is, bèing a
ciuzcn of a multicultural socicty. The debate concerns whethcr pcoplc's rcsponsibility lie
iocally as wcll as globally, The adage, "Think globally, act locally" has bccn a rcccnt issuc
which nccds to k discusscd. "We must strive to makè a diffcrcnce with actions h a t arc
not grandioscly global. but humbly local" (Prakash, 1994). Madhu Suri Prakash does not
support thinking globally and acting locally; rathcr. she promotes the slogan. "to think and
act locally". Shc has statcd that it is impossible for people to "know" the globe; WC can
only think and act wcll on what we tind hmiliar.
Global Education 24
Prakash argues that individuds who have ignored the transnational companics and
rcdiscovcred thcir own cultural traditions of the "good life" have found that they, '-sec the
proliferation of localized initiatives, rooted in the concrete world, that shape the daily lit2 of
communities" (Prakash, 1994). For example, communities that have refuscd to wii Coca-
Cola. opting for local, healthy, alternative drinks have found that they have kcome more
independent. The beneiit to sriying no to global thinkirig means that local spaces will k
protcctod. Those who choose to join the global forces wili continue to k "minor playcrs"
in the "global grne."
Dale Snauwaert, on the other hand, believes that we do ntxd to Lare and sustain our
communiues at the local lcvel but not 10% sight of thc fact that wt: are "mutually dependent
on one anothèr economically, rnilitarily, ecologically, culturdly, and hcncc politicaliy'-
(1994, p. 57). In other words, al1 communities are aîatfect.ed by ail other communities,
Thus, wc nced to think globally and act locally -- we need to think "big.'-
Othcr writcrs have offered alternatives to the debatt: bctwtxn globalization and
localization. Dildmz Williams (1995, p. 53) argues that we should. "think txologically.
x t locally." She fecls that the slogan " think globalIy" is not meant to be taken litcrally, as
Prakash hris intcrprctcd. but is meant to expand pcople's horizons in order to gain a new
perspcctivc.
This kind of recognition, comprehcnsion, and thinking about Our
intcrconncctedness is cxtrcmely crucial as we locally begin to addrcss the
ccological problems that we confront, However, if we wcrc to indu&
solely in local thinking, then the very sort of individualism that has brought
us into Our present ecologicd imperiimenl would bc furihcr intcnsiikd
(Williams, 1995, p.53).
Global Education 25
Rohert Hrinvcy, author of "An Attainabk Global Perspective" ( 1982). secs thc
goals of global education as interdisçiplinary dimensions. sirnilar to Pike and Selby's Lour
dimensional modd. The tirst is the "perspective consciousness", which is an apprcciation
for othèrs: the second is an riwareness of global issues; the third. an understanding of
world culturès; and fourth, a systemic awareness, which is a tàmiliarity with the nature of
systcms. Finally, studcnts need to havc an option to prirticipatc, which Anderson (1994)
rcfcrs to as a " cd1 to action."
Irnplcmcntrition ol' olohal education
Most global èducators klievt: that global cducation needs to bè inlùsed into the
cirniculum. The issucs and concepts of global education arc wovcn into the content of
many subject mas. nic I'ollowing passage calls for the intcgration of cducating for
sustainability. IL also malces a good argument for global education.
A basic prcmisc of education for sustainability is that just as thcrc is a
wholcncss and interdependence to life in all its forms, so must thcrc be a
iinity and wholcness to cfforts to understand it and cnsurr: its continuation.
This cdls for both inierdisciplinary inquiry and action. It does not. of
coursc, imply an end to work within tmditional disciplines. A disciplinriry
focus is ot'tcn helphl, even nècessary, in allowing the dcpth of inquiry
ncedcd for major breakthroughs and discovéries. But incrcasingly.
important discovcries arc bcing made not within disciplincs, but on thc
bordcrs bctwecn them" (UNESCO. 1997).
David Selby (2000) writcs of thc "dark green" movemcnt in schools. The "dark
grccn" movcmcnt is an aitcrnative to the lightcr "grcening" of schools which is more typicd
today. Whilc somc schools are making grcat strides in rccycling. planting grcen spaccs in
Global Eduçation 26
SC ho01 yards. participaùng in litter clean-ups. and Earth Day ccle bntion ac tivities.
rtdvocates of the dark green movement klieve that this "grecning" of schools is not
ènough. They kl ieve that the present environmental crisis is a result of the mechanistic
and compartmentalist thinking of the past, as discussed in chapter one. As an dternativc,
"dark yrcen" enthusiasts "perceive reality not as a collection o l discrete and isolated entities
but ris a dynarnic relation web" (Selby. 2000, p. 89). "Dark green'' thinking involvcs a
shift from anthropocenuic to biocenuic thinking; we are part of the natural world. not
abovc i t. and tiorn uaditionalist. compa.mnéntalist views to holistic. trrins~onnritive oncs.
whcrc k i n g "green" is not only synonymous with the environment but d s o with gtrnder
and cthnic scnsitivities, justice and peace. A "dark green" school would involvc a "multi-
lcvcllcd ~ l o b a l cumcufum" that becornes more personal and celebntory. "reaî~timing the
cmbeddcdncss of human I ik , culture and socicty within nature" (Sdby. 2(X)O, p. 90).
Thc Ontario Green Schools Project (OGSP) involved several school communitiès in
southcm Ontario dedicated to change. Schools were invited to participate in six strands of
school reforrn. These strands included school ground naturalization projccts of indigenous
plant specics. water conservation projects, waste management projects. and
~clccommunications. infuscd with these suands were practices ihat promotcd
muticulturalism, citizenship, dcmocracy, and a concern for the environment. Selby
dcscribcs sarnplc activitiès from two schools that worked with the OGSP tèam. Thc
schools uscd such îhcmcs as anirnaVhuman rclationships, the cnvironmcnt, human rights,
and issues of the Suture. The activitics inciuded deep breathing exèrciscs. pcer massage.
suidcd visualization, and learning nature through sensory activities. As wcll, rit Ieast oncc
a wcck parents and community membcrs werc invited to takc part in class discussions
(Sclby, 2000, p. 93). These activitics are ideal for "'educating for a global prspisctivc."
Thcy t'ostcr seIf esteem. a commonality in diversity, interdepcndence. communication.
cquity, and future pcrspectivés (Lyons, 1992, p. 1 1). Another school cstablished an
Global Education 27
intcmct Iink with ri sister school in Makkovik, Labondor, which Ied to a project on h u i t
culturc (Sclby, 2000, p. 93).
Anothcr project, but from the United States, the Environment as an Integrriting
Contcxt for Iearning (EIC). is a coopentive program involving over 40 schools from over
12 States. Similar to the Ontario G r w n Schools project. thenr is an cmphasis on
coopcr~tivt. Isarning. interdisciplinary studies, tearn teaching. an apprcçiri~ion for the
cornmunity and environment, and project b m d activitics. However, somc of the gods d o
dit'fcr. For cxample the EIC promotcs incrcascd performance on standardizcd mwsurcs 01-
ricadèmic achièvcments in thc traditional subject areas. In a l u s cornpetitive. child-centered
world, as scèn in the OGSP, these are not the cenual measurcs of student achiwemcni. It
crin bc argucd thrit the EIC is a step in the right direction, even though it is a lighttx shadc of
grèèn. The EIC calls on students to dèvelop knowledge and understanding for the
cnvironmcnt -- for example, math taught in the context of thc students' own cornrnunity
will hclp thcm to s w how math connects to other disciplines. "Lnsterid of thinking thrit math
is only abstrrict concepts. these students lcam that math skills are tools that thcy c m use to
quantify and analyze connections arnong nalurd and socio-cuItural systerns" (Lichcrman.
1998. p.5). Esszntially, the EIC hclps students make conncctions betwecn the theory in
rcxthooks and the practicality ofrt-ality. The EIC is a srnail first stcp in thc transition îi-om
thc traditional to the transfoimati ve pmdigm.
In surnmary, global education providès students with the opportunity to understand
global issucs and communicatc with others from diffcrent culturc backgrounds, so thcir
intcrdcpcndenci: c m ix celebrated. Earl Choldin (1992. p. 13) outlincs thc mèthods and
goals OC global cducation as follows. First, global education is coopcrativc. Studcnts learn
to hclp cach othcr and to cnjoy others' successcs. Hcnce, seif estcem and conllicr
rcsolution skills arc improved. Sccond, global êducation is democratic. iMoreover,
studcnts arc ahlc to make their own dccisions. Thcy bccome life-long leamers. rcsponsihle
Ior thcir own lcriming. Students can fcel contidcnt that their righw arc k i n g rcspectcd by
Globai Education 28
thcir tachers, parents, and community leaders. Third. global cducation is community-
bascri. It makés the c o ~ e c t i o n with the community and the world. Studènts l c m to cnjoy
community scrvicè: they use the multi-ethnic nature of the community to terich national
undcrstanding. and local environmental issues to assist in teaching global environmenlai
issues. And tinally, global education is experiential. Teachers need to take advantagt: of
lirst hand cxpèritmces. If thert: is a community debatè on an issue, takc thc class on a tidd
trip. Whcn t k t hand experienccs cannot occur, creatt: simulalions hy using thest:
strritegics. In this way, students will become more empowercd.
In thc chapters to follow. a nèw science cumculum will bcgin to unfold: a
curriculum that is about educating for a global perspecuvè. Howcver, the tirst stcp in
dcvcloping ri ncw transformarive cumculum is to examine the traditional cumculum in
ordcr to ducidütt: opportunities for global perspectives.
Global Education 29
Chapter 3: The Ontario Cuniculum
The Curriculum at Present
Thus far, some of the environmental, social and econornic issues have k e n
outlined. As well, I have inuoduced the goals of global education. At this point,[ will
examine the curriculum in terrns of its opportunites for global education. In order to teach a
global science, there has to be opportunity in the provincial curriculum for its
irnplementation. As of September 1999. schools across Ontario have started implementing
the new Ministry guidelines. Changes have been made to the entire grade nine curriculum
and futher changes will be mandated for grade ten in 200 1, grade eleven in 2002. and
grade twelve in 2003. In addition, the Ontario Academic Credits program will have been
phased out. With these new changes in the Ontario secondary curriculum. where do we
find room for an aitemative global science program? Some environmentd issues have the
opportunity to be addressed in the Science. Technology, Society and the Environment units
of the new science courses. but will they be taught? Courses in the seography curriculum
riddress many environmentd issues too. Is this adequate?
Students do not have enough opportunity or exposure to many of the global issues
that have been raised in the first chapter of this thesis. In fact, students are only required to
have one Canadian geography and two science courses in their high school careers.
Therefore, educators need to look wider and integrate global education into al1 areas of the
secondary curriculum. Global education needs to be integrated into as many compulsory
courses as possible in order to give the maximum number of students exposure to
alternative studies. The implementation of such a program is a tremendous undertaking,
requiring cooperation from dl teachers and members of the p a t e r school community .
In a fairly recent study (Hausbeck, Milbrath, and Enright, 1992). grade eleven
studcnts in New York State were assessed for their ievels of environmental knowledge.
riwareness and concern. Student scores were low on environmental knowtedge questions.
Global Education 30
but were higher on awareness and concern. In fact, 56% of the students surveyed thought
that they would like additional environmental education to be offered in their schools. 74%
believed that an environmentai cnsis exists. and 47% thought the environmentd crisis wrts
huge. Only 11% of the students felt that there was nothing they could do about the
environmental crisis. This study suggests that the grade eleven students surveyed want to
know more about global environmentai issues and what tiîey c m do to stop our present
crisis.
New York State's policy on environmental education is very simila- to Ontario's.
Environmentd education at the elementary level is infused into al1 subject areas of the
curriculum. At the secondary level, teachers may integrate environmentai education into
their courses if they so wish. In New York, unlike Ontario. an environmentai education
course is offered to those students who have opted out of the streamed programs. In
Ontario. the optionai senior science course on environmental education is k i n g phased out.
Upon exarnining the environmentd education policies of the New York and Ontario
curricuh there is a clear underlying message: "environmental education is not as important
or ris rigorous as traditional courses of study" (Hausbeck, Milbrath. and Enright. 1992. p.
2 5 ) .
Looking ahead over the next few years, Ontario is phasing in a new curriculum for
dl subject areüs. Some courses are k i n g cut, others are k i n g rnoditied. and some new
courses are being added. Teachers in Ontario are going to use this new cumculum for at
Icast several years. Therefore, it makes sense to examine the cumculum documents and
find areas where environmental education can be infused. Upon doing so. an integrated
alternative prograrn c m be formulated and implemented-
However. a review of the environmental content in the Ontario curriculum is not
enough. Environmentd issues are inextricably connected to social and econornic issues.
and a range of issues must be discussed as such in order to teach for a global perspective.
In addition to addressing global issues, teaching glo5al education involves child-
Global Education 3 1
ccntcredness: the notion that children l e m best when they can have the freedom to l e m
and discover for themselves. For a curriculum to be tmly child-centered. students must be
empowered. Therefore. opportunities for the integration of activities which promote
personal growth must be included.
Curriculum Policies
Upon reviewing the C U ~ ~ C U ~ U ~ guidelines for secondary courses, grade eleven
apperirs to be the k s t grade into which to infuse a new global perspectives in science
(GPS) cumculurn. Also, by grade 1 i , students have reached the level of maturity
necessary to discuss global issues in detail, both in class and in the community. As well.
and probably just as importantly, students at the grade I l level are starting to think of their
careers. and the future they want as adults.
In a recent article in Pathways, the journal for the Council of Outdoor Educators
of Ontario. a list of grade 1 1 and 12 courses most suited to outdoor education and
environmental programs was compiled (Barrett and Jupp, 2000, p. 13). 1 will examine
these and several other courses for the opportunities they present for the insertion of GPS
cxpectations. This list has k e n modified to show the relative richness of opponunity for
the infusion of GPS curriculum. (refer to table 3.1). Beside each recommended course
is a percentage weighting of opportunity for the infusion of GPS curriculuni. This was
dctemined by evaluating the expectations in the cumculum guidelines. As well. courses
are listed according to their shading of "green". This refers to the richness of opportunity
for the infusion of GPS curriculum. The courses near the beginning of the table are the
"lighter green" courses, which provide some opportunity for learning with a global
perspective; courses near the end of the table are "darker green" courses. which have a
great dcal of opportunity for global education. Each course was evalurited in ternis of the
strands and expectations written in each cumculum guide. However, it should be noted
that al1 of the courses exarnined in this chapter c m move toward the "dark green" spectnim
Global Education 32
de pending on the approach teachers adopt. Teachers w ho include opportunities for
students to experience personal growth will increase the "greenness" of their teaching.
Thoss embracing a dark green philosophy also recognize 'green' to be more
than a synonym for 'environmentd'. They view issues of culture,
development, environmentd and sociai justice, equity, health. and peace to
be seamless and inseparable. In this regard. they recognize the correlation
and in tersection of human and non-human oppressions.
(Selby. 2000, p. 89)
The courses chosen for evaluation were deemed the most practical for the GPS curriculum.
However, other courses cm be used if the teacher is very creative and looks wider to
integrate global education them. It should be noted that non-university credits seem to have
more opportunity for GPS curriculum.
Table 3.1: O~~ortunit ies for the Infusion of the GPS Curriculum in Grade
Eleven Courses
Course Name and code
Sciencc
Economics
Science
Science
Individual and the Economy CiE3M
Biology SNC 3E
Physics 1 SPH3U
Course Type (preparation)
Economics
- -
5% weighting for the opportunity of GPS C U ~ T ~ C U ~ U ~
Making Econornic Choices CIE3E
i
University / College
University
University
University 1 3540%
20-25%
Global Education 33
Table 3.1 continued
Coiirse Name and code
% weighting for the opportunity of GPS
Subject l- --
Course Type (preparation)
curriculum
Science College
Science Science SNC 3M
University 1 College
Science Science SNC 3E
Workplace
Geography The Americas Geographic Pattern! and Issues CGD3M
University / College
G e o p p h y
Geography
Geography
Physical Geographj CGF3M
University / College
Geographics CGT3E
Workplace
Regional Geograph; Travel and Tourism
Guidance / C aree r
Designing Your Future GWL3O
Guidance 1 Carecr
Leaders hi p and Peer Support GPP30
Health / Phys. Ed.
Healthy and Active Living Education PPL30
History Twentieth-Century Global and Regiona Perspectives CHT30
English Media Studies EPS30
English Presentation and Speaking Skills ELS30
Global Education 33
Science
The Iirst subject area to be exarnined is science. Recently, there has k e n growing
concem over the relative exclusion of environmentai outcomes in the new Ontario Science
Curriculum Policy Documents for Science.
Until recently, Environmental Science was an optional science course: now it is a
strrind in the grade eleven biology college prepmtion course SBI3C. One has to wonder
why environmental science is losing importance in the high school curriculum. At first it
was an option for students, traditionally those who were not pursuing science. and now it
has been reduced to a single strand in a course. 1s the phxsing out of environmental
education part of the politicai agenda of our government? 1s environmental education still
considered to be "soft"? Dave Arthur of the Ontario Society for Environmentai Education
has written a response to the changes in the secondüry science curriculum. His insights
givc ü good indication of direction global education is taking ( 1998. pp. 14- 16).
Arthur divides the environmentd expectations in the secondary science courses into
three types. (See table 3.2 1 . The first is knowledge and understanding of environmental
concepts md issues. Second, is exarnining the needs and values using responsible.
knowledgeable arguments in decision-making around environmentd issues. The third and
highest order is developing action strategies and a cornmitment to protect and sustain the
environment. Upon examination of the science courses in the secondary curriculum, he
concluded as follows: "lt is evident from the chart, that most courses do not contain
sufficient or appropriate expectations to meet these goals. In hct some courses contain no
expectations of the second and third type at all. Scudents do not go beyond the first levet of
thinking. This is unacceptable" (Arthur, 1998, p. 6). From Anhur's findings, it is cIear
that there is not enough environmental science in the secondary curriculum: there is very
little on sustainable futures. This is ai1 the more reason for teachers to adopt a GPS
curriculum.
Global Education 35
The secondary years of schooling üre critical years -- values and attitudes of
students are forrning. Environmentai outcornes are paramount for shaping young values to
include conservation, sharing, compassion. and peace. With these values in mind 1 tum to
csrimining the science curriculum. Unfonunately, there is a tremendous amount of
cornpetition facing teachers today as far as instilling values is concerned: television.
xivertisements. shopping malls, and the like. Teachers who are concemed about the
vducs Our students are forming must reaiize they face an uphill battle.
1 have severai suggestions for teachers attempting to teach science with a global
perspective. Pike and Selby ' s Recon necti ng for example. contains twelve activities in
the science and technology chapters that are suitabIe for a GPS curriculum ( 1995. pp. 130-
147). The "water droplet" activity has k e n outlined in detail in chapter five of this thesis.
As welt. science activities from Global Teacher, Global Learner. ( 1988. pp. 248-
359) would be ideal for global science curriculum. In addition, it should be noted that dl
of the expectations cited in the following science courses corne Liom the 'The Ontario
Curriculum Grades 11 and 12 - Science" (2000).
GIobai Education 36
TabIe 3.2: Frequency o f Environmentai Expectations in the O n t a r i o
Secondary Science Curriculum
Grade 1 1 Science (SNC 3iM)
This course is for students who are inrending ro s o to university or college, and
want to increase their understanding of science and technology. In my estimation. SNC 31M
should be ri compulsory course. but it is an optional one. It is probably the easiest course
in ~vhich to implement a GPS cumculum. There are five strands in this course: the safe use
of chemicals. the science of nutrition and body funcrion. ws te management. h e
1 2 3 3 5 6 7 8 9 ,
Name
Biolorry Biology Biology C hem istry Chemistry Chemisuy Physics Physics Physics ,
T Y P ~
Univcrsiv Univenity Coliege Univcnity University Colleqe Univeniry Lrniversity Collene ,
8 17 10 1 O
10 I l 12
- i I 1 1 76
G r d e
1 1
- 7 1 - 7
6 t 3
Scicricc Science Science
39 1 07
13 1 Science O 1 O 122 -
Knuwledge and understanding of envimnlllcntai concepa
U/C WC WoricpIace
Soiutionr. action. commitmcnt îa proues and scrrroin envüonmenf
' Lnmining views and v o l u a , &&ion-making, prob&msolviit~
12
I I i 2 1 1
Workplacc
Tocai f specrflc expecto- tioas
2 j 1 1
- 7 ! 2 2 f O
I t
IZ
100 1 IO 92
2 1 2
11/12 , 16 1 1 1 10
1 09 ,
1 12 1 1/12 11 12
O 1 88 5 6 6 3
11/12 , 7
88 98 90 101
2 1 I 2 1 1 1 1 O 1 O
Global Education 37
applications of scientific principles in space, and technologies in everyday life. The overall
expectations of the course include: (a) k i n g able to understand the properties. benefits, and
hazards of everyday chernicals in the home, workplace and industry, and (b) evaluating the
advüntages and disadvantages of the use of common chemicals, including anaiyzing the
environmental and economic impact of their use. Within the specific expectations there are
rnriny opponunities for implementing GPS objectives. For example, students are required
to describe the effects of carbon dioxide ernissions, chlorofluororarbons (CFC's) and
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) on the welfare of ai1 living creatures. Under the strand
"Relating Science to Technology. Society, and the Environment" (STSE), students are to
explain the different chemical waste management strategies used in industrial situations:
assess the effects of the use of chemicai products in the comrnunity; and asses the impact of
the incrc~sed use of chemicals in the manufacturing of new products.
By examinint chemicai use in the home. in the cornmunity. and in industry.
students will have the opportunity to full311 David Hick's rationale for a future
(transforrnative) dimension in the curricuium ( 1993, p. 12). For example. pupils can casily
bccome motivated to stop the chernical problems of the present so their future will be less
problematic. It c m be q u e d thüt motivation will lead to anticipating change. Hopefully
students wii 1 become empowered by doing lab activities, letter writing, and campaigning
for their cause. Al1 these activities involve critical thinking, which is esscntially üpplying
thc inSormrition used in class to help solve their issues. When students initiüte their own
activities to ded with an issue, they use creativity and show responsibility. Ultimately. the
net result is o f stewardship, which is k i n g able to understand the consequcnces of the
short tenn and long of current practices in chernical use; and then taking action to change
thesc if needed.
Global Education 38
Grade 1 1 Science. Work~iace Pre~aration ( SNC3E1
This course helps students to relate to topics such as materials and safety. electrical
circuits. the humane immune systern, and human impact on the environment. in terms of
their everyday experiences in the workplace and at home. Some of the STSE expectations
ciin allow for GPS curriculum. For example, students are required to identiw and propose
solutions related to the environmental impact of electrical energy production. This
expectntion would fit in well with the consurnption unit of rny aitemative science pro, aram.
which wili be discussed in chapter five of this thesis.
However. like the general science course for col lep preparation which comprises
the 1ast strand in the course. human impact on the environrnent is the best chance for
integrating GPS curriculum. AI1 the environmental issues mentioned in the firsr chapter of
ihis thcsis (see pp. 3- 13) are part of the expectations of this course. If a trachrr were to try
to spend more cime on this strand or even integrate it into some of the other strands. then
\tudents would be able to l e m more through transformative l eming .
Grade i 1 B i o l o q - University Preparation (SB13U1
This course involves l eming about the processes involved in biological systems.
Topics such as cellular functions. genetic continuity. internal systems. and the diversity of
1 i ~ i - g things are studied. Some of the overall expectations that relate to GPS cumculum
includc: students demonstrating an understanding of the relationship between celi functions
and thcir technological and environmental applications: developing an awareness of the
social and political issues raised by genetic research; and evaluating persona1 lifestyle
decisions on the health of humans. The two strands "Diversity of Livinz Things" and
"Plants: Anatomy, Growth, and Functions", have many GPS C U ~ C U ~ U ~ expectations.
Students c m have the opportunity, if properly guided, to understand the interconnectedness
of the universe. Fritjof Capra ( 1982) refers to this notion of the interconnectedness of the
universe as the new vision of reality.
Global Educsition 39
The new vision of reality we have been tdking about is based on awareness
of the essentid interrelatedness and interdependence of al1 phenornena--
physical, biological. social, and cultural. It transcends current disciplinary
and conceptual boundaries and will be pursued within new institutions
(p. 256).
Students cm Iearn of interconnectedness through demonstrating an understanding of the
connection between biodiversity and species survival. The plant unit also entails student
identification of factors that result in trade-offs in the development of food technoiogies.
The study of food production will be a possible unit of study in the new GPS curriculum.
The in~plementation of this unit could possibly be done as part of this grride eleven biology
course.
Grade 1 1 Bioloov. Colleae Preparrition (SBI3C)
This biology course is very sirnilar to the previous bioiogy course. with the
exception that there is rui emphasis placed on the practical application of concepts insteüd of
theoretical constructs. Topics include cel1ular biology, microbiology. animal anatomy and
physiology. plant structure and physiology, and environmental science. GPS can be
applied to severai of the overdl expectations. For exmple, students have the opportunity
to denionstrate an understanding of the importance of cellular processes in their persona1
Iivcs. This expectation cm be applied to a wide variety of interpretations. For instance, a
studcnt could "investigate the effects of good nutrition on hedth using knowledge of
mctabolic processes and how they are measured (The Ontario Science Curriculum, Grades
1 1 and 12, p. 25). Upon d0ir.g so, students could then investigate the effects of poor
nutrition in other parts of the world. Hopefully, this investigation would niotivate the
student to l e m more about poverty and the inequitable distribution of wealth around the
Global Education 40
world. In the proposed alternative science cumculum to follow. both poverty and the
inequitable distribution of weaith will be examined.
The STSE expectations in SBI3C are optimistic. Words such as "collaborative,"
"comn~unity." "relevance," "awareness" and "changing perspectives" are used throughout
the expectations. The wording of the STSE expectations is very different from the cor?tec!,
inquiry and communication expectations; it more biocentric, less quantitative. and less
restrictive. Many of the STSE expectations in this biology course and others can be
conibined with the content and inquiry / communications expectations. By combining the
content and inquiry / communicritions expectations, GPS expectations can more easily be
insened. For example, students need to l e m about the anatomy of various internai
systerns of animals. They can use a computer simulated program. as opposed to a
dissection, to facilitate their leaming. Using a computer program is a more humane
approach to leaming science. After the lesson. the teacher could give the students an article
to read about animal dissection. Students could then look at other humane alternatives in
our society. Many of the activities in David Selby's Earthkind ( 1995) such as "Where do
I Stand?" (p. 262), and "Dissecting Dissection" ( p. 266) would be ideal.
The linal strand in SCI3C is environmental science. Al1 the expectations of this
strand arc conducive to the GPS prograrn. The overall expectations include students k i n g
able to demonstrate an understanding of factors that influence the sustainability of the
nritural environment; anaiyzing factors that influence relationships between organisms and
the cnvironment: and explaining the importance of the impact of human activities on the
environment. .Mmy of the global issues facing the world today. as enumerated in chapter
one. can be studied in this unit. Unfortunately, this unit is only twenty percent of the
course.
Global Education 41
Grade I 1 Chemistrv. (SCH3U)
This course focuses on the concepts and theories of basic chemistry. Students will
study the behaviours of solids, liquids, gases, and solutions. As well. they will investigate
chanses and relationships in chemicai systems. The guidelines state that emphasis will be
placed on the importance of chemistry in other branches of science. which is ü good step
towards the transfomative paradigm. Students will begin to l e m that nothing exists in
isolation. A required reading for any grade eleven science student shouId be chapter nine
of Capra's The Turning Point ( 1982) from which they would get a V ~ N good picture of
how chemistry is related to al1 science disciplines through system thinking.
It emphasizes relationships rather than isolated entities and. like the systems
view. perceives these relationships as k i n g inherently dynamic. Systems
thinking is process thinking; forrn becornes associated with process.
interrelation with interaction, and opposites are unified through oscilIation
(p. 267).
Thc overall expectations of this introductory chemistry course are very good. There seem
to be many opponunities for discussion of global issues. For exampie. students are to
describe how the knowledge of gases has helped to advance technology. and how such
technologicd advances have Ied to a better understanding of environmental issues.
Students could discuss the efforts of the Montreal Protocol regarding CFC production.
Water is invoIved in many of the expectations in the solutions and solubility unit. I t is
crucial that issues around drinking water be discussed. For exarnple. the events that led to
the Waterton water poisoning disaster in May of 2000 need to be understood. A mernber
of the Waterton community could be asked to speak on the effects this disaster had on the
cornmunity. Students could then get involved in any outreach projects that have developed
from this disaster.
Global Education 32
Essentially, this is a rewarding course for students to take. A creative teacher c m
easily infuse GPS cumculum into this course.
Grade 1 1 Ph~sics. Universitv Prenaration (SPH3UI
Again. as with the chemistry course, this has the potentid for GPS curriculum.
however. i t requires that the teacher be insightful and creative. The strands of this course
include: forces and motion; energy, work and power; waves and sound: light and geometric
optics: and eiectricity and magnetism. The STSE expectations give some clues as to how
one would insert GPS curricuium. For example, in the forces and motion strand, students
arc expected to explain how the contributions of Gdileo and Newton revolutionized the
sciêntific thinking of their time. Aii physics texts will have reading on their contributions
tiom a very mechanistic perspective. However, students should also have the opportunity
to read some of the introductory selections from Capra's Turning Point or O'Sullivan's
Transformative Learning (1999) to enlighten them on the direction of science since the
Reformation. Students could then decide for themselves on the direction in which science
should move.
Enoiish
Lringuage is the vehicle for m y curriculum. For GPS it is crucial that English
courses be used for discussion of issues, debates, writing, and readins of global
perspective literature. It shouId be noted that dl of the expectations cited in the following
English courses come from the "The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 1 and 12 - English"
(2000). The two English courses evaluated are optional courses that any student in grade
cleven c m take and have the most opportunity of ail for the infusion of the GPS
curriculum. However, students need to be encouraged to take these courses becausc they
arc not mandatory Students are only required to take the grade eleven university, college,
or workplsicc preparation courses.
Global Education 43
For subject specific activities for English there are a number of sources. Pike and
Sel by 's Reconnecting contains six activities in the English activity chapter that are
suitable for a GPS curriculum (1995, pp. 47-72). As weI1, science activities from Global
Teacher, Global Learner, (1988, pp. 235-239) would be ideal for the GPS
curriculum.
Lringuage. which shapes knowledge. is the core of dl learning. When
students examine social and environmental issues. they must use language
purposetùlly and imaginatively. Through language. they live alternatives,
envision untapped possibilities, and express their understandings of
themselves and the world around them. It is the capacity to imagine-to
reach out and see things as they could be--that creates the freedom to change
what is (Renewing Our Environments, 1994, p.10).
Grade 1 1. Media Studies. Open (EMS301
Students have the opportunity to analyze the foms and messages in media today.
Through creating their own foms of media, students will develop critical thinking skills.
ethicai judgment and skills in spedcing, listening. reading and writing. The strands of this
course include media texts, audiences, and production. This course could easily be taught
through GPS. For example, one of the expectations is to use appropriate productions
techniques to create a media work about an important social or cultural issue. The
possibilities are endless. Students could create a collage, an üdvenisement or web site
about a social issue of their choice. Upon doing so, the student creates awarcness of an
issue and becornes knowledgeable. if the student becornes passionate about the issue, she
can then take action. For instance, if a website were created, the student couid müke it
interactive with network sites about related issues and events. An example of a media
studies activity will be presented and discussed in chapter 5.
GlobaI Education 44
Chapter twelve of Selby's Earthkind deals with animais in the media and outlines
the following goals of media literacy. First. students need to realize that media are
constructions of reaiity, not reality itself. Students need to develop the skills to interpret the
media's version of reality. Second, students need to be aware of the implications of media
constructions and their effects on cultural and socid trends. Third. students need to be able
to "deconstruct" media to identify the messages they contain. And finaily. students need to
be able to recognize that those who construct media are influenced by people of power
which affirrn the chwacteristics of the dominant paradigm (p. 273). These goals should be
borne in mind by the teacher of EMS30.
Grade I 1 Presentation and S~eakino S k i k Onen (EPS30)
This course requires students to plan and make presentations in both formal and
informa1 contexts, using such forms as speeches, discussions, storytelling. debates,
reports and interviews. Projects and assignments from other courses couid be presented in
this course. If an environmental or social issue had been discussed in a science o r
ceo,oraphy course. it could later be enhmced and presented in this course. In Fxt. EPS30 - should be a required English course for ail students because students are given the
opportunity to express their opinions. This is good practice to prepare them to be active
citizens. There are very few specific expectations required for this course. and most of
these emphasize techniques in preparing, giving. and responding to presentations.
Storyteiling is a very effective medium for a GPS curriculum. Native peoples use
storytelling as a mems of transferring wisdom. Stories contain ideas and traditions of a
culture that c m be püssed from one generation to the next. Louise Profeit-Leblanc speaks
of the importance of storytelling in our lives: "We should live Our life just like a story. s o
that when ws go they will tel1 a good story about us" (1996, p. 15). Good storytellers
convcy the inner meaning of stories, which is more than just words. Pr~fit-Leblanc speaks
of one's persona1 spiritual environment. "We are spirituai beings. This is not just our
Global Education 45
bodies and minds meeting here, but our spirits. It is important that we get in touch with
each other on this level and develop some feelings for each other and the topic and hand"
(p. 15). Children of al1 ages will have many questions for a storyteller because everyone
hears a story differently. Storytellers will aiways discuss the lessons of a story. the
relationships with the characters of the story. and rnost importantly how the conveyed ideas
c m be applied to one's everyday life.
So this is the story. The story is the same for us today. We have only the
skeleton now. It's now up to us to put flesh on the skeleton: to have a
sincere conviction and education and be prepared to suffer a Little to build a
new Iife, to breathe fresh air into the old ways so that they work for us in
this day and age (Profit-Leblanc, p. 19).
Grade 1 1. Litencv Skills: Reading and Writing. Open (ELS30)
ELS30 emphasizes strengthening reading and writing skills. Students are required
to rcad short plays, short stories, novels, poems and articles. Students are taught how to
locate important information. ident15 main ideas and supponing details. and then write
cssays. surnmaries. reports, critiques and letter. Why not have the students read stories
and articles dealing with :lobai issues? For example, the Opposing Viewpoints
Series entails articles dealing with controversial issues such as population, abortion,
poverty, water, AIDS. immigr~tion, and globai resources. Students could read a number
of thcse essays and write critiques and reports on them.
Essentially, these three English courses are focused on teüching stltdents to reüd
critically. write effectively, and present their ideas in a clear münner. The content is lefi up
to the teacher in rnost cases. A teacher who is committed to global learning c m present
many issues for debating and writing. In short, there is considerable opportunity for GPS
in the English cumculum if teachers are willing to use it.
Global Education 46
Canadian and Worid Studies
The Canadian and World Studies Cumculum includes courses in geography. economics,
history, politics, and law. An important objective of the Canadian and World Studies
progrrim is to aid students is developing the values, knowledge and skills necessary to
becorne responsible citizens. In order for students to become responsible citizens, they
need to be aware of Canada's heritage and its various social, political. economic and
cultural relationships. When students study various regions of Canada and the world, and
how people interact with their environment. they begin to l e m the concepts and
in terconnectedness of global education.
While the knowledge, values and skills taught in these courses will enable students
to better engage with global issues, it is dso very important for students to see different
perspectives on history. They need to discuss issues that involve imperialism. exploitation.
power. and domination in order to "gain a deeper understanding of culturai and moral
issues which underpin many contemporary environmentid problems" (Leitenberg. 1994. p.
1 1 ). S tudents do have ample opportunity in the Canadian and World S tudies courses to
develop the values. knowiedge, and skills to become responsible citizens. and to gain
insight into many global issues of the past. present, and future. All of the expectations
cited in the iollowing Canadian and World Studies courses come from the 'The Ontario
Curriculum Grades 1 1 and 12 - Canadian and World Studies" (2000).
For subject specific activities for Canadian and World Studies 1 have several
suggestions: ( i ) Pike and Selby's Reconnecting (1995) contains eleven geography
activities and seven History activities suitable for a GPS cuniculum: ( i i ) activities from
Global Teacher, Global Learner (1988, pp. 242-243).
Global Education 47
Grade 1 1 Economics. The Individual and the Economv. University / Colteoe
Preparation (CIE3M). and Making Econornic Choices. Work~iace Prenaration
(CICSE)
This course helps students to make infonned decisions about how to use resources
to satisfy their needs and wants as consumers and citizens. Some of the expectations of
this course involve critiquing stewardship of public resources, awareness of public issues,
and analyzing current issues relating to economics and the environment. As well. students
are required to describe the impact of govemrnent in the economy. There is opportunity in
this course to present ideas of basic human needs. Issues of consumption. resource
depletion, and third world exploitation could be discussed. The workplace preparation
version of this course (CIC3E) is very sirnilar to this one, although, there is more emphasis
on the individual as a consumer. Therefore, it is crucial that overconsumption be discussed
ris an issue.
Grade 1 1 Geoeraohv. The Arnericüs. University / Colle~e Pre~aration. (CGD3M).
Phvsical G e o ~ r a ~ h v . Universitv / College Preparation, (CGF 3M). Geo~raphics.
Workplace Pre~aration. (CGT3E). Regional Geomra~hv: Travel and Tourisrn.
Onen. ICGG301
AI1 the geography courses at the grade eleven level are divided into tlve strands.
The tirst is Geographic Foundütions in which students Iearn about the in terconnectedness
of the physical and human worlds and study the evolution and interactions of various
politicd, physical. economic, and cultural systems. There can be ample opportunity for
students to examine human impact on the natural world. Issues of population (urban
sprawl) and energy consumption c m be addressed.
The second strand is entitled Human-Environment Interactions. Students l e m to
understand the relationship between land and people and how each affects the other.
Again, issues of population, energy consurnption, and pollution can be addressed. The
Global Education 48
third strand is about global connections. It is essential that students have a global
perspective when they l e m about peopte, products, rnoney. and information. Ail the
expectations of this strand are critical. However, with this in mind teachers need to
consider child-centeredness. Teachers need to give students opportunity to be sensitive and
compassionate to each other, and to work cooperatively. In other words. teaching for
world-mindedness is easy to do in these courses, however, teachers alwriys need to
remernber child-centeredness.
The fourth strand is very important indeed. It involves managing and understanding
chanse. Students l e m through local and global perspectives to identify trends that cause
change between the environment and people. And the final strand is methods of
seographic inquiry which involve the approaches and tools used in geography. Students
can learn about how geographers view the world.
UItimately, when teaching these five strands, teachers need to remember not to mat
each in isolation. To illustrate, Toh Swee-Hin (1993) writes of two paradigms of global
literzicy: the liberai technocratie, in which "it is cIear thüt k i n g 'global' has more to do with
enhancing trading, commercial and strategic interest than global literïxy for emancipation",
and the transfomative. which encourages students to move towards understanding the
world holistically "to act towards a more paceful, just and libemting world" (p. 1 1 ). The
five strands of the geography cumculum could fa11 into either paradigm. depending on how
thcy arc taught. To teach with GPS the second paradigm is critical.
According to Swee-Hin, there are several probtems with the liberal-technocratie
paradigm. First, the appreciation of other cultures is often shallow and trivial. If a texher
is not careful, students may just reinforce some stereotypes of other cultures. and even
unconsciously harbour racist attitudes. Students may just feeI sorry for people who are
Iess privileged than themselves. Instead, "Leamers need a holistic appreciation of culture,
for a people's realities are full of political, social, economic and cultural complexities, and
these include our relationships with other peoples that span national boundaries" (Swee-
Global Education 49
Hin. 1993. p. 10). The second problern. according to Sutee-Hin. is the use of the tenn
--interdependence". It will become apparent to students that al1 people are connected
through trride. migrations. and Iand. However. students need to be aware of the 'history'
and 'quality' of these interconnections. Some people. for exampie- have been exploited as
a resulc of others' interests. The problem involves management of the Earth's environment
and human systems. Western notions of management are self-centered. The rich stand to
lose much of their wedth unless many of the world's crises. invohring diverse traditions.
ideologies and systems. are conuolled (S wee-Hin, p. 10). Students becorne *passive
onlookers' as government leaders "improve" their way of life. The final thems of the
technocrttic paradigm is of the usumption of human progress (Swee-Hin. 1993). A
country's success is measured in terrns of economic growth and consumption. Countries
rich and poor are examined in t e m of their gross nationai product and resource
consumption.
The transforrnative pandigm involves many of the values and ideas of a GPS
curriculum. The first theme of this pandigm is the irnplementation of human rights
cducation. Interdependence is no longer self-serving but tmly "hurnanizes our Iinks with
othcr people" ( Swee-Hin, p. 12). Students become tmly involved in others' struggles for
justice and frcedom. The second theme is of planetary survival. Students need to be aware
of structural violence against people and take action against it. For example. they could be
called to question investments or purchases their parents make that involve child labour. A
third theme is of ecological security. In the previous paradigm, rnanaging the world's
rcsources would sirnply involve better conservation and management techniques. A
trrinsformative pwadigm would involve conservation and management of resources, but
also would cal1 students to challenge those that promote ecologicai destruction. The fourth
thcme is that of thinking globdly and acting locally. Students are: challenged to listen to
thcir responsibilities and become involved in local political lobbying. "It encourages the
building of alternative more holistic and democratic futures for sociely and our relationships
Global Education 50
with other peoples and nations" (Swee-Hin, p. 14). And finally, the tifth theme is
émpowerrnent. Students need to hear of others who have k e n comrnitted to change the
world's social, econornic and political injustices. When students hear the stories of others
who have made a difference in the worid, their drearns are kept dive and preparedness for
action enhanced.
Grade I 1 . Twentieth-Centurv Historv: Global and Recrional Perspectives. Own
ICHT301
This course gives students the skills and knowledge to help them understand the
challenges facing people, both at present and in the past, in various parts of the world.
Students will anaiyze human rights issues and problems facing developing nations.
Learning strands include cornmunities at the local, national and global levels: chanses and
cornmunity: citizenship and hentage: and social, economic and political structures.
There arc many opportunities to implement a GPS curriculum in this course. For
esample. one of the çxpeciations is for students to analyze how and why certain individuals
have become the accepted symbols of national or international movements. A possible
GPS activity thar could be implemented at this time would be "Road Maps" from Selby's
Earthkind (p. 91). In this activity students are required to draw a "roadmüp" depicting
the lifc of a person from the period they are studying and use symbols to represent key
points in their lives.
~Many of the expectations in this course are conducive to progressive Iearning.
However. as with the g e o p p h y courses, it is impentive that teachers do not revert to
teaching in the liberal-technocratic paradigm.
Global Education 5 1
Guidance and Career Education
Grade 1 1 . Desinnino Your Future. Open. IGWL30). Leadershin and Peer Support,
Open (GPP3O)
The chief objective of the guidance and career education courses is to prepare
students for the outside world. Students l e m how to improve their relations with others.
better manage their time and resources, and feel better about themselves as people. The
approach to teaching these courses is most important. Teachers need to boost self-esteem
and make students feel important to their farnilies and communities. Then teachers need to
direct students toward the changing complex world outside. Students need to be able to
work and cooperate with others in their homes and workplaces. They learn the skills for
effective communication, temwork, and leadership. The strands of these courses include:
(a) l eming skills. where students discover their own leaming in r d Iife situations: (b)
personal knowledge and management skills, where students describe and assess their
strengths and weaknesses: (c) interpersonal knowledge and skills, where students develop
their skills in communication and temwork: (d) exploration of opportunities, w here
students create opportunities in work and cornmunity participation: and finally, (e) the
preparation for transition and change, where students develop their abilities to make
effective decisions and set goals for themselves.
Health and Phvsical Education: Grade 1 1 . Healthv and Active Living Education.
Open (PPL30)
This course essentially deals with enhancing the quality of life. which is a
component of GPS cumculum. Quaiity of life is not only about enhancing student well-
being. but extends to fostering an appreciation for the environment and sustaining it. Maria
iMies sees consumer liberation as the key to irnproving the quality of life (1993, p. 254).
Fundamental humm needs are universal she says, but the way in which these needs are
satisfied (which she calls "satisfiers") Vary between cultures. Thus, there is an important
Global Education 52
distinction between needs and satisfiers. Mies identifies nine basic human needs that
everyone ha: subsistence. protection, affection. understanding, participation, leisure,
creation (imagination). identity, and freedom. Matends that are produced industrially cm
be pseudo-satisfiers and provide no real satisfaction -- for example cosrnetics to answer the
nced for affection: cars to fi11 the need to enhance status; and arms to provide protection.
Mies makes the comment that non-comodity satisfiers often satisfy severd needs at once.
For example, taking the time to play with children satisfies the needs for affection.
protection. linderstanding and leisure. To adopt this consumer liberütion to improve the
quality of life would drastically change the lives of many. Ultimately, countries would be
liberiited from economic dependency, exploitation of third world countries and resources
would end. and cultures would be able to retain their identities. An alternative view to
improving our qudity of life, such as Mies' should be discussed in a hcdthy and active
living course such as PPL30.
Components of PPL30 would include severd strands: physical activity, which
involves cornpetence in sports: active living, which includes demonstrriting responsibility
for persona1 safety and safety for others: healthy living, which includes mental health and
weli-being: and tinally, living skills, in which students are required to work effectively in
goups and develop positive relationships with their peers.
These courses are probably the best suited for a GPS curriculum. Unfonunately.
not a11 of the courses are mandatory. However, many students will opt for some of the
open courses as they need to have electives. Since there is no prerequisite for these
courses. they are attriictive to students. The other courses mentioned are streamed. For
example, only students heading for îollege or university would take a college / university
prcpüration course. Essentially, it is intended that al1 students will encounter at least several
courses in their grade eleven year that are conducive to GPS cumcul~im.
Global Education 53
Thus far, some important global issues have k e n identified, global education has
besn introduced and 1 have decided how it fits into the provincial curriculum. The
foIIowing chapter will outline the rationale for a global perspectives science curriculum.
Global Education 54
Chanter 4 : Rationale k r a Global Perspecti v e in Sciençe Curriculum
Thc Nccd for a New Alternative Cuniculurn
Traditiondly science has k e n taught in isolation frorn other subjects of the
cumculum, especially in the secondary classroom. The science and technology cumculum
has also ncglected to adquately address many world issues. This neglect has been, in
pan, a consequence of the separation of humans from nature which dates back to 17th-
ccntury scientifïc thought, 'The influence of Descartes' division of 'rès cognita' (mind)
and 'rcs extensa' (mechanical extended substances or matkr) and his arrogation of mind
cxclusivcly to humans has led to our locating ourselves outside and above nature. (Selby,
2000, p. 88). The argument made in this thesis is that science is not an isolated lïeld - it is
vcry much connircted to many global concerns. Environmental, social. political, and
cconomic issur=s must be dealt with in the science classroom. Thc Science, Technology,
Society and the Environment sirand in the new Ontario secondary school cumculum
provides some opportunity for teaching with a global perspective, but a more detaifcd.
action-orientcd cumculum is needed.
Paul Deverreux (1996) writes about the need for people to view sciençc as just one
pcrspcctivc on vicwing the Eariti, Contemporary science now consists of isolated elcments
dcrived by scientists whose results are not obtaincd from universai laws. Hc notes that
science's tme problem is that of power. "It has devised and developed social strategiés and
tcchnical deviccs to elininarc the local to such an extent that it now supplants othcr
knowludgc systems developed outside the Western cultural framework" (p. 27). This
powcr that science exudes has diminished other ways of seeing the carth as infcrior and not
worthy of bcing taken seriously.
Scicntiiic methods have varied significantly over the years. Good scic=ntilic
rcscarch follows a scientiîïc method. 1s this the only route to tollow'? Chemistry and
physics have always k e n the pillars of science and have b e n taught the samc way for
Global Education 55
decades. An: the principles of these subjects necasary for a i l students to leam*! 1s
Western thought the only "tnie" science'? These questions n a d to lx takèn seriously and
rtltemativc science curriculum rnust considered.
Derck Hodson and David Reid (1988) have written about how the approach to
teaching and learning science needs to change, There has k e n a "Sciencc for AU"
movcment in Great Britain, and similar movements in Canada for some time now.
Hodson and Reid argue thrit teachers need to radically change their practice if ail childrcn
arc to lcarn science. There arc thrtx catcgories of cmiculum aims in science (Hodson and
Reid, 1988). Thc tlrst is leamer centercd aims, which includc the devèlopment and
communication of idéas and feelings. building seif esteem, accepting responsibility.
cooperriting with others, and pursuing science for leisure. Thèse leamer aims arc vèry
similar to Pike and Selby's child-centeredness strand of educational practice for global
cducation ( 1999). The second category consists of society-centercd aims, which include
an understanding of science, technology and society, and an appxciation that scientilic
criteria have to bt: balanced with socio-èconomic, environmental, and moral-chical
considcrations whcn decisions are to be made. And finally, the third category includes the
scicncc-centcrcd aims, which entai1 students acquiring the knowledgè, skills and attitudes
of suicncc.
Tnd i tional science leaming has satisfied the criteria of the science-ccntèrcd aims,
and hcrc is somé movcment toward the society-centcred aims; howtivér learner-cenkrca
aims have becn left out completdy (Hodson and Reid, 1988). It is for this reiison that
many childrcn have not Icamed scicnce. Sciencc has not k e n made relevant to al1 studcnts.
nor has it bccn inwrating for ail students. A GPS curriculum would make scicncé rcilcvant
to studcnts bccausc= it is child-centered and it relates science to social, political and
cconomic issues.
Hodson and Reid borrow Maslow's hierarchy of needs to aid in explainhg how
important self c s w m is to a child's Iéarning. Needs lower on the pyramid such as
Global Education 56
physiological needs, saîkty, loving and klonging must be met bebrti levels of the upper
pyramid -- sclfestecm and self actualization -- can bt: achieved. U- ail thèse kvèls c m be
met thèn studcnts wiil téel good about themxlvcs, and about the knowlèdgt. of science that
thcy have already learned. With confidence, students will then d e responsibility for thèir
own learning and kcome motivated. As well, students need to have a sensc that they have
sornt: control of their learning. Too often, science teachers rely on top-down or
instructional based teaching and students have no say in what or how they learn.
Childrcn who beiiève tfiat success derives tfom personal effort arc move
likcly to pcrsist in their efforts, provided that they s e the goal is
worthwhile. It is our belief that giving children a measun: of rèsponsihility
for dcvising their own leaming suategies will increase their sense of control
of cvents and will lead to higher levels of attauiment (Hodson and Reid,
1988).
Childrcn's perception of science needs to change. They need to fèel that thcir scièncc is
worthwhilc; thcy need to know that their knowledge of science cm be used alongsidt:
"officia1 science" in school. When students have contldence and a dèsirc to discover
scicncc on their own thèy will be successful. Thus sciencc wiU tmly be lor dl.
Pikc and Selby (1995) write that science prograrns nwd to be relcvant to studcnts
and nced to motivatc them. in order for this to happen, teachers need to do more han just
h v c students obtain scicntific knowledge and processes. Therc is growing conccrn that
studcnts need to understand how science is intcrcomected with the world. This calls for a
ncw approach to tcaching and learning science. Pike and Sèlby sec thé solution as an
cxpansivcness approach. Students arc still learning thc required scicncc contcnt; howevcr,
they arc required to apply their learning to world issues. Thus, students would relate
scicncc and ethics.
Global Education 57
The "globalization" of science has at ieast four inkrcomectèd components (Pike
and Selby. 1995). First. students need to be exposed to global issues in the classroom.
Second. science should be interdisciplinary. "The science tacher recognizes Ihat she has a
signal contribution to make. from her sprcid vantage point with its sptciai insights. to
studcnts' cultural. rconomic. environmental. political and social undcrstanding" (1995).
Third, science needs to incorporate a futures component. David Hicks, as mentioned in the
sccond chapter of this thesis (see page 15). advocates teaching for the future. Scicntitic
knowledgc of global warming for instance, can Iead to an understanding and apprcciation
of possible and probable futures for ihc Earth. And îinally. science calls for multiple
leaming styles. Global rducation calls for cooperative. interactive. and active participatory
lcaming (Pike and Selby. 1995). As mentionrd radier. students need to Fez1 that they an: in
control of thcir Ieming. Adoption of multiple leamhg styles helps students fcel Iess
intimidated by science and provides them with a mzasure of choice and control. and givcs
thcm conLidence to discover for themselves.
The GPS curriculum. as outlinrd in chapter five, contains thèse components of
rlobal science. First, the introductory unit èntitled "Issues and Trends" provides the *
opportunity for students to l e m about the environrncntal. politicai, social and cconomic
issues in the world today. Second. the GPS curriculum is to be implemented over a
nurnbcr of possible subject courscs. as indicated in the previous chapter. so that it is
consistent with the notion ba t global science is intcrdisciplinary. Third. the GPS
c.umculum has a futurc-îàcing component, The second unit cntitlcd. "Alwmative Visions."
cncompasscs many alternative futures for consideration. These futures involvc
cçofcmminist porspcctives. the universe story and cebbntory perspectives. and pcople-
ccntcrcd pcrspectivcs, among others. And fourth, the GPS curriculum includcs activities
that incorporate multiple leaming styles. Sarnples of these activities will bc included in
chaptcr lïve. Mriny of these activities involve cooperation and active lcaming.
Global Education 58
Lcarnin F S tvles
An important cornponent of the rationalc for global science is the need to addrcss
multiple Iearning styles. While addressing I w i n g styles, activities must incorporatc
messages of peace, cooperation, compassion and respect.
If somc of the principle "messages" of humane education conccm compassion,
kindncss, harmony, justice and equal consideration, then thesè ntxd to bt: rctlected
in the clirnate, ethos and quality of relationships evidmt in the classroom
(Sclby, 1995, p. 50).
The leruning styles that nwd to be employed in the creation of a GPS curriculum
must zflect the "messages" of the content. Some of the messages in a GPS curriculum
wouId bc vcry similar to those of humane cducation. In fact. humane cducation is a major
part of any global education study. In order to cxatri a clirnatrr that fosters kindncss.
cquality. compassion, justice and qua1 consideration, the tacher must choosc teaching
strrircgics that involve all Icarners in the classroom. All of the students' input must bt:
considercd equcilly. Obviously, in any classroom thcri: aré going to be students who need
to hc cncouragcd to contribute to the leaniing of the whole classroom. A student musr k.
cont'idcnt in order to address the neèds and intercsts of the world, In ordcr to k conlidcnt
a studcnt must have high self esteem. Thcrefore, any learning style cmployed in @ohal
cducation must not be cornpetitive or demeaning in nature. It is also pcrtincnt that the
tcachcr bc conlident as wcll,
Tcachcrs set thc examplc
As Wong ( 1995) says: "Every Lime you act you vaiidatc who you arc". Tcachers
arc in ri very privileged and responsible position; they may even spcnd mon= time with
children tlian their parents do. Thus rhtry arc well placed to shape the minds and attitudes
Global Education 59
of so many, Hcncè a teacher's responsibiiity is not only to tèrich children, but to mould
thcm into honest, caring and compassionaie people. We may never know the cxtent of the
impressions we make on young minds, be they good or bad. hut the èt'fects art: extensive.
Tcrichcrs should make a conscious effort to develop themselvés as confident, caring people
in order that children will learn Liom k i r example. As this enculturation occurs. studcnts
c m share these skills and attitudes with farnily and other students in the schoot. and Lindly
with the local and global community.
Tcachèrs otièn scnd mixed messages to children in the clrissroom. For cxamptc,
my school has a monthly honour roll system. Each studènt strivtx to attah an ovcralI
rivcragc ot'eighty-Iivc percent in her or his academic subjects. nit: goal. of course. is for
students to work to thcir optimum in order to achievc suçcess. However. this goal is
maskcd by cornpetition arnong siudents for marks. The result of di this confusion and
pressure is that teachcrs and studcnts can becorne suessed, agitatcd and aggrcssive.
Given this situation. a teacher mus1 develop her own self as she helps studcnts.
This means becoming genuinè, empathetic and non-judgmcntal. WC, as tcachers, nccd to
cndcrivour to srnilc more otien, praisc coopcration. boost self esteem and tcach childrcn to
be humanc: people.
A major problem in building classrooms of diInnation is often tcachcrs'
own lack of sclf csteem ... Teachers with a low self cstèem oticn tcnd
towards a conservative or minirnalist vicw of students' willingncss to Icarn,
intrinsic motivation, capacity for self direction and scif-organisation
(Sclby, 1995, p. 40).
Samnle le am in^ stvles
Cooperativc learning, adopiing multiple intelligences, expriential learning, and
imrncrsion cxperiences should bc somc of ihe teaching strategics used in implernenting ri
Global Education 60
GPS curriculum. It is impentive to always rernember rhat the medium is just as important
as the message.
Cooprrrr rive leuming,
Cooperative learning is a teaching strategy that idediy builds self csteem of the
entirc group. Sclby (1995) identitiès six aims of cooperative learning (p. 31). First, dl
studcnt...' contributions are considered and valued. Second. then: is no competition in
coopcrativc Icarning bccause cvcryone is a winncr. Third. cooperative Icaming involves the
s h a r i n of idcas and perspcctives ofothers. Fourth, positive attitudes c m d s o bc developcd
with cooperative learning, as students lcarn to share. which is parunount if world prohlems
such ris poverty, violence and oppression are to change. Fifth, and probably thc most
important message sent to the students by employing cooperative learning techniques in the
~ I u s r o o m . is that of intcrdcpcndence. The ''tirst law of ecology" statss that cverything in a
system is intcrconnected with everything else -- you c m ncver do jus1 one th ing By
working together cooperatively, studmts will get a sense OS the dynamics within a group
and ün intcrnalizcd understanding of interdepcndence. They will leam very quickly how
those d y n m i c s dftfcr the outcorne of an activi~y. And 1-mally, a Link h a k e n established
hctwccn cooperative learning and higher learning skilis and cooperativc Iearning.
Mrt lriplr I n r d ligences.
Effcctivc leaming means thoughtiùl leaming. Lèamérs do not açhicve well-
undcrstood and active bodies of knowlèdge through rom Icarning. Rather,
thoughtlùl Ieaming rich with conncction-making is ntxded for insight and
for thc livcly and tlcxible use of knowledge (Perkins, 1991, p. 6 ) .
Global Education 6 1
Multiplc intèlligcnces art: why we all learn differently. Traditionally in schools, teachcrs
have uscd teaching stratqies involvins reading and writing. Howevcr, in wcrint years
rcscarch has shown that not d l of us can l e m through these methods-
In 1983, Howard Gardner published a book entitled. Frames of Mind: The
Theory of Multiple Intelligences. According to Gardner, an inkliigencc "enlails the
ability to solve problcms or fashion products that are of consequence in a particular cultural
sctting or community" (De Amicis, 1997, p. 3). Schools are a sétting or community to
which this concept has k n applisd. Gardner's multiple intelligences theory providrs a
brisis with which wc can identify. value and devclop student's abilities. Hc klieves thrit
thcrc arc eight biological intelligences and everyone c m express al1 of thcm to somc extcnt.
Howcvcr. as we arc ail individuals we will express some in~lligcnces more than others.
Thc scvcn intelligences are as follows: (a) logical-maihernritical: ont: enjoys solving
problcms. linding patterns. outlining, and calculating; (b) linguistic: ont: relates to thé
mczining, rhythms and sounds of words; (c) spatial: one likes to design, invent. imagine
and crcatc; (d) bodily kinesthetic: one l e m s through physical movemcnt, mimicking and
touching; (c) musical 1 rhythmic: one enjoys the human voice, as w d as environmenial and
instructional sounds; ( t ) interpersonal: one understands others' feelings; (g) intrapersonril:
undcrstands one's own emotions, motivations and moods, and (h) naturidistic: onc who is
conccrncd about natural phenomena and intcrrèlationships among living things (Reiff,
1997, p. 30 1, and Goodnough, 2000, p. 17).
Why do we ncèd to incorporate multiplc inteiligcnces into our tcaching? The answcr
is simple and c m tx found in thrtx of Gardner's (1996) fivc postulatcs of muluplc
intclligcncc: (Multiple Intelligences and Teaching Science. University of Toronto.
1 W6):
1 . Each person has a characteristic form of perception, mèmory and léaming.
2 . Mental processes can exist in ri varicty of t o m s and arc indcpcndent of one another.
Global Education 63
3. Humans develop different competències when their culturcs value different intelligences.
Thcrefore, it must be the responsibility of the kachcr to use ri varièty of instructiona1
strate& to méet thé needs of al1 students.
Evperitw t i d Letrrning
Within thc tiamcwork of cooperative learning is exprientiai lcaming. S d b y rcfcrs
to cxpcricntiai Icarning as agi tahg the corntônable: 'The most productive Ièarning contcxts
arc maniksted by a deiicate and iensile balance k tween comfortability and challenge"
( 1995. p. 42).
Expcricntial ieaming leads to c ~ a t i v r : thinking, problem solving and constant
c h d l c n ~ c s . Studcnts are immerséd in new ideas; ideas that challenge thcir own
pcrspcctives and vaIues. These types of activities create real litç situations wherc: studcnts
have to bc critical, work together, and above d l , communicate in order to make decisions
thlit will riiriifcct the direction the group takes. "Experiential learning cssentidly involves an
exploration of persona1 feelings, attutudcs and values through which thc dcvclomcnt of
cognitive skiiis can take place, cither dunng the experience, or on rdlcction thèrcal-tcr"
(Sclhy, 1995, p. 45).
Itrrtner-sion Ekperiences
Studcnts cannot tnily mwt aii the aims and objectiva of global ducrition without
bcing actively involved in a =al life situation. David Selby rekrs to this as "btting thc
ou~5idc world in, letting ihc inside world out." It is paramount that childrcn nccd to lem
out of the classroom. One cannot iïna1ly learn about c=cological litcracy. for cxamplc, in
any other setting but the outdoors. How else can a studcnt expcricnce the interdependencc
oT an ccosystcm'? It has b e n my experience that students knef i t Liom living with cach
othcr and within the natural world for a prolonged period of time. On week-long outdoor
espcriencts. students lïve and work mgsrhrr wrnty-four hours a &y. and truiy function
a a f m i l y unir Cooperallon. compassion. playhg together. carllig and sharïng d l corne
togctfit'r during bis cime. The bensfits can k sssn in the classroorn and c m k. extendcd to
rhcir CJN-n families at home. Xi schools should k t - e an opportuni- to paniciparrt in an
outdoor cducation program. in many c-s. srudents do not know how t coopenit: and
work ils a family uni^ -41 people nard to work and play togzther harmoniously.
-4s wcll. s tukn t s have 1.0 k o m e involved in cornrnunitiss 3t di les& in order to
cxpcricnc~ scimt: of the aims and objectives of global education. Since one of rht. aims of
rhis ali~.rnativ<: program is to provide lsaming sxpzriences t int givr studrnrs the îhiLit!. to
vicw the ~rorld as a planstary society. studcnts nrcd to k involved in local community
action projccts. "'Involvement Litsncÿ' is not simply a question of hrlping siudents
dcvclop and hone theu socid action skills. important as that is. It encornpasses the
~.xplor;ition and cvduation of' the range of avenues and stratcgiss open to hose who tvish io
ct'fitct changc" (Selby. 1995, p. 3 17).
Thc Contcxt
Glohd Educauon will be thé context for the alternative science program. Through
global cducation. students will be able to scc how science is rclatcd to othrr courses thry
study and. most importantly, to the world in which they live. Ronald Bymcs ( 1997) writès
01- global cducation's promise to rcinvigonti: classroorn l ik . He borrows a detïnition of
giohal cducation, bascd on what it ofkn involves, frorn Tye and Tye ( 1992).
Global Education 64
GIobaI cducation involvcs 1. the study of problems and issues that cut
across national boundaria, and the interconncctednas of the systcms
involved--economic, environmental, cultural, political. and technological; 2.
the cultivation of cross-cultural understanding, which includes development
of the ski11 of perspective-taking--that is k i n g able to x e life from somconc
clse's point of view. Global perspectives an= important at every grade Ievel,
in cvery c u ~ c u l a r subject area, and for all children and adults (Bymes,
1997, p. 96).
The Role of Science in Global Education
The importance of ecotogical thinking is very much part of global and science
cducation. Generally, students have experienced a very shallow vicw of cnvironmcntal
studics. This is in part due to the fact that schools have made some effort to "grcen" their
cnvironments, such as rcducing garbage and waste, setting-up rccycling and composting
programs, and rc-using paper. However, environmental action activities cm not stop thère.
"Si~nilicant as such dcvelopments are, they cm easily seduce us into lxlieving ba t they
amount to suflïcicnt educationai responx to the environmental crisis we face"
(Sclby, 2000, p. 88).
Evcn though wc have convinced students and our communities to rccyclc and
rcusc. studénts stili think as consumers, such that success involvès owning a home with a
thrcc door garage and at l e s t thrw cars. Our students' environmcntal ethic is supcriicial.
Students O S aII ages are very imprcssionablc and many of thcir values arc fomed hy mcdia
and by classmatcs. Tcachcrs also have a great dcal of intluence with shaping the valucs of
young mincis. It is one of their responsibilitics to cncouragc studènts to think rnorally,
compassionately and responsibly. Teachcrs need to scnd messages to students that
promotc morc signiîicant values ihan the ones they sce on television. This is donc by
sctting an cxampIc. As well, science tcachers need to spend more rime in class discussing
Global Education 65
issucs hat rcllect more signiîicant values. Science needs to preparc: students for the
twcnty-t'irst century.
This preparation must involve much more than the transmission of scientific
knowledge. It must instill values, skills, and attitudes that will allow
cffectivc participation in a world characterized by increrising global
intcrdcpcndencc and enable studcnts to critically examine the global issucs
afkcting humankind (van der Beek. 1992. p. 18).
By ~caching science with a global perspective these mort: signilicant values havc a = ~ r r a t c r
chancc of permrating through to the students. In keeping with the axiom. "think globally.
act locally", one has to look to the local community tirst. Teachérs need to sct rhc
c x m p l c . Tcachers should be active in the community: either politicaily, standing up for
ihcir convictions. o r through heading up charity fund raisers. or building pcacc
rnonumcnts. or even singing in a church choir. Studenis take note of this involverncnt.
Studcnts nccd to work with the community to devclop as human beings. 0th our
clrissroorns becomè isolated from thc community. An altcrnativc science cun-iculum musi
involvc thc local community and exposure to comrnunities rnuch diffcrent than thcir own
(Hodson. 1999). As mentioned by Tye and Tye above. global education is thc story OC
intcrconncctcd systcms. Therel'orc. scicncr: and tcchnology must not exist in isolation li-om
cvcrything clsc.
Samplcs of GPS Curriculum
Grade ninc advanccd -science: m e n nlant and food production unit,
Van der Beek (1992) writes of a gradé nine science unit on green plants that was
dcsigncd from a global perspective. This unit on green plants was rr good cxamplc of how
global cducation could he integrated into established cumculum. Aithough the "Common
Global Education 66
Curriculum" (the provincial cumculum used by Ontario teachers through grades 1-9 at the
timc this plant unit was written) has b e n replaced, this example of teaching science with a
rlobal perspective is still very relcvant. Tcachers will tind that thcy c m insen global
pcrspcctivès for scicncc (GPS) into existing m a s of the cumculum just as van der Beek,
the science CO-ordinator for the Lincoln County Board of Education. Ontario. and other
tc;ichcrs have done.
In Lincoln County, van der Beek. tcachcrs and grade nine studcnt'; dècided that
lcarning about the macro and micro parts of a grcen plant may not neccssarily bè Lhc most
important knowledge thèy nced to know, Plant-rclated issues such as glohd warming.
human rights. deforestation, hunger and starvation wcre considcred much mon: relcvant
and important to students. T h e s issues are of concem to everyonc. whcrcas vcry fcw
s~udcnts will cver nccd to now about choroplasts, vacuoles and othcr micro-orgruielles of a
plant ka t - Therdore. the objectives of the old cuniculom unit were changcd as follows.
First. it was dccidsd that thc activitics for the plant unit nccded to address the values ol'
tcaching for a global perspective. Second, was that coopcrative Icarning would be an
important part of thc learnin_e process in this unit. Third, g r a m attention was plxcd on
studcnts' pnor knowlédge and their reasoning skills. Furthcrrnorc, contcnt of the plant
rclatcd issues w u to bc integrated into other subject axas. The ncw cumculum unit lookcd
vcry difltircnt from the traditional one. Howevcr, it did cover al1 thc content rquired rit thc
timc by thc Ministry of Education, in addition to making students awrirc of some globai
issucs, As wèll. studcnis wcrc introduccd to a new approach to Icarning.
Thc unit k g a n with student discussion of a story called 'The GlobaI Wch". in
which The studenis icarncd about a girl and thc wcb of global connections in hcr l ik . The
story scrvcd as a good inuoduction for the students' introduction into plants. The lirst
activity involvcd having the students rexarch somc plants and plant products (such as
coCICc and tca) that had k e n put on display in order to tind out detriiIs, including whcre thc
plants arc grown, what xctor of the population picks thc plant product. what scctor of thc
Global Education 67
population malces the most money from the plant product, and how the product is
proccssèd. The resarch assignrnent then Led to a human rights discussion.
Larning about strirch was part of the provincial cumculum for this unit. The focus
ut' this part of the unit was on m a t consumption and its effects on the environment, which
Icd to discussions and assignments on the diets OC marginalized peop1t.s. Another issue
studicd was that of global warming. for which the students participatcd i n a numher of
traditional laboratory activities demonstrating the carbon dioxidc cycle. Thc studcnts also
prtrticipatcd in a number of simulation g m e s , one of which was cntitlcd "Wimcrs and
Loscrs in the Global Viilrtgè." There are many variations of this gamc, ont= of which will
hc cxplaincd in chapter 5 of this thesis, "Food for Thought" (pp. 76-79). Esséntially.
studcnts are dividèd into the !ive regions of the world. The largest group of students
rcprcscntcd Asia and was sent to the back OC the class, The North American group was
scnt to the front of the class. The objrjct of the garne was to sce how many wads of paper
could bc thrown into a basket locried at the front of the classroom. Obviously, the North
Amcricrin group won because they were closest to the basket. The point o l this simulation
was simply to demonstrate inequities in global status. The world is divided into si small
minori~y of wcalthy people and a Iarge majority of poor.
At the beginning of this plant unit the activities wcre very traditional in their
approach. such that students wcrc provided with materials and information in ordcr to
cornplctt. thc activities. This is known as the transmission approach to tcaching. Howèver.
as the unit progresscd, the activitiés becarnc more student-centered. For cxmplc , studcnts
wcrc dcsigning their own cxperiments to show how plants remove carbon dioxidè from thc
cnvironmcnt, Thc children's learning is bascd on applying their current knowlcdge to
gcncratc thcir own questions and work, with guidance, toward gctting answcrs. This is thc
constructivist approach to teaching and learning science (Hodson. 1998. pp, 34-44). Thc
èvaluation of this green plant unit also varied ïrom traditiond units. Studcnts did not have
to writc a trsiditional test to convey their knowledgc, skills and attitudes toward g w n
Global Education 68
plants. Instead they could design and present their own s k t , video, poster, dcbate or
writin? to demonstrate theu leaming.
Tcachinrr Chernisp with a global pers-pectivc
Prtuick Hrizlewood developed an altcmative science program for ri third ycar
chcmisuy course in England (approximately equivalent to a grade nine chcrnistry unit in
Ontario). Uis alternative sciencc program was a wrrilic success in wrms of rittracLing "lcss
riblc" studcnts to chèmistry. This chemistry course was considercd to bc aitcrnative
bccausc "an understanding of chemistry is developcd within a frarnework in which western
vicwpoints arc conuasted with third world viewpoints" (Hxdcwood. 1985, p. 47). The
main ohjcctivès of the coursr: were a s tollows. First, students werc to dcvclop an
ripprccirition of chemistry and its globai intluence. Second, students wert. to explorc
cumcni world issues in reIation to chemistry, t'rom both western and third world
vicwpoints. And Iinally. the students* work would hclp them form a basic understanding
ol' fundamcntal chernical p ~ c i p l e s .
The content of this course was very sirnilar to the traditional chemistry course. The
cl-icmical concepts wcre thcn interspersed within topics of global concèrn. The first topic,
for cxamplc. was watcr. The students were expccted to tind out wherè it comcs liom and
how it is uscd in the home. in industry. and in agriculture. Investigations includcd
analyzing watcr to test for watcr hardness and solubility. Findly, the students wèrè to
cornparc watcr samplcs for acceptable Icvds of purity. These acceptable levels were thcn
cornparcd to operriting levéls elsewhere in England.
Anothcr topic was metals and alloys. The contcnt of this coursc includcd
cxamining thc properties and uses of metals and ailoys, such as stct'l. AL thé same timc,
studcnts studiéd the extraction of metal ores and their effects on the environmcnt. C o p p r
mining in South Mrica and tin mining in Bolivia werc w d as cxamples.
Global Education 69
Hazlewood mentions in his article (1985) that there wert: somc shortî'rills in the tirst
year of implementing this course. A course of this nature nmds to bt: constantly reviscd.
"Many of our uwn views, attitudes and perceptions of situations / issucs an: decidedly
limited ... it would certainly scem that in the attempt to develop science courses of this typ:
much thinking needs to bè done to reassess one's basic philosophy" (p. 46).
At this point in this thesis it would be productive to examine some other viewpoints
rcgarding ri need for global perspectives in science. In particular, the role of environmental
cducation and tcaching for sustttinability in scicnce curriculum needs to k considered.
Thc Environment and Sustainabilitv
Teaching about sustainability is critical to a child's Icarning. T o this end. terichcrs
nccd to tcach relevant science cumculum in our schools. (Hodson, 1994) devised a list of
scicncc arcas that he thought would bt: relevant for today's studcnts to study: (a) agriculture
(Iood production), (b) energy resourccs. (c) Iand, water. and mincml rcsourccs, (d)
industry and tcçhnology, (e) the environment, (t') communications. and ( s ) ethics and
social rcsponsibilities. Ail of these science areas are linked to the environment and
susiainability. Howcvcr, if these m a s were to bc taught in schools, rhcy would have to lx
cxamincd criticaily. Gcnerally. sustainability refers to "improving thc qudity of human I ik
whilc living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosysiems" (Scott and Oulton, p.
2 14). Thercforc, sustainability rcquires action in the present to protèct the Lùturc. Hicks
( 1994) rct'crs to sustainability as envisioning prefcrable hturcs. Hicks requires pcoplc: to
think of what thc future will look like if wè take stcps towards hxornin, 0 a morc
"ccologically sustainahlc community" (sec chaptcr two of this thcsis, pagc 15).
Sincc altcmauve hturcs is a key component of a GPS curriculum, then a more
bioccntric vision would have to be adopted. "For any kind OC global sustainability tc occur,
i t is mandatory for al1 social thought and practice to make a major conceptual shift from
anthropoc-ciiuism to ecocentrism; a necessary correlation is for education ta effcct thc samé
Global Educsition 70
change" (Bowen, 1988, p. 13). Science and technology cannot be put aside but much less
productivity is necessary to move towards a more sustainable hturc. Past approachès of
scicncc must change to a new "conccption of science and technology bascd holist.
sustainablc foundations" (Bowen, 1988, p. 14).
Essèntially, with thex proposed alternative science areas, traditionai course content
would k. changèd. Classroom priorities would not lie so much in brilancing equations. but
rathcr in studying mèthods of food production and loss of h l m d to sprawling cities.
Tcachcrs nccd to help studènts learn to deal with a changing worId ~ h a i is going to at'fècr
thcir livcs. Students must l e m that heir actions now wiii dictate their future.
Global Education 7 1
Chapter 5: A Global Persmctive for Science Cumculum
Introduction
Thus far, 1 have ntionalized global education as a means to deliver an alternative
science program. As well, 1 have determined the courses and grdde level at which to
impiement this global science prograrn. Next. I shall address the ultimate purpose of this
thesis, which is to outline and discuss a global science program that addresses some of the
world's environmental, political and socio-econornic problems. These problems include
over-population. envuonmental degradation, globalization, conflict and oppression of
peoples, growth and devdopment, and the inequitable distribution of wealth between the
rich and poor. In addition, a global science prograrn of this nature needs to encourage
alternative visions for the future. Such visions would include improving the quality of life
for ail people. encouraging ecological Iiteracy for al1 people and introducing some
alternative perspectives on life such as ecoferninism, people centered development. native
spirituality, and celebration.
Backoi-ound -
At one time, humankind still had a connection m d respect for the world around
her. Human beings experienced themselves as part of the natural order. People had a
niche on this Earth, just as the birds and fiowers do. The Native people of North America,
for example, had the highest respect for animais. They did not domesticate them: in fact.
after a hunt of caribou, there would often be a ceremony of praise given to the spirit of the
animal. Whereas European settlers believed they had to tame the wilderness in order live in
the New WorId, the Native peoples did not believe there was a wilderness for anyone to
tame. Humans had their place in the world, which was a living, breathing, vibrant creature
itself. Any taming of the wilderness would just upset the balance of the natural order.
Later, during the 17th and 18th century, scientists and philosophers were beginning to
Global Education 72
separate humans from the natural world. Their so-called "progressive" thinking has led us
to many of our present world trends and issues. It was at this time that the Western view
of the world becarne very mechanistic. Modem science would base many of ifs principles
on this compartmentalist, mechanistic view of the universe.
Coming into our century, there was a deep and abiding faith in the human intellect.
technology and the powers of modem science ... Now let US look again at the
terminal decade of the twentieth century. In contrast to the grand optirnism of the
terminal decade of the nineteenth century. we are living in a decade of conflicting
voices and visions (O'Sullivan, 1999, p. 14).
Some modem thinkers are trying to reverse this thinking of severaI hundred years.
Scientists such as Bohm, Capra. and Zohar (Selby, 1999, p. 128). for example have
understood that the universe is a complex systern that functions through many
interconnected parts. No longer can scientists examine components of the universe in
isolation. It is in part from this thinking that global science is born -- the notion that
science educators need to convey to the students that everything they learn in science has
many connections with the world and their lives.
The GPS cumculum was originally based on Robin Richardson's framework of
four interconnected areas (1979): the background of world society's problems: the four
main worId problems (poverty, pollution / depletion, conflict, and oppression); action
to tackle world society's problems; and findly the values of how society should be
orpnized and the persona1 needs of individuais (See figure 5.1 ). The first unit of the GPS
curricuIum, Issues and Trends, would represent the background and the problems of world
society; and the second unit, Alternative Visions, would represent the action and vdues
areas. However, even though these areas were interconnected, 1 wanted to mode1 my GPS
curriculum on a more contemporary, holistic framework.
Global Education 73
Figure 5.1: Richardson's Framework for Studying Contemporary World
Society (1979)
i Action I I i
' Problems i
i \ / Background , I
Thus. my attention was drawn to Pike and Selby's four dimensional frarnework for
ulobal education ( 1999. 2000). By using their framework 1 could stilI use the two units z
Issues and Trends. and Future Visions because they were related CO "worldmindedness"
and "chi ld-centeredness".
The first unit, issues and trends, provides opportunities for students to l e m about
world issues frorn a global perspective. This unit incorporates worldmindedness and child
centeredness. "It (global education) addresses issues of development. equity. pcace. social
and environmental justice, and environmental sustainability. Its scope encompasses the
personal. the local, the national and the planetary" (Selby. 1999, p. 126).
The second unit, dternative visions, also contains elemcnts of worldmindedness
and child centeredness. Child centeredness is about encouraging students to l e m through
ex plorrition and discovery -- developing persona1 growth. Pike and Seiby comment that
&ha1 education brings these two strands of educational thinking and practice togethcr. It .+
is rny hope as well for the alternative visions unit to promote these two strands of
educational thinking and practice.
Global Education 74
Global education is holistic and ti-ansformative. "in its transformative, holistic and
biocentric modes. global education is sister to two significant 'global proposais'.. .ho! ist ic
education and transformative Iearning (Selby, 1999, p. 128). 1 wanted my GPS
cumculum to include these intentions. Global education has been intluenced by quantum
research. Quantum research contradicts traditionai, mechanistic scientific thinking. Instead
of trying to understand something in terrns of isolating the "parts" of the "whole", one
must look at the dynarnics of the "whole" to l e m about the "parts". Theretore, dl "parts"
of the universe must be interconnecied with each other to forrn the "whole" --nothhg exists
in isolation.
Global education, as mentioned in chapter two of this thesis (pp. 17- 18). involves a
systems approach: in order to fulIy understand a global issue, dl connections of i t s
components from the personal to the interpersonal and from the local to the global must be
exarnined. Thus. Pike and Selby's four dimensional mode1 is most appropriate for the GPS
curriculum and transformative Iearning (See figure 5.2). These dimensions wcre discussed
on pages 20 to 22 of chapter 2.
Figure 5.2: Pike and Selby's Four Dimensional Model for Global Education
Dimension
Spatial Dimension
Inner n ( Dimension )
Global Educütion 75
The Globai Persnectives for Science Curriculum
Unit One: Issues and Trends
Unit One of the GPS curriculum can be implemented at any time and in any of the
courses mentioned in chapter three of this thesis. Students c m simply choose an issue of
relevance or interest to the course they are studying. Ail the issues and trends outlined in
the tirst chapter of this thesis are cross-cumcular topics of unit one.
The rerison for designing the first section of the GPS cumculum as "lssues and
Trends." was so that the GPS curriculum would f i t into Pike and Selby's four dimensional
mode1 for global education. There are three aspects of the "issues" dimension of their four
dimensional model. First, students need to learn about key global issues and trends which
1 \41 have "multi-levelled, including personal and local. manifestations" (Selby. 1999, p.
13 1 ). Second, as the word "issue" implies, the subject matter is controversial
(Richardson, 1979). It is important for students to understand that there are many
perspectives on global environmental, social, political and econornic issues. And third.
these issues are very complex and interconnected. Therefore, some social issues may also
be iinked to economic or political issues.
When implementing the GPS curriculum it is important to consider the other three
dinlensions of Pike and Selby's model. When studying trends and issues. students need to
be aware o f interdependence (spatiai dimension). At a persona1 Ievel this entails one's
inncr-self and on a larger scale how systems affect their personal well-being. As well. the
inner dimension must be recognized. The medium and the message must be one and the
same. In other words the process of leaming is just as important as the content. And
tinrilly. the futures dimension must be considered. In keeping with the interconnectedness
of Pike and Selby's four dimensional framework, it is recornmended that activities from
the "Alternative visions" unit be used with the "Issues and trends" unit.
Global Education 76
The first unit of the GPS cumculum provides activities which help students
make connections with science. technology. society and the environment. At this time two
activities, "Food for Thought" and "Critical Appraisal of Science Articles" will be
addressed.
Food for Thou~h t
The tlrst interactive activity, "Food for Thought" (Zero Population Growth, 1996.
pp. 128-38). can take upwards of five, forty-five minute classes to complete. The activity
is focused on population but expands to rnany related issues. This rictivity clin be
inipleri~ented at any time and in any course where population issues rnay arise. The most
opportune time may be during a grade eleven Canadian and World Studies course. World
population is a very complex environmental issue that is connected to econornics, politics.
and culture. It is an issue that is k i n g followed by the media. since the world population
has recently reached six billion. Many issues, such as food production and carrying
capacity . resource management, energy consurnption and health care. arise w hen
population growth is discussed.
"Food for Thought" demonstrates the inequitable distribution of people and
rcsources riround the world. The students have a chance to role-play by becoming
ambassadors of the world's regions (Asia, Africa. Europe. North Amerka. and Latin
America) and also representatives of their region's populations. Through a series of
information cards and discussion questions, the students should be able to gain a geat deal
of insight into population demographics, quality of life, land use patterns. and energy
consumption and w d t h . For the last section, energy consumption and wealth. the
students use toothpicks and candies to represent each region's share of wealth.
(See Appendix B: Ambassador Cards)
The first section of this activity deals with population demographics. which include
birth rates. dcath rates and doubling time. Circular pieces of wool representing the land
Global Education 77
areri of the five regions of the world, made to scale, are spread out in a large room.
Students are asked to go inside each circle. The proportion of students participriting in the
rictivity would be representative of the regions' populations.
(See Table 5.1 ) For exarnple. North America's circle would be less full than Asia's. Then
the populations are doubled and students quickly see the concept of carrying capacity.
After the activity, the ambassadors ask questions from the cards to start a discussion about
increasing populations. This section provides opportunity for students to think about what
rcsources would be üvailabie to people if the Earth's population were to double.
Table 5.1: Region Information Chart (Zero Population Growth, 1996)
Europe Asia
28 ft. 1 32 ft. 35 ft. 45 ft. 48 ft.
Population in Millions
With 28 participants ( 1 = 200 million)
Regions Percent of World Land Area
Percent of Region's Land that is Arable
Per Cap. Energy Consumption (mcasured in barre1 of oil - represented by toothpicks)
Per Capita GNP I candy = S 3 0 US
Table 5.1 has been borrowed from Zero Population Growth's People and the Planet,
p. 129.
Global Education 78
The next session deals with quality of life, which includes fertility rates, mortality
rates, life expectancy and tevel of education. This would be an opportunity to examine
some of the social systems in different countries around the world. For example. students
will be able to make correlations between education and nutrition, and education and
decreased mortality rates. There are no resources to make this section hands-on. The
ambassadors simply ask questions from their cards to begin a discussion.
Land use patterns are also examined in this activity. The students will learn that
43% of the world's population is urbanized. They also l e m ho t much of this population
is spreading to suburban areas, which of course restricts the arnount of land for hrming.
iMany environmental problems will result from this pattern of land use -- for example.
increased pollution, sanitation and health problems. Again. there are no resources to make
this section hands-on. The ambassadors simply ask questions from their cards to begin a
discussion. However. the activity, "Earth: the Apple of my Eye" (Zero Population
Growth. 1994, p. 54), would be good to introduce at this point to visudly show a
representrition of land use.
The final section, w hich addresses energy consumption and weal th. teaches
w d e n t s about industriai use and gross national products. This would be a good point at
which to introduce discussion of the World Bank and the rnany issues surrounding its role
in world economic development. At this time, the students representing the world's
different regions are given bags of toothpicks which represent the amount of energy
consunled by eüch citizen of that region in a year, and candies which represent each
person's average earning in Amencan dollars. The bags are then given to the ambassadors
who address questions to their group. The questions deal with consumption. garbage
produced from consumption, and immigration to less densely populated areas. Questions
deaIing wi th immigration ask arnbassadors what conditions they will impose on immigrants
and whether preference will be given to refugees from war-tom nations.
Global Education 79
Students dso have an opportunity to impiement a United Nations' Advisory
Committee. which needs to respond to questions about the unequal distribution of wealth.
Also the cornmittee would have to deai with the following questions: "Should donor
countries link aid to policies that rnight enable recipient countries to become self-sufficient
in the future'? What should be done about environmental problems caused by one region
but affecting others?'((Zero Population Growth, 1996, p. 136). Al1 these questions are
presented in such a way that students can draw on their own prïor knowledge of the
world's different regions and the new knowiedge that they have lemed throughout this
activity. Of course. "Food for Thought" is a discussion based activity in which al1 students
are encouraged to participate. The next activity, "Student Guidelines for Critical Appraisd
of Science Articles," is fwused on instnicting students in methods for criticai reading.
Critical Anpisal of Science Articles
Leming to be critical of media is an important ski11 to have as an informed global
citizen. "It is important for students to recognise when language is king used
manipulatively and to develop the confidence to allow their own person 'voice' to imbue
their writing" (Pike and Selby, 1995. p. 47). To this end. students require guidelines to
direct them how to read articles in newspapers and on the intemet. and to deconstruct what
they watch on television, and what they heu from politicians. Many of the activities in the
GPS curriculum will involve discussion of issues and readings from journals. newspapers
and nlaguines. The students will also have the opportunity to examine websites on the
internet and evaluate them critically.
There are two strategies that 1 feel would be beneficial to aid students in becoming
critical readers and participating in discussion of controversial issues. The first is a set of
guidelines that 1 helped devise during a course in science education at OISE. The
guidelines c m be followed when reading any article (see Appendix C: Student
Guidelines for Critical Appraisal of Science Articles).
Global Education 80
The second strates is a Iist of questions that students c m ask themselves to help
promote reasoning skills in a discussion. In any philosophical discussion, the issue should
relate to our own experiences at a personal level and then move to a wider perspective
(see Appendix D: Questions to Promote Reasoning Skilis).
"Critical Appraisal of Science Articles" is an activity that c m fit into any course of
the present grade eleven curriculum because critical reading is mandated in dl courses. and
sspecially in English credits.
The media have collectively become the largest vehicle for comrnunicating science
to students outside of school. Even the rnost innocent-looking scientific story not onIy
conveys information, but also helps to modiQ Our attitudes towards. and ideas about,
science and scientists. (Silverstone, 1989, p. 188) These additional "messages" give rise
to concem. For example, the media often present surnmaries of scientific news and
discoveries. yet omit important details and in depth analysis. This is in part due to the
pcrceived public need for instantaneous news and "sound bite" presentation styles.
Sometimes articles o r news segments are slanted toward a favoured opinion of readers or
viewers. Clearly. the public needs to know how to read or listen to a scientific report. One
niust be able to deterniine whether or not a story is beiievable. Articles and advertisements
mrry present a biüsed view on a scientific discovery and sections of the media may have
distorted. or negative, views of science and scientists. For example. scientists are often
portraycd a'; unsociable beings who spend too much time in the Iaboratory -- a view that is
widespread amont the general population. For these reasons, it is necessary for the public
to l e m to read articles, view television, surf the internet, and listen to radio news more
c r i t i l Critical appraisal of the media's perception of science and scientists is a
paramount skill for children to leam. If teachers c m show students how to rezld, think and
argue critically, they may continue to apply these skills throughout their lives. 'The Red
McCoy" (Pike and Selby, 2000, p. 145-49) is a great activity that challenges prevailing
"Wcstcentric", sexist and racist images of scientists. This activity involves students
Global Education 8 1
learning to read articles criticaily. It is an ideal activity to use before or after the "Critical
Appraisal of Science Articles" activity.
The guidelines have been designed to help students leam to be critical readers of
scientific articles in the media. However, in applying these guidelines. it is not assumed
that al1 media on science rnisrepresents the mth. The fact that there are numerous essays.
reports and documentaries which carry the message as carefutly and objectively as possible
is also important. Thus, the use of these guidelines should assist students in deterrnining to
what degree an article's portrayal of science is accurate. Once these yidelines have been
applied by students. their findings c m be presented in the form of a wrîtten critique or oral
presentation. If students tmly becorne passionate about the article they have appraised,
then further action c m be taken. For example, after students have critiqued an article in the
local paper. they may choose to write a letter to the newspaper's editor. Another optional
extension of this activity would be to apply critical appraisd skills to the intemet.
There is currently a wedth of infomation available on the internet. and the volume
of available infomation is growing at a phenomenal =te. The activity extension. entitled
"Critical Surfing", is an opportunity for students to surf the intemet for websites as they
utould trawl a newspaper for articles, and to examine thern using the guidelines.
I f the internet is available at school, then the activity can be done in pairs or small
groups. After a site has been chosen and critiqued, it can be discussed by the students in
srnail groups or as a class. For example, the Boreal Forest Watch, available through the
school net. presents a positivist, high-tech image of science. Students could critique this
site and discuss the pros and cons of portraying science from the positivist perspective.
Another site that couid be exarnined is the Canadian Environmental Careers Resource
Manual. This site provides copious information about environmental career opportunities
(see Appendix E: Boreal Forest Watch Site and Appendix F: Canadian
Environmental Careers Resource Manual). Students can read about the various
carcers on the website. read interviews given by people presently working in the field, and
Global Education 82
maybe even visit them. November fourth of each year is Careers Day in schools
throughout Ontario. Students may even be able to partake in a carrer of interest for a düy --
the opportunities are endless.
At this time it woutd be appropriate to mention the deconstniction of television and
film. Media deconstruction activities help students to develop the skills needed to decode
media messages and to "understand the motivations and constraints of those who construct
such messages" (Pike and Selby, 2000. p. 224). As well students will have the
opportunity to see the media as a source of power and influence. A number of the
rictivities in chapter seven, "Mass Media", of Pike and Selby's In the Global
Classroom, Book 2 are ideal in this respect.
In conclusion, the purpose of these selected activities is to enlighten students on
many issues and trends in the world today. and to help [hem form and share their
ptlrspectives on them. The second unit of the GPS curriculum focuses on the dtemative
futures. Activities that foster cooperation, building self-esteem, compassion and
celebrzrtion will be discussed. Even though the unit focuses on Pike and Selby's temporal
dimension. the other dimensions are considered, The selected activities will help students
"w\.eavc the mdtifaceted and interlocking threads of giobd education theory into a rich and
seamless tapestry" (Pike and Selby, 1999, p. 12)
Unit Two: AItemritive Visions
Leaniing is self motivated and directed; it focuses on the aesthetic. moral.
physical and spiritual needs of the student as well as on cognitive
attainment; knowledge building entails a dynamic interaction between
students suid multiple sources of information; and the functions of
"teaching" and "learning" are willingly undertaken by both teachcr and
students (Pike and Selby, 1999, p. 24).
Global Education 83
1 n troduc t ion
In this unit a nurnber of strategies that will foster a paradigm shift wilI be examined.
As q u e d previously. we are in need of a radical paradigm shift in our society. one that
will bring us back in touch with the universe: "We are talking about a major revolution in
our view of the world that carne with the püradigrn of modernism" (O'SulIivan, 1999.
prologue). Essentially we need to aiter our lifestyles towards a better quafity of life. This
aiterrition will require u s to be f i i l i a r with the Universe Story. to become ecologically
literate. to ceiebrate, to become people-centered not self- centred. to recognize peoples'
ciifferences and to recognize our subjectivity with al1 living creatures.
The world is souIful and is a prima1 rnatrix for us to enter and grow into the
life Stream. Education for a quality of life is our way of growing into life
with energy, vitality and joy. Living the fullest life possible is a life that has
ri sense of human needs that honours differentiation, subjectivity and
community both within the human cornrnunity and extended to the very life
of the earth and universe itself (O'Sullivan, 1999, p. 237).
This unit on alternative vision has k e n divided into several sections: quality of life;
ecological liiericy; people-centered movements; ecofeminism: native spirituality: and the
universe story.
It is imperative that students participate in transfomative activities throuphout this
unit. Transforrnative activities are those that foster the etements of Pike and Selby's four
dimensional model: interdependence, interconnectedness, perspective. the consideration of
alternative futures, and the inward and outward journeys to personal development and
social responsibility (1999). Several transformative, cross-curricular activities from
Graham Pike and David Selby's books on global education ( 1988, 1995. 1999. 2000) and
Global Education 84
advice for designing a multiple intelligences lesson will be discussed in detail. However,
before these activities c m be introduced, there needs to be a s u m r n q of the alternative
visions.
Oualitv of Life
As mentioned in the previous unit, Westerners live in a very cornpetitive, consumer
oriented society. Success is measured in dollar value and by the number of luxury items in
her or his possession. But do comrnodities really make people happy'? Quality of life
èducation is about re-evaiuating one's perspective on living through which we will l e m
not to live for "wants" but for "needs" (Duming, 1991).
Around the world today, the standard of living is usually rneaured by the Gross
National Product (GNP). but that represents less than 40 percent of the total productive
economy of a nation. The GNP does not take into consideration volunteer work, heaith
care or education. Should these aspects of Iife, what is known as the informa1 economy.
be considered as weli as manufücturing, production. and consumption ( Lemkow , 1 g o ) ?
Clearly. people need to consider and give higher regard to the informai economy if they are
to i~nprovc thcir quality of life.
Another argument for "Quaiity of Life" cornes from Anthony Giddens. who writes
of "life politics". There are essentidly three characteristics of "life politics". First. life
politics deaf with lifestyle: "Life politics involve decisions flowing from ti-eedom of
choicc ... life politics is a politics of decisions" (Giddens. 199 1. p. 2 14). Second. life
politics also involve adopting a 'deep ecology' in our lives. which is based on moving
away frorn consumption. A deep ecology recognizes an interdependence of al1 living
things. "A movement away from econornic accumulation might involve subs~ituting
personal growth -- the cultivation of the potentialities for self-expression and creativity--for
unfettered econornic growth processes" (Giddens, 1991, p. 223). And third, it involves
rnoving frorn an anthropocentric view of the world towards a biocentric view.
Global Education 85
The invasion of the naturd world by abstract systems bnngs nature to an end ries ri
domain external to human knowledge and involvement. The tremendous extension
of human control over nature cornes up against its limits ... As with other substantive
moral questions, these d l in some way involve lifestyle options
(Giddens, 199 1, pp. 224-25).
Another dimension of "quality of life" consists of renewal of values of community and
citizenship. Citizenship involves acting on a local. regional and a global level. As
nlentioned in the previous unit, people are becoming consumers and losing their status as
citizens. It seems today that the concept of global competitiveness is forcing the curriculum
ta be geared towards the global economy. "Said one provincial ministry of education
official at a recent meeting: '1 think there are two essentials in kindergrten. The first is to
zet thzm ready for keyboarding. The other is to get these little kids to start thinking of C
. .. themsclves as Me Inc. (Robertson, 1998, p. 30). Humans are no longer "homo sapiens"
but rrither "homo economicus" (Spretnak, 1997, p. 2 19). But thoughtful teachers do not
want to crerite robots, they want students to become citizens. And they want a curriculum
that will "prepare students for 'plural and parriIlel citizenship' -- allegiance at a range of
1~vels. local to slobal" (Pike and Seiby, 1995, p. 23).
Good "world citizens" will refuse to be influenced by the propasanda of
govemments and the media. They will be sensitive to the need to match
consumcrism with sustainable development, and to use their voting powcr to
ensure that economic and financiai policies reflect proper c x c of the world's
resources (O'Sullivan, 1999, p. 253).
Global Education 86
As we think about citizenship on a locd. regional and global level, it is important that we
l e m to alter the quality of our lives on a personal level. At the personal level, we c m get
the most out of Iife by adopting "flow," in everyday activities. Flow is the optimai
experience that is created when one has a sense that her o r his skills are adequate to cope
with the situation at hand. Concentration is so great that there is Little attention to think
about li fe's problems and self consciousness disappears (Csikszentrnihihalyi. 199 1 ). By
rnakin,a the ordinary a little different, "flow" can be enhanced. In his wriring on flow.
Csikszentmihihalyi describes how the natives of the Shushwap region of British Columbia
use tlow to enhance their lives. 'There were new strearns to figure out. new game trails to
lcrirn, new areas where the bdsam root would be plentifut. Now life would regain its
meanins and be wonh Living, Everyone would feel rejuvenated and healthy"
(Csikszentmihihalyi, 199 1. p. 80).
The activities in this chapter wilI involve improving our individual lives through
alternütive means of success, getting involved with community, and trying to reüch optimal
experiences in our everyday lives.
Ecolooical Li teracy
EcoIogical literacy is very much associated with quality of life. It too requires a
radical paradigrnatic shift. Like Lernkow, David Orr has some alternative market strategies
thüt hc asserts would iead to an improved world. He proposes a least-cost approach: "lezst
cost decisions in energy and other resources converge with ethicai decisions that promote
long-term collective welfare, broadly defined" (On. 1992, p. 66). We also need to look
toward bioregionalism when considering economics. "Bioregiondism is the name often
givcn to the various attempts to make this juncture by rejuvenating regional and local
institutions" (Orr. 1992, p. 73). Regions in the third world, in particular. are k i n g robbed
of their rcsources. 1 would agree that there must be more controls on resource depletion
and on the redistribution of wealth arnongst the people of the region.
Global Education 87
Ecological litency also involves moving toward a sustainable future. Pm of this
rnovement consists of looking at alternative economics. as well ris reforrns in social justice.
Face and democracy. By implication, the interrelatedness of biology. geology. ecology
and physics is central. To develop this form of literacy. students nerd to understand the
history of their society. as well as why it has ken so destructive. Once these areas have
been studied. ecologicdly litente students wilI be directed toward presewing a better life
through prudence. stewardship and. of course, celebration of creation (Orr. 1992. p. 95).
The activities from this perspective. focus on case studies from various regions
tiround the world. Teachers need to address alternative economics and whether or not these
changes would benefit these regions. Aiso, they need to look towards equality and peace:
and away from racism, sexism, and violence -- moving away from "white privilege"
(O'Sullivan. 1999. p. 162). Views of people who live rnarginally around the world. rather
than western vicws on how they live need to be discussed. We live in a complex world full
of rnany differences and need to pay close attention to them. Men have traditionally k e n in
the position of privilcge throughout time. In studies of non-sexist education teachers need
address change. The movement toward equality between men and women in the work
force cm ais0 address the concern regarding male violence against women and children.
Violence in society has to be confronted at different levels (O0Sullivan. 1999). On the
planetq ievel, violence can be addressed by moving away from anthropocenirism. At the
regional level, we need to examine conflict between cultures and nation states. Finally. at
the personal Ievei, we need to examine the sources of intimacy between men. women and
family. xs well as conflict within oneself.
Global Education 88
When we move to the level of the personai in considering peüce education we are
talking about the structures of intimacy as well as one's relationship with oneself.
The most prominent area where some f o m of peace education is warranted is the
area of intimacy between men and women and the intimacy structure of the family
(O'Sullivan, 1999, p. 175).
People-Centered Develooment
The movement towards people-centred development incorporates al1 the values that
have been discussed thus far in this unit. People-centred development is a vision opposed
to growth-centred development. It aspires to returning power to the people and away frorn
institutions. The main principie of people centred development is to put equity t i n t in
order to make improvements in human well-king.
Korten suggests that a people-centered development would be an alternative to the
conventional growth-centered development thought and policy. "As individual people and
organizations we must work to rneld ourselves into a global force through the formation o f
coalitions and alliances that ultimately meld millions of people into a global movement for
change" ( Korren, 1995. p. 15). As Korten asserts, give people access to their own assets
and growth will take c m of itself. By giving people power and sharing beliefs and
property we ran effect signifiant change. The classroom constitutes an or~anization of
people that c m make changes toward a better future. By adopting some of Korten's
principles. a class of students can define their own people-centred movement. "As
individual people and organizations we must work to meld ourselves into a global force
through the formation of coalitions and alliances that ultimately meld millions of people in a
global movement for change" (Korten, 1991, p. 15). However. this seems to contrüdict
the biocentric nature of rny GPS curriculum. 1 think that it is important to note that students
have the opportunity to view a variety of alternative visions. Yes. his global people's
movement is anthropocentric but his intention is to change the three elements of which he
Global Education 89
believes f o m Our present global crisis: poverty, environmental destruction. and communal
violence.
Ecofeminism
Ecofeminism is a vision that dethrones what is construed as male patriarchy in
today's society. Frorn this perspective, traditional feminine qualities such as cxing and
nurturing must be adopted on a broad scale, and some traditional male qualities sucli as
a~gressivsness and violence need to be abolished. It is agreed that in order for our Earth to
rcmain sustainable. "A feminist analysis of environmental problems thus needs to be rooted
in an analysis of the social, cultural, and political institutions that are responsible for
environmental distress" (Seager, 1993 p. 3). 1 now turn to views of some representative
fcniinist writers to elicit how the feminist movement is part of a viable vision towards a
sustainr\ble future. "An ecofeminist vision of sustainability goes full circle. integrating
humans and environment, linking analysis with action and women with the e a r t h
(Hessing. 1993. p. 2 1 ).
Ecofeminism cannot be associated with "deep" ecology. While ecofeminists shüre
the notion that anthropocentrism is the root cause of the environmental crisis. many
ecofemminists take a further step by laying the blame on androcentrism (male-
centeredness). "Ecofeminists are cntical of deep ecology's rnasculinist bias and of its
friilure to address issues of gendef' (Russell and Bell, 1996. p. 173). Dark "green"
teaching and learning, may more closely resemble ecofeminist view because it does
address gender issues.
There are many different interpretations of ecofeminism. One particular form of
ecofemisism, which Russell and Bell support, is social ecofeminism: "Socialist
ecofeminists advocate a reassessment of cultural and historical attitudes toward nature and
consider an analysis of the systernic oppression of women and nature essential to social
Global Education 90
transformation" (Russell and Bell, 1996, pp. 172-73)- Ecoferninists advocate that an
alternative vision for the future would involve caring for the environment.
In Our own practice, educating from an ecofeminist perspective based in a
politicized ethic of care mems that we have a dual purpose: helping students
identify and participate in issues that are locally important and persondly
meüningful while ensuring that they make connections between these issues and the
'bis picture' ... Teaching from a ecofemisnist perspective with the goal of
developing in students a politicized ethic of care is, in our opinion as sound
beginning (Russell and Bell, 1996, pp. 176- 179).
Native S~iritualitv
Native peoples from around the world have traditionally kept a close association
with the nritural world. We can adopt many of their values in our vision of a promisin,o
future. Often natives passed on their values and traditions through storytelling. Great
stories of creation conveyed a person's place in the world. Once the stories were known.
pcople celebrated them. We need to develop our own stories to share and celebrate with
others.
The primary object of the story is the realization of wonder and
delight ... The stories in this present collection centre upon one of the most
important realizations of al1 considerations in human experience: the
relationship between man and nature. In the Amencan world this
relationship is so crucial as to be definitive of the way in which man
formulates his own best idea of himself. In the presence of these stories we
have an affirmation of the human spirit. It is a just and wondrous
celebration (Bmchac and Caduto , 1989, p. xvii).
Global Education 9 1
There are many indigenous perspectives that cm be considered for an alternative
vision. Many values of indigenous visions for the future are biwentric in nature. but
because people come from different areas of the world, their connections to it are going to
Vary. Selby ( 1995, p. 12) uses quotes from a variety of indigenous peoples to heIp us
understand humanity's relationship with animals and the environment. they are "testimony
to the priceless contribution indigenous groups are making to the development
(rediscovcry'?) of a humane and life-loving ethic" (Selby, 1995, p. 12)
The Universe Storv
The story of the universe is something we d l , as humans, need to understand. We
rire made of the stars--the components of the ancient universe are stilI the ones present on
Earth today. "Always and everywhere, it is the universe that holds al1 things together ... The
uraceful expansion of the original body is the Iife blood of al1 future bodies of the universe" s
(Swimme and Berry. 1992, p. 18 and 27). We are not above any living creature. including
the Earth. Fifteen billion years ago the Universe was born in a huge explosion called the
Bis Bang. Over billions of years, gases grouped together in various creütive fashions to
form the stars and galaxies, and four billion years ago the Earth was born. Remarkably,
the Eu th was eventually able to support life. The tlrst f o m s of life were unicelIuIar that.
l ike the stars and the galaxies, had their own creative order. From unicellular organisms
(prokaryotes). multicellular organisms arose (eukaryotes), and then about four million
years ügo humans walked on the Earth. ironically, even though we have k e n on the Earth
for ri very short time. compared to other species we have created many problenls.
Global Education 92
The future of Earth's cornmunity rests in significant ways upon the decisions to be
made by the humans who have insened themselves so deeply into even the genetic
codes of Earth's process. This future will be worked out in the tensions between
those committed to the Technozoic, a future of increased exploitation of the Eürth a s
resource, al1 for the benefit o f humans, and those cornmitted to the Ecozoic. a new
mode of human-Earth relations, one where the well-king of the entire Earth
community is the primary concern (Swimme and Berry, 1992. pp. 14-15).
According to Swimme and Beny ( 19%) the universe has three basic tendencies: diversity.
subjectivity and communion. Diversity simply means that we are just one unique species
and each of us as an individual is unique among humans: "Each person is a unique
expression of the universe unfolding" (O'Sullivan, 1999. p. 19 1 ). According to
O'Sullivan. subjectivity refers to the idea of a soul. There is an inner essence that connects
us with every other living thing in the universe, and finally communion. which is our
existence in community. "Much of our existence finds ultimate fultlllment in relatedness"
(O'Sullivan. 1999. p. 192). Communion is k i n g intimate with nature and it involves
celebration. By recognizing these three principles we will have made a start towards a
more biocentric view of the Earth. A view which encourages equal partnerships with each
other, a celebration of comrnunity, and a carïng for the Earth.
Nothing bestows existence on itself. Nothing survives by itself. Nothing
is fulfilled in itself. Nothing has existence o r meaning o r fulfillment except
in union with the larger community of existence ... Once we accept that WC
exist as a component member of this larger community o f existence then
we crin begin to act in a more appropriate human way. W e might éven
enter once again into the great celebration, the universe itself (Berry. 1996. ).
Global Education 93
This quotation cornes from a paper presented at the Umbrian school of painters and gives a
~ o o d introduction to celebration. When astronauts first went into space they were amazed 2
by the beauty of the Earth againsty the backdrop of space. They marvelled in a sense of
awe. The quantitative purposes of their missions becarne less important than the beauty
tney were viewing. It is unlikely that many of us witl have the opportunity to go into space
and view the Earth, but we cm definitely marvel in the naturd mystery of the planet. We
crin also celebrate this mysticism and beauty of the Earth and the universe through silence,
.\on2 and dance. After d l . each of us is different but we al1 share the same "gift of Me"
(O'Sullivan. 1999, epilogue).
Celebration wifl be the focus of this final chapter. Hopefully. we will be able to
share the beauty and intricacy of the Earth with others for the rest of our lives. As well. it
is intended that everyone will look at the Earth in awe. The relationship between the Earth
and each of us should be an intimate one.
The purpose of the global perspectives for science curriculum was to address a
number of significant global issues and trends. Creation of this project involves a cal1 for
change which was presented throughout the program. The students will have ample
opponunity to view the world as a planetary society by examining alternative visions for
the future. Thsy will have the opportunity to learn how to spe& up for their convictions
through protest letters. community activities and projects. This curriculum is based upon a
biocentric viewpoint and demonstrates sources of interdependence between people and
nature.
Global Education 94
This unbreakable bond of relatedness is increasingly apparent to scientists,
although it ultimtely escapes scientific formulation or understanding. By
virtue of this relütedness, everything is intimately present to everything else
in the universe. Nothing is completely itseIf without everything else. This
unity prevails over the boundaries of space and time. The universe is both
communion and community. We ourselves are that communion in a special
mode of reflective awareness (O'Sullivan, 1999, p. 215).
SarnpIe Activities for the "Alternative Visions" Unit
Activities from Pike and Selby's global education resources and the "Planning a
~blultiple Intelligences Lesson" have k e n chosen for this unit because they provide an
cnvironment for participatory learning. These activities encourage students to examine
theniselves and their beliefs, take risks in their learning, shâre ideas and feelings. discuss
issues and make connections with people, cultures and the environment. "At the h e m of
globaI education lies the concept of connectedness. Its cenuality is evident at a number of
Icvels. In its most obvious manifestation, connectedness characterizes the complcx web of
global connecticns" (Pike and Selby, 1999. p. 54).
Global Education 95
Plannino; a Multiple Intelli~ences Lesson
Obviously, there is no one best way to educate al1 children. Indeed. the biggest
mistake of p s t centuries has k e n to treat d l children as if they were vüriants of the
same individual and thus to feel justifîed in teaching the sarne subjects in the same
ways. We must discover areas of suength and chmcteristic approüches to
leaming. And. as much as possible, we must bring the teaching to where the child
is ... When wr educate better and when we educate in a more persondizrd way. then
chi ldrcn will l e m better (Siegel and Shaughnessy. 1994).
Gardner believes that we need to make education personalized. Teachers should
provide students with the opponunity to use methods of learning that work best for them
(se l chapter four of this thesis pp. 5 1-52). As a tool to help teachers create lessons that
incorporate the eight intelligences an activity has k e n borrowed from a teacher training
package from the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto (refer to Appendix F:
Planning A Multiple Intelligences Lesson). An objective of global education is to
enipower students to be responsible for their own learning. Teaching for multiple
intelligences promotes student empowerment. When students design their own lessons.
they are more likely to l e m about the given concept. In consequence. there will be greater
hrirrnony between "medium" and "message." Learning "in" or "through" humaneness
takcs matters an important stage funher (Selby, 1995), resulting in higher levels of
in teraction and discussion.
Global Education 96
WoolIv Thinking
This culrninating activity from Pike and SeIby's Global Teacher, Global
Learner ( 1988, pp. 13 1-42) is ideal for exploring relationships between issues m d topics
that have already been introduced in class. "Woolly Thinking" is an activity that can be
used in any of the grade eleven courses conducive to a GPS curriculum. Resources for a
class of thirty students would include: 10 sheets of construction paper. 10 sets of labels (3
pcr set and each set a different colour), 30 safety-pins, scrap paper and 1 O balls of yarn to
match the I r r b e k
Essentially, ten topics c m be chosen by the teacher or students. written individually
on construction paper and attached to the walls of the classroom. Topics could include
environmental pollution, unemployment, third worfd under-development. terrorism /
ti-eedom fighting, human rights violations, urbanisation and malnutrition. Students then
choosc a topic and stand under the appropriate piece of paper. In a class of thirty, three
students would be under each topic. Each group of three would then brainstorm the issues
srirrounding their topic and appoint a "static" negotiator or ambassador, and two "mobile"
negotiators. Colour coded labels wouid then be given to each rnember of the group. The
"stritic" negotiators tie colour coded yarn to their waists and join in negotiations with the
"n~obile" negotiators of the other nine groups. As well, the "mobile" negotiators are able to
join in negotiations with each other Al1 the "static" negotiators are to arrange themselves in
a circie in the middle of the classroorn.
The role of the "mobile" and "static" negotiators is to m i e connections between
topics. Each time a connection is discussed and agreed by the two parties, the two balls of
wool are passed across the circle and wrapped around the waists of the "static*' negotiators.
The "mobile" negotiators are also needed to record the agreements of the two parties. This
procedure of discussing issues and wrapping of wool continues until each group has made
connections with the other nine groups and a web of wool has k e n formed.
Global Education 97
Once the web has been completed the "static" negotiators c m sit down and students
can discuss the connections. o r lack thereof. between the issues. This is a very interactive
activity that students c m enjoy and it serves as a review of issues they have previously
discussed. The reconunended time allotment is twenty-five minutes. However. the post-
discussion could take much longer.
Water Droolet Fantasv
The "Water Droplet Fantasy" is a fine exarnple of guided visualization. This is a
technique used by terichers to relax students and to help activate their imaginations. It has
becn taken from Pike and Selby's Reconnecting: from the National to Global
Curriculum ( 1995, pp. 146-47). The "Water Droplet Fmtasy" guides students through
the watercycle and also shows how water is transported through a plant. Therefore. this
particular üctivity would be appropriate for the generai science or biology courses.
Iiowever, guided visuaiization can be used in any of the courses conducive to the GPS
curriculum. Teachers can apply the story of the "Water Droplet Fantasy" to any issue or
concept. For example, students could be guided through the micro-organelles of an animal
cell. or follow a drop of blood through the human body.
Another rdated activity from Global Teacher, Global Learner is "A Guided
Frintasy Discovering our Own Wisdom: A Fantasy Journey", pp. i 87- 19 1. The activity
crin be done in any tranquil area. Students are to get themselves into a relaxed position.
either lying horizontdly on the floor of the classroom or, in a field or park. If the class is
to be conducted indoors, the teacher needs to set the background by playing some very
gentle music or sound, such as a recording of ocean waves or birds singing. As weil it
ofien hcIps if the lights are turned-off or dirnmed. If the class is conducted outside there is
no need for music, as the sounds of nature will help create the ideai nniood. In the city this
may prove to be more difficult. Once the setting has k e n created the teacher should lead
the students through a relaxation procedure. Then in a calming voice should read the
Global Education 98
-'Water Droplet Fantasy" (see Appendix H: Water Droplet Fantasy). Once the
activity has been completed students can discuss the experience or even express their
t houghts through drawing, painting, or verse.
An activity of this nature is important because teachers of a global science
curricuIurn need to address multiple learning styles. "Becoming aware of the factors which
constitute learning styles not only deepens understanding of ourselves but ako gives us the
opportunity for some control over our learning experiences, thereby increasing our leming
potcntirii" (Pike and Selby. 1995. p. 30).
The Global Rose
This activity comes from Pike and Selby's most recent colkction of global
education activities In the Global Classroom: Book 1 (1999. pp. 79-80). The
purpose of this activity is to explore issues from a variety of perspectives. It is very similar
to "WoolIy Thinking" and is ideal for a review class in any course. Following a class
discussion. presentation or film, students c m be given a copy of the "Global Rose" (see
figure 5.4) This "Global Rose" is made of petals representing areas of global issues such
as peace / contkt. distribution of wealth 1 power, and environment 1 health: it has a centrd
area called "me".
Global Education 99
Figure 5.4: The Global Rose
Global Education 100
The students c m be arranged in groups to discuss the day's class from the perspective of
each petal's heading. Notes cm be wntten in the space inside each petril. In the central
"me" space students are to note implications of the content presented in class. It is
important for students to thinli about the future as well as the present. Of course. in
discussing the various issues of the " Global Rose", students need to begin thinking of the
future for themselves. Very often we tend to let others dztennine the future for us. We
cannot let authorities in govemment and in business determine our future without our input.
"If we Ieave the "experts" to think about the future for us, we thereby choose a certain kind
of future -- a future dorninated by experts" (Robertson. 1983. p. IO).
Robertson outlines five possible futures. The tïrst is "Business as Usual". which is
the future of the present "white rniddle-class". This perspective acknow ledges that there
are world problems but none that will drastically affect Europe and North Arnerica. People
holding this perspective are content with the status-quo. The second view of the future is
that of disaster. The world is doomed by nuclear war, poverty. disease and crime. This
Lriew is held by pessimists. The final three views share the notion that there is a senous
concern for the future but, unlike the second perspective, disaster can be rivoided. These
three views of the future are that, (a) authoritarianism rule by lef o r right o n the politicai
spectrum will be needed to avert crisis, (b) science and technology is the answer to solving
the world's crises. or (c) creating a "balance within ourselves. a balance between ourselves
and other people, a balance between peopie and nature" will solve the world's crises
(Robertson, 1983. p. 13).
Hopefully, through using the "Global Rose'' activity on a regular brisis. the idea of
possible futures will be discussed and students will begin to see these alternative
perspectives. With practice. students will be able to view the future from any issue of the
prescrit.
In conclusion, the activities chosen for the unit "Alternative Visions" have the
potentiai to be very transforrnative. Unlike the activities found in the mainstrem
Global Education 10 1
cumculum, they enable students to think about alternative visions of the future. Students
will leave this unit having participated in activities that challenge their ways of thinking
about their world, their lifestyles, and behaviours. The final chapter of this thesis will
involve the "weaving" together of concepts and resources discussed previously. As well.
the potential obstacles for implementing a GPS curriculum will be discussed. To end this
chüpter 1 include a sample list of activities and resources for my GPS cumculum (figure
Figure 5.5: Sample Activities and Resources for a GPS Curriculum
Unit 1: Issues and Trends
Historical Developments Peace Activities (Pike and Selby 2000) Rights and Responsiblities (Pike and Selby 2000) Percption Activities (Pike and Selby, 1999) An International Greenhouse (ZPG, 1996)) Methane Matters (ZPG, t 996) The Acid Tests (ZPG, 1996) Clearing the Air (ZPG, 1996) Colonial Independence (Andrews et al., 1996)) Exploring Nationai Images (Andrews et al., 1996))
Population Understanding Population Dynarnics (ZPG, 1996)
Consumption Equity Activities (Pike and Selby, 2000) Food for Thought (ZPG, 1996) Waste a Weigh (ZPG, 1996)) Are People the Problern (ZPG, 1996) Getting Around (ZPG, 1996) An Energising Policy (ZPG, 1996)
Globalization Mass Media Activities (Pike and Selby. 2000) Food for Thought (ZPG, 1996) Roll on Mighty River (ZPG, 1996) To Log or Not to Log (ZPG, 1996) Newspapers and Magazines (Andrews et al.. 1996)
Global Education102
Issues Analysis Report (Andrews et al.. 1996) Trade and the Environment (Andrews et al.. 1996) Competition in the Marketplace (Andrews et al.. 1996) Advertking and the Environment (Andrews et al., 1996)
Growth and Development Economy, Dev.,Global Justice Activities (Pike and Selby, 2000) Technology Activities (Pike and Selby , 1999) A Non bearing Account (ZPG, 1996) Lots of Lemna (ZPG, 1996) A Toss of the Dice (ZPG, 1996) Power of the Pyrarnids (ZPG, 1996) Demographic Facts of Li fe (ZPG, 1996) Population Growth--It Al1 Adds Up (ZPG, 1996 j Techno-fixes (OSEE, 1996) The Impact of Technology and Chemistry on Society (Andrews et al., 1996)
Unit 2: Alternative Visions
Quality of Life Futures Activities (Pike and Selby. 1999) Citizenship Activities (Pike and Selby, 2000) Health Activities (Pike and Selby, 1999) In Search of Sustainable Life (ZPG, 1996) Go for the Green (ZPG, 1996) Good News, Bad News (ZPG, 1996) It's in the Bag (ZPG, 1996) Taikin, Trash in Tropico (ZPG, 1996) Fantastic Stories of the Environment (Andrews et al.. 1996) Futures Preferred and Liked (Andrews et al., 1996)
Ecological Literacy Environment and Sustainability Activities (Pike and Selby, 1999) Critical Surfing (Archibald, 1998) Population Scavenger Hunt (ZPG, 1996) Bye, Bye Birdie (ZPG, 1996) No Water Off a Duck's Back (ZPG, 1996) Eco-Ethics (ZPG, 1996) Environrnentally Frïendly Fanning (Andrews et d., 1996) Environmental Ethics (Andrews et al., 1996)
People Centered Development Think Globally, Act Locally (ZPG, 1996) The Hunger Banquet (ZPG, 1996) Rights and Responsibilities (Andrews et al., 1996 j
Ecofeminism Women the Criticai Link (ZPG, 1996) A Wornan's Place (ZPG, 1996) Gender Quest (ZPG, 1996)
Global Education 1 O3
Native Spirituality Music and the Environmentai Education (Andrews et al., 1996) Abonginai Canadian Myths (Andrews et el, 1996) Abonpinal Environmentai Perspectives (Andrews et al., 1996)
The Universe Story and Celebration Interconnections (Pike and Selby, 1999) Changing Values (ZPG, 1996) Music Inspired by Nature (Andrews et al., 1996) Natural Aesthetics (Andrews et al., 19%) Earth Prayers, Poems and Invocations (Andrews et al
Resource List of Recommended GPS Activities
Andrews. B. et al. ( 1996).Torwrds un Ecozoic Crrrricrrlrrrn: The Infrtsion Mode1 Crrrric.rrlrrrnDeveluprnent Project of the Ontario Socieq for En rit-otunentd Eclrrmtion. CD-ROM
Bruchac, J., & Caduto, M. (1989). Keepers of the Eartir, Narive Stories c d Etzvirorirrzerrtnl Activities for Cirildrert. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Fifth House Publishers.
Wasserman, P. (Ed.). Cortrrtitlg on Peuple. ( 1994), Washington, DC: Zero Population Growth.
Wasserman, P. (Ed.). Eartii Mutters . ( 1996). Washington DC: Zero Population Growth.
Pike. G.. & Selby, D.. (1988) Global Teaciier, Global Lerrnier. London: Hodder and S toughton
Pike, G.. & Selby, D.( 1995). Recorinectirtg frorri Natiotial 10 Global Crtrricrrl~rni. Goldaming, U.K.: WWF UK.
Pike, G.. & Selby, D.(1999). Itr the Global Classrooni: Book 1. Toronto: Pippin Publishint Corporation.
Pike, G., & Selby, D. (2000). In the Global Citssroorn: Book 2. Toronto: Pippin Pu blishing Corporation.
Hicks. D.( 1994) Edrrcaring for the Furrrre.. Godalming, U.K : WWF UK.
GlobaI Education 104
Cha~ter 6: Conclusion
To surnrnarize this thesis, the first two chapters served as an intrduction to the
global education literature. The first chapter outlined the present state of the world. This
was critical in order to get a sense of the world issues as they exist today. These pressing
globd concerns, brought forward by Western developments in lifestyle and tradition,
legitimize the need for creating an alternative and progressive program of study. The
second chapter introduced global education as the means to conduct such an alternative
program; globai education was defmed and the approaches to teaching it were examined.
Fol lowing this bac kground discussion of global education, the presen t Ontario Secondary
Curriculum was examined. Chapter three involved finding opportunities for the infusion of
global education into existing courses. Chapter four further developed discussion of the
rationale for developing the GPS cumculurn. This discussion included reasons to integrate
science into other subject areas and for perceptions of science to change. Chapter five
presented a GPS curriculum. A number of GPS activities were discussed in detail. and a
selection of alternative visions for the future was outlined. Finally, the binary purpose of
the current chapter is to present some of the obstacles a GPS curriculum may have for
implementrition into the classrooms, and to synthesize the connections of the global
education literature and my GPS cumculum.
For more than two decades now, giobal education has been associated with
c ~ n - i ~ u l ~ m reform advocating a more global perspective on the world. Its detining
aim is towards a less ethnocentric, Iess single-focused worldview. Students are
encouraged to examine the world from varying perspectives and to become aware
of the complex interrelationships that characterize it (Werner and Case. 1997, p.
177).
Global Education 105
Comments on an Attainable Global Persnective: Overcomin~ the Obstacle of GPS
CurricuIum Imdementation
Teüchers are feeling the pressures of implementing the new Ontario Cumculum in
both elementary and secondary schools. This is very apparent ris thousands of teachers
have taken several weeks of the surnrners of the past couple years to attend workshops.
sponsored by the governrnent, on teaching the new curriculum. The idea of asking
teachers to teach with global perspectives in addition to meeting al1 the expectations of the
ncw cumcuIum may appear burdensorne. Thus, this may be the greütest obstacle for
implementing the GPS cumculum. Administrators and teachers a i ik may presume that
there is already too much materiai to be irnplemented into their programs.
Ho wever, this obstacle cm be overcome once teachers understand that teaching
with giobal perspectives does not entai1 re-writing the cumculum and adding new
expectations. In fact. the implementation of the GPS curriculum is very easy to use with
the new provincial course guidelines.
It could be argued that schools have traditionaily placed importance on the so-called
Iéarning tiom the left hemisphere of the brain, which involves the abstract and the rational.
Leming from the right side of the brain, the ernotionai and intuitive. is generally
undewalued. Selby ( 1995. p. 45) refers to these forrns of learning as the "relational modes
of knowing." It has been my argument throughout this thesis that the GPS curriculum
promotes global perspectives and incorporates the relational modes of knowinz. From a
teacher's perspective learning needs to be more holistic and include elements of learning
from both hemispheres of the brain. As mentioned in chapter five (sce page 74). the
provincial govemment would like schools to be run more like a business. The outcome is
that the new cumculum has k e n devised with so many expectations in each of the
traditional subject areas that teachers feel that they have to resort to traditionai strategies of
teaching, just to survive. Regrettably, the students suffer.
Global Education 106
Jane's l eming is usually cornpartmentalized into constricted frameworks of study.
each with its own label, self-referential programme and tidy rationale ... Doing well
in school is about competing rather than cooperating, about recalling f x t s and
ideas, about finding meaning through analysis, about understanding how a
succession of stages or events led on to or caused one another (Selby. 199 1. p.3 1).
The GPS curriculum is the solution to this problem. 1 anticipate that once teachers discover
that usins global education activities will enhance student learning, and still meet the
expectations of the provincial cumculum, they will want to use it. Of course. the major
hurdle is assembling a group of enthusiastic, cornmitted teachers and convincing them that
tcaching with a global perspective will not add to their already busy schedules.
Incornoration of global education themes into the cumculum
Wemer and Case (1997) have proposed that teachers c m transf~rrn their iessons
into "globally relevant" experiences for their students. This transformation c m be
accomplished by incorporating four themes into the traditionai social studies curriculum:
( 1 ) interconnections ( 2 ) perspectivity (3) caring and (4) alternatives. 1 would propose that
these themes c m he applied to science education as well as to social studies. By
incorporrtting these four themes into a science program, the program will transformed into
global science, Moreover, Werner and Case's four themes will serve as an evaluation tool
for the GPS curriculum. My evaluation wiIl be done by drawing upon samples of the
literature in the first two chapters of my thesis and their connections with the GPS
curriculum activities.
Global Education 107
Interconnections
The notion of interdependence is omnipresent in any global education program.
Simply stated, this fundamental principle is that nothing exists in isolation. Wemer and
Crise ( 1997) propose that there are two forms of interconnections: international and inter-
system connections. International connections refer to the muItiple cause and impacts that
cross national boundaries in unexpected ways; inter-system connections involve
interactions arnong economic, cultural and political global systems. These global systems
are very much connected to the topics of the GPS curriculum. issues such as over
population, environmentai degradation, globalization, world conflict and the inequitable
distribution of wedth al1 have global system overtones. For exmple, if a class were to
study the properties of water, a teacher could help students make connections wi th drought,
Iack of clean drinking water, and the marketing of fresh water resources. When issues
such as these are discussed as a class, connections with econornic and politicd systems will
be made.
These two forms of interconnectedness are important for a ~ l o b a l education
program: however, they do Iack a personal level of connection. Thus, Pike and Selby's
four dimensional model of global education (1999) seems more appropriate for the GPS
curriculum. The spatial dimension of Pike and Selby's four dimensional model includes
child-centeredness, and inclusion of the connectedness with the world at the intrapersonal
rind interpersonal levels. The activities that are used in the GPS cumculum are also child-
centered. Many of the activities focus on boosting self-esteem and cal1 for srudents to think
about their own perceptions of the worid.
Persncctivitv
The second theme is perspectivity. This concept refers to how individuals view the
world. These views are never universally shared. Wemer and Case propose that
perspectivity involves empathy, representation and reflexivity. With respect to empathy,
Global Education 1 O 8
"students are to be encouraged to recognize and emphatically enter into the views of others"
( 1997, p. 18 1 I. When judgments are made based only upon personal views. the scope of
learning is very narrow. However, when oiher perspectives are shared. learning becomes
much more diverse and dynamic.
The second aspect of perspectivity is representation. Teachers m d students need to
be aware that available resources merely provide representations of people from around the
world. Sometimes these representations are stereotypes whose inaccuracy needs to be
acknowled,oed. Texhing suategies that involve role-playing are critic4 for introducing
perspectivity. As well. a teacher needs to have a variety of resources available to supply
students with various views on a particular issue, The activities of the GPS currh.hm are
taken from a variety of sources, from authors and environmentai interest groups who
promote learning through role-playing and reading stcries from other people's
perspectives. Authors such as David Selby and Graham Pike. and environmental interest
croups such as the Ontario Society for Environmental Education, have taken a great deal of - time and effort to compile resources for their activities. These efforts have k e n taken s o
that students c m have the opportunity to see issues through as many lenses as possible.
Activities designed by these authors and interest groups have been used to aid chiIdren in
learning about population growth, environmental pollution. globalization. growth and
development, and the inequitable distribution of wealth among people.
Finülly, the third aspect of perspectivity is reflexivity which refers to "our"
assumptions of other peoples. "It is not enough to recognize the voices of others without
also asking how one's own perspectives, as manifested in consumer habits and voting
preferences, may help to maintain the oppression, poverty, and mqindizat ion of people
clsewhere" (Werner and Case, 1977, p. 183). Reflexivity may also involve distinguishing
between ecocentric and anthropocentric views. This distinction, is a critical element of a
GPS curriculum, as described in chapter four of this thesis . Many of the activities of a
GPS curriculum involve leaming about environmental issues from various perspectives.
Global Education 109
For instance. some of the activities from the ecofeminist section of the alternatives futures
unit offer contrasting biocentric views to world environmentai problems. ln the school
setti ng. mainly because of rigid schedules and time constraints. perspectivity often gets
short-changed or neglected. The danger is that students will develop superficial views of
an issue. Students need to be immersed in diversity and that often involves controversial
issues.
To be immersed in diversity means not only appreciating a culture's dance.
storytelling and costumes, but also discussing prejudice, discrimination and oppression of
a people. Schools celebrate their ethnic make-up dunng Heritage Days. During this time
students present projects on their ethnic backgrounds, and ,ouest speakers tell stories and
teach dances from ail over the world. However, such theme days are insufficient for
teaching diversity. The first unit of the GPS cumculum provides opportunity for students
to examine political, environmental and social issues that lie beneath the cornfortable and
colourfui activities of Heritage Days. In chapter four of this thesis an example of a global
science unit was presented: students were not only studying the functions and anatomy of
cof'fee plants, but dso the socio-econornic circumstances of the countries in which they
erow. Students not oniy l e m about scientific cumcuIum content, such as where in the C
world coftèe comes from, but also the living conditions of coffee beün pickers and
inequitable distribution of wealth in the coffee business.
Caring
The third thcme is caring. Learning will only occur when it is relevant to the
lertrner. "One of the tragedies of current cumculum is how little students actually care übout
what they are expected to learn" (Werner and Case, 1997, p. 187). The environment is an
obvious area of study übout which students are concerned and willing to l e m more.
(Hausbeck, Milbrath, and Enright, 1992). In many of the environmental education
activities in the GPS curriculum, students choose what they are to study and how their
Globd Educrition 1 10
learning should be presented. Once students are empowered and take responsibility for
their leaming through caring, they will become better global citizens (Swee-Hin. 1993. p.
9) and their learning will be richer. One of the prime objectives any teacher should have is
to teach students to care. The ability to thus motivate one's students differentiates great
t e x hers from good teachers.
Heightened student engagement often accompanies participatory learning ... Global
educators foster participatory leaming through simulations and other student-
ccntered learning activities. These activities compei global educators to forego the
teacher's traditional role in the front of the clrissroom in favor of alternating m o n g
instructional roles. Alternating these roles helps students develop important analytic
and interpersonal skills, promotes new patterns of classroom communication, and
hsightens student engagement (Byrnes, 1997, p. 100).
The list of GPS activities includes a wealth of participatory leming activities.
"Woolly Thinking". for example. encourriges students to engage in discussion with each
other. it is apparent that the majority of students are not Iearning about science, for
instance, because they do not care about it. "Few students ever achieve ri personal
understanding of science; few students ever really own the science they study in school"
(Hodson. 1998, p. 6). Student drop-out rates will decline and teacher success stories will
escdate when participatory learning is adopted, and students start to become interested in
their studies. Participatory learning not only empowers students but also promotes caring
for others. Many participatory activities involve cooperative learning and sharing.
Global Education 1 1 1
Alternatives
It is not enough for teachers merely to address current realities (Werner and Case.
1997. p. 188); one of the principai objectives of the GPS cun-iculum is to present
alternative futures. The work of Hicks on educating for the future together with Pike and
Selby's temporal dimension of globai education, support the importance of teaching for
alternative futures. Many of the activities of my GPS curriculum involve problem solving
and action activities which encourage students to think about their preferred futures.
Pike and Selby's tempord dimension cdls for students to retlect upon alternative
futures ( 1999. pp. 13 1-32), which are then divided into several categories. The first of
thcse catqories is the probable futures which are likely to occur if present issues and
trends continue. Students will develop a sound understanding of what the probable futures
will entai1 after discussing and completing the activities in the Issues and Trends unit of the
GPS curriculum. The last two futures, possible and preferabIe. involve students reflecting
upon the issues and trends discussed throughout the GPS curriculum. After completing
some of the activities and readings from the second unit on alternative visions in the GPS
curriculum, students would be able to compare their preferable futures with those of others.
Werner and Case ( 1997, p. 189) write about the "sustainable future". which is
based upon a "sustainable environment, society, and economy, as a criterion for judging
human actions." Padua's definition of sustainability implies that people need to change
t heir bc haviours and set new priorities for the future: "Sustainability implies changing
values and setting new priorities" ( 1993, p. 14).
Final Thouohts
The purpose of creating an aiternative program of study, the GPS curriculum, was
two-fold. First, 1 would argue that there is a need to make l eming persona1 for the
students. Ti-aditionally, teachers have conducted their classes using the transmission
approach. In this approach, the teacher is the possessor of di the knowledge and passes it
Globül Education 1 12
down to the students. Emphasis is placed on textbook learning and pre-fabncated
worksheets: students have little involvement in the leamint process. Teachers fiil pupils'
minds with knowledge and there is no time for students to reflect on their p s t experiences
and to devise their own perception and opinions.
Second, it has been increasingly apparent that students need to l e m through a
global perspective. Students live in a world that is changing very quickly. Technology has
made life very convenient for some but has also separated people from the natural world.
To illustrate, when students have been asked where beef cornes frorn. zi common response
from young metroplitan mouths is "the grocery store. where else?. These so-called
advances in science and technology have helped some people live longer and happier lives:
however. they have also caused many problems from the persona1 level through to the
global Ievel. [t is easy for the fortunate to marvel at the progress of technology. to bask in - the wealth of I U X U ~ ~ ~ S and possessions, and not think of any repercussions. However. not
al1 c m enjoy this apparent ecstasy. The fortunate of this world have riccumulated their
weaith at a cost to other people and to the Earth. I argue that students need to l e m that the
"first Iaw of ecology" is applied to everything they do. That is, everything is connected to
sverything elss. such that ail single actions have a multipiicity of repercussions.
The framework of this thesis was to create an alternative science program. In doing
so. however, it became very evident that a science program could not change in isolation
from other subjects in school. In order to meet the two main objectives of creating an
alternative and progressive program of study, ail courses need to be transformed. Global
cducation is the approach to teaching that is needed for this transformation.
Global education is the key to a ~msforrnative teaching and l eming practice
because i t addresses a number of concerns. Lyons (1992) makes reference to an
unpublished submission by a parent group from Grey County, Ontario, for a global school
curriculum. Their notion of a global school syllabus was very sirnilar to the GPS
curriculum. It involved a curricuhm that encourages students to acquire knowledge that
Global Education 1 13
was purposeful and personal and required students to explore " rd-wor ld issues. malce
"social contributions" and develop an understanding of interdependence. An important
objective of the global school cumculum is to acknowledge student ownership and
responsibility. 'Through individual and collective efforts, the learner is involved in the
processes of problem identification and solving, decision making, ct-iticd and creative
thinking, conflict resolution, and developing self-esteem and interpersonal relationships"
(Lyons, 1 992. p. 12). In this proposai. a global school needs to encourage a wide range of
leaming processes such as reflecting, collaborating and k i n g involved in relevant
expenences outside the classroorn. As well, the cumculum needs to encompass equality
and justice, and to embrace diversity among the teachers and students.
1 would argue that effective development of a GPS cun-iculum does not Lie in uying
change the entire Ontario curriculum, but mther in infusing global education into it. "In its
simplest forrn, infusion does not impact upon curricuium organization as the subjects
themselves are taught in isolation. Within each subject, however. connections to other
curriculum areas c m be ernphasized, thereby pIanting the seeds of integration in students'
minds" (Pike and Selby, 1999, p. 17).
In conclusion, this thesis has served as a rationaie for transfomative leaming. and a
tiamework for a new global education program for grade eleven students in Ontario. The
GPS curriculum has two components. The first de& with the present state of the world.
Students are presented with resources and participate in activities that draw attention to
some pressing world issues, The second unit provides hope for students who may have
been discouraged by the issues presented in the first unit. The activities throughout the
GPS curriculum encourage student development and empowerment. in addition to
providing opportunities for fostering global perspectives. Teachers need to move towards a
prefcrable future. The GPS cumcuIum is a step in the right direction.
Global Education 1 14
But there may yet be one dilemma: how long can people tinker with the oid
machine when what is needed is a new design dtogether. for a new age?
Frustration with the slow rates of educationd reforrn especially w hen it challenges
vested interests, and the rapidIy changing world for which it is entrusted to prepare
people, lead some educators to cal1 for very radical reforms of the education system
(Smyth, 1999, p. 80).
Globd Education 1 15
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Global Education 1 18
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Global Education 12 1
Appendix A: Ambassador Cards
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1 European Ambassador Card I I 1 I am the European Ambassador. Here are some statistics that shape rny region of the world: 1
A. Europe3 population is estimated at: 728 million B. Our birth rate is: 11 per 1,000 C. Our death rate is: 1 1 per 1,000 D. Our annual growth rate due to natural increase is: -0.1 % E. A t this rate our population will not double. F. Of our 12-1 7 year olds, 89% of the boys and 94% of the giris are enrolfed in xhool. C. European women bear an average of: 1.5 children H. Our infant mortality rate is: 11 per 1,000 1. Our tife expectancy at birtb is: 73 yean J. The percentage of our people living in urban areas is: 74% K. Acres of arable land available per persan: 0.5 acres
ARican Ambassador Card I I , I am the African Ambassadoc Here are some statisticc that shape my region of the woild: I A. Africa's population is estirnated at: 732 million I I 8. Our birth rate is: 41 per 1,000 I C. Our death rate is: 13 per 1,000 I O. Our annual growth rate due to natural increase is: 2.8% I E. At this rate our population will double in: 25 years
F. Of ouf 12-1 7 year olds, 36% of the boys and 30% of the girls are enrolled in school. C. African wornen bear an average of: 5.7 children H. Our infant moRaiity is: 91 per 1,000 1. Our life expectancy at birth is: 55 years j. The percentage of our people living in urban areas is: 31 % K. Acres of arable land available per person: 0.6 acres
Asian Ambassador Card I I I I am the Atian Ambassador. Here are some statistics that hape my region of the worid: , I
A. Asia's population is estimated at: 3 billion, 501 million B. Our birth rate is: 24 per 1,000 C. Our death rate is: 8 per 1,000 D. Our annual growth rate due to natural increase is: 1.6% E. A t this rate our population will double in: 4 3 years F. Of our 12-1 7 year olds, 57% of the boys and 45% of the girls are enrolled in xhool. C. Asian women bear an average of: 2.9 chiidren H. Our infant mortality rate is: 62 per 1,000 1. Our life expectancy at biRh is: 65 years J. The percentage of our people living in urban amas is: 33% K. Acres of arable land available per person: 0.3 acres
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North American Ambassador Card I a m the North American Ambassador. Here are some statistics that shape my region of the world:
A. North America's population is estimated at: 295 million B. Our birth rate is: 15 per 1,000 C. Our death rate is: 9 per 1,000 D. Our annual growth rate due to natural increase is: 0.6% E. At this rate our population will double in: 11 4 years F. Of our 12-1 7 year olds, 99% of the boys and 98% of the giris are enrolled in sctrool. C. North American women bear an average of: 2.0 children H. Our infant mortality rate is: 7 per 1,000 1. Our life expectancy at birth is: 76 yean 1. The percentage of our people living in urban areas is: 75% K. Acres of arable land available per penon: 2.0 acres
Latin Arnerican Arnbassodor Card 1 am the Latin American Ambassador. Here are some statistics that shape my region of the world.
A. Latin Arnerica's population is estimated at: 486 million B. Our birth rate is: 26 per 1,000 C. Our death rate is: 7 per 1,000 O. Our annual growth rate due to natural increase ir: 1-996 E. At this rate Our population will double in: 36 yean F. Of our 12-1 7 year olds, 50% of the boys and 53% of the giris are enrolled in xhool. C. Latin American women bear an average of: 3.1 children H. Our infant mortality rate is: 43 per 1,000 1. Our life expectancy a t birth is: 69 years J. The percentage of our people living in urban areas is: 71 % K. Acres of arable land available per person: 0.7 acres
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Appendix B: Student Guidelines for the Critical Appraisal of Science Articles
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1. Comment Titles, subtitles, and pictures in scientific articles c m often be misleading. The media sometimes chooses certain words and highlights thern. or talces a picture at a particular angle to attract a reader's attention.
Guideline Be sure to read the article thoroughly to ensure that there are no conflicting
arguments or messages.
I I . Comment Scien~ific discoveries are often depicted by the media as instaneous. The public,therefore perceives a scientist's resuits rzs miraculous or accidental. This, of course, it not the case at all. Discoveries often take years of repeated tests and studies by numerous scientists.
Guideline The following are examples of the type of questions one should think about when reading m article about a new scientific discovery or revolation.
1 . What type of test has been done? 1s it m experiment. correlational study or testing of an invention?
2 . What variables are reported in the investigation?
3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the test?
4. What other information woufd be useful to know More agreeing with the report?
5 . What conclusion were reached by the scientists'?
6 . Are the conclsions reasonable according to the study pertormed?
III. Comment Conclusions can sometimes be biased. Keep in mind that therc may be an alterior motive behind the writing of an artide.
Guideline Keep the following questions in rnind when reading a scientific article:
1 . Has more than one view k e n represented?
3 -. 1s there a political, ethnic, or gender b i s behind the writing of the article? Deterrnine whether or not you are reading fact or opinion.
3 . Is there a concem for the potential effects resulting from the discovery?
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Comment The media may pomay scientists as the qeat and exceptional scientists of the past. This is an unconscious act continues to distort our images of scientists. We often think of scientists as people that look like Albert Einstein; outrageous hair, glasses. lab coat, beakers et cetera.
Guideline Don't be influenced by media that portray scientists as mad. evil people that spend al1 their time alone in a laboratory. This c m sometimes be seen in comic books and cartoons.
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Appendix C: Questions to Promote Reasoning Skills
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Ouestions to Promote Reasonine Skills
1 . Literal Questions Who or what was involved'? What happened? What are the important details? 1s the point that you are making that ... ? Can 1 summarize your point as ... ?
2 . Interpretive Questions Why did it happen? What does it mean? What significance is it to others? What are your reasons for saying that? Are you not assurning something? Explain your point of view. How do you know that? Does what you say presuppose something? 1s what you mean to say that ... ?
What do you mean when you use that word?
3 . Evaluative Questions Was it good? Why'! Did you like it? Why? How was it valuable? What standards did you use to explain its worth'? What other was can you state that? How else c m we view this issue?
4 . Creative Questions What is going to happen next? How do you feel about it? How c m you put this idea into practice? What conclusions can you make? 1s it possible that ... ? Are there other ways of looking at ... ?
Borrowed irom: Hestcr. P., and Killian, D., Cartoons for Thinking: Isslues in Ethics and Values. ( 1984)
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Appendix D: Boreal Forest Watch Site
Global Educat ion 130
Boreal Forest Watch
Boreal Forest Watch is a BOREAS (Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study) educational outreach program for students from grades 9 through 12 in Northern Canada. Through a wide range of activities in science and other disciplines, students are involved in environmental monitoring in the boreal forest ecosystem, for a long-term assessrnent of the effects of global change on that ecosystem. S ta te-of-the-art technology and principles are investigated and used in Boreal Forest Watch.
Boreal Forest Warch offers teachers and their students a wide range of activities which can easüy be incorporated into existing curricula.
Students are actively engaged in learning about science through direct involvement in Boreal Forest Watch, which has the potential of providing university, government and research scientists with important information regarding forests in the boreal ecosystem. The educational and scientirc components of the program compliment each other so that students, teachers, and research scientists al1 benefit.
See a letter by BFW Founding Teacher: Georee Huczek
The main obi ectives of Boreal Forest Watch are:
1) Students are involved in an educational, activity-based program, in which they learn science by actually doing science;
2) Students learn how to relia bly collect, analyze and interpret data;
3) Students are provided with a wide variety of activities to become involved in understanding and a ppreciating the boreal forest ecosystem;
4) Data collected by students are compiled and made available to other students
Global Education 13 1
and to the scientific community at large for the purpose of environmental monitoring; and,
5 ) Connections between students and scientists are encouraged and developed, to provide students with a greater understanding of the role tbat scientists play in society.
Teachers wbo participate in Boreul Forest Watch are provided with the training and resources required for successful implementation of the program into their curricula.
Back
Global Educat ion 1 32
Appendix E: Canadian Environmental Careers Resource Manual
Global Education 1 33
The Canadian Environmental Careers Resource Manual
The Canadian Environrnental Careers Resource Manual was written by the Environmental Careers Orsanization (ECO) under the supervision and lead authonhip of Noel Desautels. The ECO was founded by Noel Desautels who assernbled volunteer researchers and intewiewers for the book The ECO is a non-profit volunteer organization that operates without paid staff or overhead.
The first edition of the manual was reteased at the ECO-ED world conference on environmental education. in Toronto. October 1992. ECO-ED was the first U.N. sanctioned environmental conference after UNCED, the 1992 environmental summit in Brazii. The book was released as part of an environmental careers seminar at ECO-ED. That seminar drew over 250 people. filling the rwm beyond its capacity with hundreds more on a waiting list. Another seminar was held in March 1993 at Ryerson Polytechnical lnstitute in Toronto with excellent attendance. A few smaller seminars have k n held since and nearly 1,000 copies of earlier. self-published editions of the Manuai have been distributed.
The mission of the ECO is "To inform and inspire Canadian youngadults about the nature and divenity of environmental careen and the strategies for planning and maintainmg such careen. We will do so in a way that minimizes our impact on the environment." The organization now extsts to complete its one remaining-goal - ro ensure that a copy of the Canadian Environrnental Careers Resource Manual is distributed to every senior high school. college and university in Canada without charge.
[Ouick Overview I [Contents I lAbout the Authorl [S~onsors I lCredi ts 1
Global Education 134
Table Contents
Introduction lntroduction
Structure of the Book
Most Asked Ouestions
Greenfields - Scott Black
Section 1
Strategies for Environmental Careers
Career and Li fe Planning Career Straieev Articles
Insiohts - from Career Counsellors Career Planning Books
Section 2
The Range of Environmental Careers
Science and Research Engineering Management and Business
2 Govemment Service Educarion
Communications and Public Relations Media Environmental Activisrn
Fine and Performine - Arts S~irituat h u e s International Issues
Environmental Planninn - and Architecture - Law Tourism and Recreation
Section 3 Fur ther Resoarces
Research T i ~ s Di rectories
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Appendix F: Planning a Multiple Intelligences Lesson
GlobriI Educrition 1 36
ACTIVITY FOUR: PLANNING A MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES LESSON
Form a grottp of three or four people. Assign the following mies: recorder, brainstom leader, encourager, praiser.
Bnefly review the 7 Ways of Knowing (Multiple Intelligences)
Choose a science topic and bninstonn as m ~ n y teaching i d a s as posuible for each of the seven ways of Imouing. Consuit Twls to Nurture-' @A) and Intelligence Lesson Planning Idcas" (p. 9) for ideas Rernemkr the DOVE mies for brainstorming: Defer judgement; Opt for original and off- Vast numben of ideas are bat; E.lp.nd by assaciating one idca nrb another- Use the Lesson Planning W h a l (sec nen page) to record your idar
Evaluate the teachiog ideas and begin formulating a lesson phn for the topic which incorporates at l w t three of the seven inteiiigences Try to incorporate ail seven if posiile.
Try to incorporate the four stages ne- to teach in te- of multiple intelligences:
Stage 1 AWAKEN INTELLJGENCE= Activate the se- and tum on the brain.
Stage 2 TEACH FOR/wïTH INïELLIGENm Stnicare the lesson to n m e multiple inteiiigenas
Stage 3 A M P L M IHIELLIGENCE: Amplify and mcngthen the awakcned capaaties through prania and drill
Stage 4 TRANSFER ïNTELUGENCE: Muitiply the mys of knowing beyond the d m m by using r d Life applicrtiom
Be prepared to share your ideas witb peem
GiobaI Education 1 37
LESSON PLANNING WHEEL
As you braiwtom ideas for numiring the vanous intelligences. record chem in the spaces po;ided on the wheel below. -
This activity has k e n borrowed from Multiple Intelligences and Teaching Science, Science Education, Ontario institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, March, 1996.
Global Education 138
Appendix G: The Water Droplet Fantasy
Global Educrition 1 39
Water Droplet Fantasy Resources ii large quiet space where students can lay on the
floor, if they wish, or be seated with heads resting on folded arms on a desk
Procedure . Students should be helped into a calm, reflective
frame of mind through simple relaxation exercises (see Relaxation Procedure box). The facilitator then reads through the Water Dropiet Fantasy script in a relaxed, thoughtful, confident yet gende voice, pacing the pauses according to her awareness of the group's response. Suitably relaxing music rnay be helpM as a background for the fantasy itseif andior during the feedbadc to sustain a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. At the end of the fantasy the facilitator should check that aU participants have brought their attention back to the classroom and to the people around them.
RELAXAflON PROCEDURE
Try to make yourself as relaxed and as cornfortable as possible ..... Listen for a moment to the sounds you can hear outside the room ...... to sounds inside the roorn. ...... 80 aware of how you're sitting or lying. ...... Just let yourseif relax. ...... Let the feeling of relaxation spread through your body. ...... Be aware of your toes. ...... Squeeze them tightly ...... relax them . ..... squeeze thern ...... relax aiem. Let the relaxation spread up through your ankles, your calves, your knees, your thighs. ...... Let the relaxation flood through your stomach, your chest, your neck, your shoulders and down your ans. ...... Squeeze your hands tightly ...... let them relax ...... squeeze them ...... relax them. ...... Let the muscles of your face relax.
After a soniewhat longer pause, the faciiitator moves into the Water Droplet Fanhsy script.
- 3 Potential - A n imaginative way for students to gain a n
understanding of the processes invoived in the water cycle. For students with Abstract Random and Conaete Random learning styles (see pp.31-2), this approach will
be more effective than more traditional t\.a!.i; or ïon\.tt>.iny information. Talking through the experience 1s a n essential part of the activity. Possible approaches are:
m students discussing the experience in srnail groups m students doing individual drawings or paintings
and then taking in groups about the drawings (the - .
drawings should be an expression of the experience, whether abstract, symbolic or concrete).
WATER OROPLET FANTASV
IMAGINE YOU ARE SWRlNKlNG ..... SiZE OFA CHILD. SIZE OF A HAND. SIZE OF A TWUMBNAIL. ALLOW YouasELF TO BECOME EVEN SMAUER ..... UNTIL .....
YOU BECOME LlKE THE TINIEST SPECK OF WATER.
SMALLER THAN THE EYE CAN SEE. SEE YOURSELF SLIPPING BETWEEN PARTICLES OF SOIL ..... DEEP ..... DEEPER I W O THE GROUND. FEEL THE COOL ..... OAMP ..... TEMPERAfURE OFTHE SOlL BEAWARE OFTHE SMELL OF THE SOL CLOSE BY SEETHE HUGE. HUGE HON€YCOMBED W A U OF A ROOT HAIR.
SUDDENLY ..... YOU FINO YOURSECF PUSHED THROUGH THE WALL BY SOME UNSEEN PRESSURE ..... YOU CAN'T 00 ANYTHING ABOUT IT (OSMOSIS). THE SAME IS HAPPENING TO OfnER SPECKS AAOUNO YOU. OTHER SPECKS - OF A OIFFERENT COLOUR - CANNOT GET THROUGH. YOU FlND YOURSELF INSIDE THE ROOT HAIFI. YOU'RE INSIDEA DARK. FLESHY STRUCTURE RATHER UKE A HALF CET-WWN BAUOON.. WERE ARE LOTS AN0 LOTS OF SPECKS OF WATEA AS YOU LOOK AROUNO. LIKE YOU THEY ARE A U WHlfaNG ABOUT .... FRANTlCALiY IN ALL KlNDS OF DIRECTIONS. BANGI!! YOU HlT A WALL YOU DOfJ'T KNOW HOW. BUT YOU GO THROUGH IWO ANOTHER DARK ROOM. Il3 THE SAME AGAIN, WHIZZING AROUNO. BANG!! ANOTHER EVEN OARKER RWM. AGAIN ... AGAIN.. AGAIN.. EACH R W M DARKER WAN THE LAST (PASSING THROCJGH THE ROOT). LOOK UPWARDS. YOU ûON7 SEE ANWWING 8UTYOU REALISEYOU ARE MOVING UPWARDS. YOU KEEP MOVING UPWARDS. NOT SEEING WHAT UES AHW. s n u DARK ... UP .. UP .. UP THROUGH THE AOOT. THEN THIffiS 8EGIN TO GET LlGHTER AND YOU NOliCE YOUR MOVEMENT IS NOW SUGHTLY SIDEWAYS. UPWARDS. SIDEWAVS. NOW THINGS 8EGIN TO BE SUF FUSE0 WiTH A FAlNT GREEN LIGHT. GREEN LIGHT. THE GREENNESS INCREASES.
YOU NOW FIN0 YWASELF IN A BIG TUBE WlTH ANGULAR.
THlCK WALLS. SHARP CORNERS (XYLEM). THE WALLS LOOK DEAD 8UTLlGHT FLOWS THROUGH THEM. THROUGH
: THE TRANSLUCENT WALLS YOU CAN SEE SlMllAR TUBES - ; RUNNING PARALLEL TO YOU.
i ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU MOVE SHARPLY TO THE SlOE AND FINO YOURSELF IN A SMALLER, NARROWER TUBE - WHlCH IS EVEN LIGHTER THAN BEFORE AN0 A MORE BRILLIANT GREEN. THE TUBE BEGINS T 0 GET NAAROWER. NARROWER. AS DO A U THE OTHER TüBES YOU CAN SEE AROUND ... AND THEY 0EGlN TO B E N O INTOA N m O R K OF CONNECTE0 TUBES (SPONGY MESOPHYUCEUS). YOU COME OUT OF THE NETWORK AND ARE SITTING ON A SPONGY. GLISTENING SURFACE WlTH LOTS OF OTHER SPECKS OF WATER. LOOK DOWN!! YOU'RE ON ACElUNG OF A LARGE CAVE WHICH IS BATHED IN GREENISH LIGHT (LEAF SPACES). eELow YOU SEE THE EMRANCE TO THE CAVE WlTH LIGHT POURING IN. WHITE LIGHT. POURING
IN.. .. . . Y OU SE€ TWO HUGH GATEPOSTS AT THE ENTRANCE. TWO HUGE GREEN GLISTENING BANANA SHAPES (STOMATA). AS YOU WATCH W€Y MOVE APAMAND MORE LIGHTSTREAMS IN. BEFOREYOU CAN WINKYOUR M E U D S YOU CHANGE INTO A GAS .... A VAPOUR .... AND YOU FEEL YOURSELF FLOATING ...... OOWNWAAOS TOWAROS THE GATEPOSTS. TOWARDS THE CENTRAL HOLE (TRANSPIRATION) ....
THROUGH THE HOLE. YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES AS THE LIGHT BECOMES BRIGHTER AND BRIGHTER. YOU BEGIN T 0 FEEL WARMER AND WARMER (TEMPERATURE AND TRANSPIRATION). THE AIR AROUNO YOU FEELS DRY AS YOU BEGIN TO RlSE FASTER AND FASfER (HUMIOIM AND TRANSPIRATION). YOU FEEL YOURSELF FLOATlNG AWAY UPWARDS. YOU KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSEO. YOU HAVE A FEELING OF FLOATING IN THE GENTLE MOVEMENT OF THE AIR (AIR MOVEMENT AND TRANSPIRATION). Y 6 U NûW OPEN YOUR EYES: LOOK DOWN AND SEE THE GREEN PLANT BELOW AND THE BROWN SOIL SURROUNOING If. LOOK UP AND SEE THE BLUE SKY AN0 CLOUDS. NOW YOU REMEMBER: I WAS HERE LAST WEEK!!!
Note: In brackets are the main biologid concepts intmduced in the fantasy. These are not to be read out unles6 studmts have pnor knowledge of them.
Ozone Layer Depletion: An International Conference
Each group has two tasks:
1. To prepare a conference presentation of three to five minutes' duration on theu agenda item (to indude, if necessary, overhead projector transparencies andior slides);
2. To prepare draft materials in easily understandable form (e.g. graphs, bar charts, pie char&, pictograms) for an exhibition aimed at raising public awareness of ozone layer depletion and its effects.
AU groups are encouraged to study the Information Sheets carefully and to refer to the collection of information available (see Resources box overleaf). The task of p u p 3 is to examine the causes of ozone layer
Resources Copies of the two Ozone Layer Information Sheets
(pp.149-50) for each student; a resource collection on ozone layer depletion; an overhead projector, blank OHP sheets and OHP pens; a slide pmjector; felt pens; sugar pa per.
Procedure Students are invited to partiapate in an international
conference to consider the threat to the ozone layer and ways of creating greater public awareness of present and projected effects of ozone depletion. The conference organizer (teacher) introduces the topic by guiding the class through the Ozone Layer Information Sheets. Foiiowing questions and discussion, students break into groups of four to prepare contributions for the conference. The agenda for the conference Ïs as follows:
1. introduction by conference organizer 2. m e chernistry of ozone depletion (group 1) 3. ï h e effects of ozone depletion (group 2) 1. How to prevent ozone depletion (group 3) 5. How to minimize the e k t s of ozone depletion
( soup 4) 6. Ozone depletion - mapping the future (group 5) 7. Ozone depletion - present levels of public
awareness (group 6)