FOSTERING GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP IN THE SECONDARY CLASSROOM

The Next Generation Science Standards (2013) have a vision of science that emphasizes “1) science and engineering practice, 2) cross cutting concepts, and 3) disciplinary core ideas.” To this end, we have developed units for the high school classroom. Two units of lessons in issues-based science with a goal of producing integrated learning were developed by pre-service teachers during the course of teacher preparation programs. Each unit consists of various lessons targeting different skills and learning styles, from the application of mathematics to determine appropriate flood mitigation to the construction of a model of an island to understand biomes. The aim is for students to learn about different concepts, such as flood processes, plate tectonics, and island biogeography, in a geographical context. Students gain a deeper understanding of an unfamiliar region of the world by first understanding local processes, and then applying that knowledge to a place that is further afield and unfamiliar to them. This approach will help students to see both what is different about these regions, as well as what is similar, and accomplishes a better awareness of regional and global issues.