Over the course of these lessons, students will identify their own values, explore how they express those values through their actions, and go out into their communities to see how they can contribute to solving real-world problems.
Lesson 1- My Self
Lesson 2- My Community
Lesson 3 - Balancing Voices in Global Issues
Lesson 4 - Our World
Lesson 5 - Capstone Project
The unit may help to strengthen the following skills;
The unit is one of the few resources that link values to action and ties these in turn to the Sustainable Development Goals. In doing so it also helps students understand the connection between the local and the global. Finally, it accomplishes these goals with a pedagogy that strikes a balance between teacher direction and student inquiry, while providing the resources needed by teachers and students.
The unit is an effective resource in introducing students to the Sustainable Development Goals in general, while its particular curriculum fit depends upon the issues the students choose to pursue. It will be of particular relevance for those courses and units of study that focus on citizenship, both locally and globally and the responsibilities attached to citizenship.
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Good | The lessons asks students to reflect on their personal values, consider the link between those values and problems facing their community and the world, and be open to a consideration of the values of others. The lessons are therefore driven by the student rather than by the agenda of others. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | In lesson 2, students go out into their local community to interview individuals or organizations that are addressing problems of interest to the students. What problems will be addressed is unknown but the teacher may encourage students to look for the interplay of economic, social and environmental factors in investigating the issues. Lesson 3 uses the constructions of large dams around the world as case studies in which students are given information from different perspectives and through discussion learn to consider the viewpoints of a wide range of stakeholders. The stakeholders reflect the economic, social and environmental that are central to decisions about building dams. |
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
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Respects Complexity | Good | The focus of the unit is values clarification and how values may shape the position one takes in trying to resolve problems, locally or globally. Such an exercise will likely reveal the competing perspectives that stakeholders bring to the table and in doing so help students recognize the complexities that are inherent in most issues. |
Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
Acting on Learning | Satisfactory | The unit does not conclude with a student action plan but sets the table for student action in that it makes the students aware of local problems and identifies people and organizations that are doing something about these problems. It also asks students to consider these problems within the context of their value system and this may be expected to heighten the possibility of students acting on their learning . |
Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
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Values Education | Very Good | Over the course of these lessons, students identify their own values, explore how they express those values through their actions, and go out into their communities to see how they can contribute to solving real-world problems. |
Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
Empathy & Respect for Humans | Good | Student efforts to link various problems to the Sustainable Development Goals introduces them to the struggles of peoples both locally and in the developing world. |
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
Personal Affinity with Earth | Satisfactory | Since the problems that the students choose to investigate locally is self selected, we cannot be sure if their investigation will raise their awareness of and concern for the natural world. The prescribed study of the impact that dam building has on the natural world, however, is integral to any debate over the merits of dams. |
Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
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Locally-Focused Learning | Very Good | Lesson 2 - My Community - requires students to identify issues that are of concern to them and to interview those people who are working to meet those local challenges. Other lessons have students investigate global issues, identify the link between the local and global issues and consider how their actions may have a positive effect locally and globally. |
Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
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Past, Present & Future | Good | The emphasis is on identifying and understanding current problems and in seeking solutions that will contribute to a more positive future. |
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. |
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Open-Ended Instruction | Very Good | Students move from a consideration of their personal values to how those values may inform their response to local and global challenges. The lessons provide the framework in which students pursue these questions without determining the answers and the direction those answers may take students. |
Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
Integrated Learning | Very Good | Values clarification is a familiar part of many curriculum documents. The lessons that require students to identify and respond to local challenges in accordance with their interests may require students to investigate any number of issues and therefore any number of subject areas. The lessons linked to their study of the impact of large dams may be expected to have them examine the political, economic, geographic and environmental forces at play. |
Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
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Inquiry Learning | Good | Each of the lessons identifies "Essential Questions" that students are to investigate and then provides the direction and the resources to help students address those questions. |
Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
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Differentiated Instruction | Good | Student activities include pair share, interviewing and analyzing the findings of interviews, problem solving and advocacy, |
Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
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Experiential Learning | Good | Students go out into their communities to learn about local challenges by interviewing those people and organizations that are responding to those challenges. At the global level they participate in a simulation intended to have them better understand the competing perspectives that are at play in a selected issue. |
Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
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Cooperative Learning | Good | Students work in small and larger groups to help one another clarify their personal values, conduct mock interviews so as to improve their interviewing skills, represent selected perspectives and respond to the perspective of others as they seek to understand how different stakeholders may view a particular issue |
Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
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Assessment & Evaluation | Good | The variety of student activities - student discussions, planning and carrying out interviews, role playing, and presentations - provides teachers with considerable material to assess student understanding of the questions addressed. |
Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
Peer Teaching | Good | Many of the student activities require students to work with others, to present their understandings to others, and to respond to to the presentations made by others. |
Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
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Case Studies | Good | Lesson 3 investigates the impact of dam building and has student focus on a number of case studies to illustrate the forces at play, while lesson two has students explore local issues of their choosing. The final lesson asks student to consider the common elements in these two studies and link these to the Sustainable Development Goals. |
Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
Locus of Control | Good | The lessons are in keeping with the principles of inquiry learning. Students are presented with a variety of questions they are to investigate, provided with a framework and resources to carry out that investigation and are left to do the heavy work. |
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. |