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Global Schools Program Grade 12

Secondary

Description

The lessons focus on how students can apply the knowledge they have gained over the past twelve years. They explore opportunities for affecting positive changes in their future careers, service, and everyday lives and hopefully become inspired to continue working to better the world.

Lesson 1 - The Role of Service

Lesson 2 - Careers - What is my place in the World

Lesson 3 -  The Role of Institutions in Modern Society

Lesson 4 - Take, Make, Waste: A Sustainable Economic Paradigm

Lesson 5 - Doing Good: catalyzing local Impact to make the World a Better Place

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

The resource includes opportunities for students to develop the following skills;

  • analyze and research solutions to problems
  • self-efficacy, independence, autonomy and teamwork
  • apply knowledge across subject areas
  • empowerment, action

Strengths

There are a limited number of resources that help students to reflect on how they might, as adults, contribute to meeting societal challenges both locally and globally and to recognize the connection between the two. The framework adopted to take students through this exercise recognizes the sequence of steps that help students move from reflection to action.

Recommendation of how and where to use it

The resource is aimed at grade 12 students and is intended to help them think about what role they may play as adults to contribute to society and is therefore most relevant for coursed dealing with citizenship, justice and equity.

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

  • Step 1Select a province
  • British Columbia
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 11
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Explorations in Social Studies 11: Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems
    • Grade 12
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Social Justice: Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems
        • Social Justice: The causes of social injustice are complex and have lasting impacts on society
  • Manitoba
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 12
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Citizenship and Sustainability: Area of Inquiry: Social Justice and Human Rights
        • Global Issues
  • Ontario
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 10
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Civic Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Civics and Citizenship (Open): Civic Awareness
        • Civics and Citizenship (Open): Civic Engagement and Action
    • Grade 11
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice (Workplace Pre.) Equity, Social Justice, and Change
        • Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice (Workplace Pre.) Foundations
        • Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice (Workplace Prep.) Promoting Equity and Social Justice
    • Grade 12
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Equity and Social Justice: From Theory to Practice (Univ./College Prep.) Addressing Equity and Social Justice Issues
  • Quebec
  • Yukon Territory
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 11
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Explorations in Social Studies 11: Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems
    • Grade 12
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Social Justice: Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems
        • Social Justice: The causes of social injustice are complex and have lasting impacts on society

Themes Addressed

Citizenship (2)

  • Alternative Globalisation
  • General Guide to Taking Action

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Good

The unit assumes that students have both the responsibility and the power to contribute to making the world better and moves them from a consideration of the role of service to how their local actions can have a positive global impact.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Satisfactory

The resource  is rather generic in that it aims to have students consider how they might contribute to positive changes as adults. Once they begin to critically look at specific actions they might undertake, they may be expected to evaluate the economic, environmental, and social impact of any proposed action.

Lesson 4, “Take, Make, Waste: A Sustainable Economic Paradigm” examines a specific example of how students may be a positive force for change by having students consider how their pattern of consumption impacts the world and what design changes might be implemented to change current trends in the amount of waste generated in the world.

In lesson 5, “Doing Good: Catalyzing Local Impact to Make the World a Better Place”, students are asked to explore how individuals can create local solutions to tackle global problems and to recognize the multi-faceted nature of these global problems. 

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Good

Lesson 4, which has students explore the concept of a circular economy and lesson 5, which asks them to respond to a global issue will both have the effect of confronting students with the complexity of the issues investigated.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Very Good

This is at the core of the resource in that the stated objective of the lessons is to have students formulate plans for when they finish high school, how they can apply the lessons they have learned once they have left school, and how they  may be inspired to continue creating positive changes as adults.

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

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Very Good

In responding to the resources' challenges to contribute to meeting societal challenges, students are forced to consider what is important to them and what responsibility they have to find solutions to those challenges.

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Good

The focus of the resource is to have students consider how they may be a force for good in the world. To illustrate the possibilities in this regard, lesson 1 introduces students to CNN heroes, many of whom have worked to help improve the lot of their fellow humans who are struggling with challenges related to social inequities.

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 Poor/Not considered

There is no direct effort made to encourage student affinity with the natural world but the possibility of this happening is there if students choose to work on a global issue that has implications for the natural world.

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Good

The resource has students look to community examples of local problems to illustrate what needs to and can be done to improve life in their community and to nominate individuals or organizations for local hero awards.  Another lesson has students identify global problems that may be addressed through local action.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Good

The underlying theme of the resources is to encourage people to imagine a preferred future and to consider and take action that will move the current realities toward that preferred future.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Very Good

Each of the lessons grant a significant autonomy to the students in deciding what the societal problems are both locally and globally and what they as individuals can do to mitigate those problems.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good

As students begin to identify and grapple with societal problems, they will learn of the complex nature of those problems and how they transcend simple solutions and how a silo approach to the problems is likely to be ineffective.

Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good

Each of the lessons in the resource poses a number of "Essential Questions" and then charged with finding answers to those questions by undertaking suggested activities.

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

The resource includes a menu of student activities such as local and Internet research, self reflection, problem analysis, group discussion and sharing, and problem solving.  

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Good

The local community is used as a learning laboratory in which students identify community concerns, recognize the individuals and organizations that are dealing with those concerns, reflect on how they might help, and put forward proposals that may address these socio-economic problems.

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory

Each of the lessons includes opportunities for students to help each other with their investigations and share their findings.

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Good

Opportunities for assessment include evaluating student persuasive writing, student Statement of Purpose submissions, teacher observations re. student participation in discussion and debate, solutions proposed by student groups to problems identified.

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 Satisfactory

Peer teaching occurs within the many opportunities for student cooperation in carrying out group tasks, sharing findings and proposed action plans.

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Very Good

Students investigate a number of case studies of individual and organizations at the local level that are agents for positive change, read of national governments that have used their power to promote greater justice and equity, and investigate the work of the CNN Heroes alumni.

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

Each lesson is organized around a set of questions and a framework is set out for student investigation of those questions but within that context there is considerable opportunity for student autonomy.

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.

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