The global dimension - a practical approach
Unit 1 of this course elucidates some of the reasons for incorporating the global dimension into science education. The unit also explores aspects of historic and contemporary science practices that are best approached from a global perspective.
This unit builds on Unit 1. It introduces approaches and activities that incorporate the global dimension while delivering part of the science curriculum. Through trying out, evaluating, and then devising further activities, we hope that you and your department will gain the confidence and expertise to begin to embed the global dimension into science teaching and learning.
One aspect of incorporating the global dimension into science involves increasing pupils' knowledge of scientific developments that happened outside today's industrialised nations. Through doing so, we hope to encourage pupils to recognise that science is not the preserve of white people in economically rich countries. Start to prepare for this in the Activity on the right now.
Definition of the global dimension
The global dimension in science comprises the elements of science that focus on global interdependence, issues and events.
Activity Resources:
- Images
- Interactive
- Sound
- Text
- Video
Activity
This activity is best tackled with a colleague.
- Click on the Text icon above. Read the list of examples of historic scientific developments from all over the world. Insert as many of the examples as possible into appropriate places in your department's KS3 and KS4 (or equivalent courses for pupils aged 11-14 and 14-16) schemes of work.
You might like to do this simply by cutting the list into strips and sticking each strip in an appropriate place. - Discuss different strategies for using the examples in lessons. Two suggestions to start you off are:
- Mention relevant examples briefly at appropriate times. For example, tell pupils of the work of the Arab physicist Alhazan when studying reflection and refraction.
- Build a display based on the examples, perhaps centred on a world map. Ask pupils to add examples to the display - you could even offer prizes for their contributions.
- Select one example from the list of historic scientific developments given in part 1 above, and select one of the strategies from those you identified in part 2 of this activity. In a lesson, use the strategy to introduce the example. Consider the impact of what you did - perhaps by asking pupils for their opinions - and record your thoughts in writing.
