Embedding the global dimension
Now that you have got into the swing of incorporating global dimensions into your science teaching, it is important to keep up the momentum. Develop and refine your habits to look for opportunities frequently and on a regular basis. Once part of your normal preparation routine, it will become easier and more of a pleasure than a task.
Good habits are catching. Persuading your science department colleagues to adopt such habits, too, should reap the rewards of motivated pupils with an appreciation of the global dimensions to science.
This course ends with short activities to reflect on how successful you and your colleagues are at embedding your new practices into everyday teaching, and learning outcomes. Turn to these activities on the right now.
Activity Resources:
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Activity
These quick and simple activities are designed to embed global science perspectives into your everyday teaching and pupils' learning.
- Put aside a few minutes each morning or evening to scan the latest science news, which will inevitably have a global perspective. Here are some reminders of sources to start you off. SciDevNet This excellent website has daily news and editorials. The dossiers and quick guides to issues, including nanotechnology, GM crops and HIV/AIDS, make useful background reading and research materials for your older pupils. ASE Global Dimension The 'Hot Issues' area of the 'ASE Global Dimension' site brings together science news articles with a global dimension. They are regularly updated and, for some, pupil activities have been developed.
- Ask your pupils to do the same research exercise, perhaps every two or three weeks. Make it enjoyable - possibly with little competitions for finding (and explaining) in no more than two minutes, the most important science story of the week with a global dimension.
- Ideally, display these stories colourfully in a public area to encourage further discussion. Make sure the stories are renewed regularly.
- Look out for world single issue days, such as World Water Day in March, World Health Day in April and International Day of Biological Diversity in May and plan lessons or events around them.
- Always try to be clear how such activities are relevant to your examination specifications or schemes of work, as well as interesting to your pupils. You might consider the following questions each time:
- What ideas about science does this activity highlight, including looking at data, evidence, theories and explanations, as well as applications and implications of science?
- What science principles within your examination specification does it explain?
- What are the global issues that it raises?
- What learning outcomes am I looking for in my pupils?
- Look out for stimulating Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses that relate the global dimension to science teaching. The National Network of Science Learning Centres runs courses on topics, such as global health and bioethics, through their regional centres. Click onto their site and search for 'Global'. National Network of Science Learning Centres Now that you have reached the end of this course, it is time to reflect on your successes and to think about your next steps!
- Look back at Unit 1. In the Activity on page 1, mark your current position on the continuum about the value of incorporating the global dimension in science education. If you did this activity earlier, how does your position compare now?
- Draw up an action plan for, or ideally with, your science department, to show how far you would like to embed the global dimension in the next 12 months; and how you are going to get there. This will involve reflecting on which activities worked best, and why.
