Getting to grips with Global Issues
Rob Peacock
Oxford University Press
Oxford & Suken Seminar for Secondary Teachers
2018
Today’s workshop
• What are global issues?
• Approaches to teaching
• Classroom activities
• Resources and information
Global events in the late ‘80s/
early ‘90s
• Thousands of students demonstrated in
Tiananmen Square
• Nelson Mandela released from prison
• East and West Germany reunited
• Margaret Thatcher resigned as British PM
• Operation Desert Storm took place in Kuwait &
Iraq
What global issues do students
need to know about today?
What global issues do students
need to know about today?
From Global Issues, © Oxford University Press
What global issues do students
need to know about today?
From Global Issues, © Oxford University Press
What global issues do students
need to know about today?
From Global Issues, © Oxford University Press
What global issues do students
need to know about today?
From Global Issues, © Oxford University Press
Global issues
“These problems, which are important for people and
countries all over the world, are called ‘global
issues’. So, what are the biggest global issues today,
and why do we need to know about them? What is
happening to our world, and is it in danger?”
From Global Issues, © Oxford University Press
How can we teach global issues?
• Which is better for a class on global issues –
lecture-based or active learning?
Active Learning
“Learning is not a spectator sport. Students … must talk about what they are learning, … relate it to past experiences, apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves.”
(Chickering and Gamson, 1987, p. 3)
Characteristics of Active
Learning
1. More than passive listening
2. Activities (e.g. reading, discussing, writing)
3. Emphasis on developing student skills
4. Exploration of attitudes and values
5. Increased motivation
6. Higher order thinking
(Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom,
Bonwell & Eison, 1991)
KNOWLEDGE: remember language,
facts, theories
COMPREHENSION: interpret,
summarize
APPLICATION: use skills/strategies
to complete a task
ANALYSIS: break down information; organize,
categorize
SYNTHESIS : combine information from different
sources
EVALUATION: critique information, conclude,
provide an opinion
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Cognitive Domain
Kiribati
From Global Issues, © Oxford University Press
Global warming
1. Scientists say that world temperatures
are about 1ºC warmer today than
_______ years ago – and by _________,
the temperature may be another 2ºC
warmer.
2. The oceans cover _______% of Earth.
3. Antarctica is losing about _________
square kilometers of ice every year.
4. … if global warming continues, by the
year 2100, the world’s seas may be
______ meters higher than they are
today.
250
2050
71
100
2
250 2050
71
100
2
Global warming
From Stretch, © Oxford University Press
Global warming
In Barrow, you can see …
• … people in bathing suits
• … polar bears
• … jellyfish on the beach
From Stretch, © Oxford University Press
Global warming
From Stretch, © Oxford University Press
Global warming
What is causing erosion in
Barrow?
What will people have to do?
From Stretch, © Oxford University Press
Global warming
From Stretch, © Oxford University Press
Climate change
Climate change
• Because of climate
change …
• If climate change
continues …
… strong winds are destroying houses
… some places will have more snow
The Greenhouse Effect
From Global Issues, © Oxford University Press
The Greenhouse Effect
• What makes greenhouse gases?
From Global Issues, © Oxford University Press
animals machines
factories burning forests
Presentation: Global warming
• Brainstorm causes of global warming and everyday
solutions
Causes What can we do?
Cars – use petrol Use public transport
Electricity – burn coal & gas
Save electricity
Plastic – release chemicals
Use an eco bag
Oxford Bookworms Library:
Factfiles
• Carefully graded readers on variety
of important topics
• Illustrations, photos, and diagrams
support comprehension
• Activities check comprehension and
build language skills
• Project ideas develop higher order
thinking skills
• Support materials
Stretch
• Six skills practice
• Video from BBC Worldwide Learning
• Presentation practice
Global issues
“… there are no easy answers to these great
problems. There are only thousands of small
answers – and it is these small answers which will
help to take us forward to a better future.”
From Global Issues, © Oxford University Press