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| Photo from: http://www.uwosh.edu |
Our
Group Inquiry Project is focused on the theme of sustainability. As outlined,
we aim to educate our students on the various components of sustainability in
order to encourage sustainable choices in their own lives. With this being
said, the focus of sustainability can also encompass a variety of other
subtopics, and cross-curricular integration. The remainder of this blog post
will discuss how the sustainability theme can correlate with themes within
Social Injustice by integrating the Language, Art and Science curriculum
documents.
According to the Pachamama Alliance, Social Injustice Issues can be broken down into two categories,
inter-social treatment (which includes racism, heterosexism, sexism etc.) and
unequal government regulation (which includes access to healthcare, access to
education, environmental right etc.). When incorporating a Social Injustice
Issues into a Sustainability unit, poverty or access to education could easily
be integrated. Once students have gathered an understanding of sustainability
from a communal perspective, we can begin to look at sustainability from a
national, then international level. By first introducing students to the new
topic at the community level, we are allowing them to relate a new topic to
something familiar and relatable. From this point, we can build on their
knowledge until they are able to apply their knowledge of sustainability to a
global perspective. This method follows the Expanding Horizons Model (see
below).
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| Expanding Horizons Model, Elementary Social Studies 7th ed. |
In groups, or individually,
students can investigate the various sustainability initiatives Canada has
implemented. Following this, students can again, individually or in groups,
research a country of their choice and identify the various sustainability
features within that country. Based on their findings, they can begin to
explore other aspects of the social studies unit, such as population density,
population distribution and economics. However, this would also be a great way
to introduce social justice issues. If students find that their country does
not have sustainable features implemented, we can begin to have them critically
examine why this may be the case, do they not have equal access to education?
Is there insufficient funding throughout the country? By looking at the
sustainability, students are able to look deeper into other issues. Working
backwards from this point, students can then begin to look at the social issue
they have chosen and its relation to Canada. Does this issue occur in Canada?
Does it occur in our community? As a culminating activity, students can write a
report and present a project that highlights their country and the social
injustice issue they have explored based on their initial research. We are
introducing a social issue with a familiar topic, sustainability, and then
providing students with the opportunity to develop a national and community
perspective through inquiry-based learning.
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| Photo from: http://maonoyachini.com |
When looking at social injustice
through a broad social studies lens, teachers can easily integrate topics in
both geography and history. Though some social injustice issues have developed
over the last century, many started centuries ago, allowing students to see the
progression, or digression of the issue. Allowing students to explore these
topics provides them with ownership over their own learning as they are
motivated and interested in the topic. Moreover, the information they are
learning is applicable to current issues, and often, issues that are occurring
in our own communities that students may not be aware of. Something to keep in
mind, though it is important to allow students to choose their own topics, it
is also important be prepare yourself as the teacher to answer difficult
questions or controversial viewpoints as every student offers a different
perspective based on their knowledge and prior experiences. It is important for
teachers to prepare for this in order to be effective in managing these issues
if they occur in the classroom.
For ideas, and more information about integrating social
injustice issues into the classroom, visit these links:
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