Aspects of global education can easily be infused into individual science courses, from grades K-12 thereby helping students make connections between their study of say science (biology, chemistry, earth science, physics) and global issues and problems. To some science educators, global education is important enough that it should be a theme or strand running through the curriculum. Mayer, describing a rationale for teaching science from a global view says:
"Thus, global education should be a thread running through science curriculum. Our future leaders and voters (today's students) must understand our interrelationships with peoples around the workd and how our daily activities affect our planet and its resources."
An example of the infusion of a thread of global education running through the science curriculum is the Pennsylvania Department of Education's strategy of providing supplementary curriculum or study units in global education (Figure 1)
Infusing Global Education into Science Teaching
Grade
Level Global
Topic/Unit Purpose/Goals Sixth
Grade Windows on the
World: Student Perceptions 1. Focus activities
on value systems---individual, group, societal, cultural, or
planetary. 2. Involve all
student in simulation studies centering on the global way of
life from the viewpoint of various topic areas. Seventh
Grade Stewardship of the
Spaceship Earth 1. Focus activities
on environmental issues at a local and / or state level and
examine how they contrast with national and/or global
issues. 2. Develop
activities centering on the types of alternatives that are
available with regard to environmental issues. Eighth
Grade Citizen
Responsibilities Concerning the Environment 1. Focus
investigations and activities on local, state, and national
channels of government and the techniques they use to
respond to environmental needs and/or issues. 2. Investigate and
compare the U.S. system of government with that of a foreign
government. In addition, develop activities exploring the
United Nations and other international efforts to respond to
global environmental concerns. Ninth
Grade Understanding Human
Choices 1. Focus activities
on the problems confronting individuals, nations,
continents, and the human species as global concerns
expand. 2. Focus activities
on students' abilities to understand difference between
pre-global and global perspectives. Tenth
Grade Opinon and
Perspective 1. Focus activities
on awareness of varying perspectives with regard to the
individual and the world, followed by investigative research
about the different perspectives. 2. Focus activities
on discovering and recognizing global perspectives that
differ profoundly from those of this country. Eleventh
Grade The World in Dynamic
Change 1. Focus on research
and investigative activities revealing present key traits,
mechnaisms, or technologies that assist in the operation of
global dynamics. 2. Conduct
activities on awareness of theories and related concepts
regarding current global change. Twelfth
Grade State of Planet
Earth 1. Focus activities
on the most recent worldwide environmental
conditions---migration, political change, war and peace,
economic conditions, and so forth. 2. Develop
activities on awareness of students' roles and their
responsibility to become involved in one or more of these
world conditions and to work towards a
resolution.
Integrating Global Science Education Activities into Planning.
Another strategy is to integrate global science activities, such as the Global Food Web into chapters of textbooks, and units of study. The Global Food Web is a science program focusing on environment, food supply and human nutirition. It consists of activities designed to expose Georgia students to issues of both national and international relevance, especially in the interrelated areas of environment. The challenge is to relate science concepts and units of study to global themes such as environment, pollution, natural resources, energy, food, population, war technology, and human health and disease. There is a wealth of sourcebooks, and curriculum projects that teachers use to develop ideas and lesson plans (see Chapter 6 on S-T-S for specific curriculum projects).