Global Issues in Focus
“Global issues are those matters of great social concern that affect human populations locally, and that are shared among diverse human societies within the world community.1”
“Why should students learn about global issues, problems, and challenges?
All evidence indicates that global issues and problems are growing in magnitude and will neither go away nor resolve themselves. They require action. In turn, that action - if it is to be effective - requires citizens who are trained and willing to deal with difficult and complex global issues. Students should leave school reasonably informed and concerned about one or more of the major global issues, problems, or challenges facing the human race.2”
Today’s learners are growing up in an increasingly interconnected society with a host of complex global challenges. As globally-concerned educators, we must get our students thinking critically about problems transcending international borders and we must prepare them to enact creative, collaborative solutions.
This module offers a starting place for cultivating global competence – the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance,3 – in our classrooms.
Access helpful introductions to some of the world’s most critical global issues, learn about the concrete ways Peace Corps Volunteers are addressing these issues in communities around the world, and engage your students in relevant, standards-based WebQuests that prepare them as 21st century thinkers and problem solvers.
Designed to promote deeper understanding and meaningful action around key global issues, each section of this module offers:
- A concise introduction to a critical global issue and its domestic and global significance
- A problem-based WebQuest designed to guide student investigation of the issue
- Teaching suggestions to promote further inquiry across the curriculum through authentic Peace Corps Volunteer experiences
Sources
2. American Forum for Global Education
3. Council of Chief State School Officers and the Asia Society
WebQuests
This series of WebQuests is designed to engage secondary students in critical thinking and problem-solving around key global issues. Each WebQuest includes a concise introduction to a global issue and standards-based teaching suggestions to extend students' learning across the curriculum.
Rising Out of Poverty
Focus on poverty as critical global issue and explore the development of income-generating activities as an avenue for alleviating poverty at the community level. Students take the role of a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in a community with a high poverty rate and few economic opportunities, then present an idea for a culturally-appropriate product or service to generate income for their host community.
Issue introduction | Lesson plan | Teaching Suggestions
Reversing the Spread of HIV/AIDS
Investigate the issue of HIV/AIDS, including common misconceptions about the disease, its impact in the United States and the world, and what Peace Corps Volunteers are doing to support communities dealing with HIV/AIDS issues. Then develop a message to help educate people in your community about HIV/AIDS.
Issue introduction | Lesson plan | Teaching Suggestions
Preventing Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases
Investigate the global challenge of disease prevention - including both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Students explore the domestic and global impacts of disease, and learn about some of the strategies that Peace Corps volunteers are using to help reduce the risk of communicable and noncommunicable diseases in their host communities. Finally, each student will select a disease to research in depth.
Issue introduction | Lesson plan | Teaching Suggestions
Improving Nutrition for All
Consider the causes and effects of key nutritional problems - including undernutrition and overweight and obesity - and analyze their global impacts. Students will explore solutions to nutrition issues facing both the U.S. and the world at large. After finding several news articles addressing a nutrition issue of their choice, students compose a letter to the editor that articulates their opinions on how the problem should be addressed.
Issue introduction | Lesson plan | Teaching Suggestions
Improving Access to Clean Water and Basic Sanitation
Explore the global issue of access to clean water and basic sanitation and analyze trends around the world. Students consider the relationships between water and sanitation and other global issues and review examples of Peace Corps Volunteer projects around the world. Finally, students will plan a World Water Day event in their own community to raise awareness about water sanitation as a global concern.
Issue introduction | Lesson plan | Teaching Suggestions
Reducing the Global Gender Gap
Investigate gender equality its relationship to critical global issues. Students will evaluate examples of initiatives led by Peace Corps Volunteers to empower women and promote gender equality in countries around the world. They will also review statistics on gender discrepancies in the United States. Finally, students will participate in a collaborative world forum to identify key global priorities for achieving gender equality.
Issue introduction | Lesson plan | Teaching Suggestions
Promoting Environmental Sustainability
Research a variety of environmental concerns and investigate their local and global relevance. Through several Peace Corps Volunteers' stories, students will see examples of communities around the world are working to address environmental issues. Students will conduct research on environmental issues in their own communities and suggest actions for addressing local environmental priorities.
Issue introduction | Lesson plan | Teaching Suggestions
Ensuring Access to Quality Education
Discover the connections between education and key international development issues. Students will analyze recent progress in the movement to provide universal primary education and examine the connections between literacy and poverty. Finally, students will write reflective essays articulating their own views on the value of education and how the world can better achieve the goal of learning for all.
Issue introduction | Lesson plan | Teaching Suggestions
Addressing Global Food Security
Explore food security at the local, national, and global levels and learn how Peace Corps Volunteers are working with communities to address food security issues. After conducting initial research, students organize a food security forum. Finally, students will reflect on present and future food security challenges and potential solutions.
Issue introduction | Lesson plan | Teaching Suggestions
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