Sciences Sciences Practice the Scientific Method Practice scientific method —inquiry, hypothesizing, careful fact-finding, evaluation of evidence— applied to school and community problems students want to solve Compare the elements of different kinds of healthy (and unhealthy) diets, enjoyed in different cultures and communities: Compare/contrast nutritional values, survey peers on preferences, develop persuasive posters for an advocacy campaign for healthy food. Study the problems and possibilities related to the use of potentially harmful chemicals in foods. Assess and discuss evidence of the consequences of various food additives and contaminants (Bangladesh), or the pros and cons of spraying pesticide on food crops or to reduce pest populations (Canada). Study the causes and process of how the greenhouse effect (global warming causing climate instability) occurs. Compare possible strategies for mitigation, such as the example of a man who planted trees every day in his village (Bangladesh). Compare the differing local and global effects of various sources of energy, such as solar, wind, hydroelectricity, oil and gas, or nuclear power (Canada). Read About Science Read biographies of scientists and narratives of scientific discoveries, to understand how real people have used science to solve problems. Examine how scientists have worked together, in cooperation or in competition. Discuss when cooperating (as many scientists do) is a good idea, not ‘cheating’. Examine how scientific problem-solving challenges have been handled, by reading biographies of scientific innovators who at first were misunderstood or even ridiculed for their insights and discoveries. Examine cases of disagreement among scientists (or groups of scientists), for instance about what plants need to grow or about the human-induced causes of climate change, and how they were (or could be) resolved. Practice Creative Problem Solving Practice creative problem-solving, rather than just teaching/learning ‘correct’ answers. Play creative thinking games, to develop conflict resolution skills such as creativity, to ‘invent options for mutual gain’ rather than settling for only limited options (fight or flight, they win or I win) in conflict situations.12 Organize cooperative teamwork games that exercise different abilities (such as creativity, physical strength, memory, and leadership) and that require collaboration to succeed. After the activities, reflect together on what team work is, what makes it work well, and the value of diversity (rather than every team member having the same abilities) in teamwork (Mexico). Student teams collect a kind of plastic (PET) trash in the community and create artistic designs using the plastic, that are displayed to build community awareness (Mexico). Students participate in organizing the school’s science fair, which not only addressed science-in-society problems but also requires them to handle conflicts that arise during collaborative planning work (Mexico). Study Points of View Study, compare, and justify (debate) different points of view about issues, such as ecological preservation and pollution, food production and distribution, deforestation and habitat loss, and carbon emissions from fossil fuel dependence and their consequences for catastrophic climate change and injustice. Students in groups collaboratively research and make documentaries [movies] about pollution and environmental damage issues. The class presents the documentaries to the school and submits them to a local educational TV program (Canada). A class studies an environmental conflict that affects their community. In one Mexican school, the issue selected was the leather tanneries that pollute but also offer employment in their community. Each student writes a creative short story, illustrated with drawings, and makes a presentation to the class, expressing their point of view about the conflict. At the end of the unit, students together create an action plan proposal, and take action such as writing letters to government representatives and business owners, explaining their views and proposals about the problem. The class may visit important sites of the conflict, take or draw pictures to document what they find, and try to contact actors involved to establish a dialogue. Ecology Examine how conflict escalation and cooperation work in relation to the basic needs of animal life in ecological niches and in response to threats (Canada). Biology After a series of lessons about the human body and its systems (digestive, circulatory, etc) students “perform” how each system works in the human body and showing how they are connected. After this activity, the teacher leads a discussion about the students’ own diversity, interdependence, and importance to the whole group in cooperative team work (Mexico).