GLOBE Across the Curriculum in Chile!
In order to assist in Chile's implementation of the GLOBE Program, GLOBE Chile has aligned the GLOBE Program with national education standards to help teachers incorporate GLOBE into several areas of study. The current Chilean educational policy continuously considers environmental education and management as a cross-curricular objective for Chilean education (Decreto Supremo de Educación Nº 220 de Chile).
In practice, incorporating environmental issues into different subject areas is difficult to achieve due to the difficulty of blending the contents of each curriculum with fundamental national educational objectives.This happens because there are few tools or suitable procedural manuals. In response to these needs, GLOBE provides the necessary resources to carry out the basic contents of each curriculum through a set of conceptual knowledge and practical skills activities that improve the understanding of students about their environment.
Examples of subjects in which GLOBE teachers in Chile are working to enhance and integrate learning, and motivate students across the curriculum are:
- BIOLOGY: The scientific knowledge of nature contributes to an attitude of respect and care for it. To be meaningful, this knowledge must be connected to the daily lives of students. The curiosity, ideas and intuitions of the students must be considered early on in their education. Learning science should be an active process in which investigation and problem solving become the central theme (which is promoted by The GLOBE Program).
- PHYSICS: This requires students to acquire the ability to measure and relate quantities that appear frequently in real life; such as lengths and distances, intervals of time, energy, mass, temperature, etc. Students are expected to develop a critical spirit compared to what was observed in order to resolve problems.
- CHEMISTRY: The chemistry curriculum seeks that all students have a scientific culture that allows them to appreciate the chemical processes of the natural world and those created by human beings; developing their intellectual capacities and motivation. One of the most important themes in this sense is the issue of water.
- HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES: In this area the individual is considered a social actor who takes part in the solutions of problems. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that this curriculum internalizes a world view based on knowledge. Therefore, it is important that any proposals are attractive towards adding awareness of individuals regarding the impacts caused by human action on the environment as well as the generation of an attitude of responsibility and respect for the environment.
- PHYSICAL EDUCATION: This area not only focuses its efforts on developing the physical aspects of students, but also considers their development in emotional, social, cognitive, moral and spiritual aspects. It seeks to stimulate the development of critical thinking skills that enable them to analyze and discuss the environmental, social and psychological consequences for each educative and recreational practice in which they are involved.
In other countries, GLOBE has been successfully incorporated into several additional subject areas, such as mathematics, geography, social studies, humanities, language, culture and art. For more information about how GLOBE can be benefit students through a range of activities to expand student knowledge in a variety of ways, see GLOBE Across the Curriculum.
GLOBE Chile would like to thank Mr. Manfredo Langer, GLOBE International Master Trainer in Chile, for his many contributions to the success of the GLOBE Program.
11 March 2008