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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
General information | ||||||
Title of the activityPeople on the Move |
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SubjectScience, Astronomy, Astronomy, Climate, Environment, Geography, Earth science, Humanities |
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KeywordsSTEM, Inclusion, teamwork, versatile |
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Connected to/ nested with
The activity, given it touches upon a sensitive issue such as forced migration, may be well-suited for combination with the activity “Using debate in teaching STEM”. The activity can follow this activity and become a debate on both climate change and migration due to climate change. |
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Learning outcomesTeacher learning outcomes: Teachers will be able to introduce the themes of migration with/in a science activity. They will also be in a position to understand and use aspects of design thinking in the science classrooms. In addition, they will also work with themes on geospatial sciences. Student learning outcomes: Students will learn to work with project-based themes using aspects of design thinking. Students will be trained to work with geospatial themes. Students will work with inclusion and cultural themes touching upon migration. Students will also learn to simulate scientific research. |
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Transversal skills
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Number of participants and target age groupThe activity is an excellent opportunity for students to work as a team, therefore a minimum of five students is logical. As a classroom activity, students will need to work in teams (five is somehow ideal). The activity is suitable for ages 12-18, with teachers required to come up with minor adjustments and make connections with relevant curriculum. Geospatial thinking exercises are suitable for the last two years of primary, as well as high school students. |
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Duration
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Short activity description
This is an activity studying themes of forced migration, mainly of people fleeing war and/or natural disasters. It is designed with the aim to use interdisciplinary themes from the field of STEAM and the Humanities. There is also an emphasis in developing both cultural/historical, critical and geospatial skills of students. |
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Preparation | ||||||
Materials | ||||||
List of materials:
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Technical backline:
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Announcement | ||||||
Announcement for teacher trainings:
Do you teach a diverse group of students? Are you interested in the themes of forced migration due to war, natural disasters and climate change? Are you interested in STEAM activities with a contemporary take on societal challenges? Do you see your students as researchers of such challenges? Have you ever worked on geospatial activities and skills? Here is an opportunity to work on such themes with a range of innovative tools and ideas that can be easily transferred to your classroom context. |
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Announcement for students:
Have you ever met/ know someone in your family or among your friends that had to escape from his country and travel for thousands of miles to seek refuge? Are you aware of the effects of climate change on particular areas of the world that have been destroyed due to lack of rain, flooding, etc. Have you ever thought about what one needs to sail safely or walk through difficult and unknown terrain? In this lesson we will be looking into themes of forced migration, as well as basic geospatial skills related to astronomy, maths and science. It will also be an opportunity to explore cultural themes and get to know tricky/sensitive historical facts. |
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Hook
Maps and stars: Let’s get out, let’s find a safe place. What do we need? Are we going to make it? How far is far? |
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Activity type/strategy | ||||||
Lower order thinking | Higher order thinking | |||||
Knowing / remembering | Comprehending / understanding | Applying | Analyzing | Synthesizing / evaluating | Creating | |
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Critiques |
Delivery sequence | |||
Epidemiological suitability | |||
Is the activity suitable for execution in stricter epidemiological restrictions?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☒ Partly |
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Is the activity suitable for execution in an online setting?
☒ Yes ☐ No ☐ Partly |
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Can the activity be sequenced? I. e. divided into smaller parts which could function as standalone parts which could maybe even be integrated into other activities.
☒ Yes ☐ No ☐ Partly |
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Step 1 | |||
Step type/strategy: | Introduction | Step duration
(minutes): |
60 min |
Step title:
(if applicable) |
Understanding fleeing | ||
Keywords: | Forced migration, displacement, war, climate change | ||
Sub-aims:
What teaching aims are you fulfilling with this part of the sequence? |
In this section students are introduced to facts and issues on the theme of forced migration. There are plenty of both historical and contemporary examples. | ||
Step by step description: | |||
Choice 1: Focus on forced displacement due to war and conflict. Consider an example concerning the local community, an event involving members of the community fleeing in the past. Be particular sensitive to highly contested political issues that may affect public and school life (civil wars for example), Obviously, the Syria conflict with the biggest movement of people in the history of the world is another example: https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/syrian-refugee-crisis-facts
Choice 2: Focus on forced migration due to climate change and issues such as natural disasters, desertification, etc. This is a very good opportunity to discuss current themes and facts concerning this hugely important issue:
Online environment adaptation: Easily adapted and executed in an online collaborative environment. |
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Interpretation & analysis
(for teachers) |
Particular attention should be given to the case that students in the classroom are of a migrant background (especially as a result of current conflicts and events). Tensions should be addressed in a pastoral approach rather as an intervention. | ||
Step 2 | |||
Step type/strategy: | A simulation activity | Step duration
(minutes): |
60 min |
Step title:
(if applicable) |
Understanding fleeing | ||
Keywords: | Fleeing, memoir, WWII | ||
Subaims:
What teaching aims are you fulfilling with this part of the sequence? |
In this section students are asked to imagine what it is to flee your country | ||
Step by step description: | |||
Here is a training activity ‘On fleeing war’ offering an excellent starting point: https://portal.opendiscoveryspace.eu/en/tr-activity/exercise-7- fleeing-war-stories-and-counter-stories-851651
The events sparked tensions in all countries along the route leading to the closing of boarders along the Balkan route and to the controversial EU-Turkey refugee agreement that saw Turkey agreeing to take back all refugees and migrants, including asylum seekers, who reach Greek islands. In turn, the EU committed to resettle Syrian refugees from Turkey and to provide 6 billion euro in assistance to improve the conditions for refugees in Turkey. Despite the overall positive attitude of the Greek people in assisting refugees who arrived by sea, tensions run high within Greece, a country already hit by a massive economic crisis since 2010. Despite such tensions, a similar story emerged involving Greek refugees in Syria in WWII. This is the story of Greek residents in many islands in the Eastern Aegean Sea during WWII, who, following the famine that resulted from the German occupation, crossed the Aegean Sea into Turkey and then arrived in Aleppo and Homs in Syria, where they found safe refuge. Over 30.000 islanders attempted the cross with small boats during the night in order to avoid being spotted by the German Navy.
Online environment adaptation: Easily adapted and executed in an online collaborative environment. |
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Step 3 | |||
Step type/strategy: | An inquiry activity | Step duration
(minutes): |
60 min |
Step title:
(if applicable) |
Students as researchers | ||
Keywords: | Research, RRI, local histories, migration, past | ||
Subaims:
What teaching aims are you fulfilling with this part of the sequence? |
In this section students become researchers themselves and are implementing a number of activities. | ||
Step by step description: | |||
Spatial Thinking and Maps Skills in Young Children by National Geographic Spatial thinking allows students to comprehend and analyze phenomena related to the places and spaces around them—and at scales from what they can touch and see in a room or their neighborhood to a world map or globe. Spatial thinking is one of the most important skills that students can develop as they learn geography, Earth, and environmental sciences. It also deepens and gives a more complete understanding of history and is linked to success in math and science. Young students also enhance their language skills as they collaborate and communicate about spatial relationships. Students who develop robust spatial thinking skills will be at an advantage in our increasingly global and technological society. This collection can help you teach an assortment of map skills through activities that address the spatial thinking abilities of young children and developmental appropriateness. The collection is not intended to be a complete map skill program, and the activities can be adapted for higher or lower grades. Click here for a downloadable summary of all activities and the learning objectives and spatial thinking concepts targeted in each activity. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/map-skills-elementary-students Navigation Education Materials by ION In order to foster interest in navigation, the Satellite Division of the Institute of Navigation sponsored the development of navigation educational materials for students. The ION hopes that these materials will facilitate the introduction of navigation in middle school curricula and encourage the involvement of ION members in educational outreach activities. These lessons were developed by the ION Satellite Division in cooperation with students and staff at the University of Colorado Integrated Teaching and Learning Program (ITL). The materials are now available as part of an online digital library: Visit Teach Engineering to receive these materials in online format. The following modules include 10 lessons on a variety of navigation topics. The lessons are designed to be used by middle school teachers on their own or with the assistance of an ION member volunteer. They can be used in the classroom or as part of a club or outreach program. Each lesson includes motivations for the students, background and assessment material for the teacher and mentor, activity descriptions and worksheets, and additional tips and resources. The activities are designed to have minimal cost and to be completed in 1-3 hours by a class of 28 students. Suggestions for scaling up and down are included. Click on lesson titles below to download the lesson materials. Each lesson is comprised of several documents. The PDF version contains all documents in one file for each lesson. Please contact the ION with any feedback or questions you have. The materials are copyrighted by the Institute of Navigation, which grants use and reproduction of these materials for educational purposes only. They may not be used for commercial purposes. https://www.ion.org/outreach/lesson-plans.cfm A Journey of Ideas There is a chronic underrepresentation in Europe of children from migrant communities that choose to pursue careers in science, technology and engineering. Consequently, an enormous reservoir of untapped talent exists that could be potentially mobilised for the benefit of society. The Space Awareness Programme is therefore devoting special attention to reaching out to schoolchildren in migrant. We regard it as important to show children in these communities that they belong to a rich heritage of distinguished scientists who helped shape the global history of astronomy and space sciences during the Islamic Golden Ages and beyond. The recent influx of refugees to Europe from the Middle East and Africa, the majority of which are Moslem, makes the need for such an approach more acute. Thus, more than ever it is necessary to build a bridge between the Islamic culture and Latin Europe. One way of doing this is to identify common roots between these apparently two different worlds. Astronomy as a field of knowledge common to humankind seems to be ideal to build this bridge. In this sense, the present astronomical heritage kit “the journey of the ideas” and its corresponding handbook will contribute to fill the 1000 years gap in the history of science by showing concrete examples of the influence of Islamic science on the development of modern astronomy, optics and space sciences. (Journey of Ideas author: Dr Cecilia Scorza, Haus der Astronomy): https://portal.opendiscoveryspace.eu/en/edu-object/journey-ideas-858680 Online environment adaptation: This is a group activity, aspects can be conducted online, especially the research element. |
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Interpretation & analysis
(for teachers) |
Group work
Research skills Navigation skills Astronomy Historical research |
Wrap up & sequence interpretation |
Evaluation/assessment |
Possible evaluation questions:
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