Sample Projects
Eisenhower High School: Pacific Rim/Contemporary MathematicsThis course incorporates interdisciplinary concepts through mathematical analysis of current and historic Pacific Rim data. It is built around the real-world premise of a trade fair where students work to develop the most profitable trade program for a particular country. This simulation requires students to make projections from compiled data, examine cultural differences, and analyze policies governing international trade. When investigating their topic, students examine economic, cultural, geographic, and social issues.
Throughout the curriculum, students explore mathematical applications and their impact on decisionmaking. Using the Port of Seattle as a laboratory, students list and investigate jobs related to imports and exports. Students also identify speakers from federal agencies and local businesses who then present information to the class on the connections between their community and Pacific Rim countries.
CONTACT: Sandy Christie and Carol Mills, Eisenhower High School, 702 S. 40th Avenue, Yakima, Washington 90908; (509) 573-2600.
International Trade: The Boeing Company and Auburn High School
Students in U.S. History and International Relations at Auburn (Washington) High School collaborated on a simulated problem involving the purchase of aircraft from The Boeing Company by the Chinese government. The curriculum revolved around a central question: What should U.S. trade policy be regarding Boeing sales to China? Students looked at the sale from the following perspectives: city, state, and national government; labor and human rights organizations; and business and industry.
Project tasks ranged from analyzing Adam Smith’s theories and Amnesty International reports to interviewing Boeing employees and labor union representatives. Teams of students researched, prepared, and presented position statements representing a cross section of opinions on issues such as most favored nation status and global competitiveness. Based on the data gathered, the class devised a trade policy. Throughout this process, students compared economic theory with market realities. The project culminated in a presentation of this policy, complete with a feasibility study, to a panel of business, labor, and community representatives.
CONTACT: Mike Zecher and Joe McCuistion, Auburn High School, 800 4th Street N.E., Auburn, Washington 98002; (253) 931-4880.
Urban Youth Become Community Leaders and Global Citizens Global Kids is an educational organization dedicated to preparing urban youth to become community leaders and global citizens. Designed to enliven the social studies curriculum, the Academic Program consists of interactive workshops for students and professional development for educators. The Leadership Program helps to educate young people about democratic institutions and the political process. Students enrolled in the Leadership Program conduct extensive research on critical global and local issues and share their knowledge through social action projects. Projects range from radio broadcasts about substance abuse prevention to forums with Croatian youth about violence prevention. The Fellows Program helps talented students of diverse backgrounds pursue higher education and careers in international relations. Students involved in the Global Action Project produce educational videos reflecting youth perspectives on local, national, and international issues. Recent productions include a two-part series on homelessness and an exploration of violence prevention in Derry, Northern Ireland.
CONTACT: Global Kids, Inc., 561 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York City, New York 10012; (212) 226-0130, or www.globalkidsinc.org
Marketing to the Global Teenager: An Interdisciplinary Unit
Students in Denver Public Schools enrolled in this course explore how the international market affects them and their international counterparts. This unit addresses Colorado geography standards as well as work-based learning objectives and revolves around a central question: What factors must be considered when marketing to a teenage population in the international marketplace? One of the many course goals is to familiarize students with the political relationship of the United States and its citizens to other nations and to world affairs.
Project-based learning is an integral part of this course. Students choose and define a product to be produced in Colorado, identify a country in which to sell that product, and prepare a briefing booklet of information about the country and the product for a company representative. Based on the item to be marketed and the chosen country, the following information is contained in the booklet: currency, customs, transportation, holidays, dress, visas, geography, and general protocol. In the process of writing up their projects, students must acquire and analyze information in many forms, including statistical data, primary sources, graphs, and geographic variables.
CONTACT: R. Keith Lucero, East High School, 1545 Detroit Street, Denver, Colorado, 80206-1508; (303) 394-8300; or Martha Riley, Eaglecrest High School, 5100 S. Picadilly Street, Aurora, Colorado 80015; (303) 699-0408.
Teaching About the Global Sweatshop
Bill Bigelow, coeditor of Rethinking Schools and teacher of history, starts his "global sweatshop" unit with a soccer ball. He asks his students to write from the point of view of the object itself. In so doing, he encourages his students to think about the humans who produce consumer goods.
Students then compete in a transnational capital auction. Pitted against each other to woo capital to their countries, students experience the effect of corporate power on environmental regulations, minimum wage rates, child labor laws, and union organization. This role play exercise is followed by discussions about the forces of globalization on people’s lives across the nation and the globe.
Students go on to investigate the issue of child labor in various countries. Some survey local organizations to determine the origins of the materials they use. Research is then followed by letter-writing campaigns or presentations on human rights issues related to the production of materials used. Other students design presentations for area middle schools. Whatever their topic, students take action for justice.
CONTACT: Bill Bigelow, c/o Rethinking Schools, 1001 E. Keefe Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53212-1710; (800) 669-4192.
Note: Bill Bigelow’s description of this course appeared in the summer 1997 issue of Rethinking Schools.
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