Weaving Global Issues into the Social Studies Curriculum at ISL The process

Where to begin? What is the purpose of a Social Studies Curriculum in an International School?

ISL Mission Statement ISL provides a challenging, internationally-accepted education for young people in an environment designed to stimulate learning and to encourage full social and personal development. We strive to ensure that all our students acquire the knowledge, skills, attributes and dispositions whereby they will : communicate effectively adapt to a wide range of situations develop responsibility for their own learning and well- being contribute to the world.

ISL Student Profile The International School of Luxembourg strives to ensure that its students acquire the knowledge, skills, attributes and dispositions to become: Effective communicators: Read, write, speak and listen confidently and reflectively in two or more languages. Create, present and perform for a variety of purposes and audiences Interpret and respond to many different forms of communication Ask questions appropriately Adaptable to a wide range of situations: Make choices in order to adjust to different roles, environments and tasks Display confidence, perseverance, resourcefulness and creativity in pursuit of personal and academic goals Demonstrate initiative and take appropriate risks Seek and consider a range of viewpoints and beliefs and display tolerance for differences Demonstrate a desire to understand why things are the way they are and to consider possibilities and alternatives Use thinking processes that are analytical and/or critical in order to inform further action Responsible for their own learning and well-being: Establish priorities, set worthy personal and academic goals and use time and resources productively Work toward solutions both independently and co-operatively Strive to meet academic standards and make use of self-evaluation Use personal, school and community resources effectively Use learning as a vehicle for self-discovery Strive to lead a healthy, well-balanced life Contributors to the world: Display care, empathy and consideration for others Become informed citizens who understand and can effectively participate in the political process Exhibit multi-cultural and global awareness as well as social consciousness Contribute time, energy and talent to improve the quality of life in our school and communities Embody integrity and practise responsible behaviour Promote “Universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms” [United Nations Declaration of Rights, 1948]

Social Studies Philosophy at ISL Social Studies at ISL encourages the systematic and critical study of human experience and behaviour: how people create the world they live in; how the world they live in makes them the people they are. Social Studies at ISL recognises and explicitly acknowledges the human basis of learning experience: it focuses on the human dimension of the curriculum, that area which deals with people and their interaction with their environment, in its historical, geographical, cultural, social,economic and ethical dimensions.

Organising Principles The social studies curriculum will ensure that students acquire a high level of ‘contemporary awareness’. Contemporary issues will be viewed through the separate but related disciplines of history, politics, geography, sociology and economics. The starting point for each unit of study will be a contemporary issue as expressed in a key question.

Key Questions (9 th and 10 th grade) In what ways is the growth in world population a contemporary problem? Is urbanisation progress? Are economic growth and environmental preservation compatible with each other? How does our sense of identity often lead to conflict? How do we account for wars between and within states?

Key Questions (9 th and 10 th grade) Can International and regional organisations help to maintain peace and harmony? Are human rights universal? How do we account for social inequality? Why is globalisation controversial? How do different political systems seek to provide for the general welfare?

Benefits of this approach Wider, more informed discussion and engagement with current issues Greater connections across issues Students making more informed choices of IB subjects A wider range of assessment types – demonstrating genuine understanding Beyond ISL???

Next steps Writing key questions for grades 6-8. Develop Lower School programme: assign standards and benchmarks, develop key questions, agree on spiralling content and skills.