Resources, Inequality, and Sustainability
2,5 ETCS points submodule equals 70 student hours.
This submodule gives an introduction to resources, inequality and sustainability in relation to the challenges of sand extraction. By integrating theoretical perspectives with socio-scientific-issues and project-oriented teaching, the course aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the interconnections between resources, inequality, and sustainability – thus contributing to raising awareness on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Through a multidisciplinary approach, with combining ‘Natural science’, ‘English’ and ‘Intercultural competence’, students will gain basic knowledge and enhanced understanding of the complexity and the challenges related to the use of sand. Furthermore, students will critically examine how sand extraction has an impact locally, nationally and globally and how the growing demand for extraction is currently posing a threat. The students will be introduced to 21st Century skills, intercultural competences, Bildung, socio scientific issues and basic geology related to resources on earth.
Level - Bachelor degree.
Start Date:
In collaboration with relevant higher education institution.
Target audience: Students
Bachelor level.
Instructor Information:
- Guidelines for teacher education (look for the A in the teacher guide).
- Guidelines for other bachelor educations (look for the B in the teacher guide).
OBJECTIVES
Course Objectives & Outcomes
English
Acquisition of and experience with applying:
- Intercultural communicative competences (ICC)
- Subject specific vocabulary
- 21st century skills
- Didactics: The Cycle Model of Inter-cultural Learning
Themes: othering, minority-majority, prejudices, respect, inequality, identity, Bildung.
Natural Science
Acquisition of and experience with applying:
- Socio-scientific Issues – in general
- The subject-content in relation to sandmining and sustainability.
- Didactics: Inquiry based science education (IBSE)
Cross curricular and intercultural competences
Acquisition of and experience with applying:
- Understanding of the complexity of challenges and problems related to sustainability
- Inequality in health, education, and life long perspectives
- Digitalisation readiness
- Transversal skills
- Effective intercultural communication
- 21st Century learning goals
- UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Didactics: Structured according to SSIBL in combination with the 5E-model.
COURES
Course structure
Freqency of classes
- 6 hours of lecturing
- 18 hours of seminars
- in a mix of asynchronous and synchronous online teaching during 2 weeks.
Expected commitment for students
70 student hours incl.
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Preparation and follow up
- Self study
- Preparation for final product presentation
Formar of classes
- Lectures and seminars with ICT use
- Individual and group project work
- Collaborate Online International Learning (COIL)
COURES
Additional information
Prerequisities
No subject specific knowledge.
English at CEFR level B2 as a minimum.
Course syllabus/Learning resources
Mandatory reading:
- Bendixen, M., Best, J., Hackney, C., & Iversen, L. L. (2019). Time is running out for sand. Nature, 571(7763), 29-31. (3,3 pages)
- Developing intercultural competence through education. Council of Europe, January 2014https://rm.coe.int/developing-intercultural-enfr/16808ce258 I Chapter 1 (p.13-19), Chapter 4 (p. 27-37) (1,6 pages)
- Bendixen, M., Best, J., Hackney, C., & Iversen, L. L. (2019). Time is running out for sand. Nature, 571(7763), 29-31. (3,3 pages)
- Stauffer, B. (2022) What are the 21st Century Skills? (1,9 pages) https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-are-21st-century-skills
Additional material to obtain the requirement of reading extra 18 pages of 2400 keystrokes:
Students are to search for and obtain information on the issue of sand in order to expand your knowledge. You decide the format of the source. However, you are to watch, listen and/or read what corresponds to 18 pages of 2400 keystrokes.
You may look for materials online on your own. Otherwise, look into the folder on Moodle for further inspiration.
Assessment and Grading
Passed or approved product:
A: Oral presentation of a written lesson plan with a problem statement related to the theme of sustainability and interculturality and based on inquiry and project-oriented teaching.
Besides, they are to assess their own learning outcome according to a specified rubric.
Criteria for the student ‘lesson plan’
- Duration of 4 weeks
- Free choice of level in school
- Teacher guideline must be included
- It must be based on and refer to:
-
- Socio-Scietific Issues (problem statement)
- Intercultural competences,
- The 17 UN Sustainability Goals
- Sustainability & Learning goals (according to UNESCO framework: cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioral)
- Didactical theory about ‘the epochal key problems’ in teaching (Klafki, W.)
- The shared knowledge platform for interdisciplinary approach.
B: Criteria for Other Educations
- Informal summative evaluation when the students participate in a collective debate on the untouched sand resources in Greenland and add to their knowledge about the theme.
TESTIMONIALS
What Our Students Say
We got a lot of new knowledge about the issue surrounding sand, but we also got specific insight into the complexity of sustainability and its many aspects.
It gives you a great chance to work cross-calicular.
We had many discussions in groups, giving us a different perspective. It’s a nice way of getting a lot of knowledge about one topic
We talked about how it makes sense to work with socio-scientific issues in English using the English language because it is useful for the students to have a global language to discuss global issues. The terminology is the same regardless if you are in India or Denmark. In that sense it also ties together with the empathy part of intercultural competences, which again ties nicely together with bildung. The 21st century skills have a lot of potential when you work cross curricularly
It was nice to work with something connected to ‘’the real world’’. Project based allowed us to get deep in to one subject, which we then could expand on.
We have learned something about sand shortage. Also, about how the 17 sustainability goals are connected, and how they affect each other.
It was nice to work with something that had both natural science and social issues.
