Global Contexts
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Helpful resource
Connect an idea for the Personal Project to a Global Context.
What are the Global Contexts and how do they impact the project?
Students may choose one of the six Global Contexts to provide a real-life context for, and a focus to their work. Though a student’s project may apply to more than one Global Context, he/she will have to decide which one works best. The six Global Contexts are:
Global Contexts
Science, Technology, & Innovation
Students will explore the natural world and its laws; the interaction between people and the natural world; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on communities and environments; the impact of environments on human activity; how humans adapt environments to their needs.
Sentence Stems
My project best connects to the Global Context, Science, Technology, & Innovation because....
I can focus my project through the lens of Science, Technology and Innovation by creating or developing or adapting XXX, which impacts the way humans interact with the environment since XXX.
For my project, I chose to focus on Science, Technology and Innovation by creating/developing/adapting XXX in order to explore the way technology helps people XXXX.
Possible explorations to develop
• Systems, models, methods; products, processes and solutions
• Adaptation, ingenuity and progress
• Opportunity, risk, consequences and responsibility
• Modernization, industrialization and engineering
• Digital life, virtual environments and the Information Age • The biological revolution
• Mathematical puzzles, principles and discoveries
Sample Lines of Inquiry:
What are some important things to consider for building a reliable kayak or canoe?
What are the different major configurations of remote control planes, and what techniques are necessary to be able to build them?
How can a robot be built and programmed to avoid obstacles using distance readings from an ultrasonic sensor?
What traits /tendencies do advanced AI systems, basic AI systems, and people have in common?
How can maker spaces that promote hands on learning influence the way people learn through their senses?
Identities and Relationships
Students will explore identity; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures; what it means to be human.
Sentence Stems
My project best connects to the Global Context, Identities and Relationships because....
I can focus my project through the lens of Identities and Relationships by creating or developing XXX, which connects to the physical and mental health of people in my community.
For my project, I chose to focus on Identities and Relationships by creating/developing XXX in order to explore and understand XXX culture.
Possible explorations to develop
• Competition and cooperation; teams, affiliation and leadership
• Identity formation; self-esteem; status; roles and role models
• Personal efficacy and agency; attitudes, motivation, independence; happiness and the good life
• Physical, psychological and social development; transitions; health and well-being; lifestyle choices
• Human nature and human dignity; moral reasoning and ethical judgment; consciousness and mind
Sample Lines of Inquiry:
Will calisthenics increase my coordination with my body and help me control my movements through muscle mass and coordination exercises?
How did Norse mythology shape the lives and culture of the Vikings?
How do characters in a novel explore issues related to identity and beliefs?
How can learning how to swim different strokes help contribute to my overall physical health? What changes will occur in my body through learning new skills?
How can I create a workout video that really focuses on building my upper strength using household items?
Orientation in Space and Time
Students will explore personal histories; homes and journeys; turning points in humankind; discoveries; explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between, and the interconnectedness of, individuals and civilizations, from personal, local and global perspectives.
Sentence Stems
My project best connects to the Global Context, Orientation in Space and Time because....
I can focus my project through the lens of Orientation in Space and Time by creating or developing or adapting XXX, which connects to personal histories of family ancestry.
For my project, I chose to focus on Orientation in Space and Time by creating/developing XXX in order to explore the political, historical, and social issues during XXX period in XXX.
Possible explorations to develop
• Civilizations and social histories, heritage, pilgrimage, migration, displacement and exchange
• Eras, turning points and “big history”
• Scale, duration, frequency and variability
• Peoples, boundaries, exchange and interaction
• Natural and human landscapes and resources
• Evolution, constraints and adaptation
Sample Lines of Inquiry:
How can I create an accessible, informational platform about languages that will serve its purpose of educating those who read it and will gain a large following?
How can I document the historical period of XXX in an educational way?
What is the value of documenting migrations of immigrants? How can immigrating reveal different perspectives of cultures?
Personal and Cultural Expression
Students will explore the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
Sentence Stems
My project best connects to the Global Context, Personal and Cultural Expression because....
I can focus my project through the lens of Personal and Cultural Expression by creating or developing or adapting XXX, to express my appreciation of the aesthetics of XXX.
For my project, I chose to focus on Personal and Cultural Expression by creating/developing/adapting XXX in order to explore the beliefs and values of XXX in XXX medium.
Possible explorations to develop
• Artistry, craft, creation, beauty
• Products, systems and institutions
• Social constructions of reality; philosophies and ways of life; belief systems; ritual and play
• Critical literacy, languages and linguistic systems; histories of ideas, fields and disciplines; analysis and argument
• Metacognition and abstract thinking
• Entrepreneurship, practice and competency
Sample Lines of Inquiry:
What are the best techniques for assembling a Work Desk with a size that suits your client’s needs for everyday use at their jobs?
Where can I find inspiration for a song and how can I improve my guitar playing and singing?
How has the innovation and culture of the sport of basketball developed into becoming such a common form of personal expression?
How did Indian cuisine come to be and connect to the country’s culture?
How do modern/social media artists express themselves and their mental health through their art in these different and troubled times?
How does the cadence of different instruments correlate with one another to provide one with a cohesive music piece?
How can I use my creativity to build a video game?
Globalization and Sustainability
Students will explore the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the relationship between local and global processes; how local experiences mediate the global; the opportunities and tensions provided by world-interconnectedness; the impact of decision-making on humankind and the environment.
Sentence Stems
My project best connects to the Global Context, Globalization and Sustainability because....
I can focus my project through the lens of Globalization and Sustainability by creating or developing or adapting XXX, in order to address how XXX can be more sustainable and impact the way humans interact with the environment.
For my project, I chose to focus on Globalization and Sustainability by creating/developing/adapting XXX in order to explore the local and global processes of XXX (see if an exploration below fits).
Possible explorations to develop
• Markets, commodities and commercialization
• Human impact on the environment
• Commonality, diversity and interconnection
• Consumption, conservation, natural resources and public goods
• Population and demography
• Urban planning, strategy and infrastructure
Sample Lines of Inquiry:
What is a creative way to reduce the amount of plastic grocery bags in the environment so that they can be reused?
Can a teen make enough money to live and sustain themselves?
How can creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to be protected from this pandemic affect my community, and help decrease the amount of unsustainable disposable PPE?
How do people use the stock market to grow their wealth?
Fairness and Development
Students will explore rights and responsibilities; the relationship between communities; sharing finite resources with other people and with other living things; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
Sentence Stems
My project best connects to the Global Context, Faireness and Development because....
I can focus my project through the lens of Fairness and Development by creating XXX to share resources with XXX people.
For my project, I chose to focus on Fairness and Development by creating/developing/adapting XXX in order to explore access to equal opportunities.
Possible explorations to develop
• Democracy, politics, government and civil society
• Inequality, difference and inclusion
• Human capability and development; social entrepreneurs • Rights, law, civic responsibility and the public sphere
• Justice, peace and conflict management
• Power and privilege
• Authority, security and freedom
• Imagining a hopeful future
Sample Lines of Inquiry:
How can I help patients through an online platform?
How can sales from local handicraft businesses in India help to solve poverty in the Austin area?
Can a business be successful without damaging the environment?
How can I help homeless people stay warm in the winter?
How can I help improve some of the inequities in education through tutoring?