Even though it is impossible to discern all of the effects of what would happen climatically, socially, and geographically if the polar ice caps melted there are a few consequences that we know would take place. Consequences such as global sea levels rising and displacing millions of people, changing climatic patterns associated with the shocking change in salinity of the world's oceans, disruption of ocean currents and temperatures, animal migratory patterns changing, disruptive changes in the basal organism of the food chain which leads to a domino effect throughout the food chain, changes in food production, economic downfall, climatic temperature changes due to the decrease in solar reflectivity of the earth, and geopolitical and geographic changes do to a new coast line and resource distribution. These consequences are all possibilities of the effects of a global event such as the polar ice caps melting.
I have been incorporating inquiry-based curricula ever since I have started teaching. Guided inquiry, along with the various other forms of guided inquiry, has worked exceptionally well for me; however, true inquiry where students are posed with a topic and discover on their own the characteristics of the topic has been a very time consuming process. In a public school setting where we have to cover huge amounts of material a time consuming process like true inquiry can set us back. So my question is has anyone found a way to utilize true inquiry, across varying topics, in a manner that is not so time consuming?
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteYour reflection on the polar ice caps melting certainly covered a vast majority of effects. The thought can be alarming when one can ponder the way in which such an event could take place; slowly, quickly, and the like. Your synopsis is quite attention getting.
I share and appreciate your dilemma regarding lack of time to utilize true inquiry. Although my audience is quite young, I too am pressed for that luxury of providing bredth and depth in any given lesson. Journal writing was always my attempt (with older students) to keep an involved lesson going.
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteIs it at all possible to collaborate with teachers from different subjects to construct projects/lessons that would encompass multiple subjects? Although this is not an answer to the larger problem of having to cover huge amounts of material in a constrained time frame, it could lead to collaborations that may increase efficiency in the long run.
I also like Joyce's idea - it would be much easier to implement! Amy
Hi Mark!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. We have to cover- or gloss over- all the material in the entire 7th grade life science textbook. I merged this week's Walden lesson into going over the scientific method- mini projects sometimes work.
Mark,
ReplyDeleteJust an offering to try and reduce your time and management to your benefit. How about having students put together some grab-and-go kits for future experiments? We've been doing that and it's working out quite well.
-Joyce