Solving complex global issues calls for us to listen to a wide-range of perspectives so we can pull the pieces together, make connections and extensions to our thinking, and begin identifying possible scenarios and courses of action. To that end, G9 students have been working on a group project that involves cross-cultural collaboration with a couple of schools in very different parts of the world (Congo, Africa, and Sydney, Australia). Thanks to Skype, working with these students has provided G9 students the opportunity to learn about alternative points-of-view on the issues they are exploring in their global perspectives group projects. Topics include: Machines Taking over Human Jobs; Drug Related Violence; and Hacking / Digital Security.
Surprisingly, the students that G9 students spoke with were well informed and could provide new ways of looking at their topics. This will help as they further clarify their aims and outcomes so they can better understand the root causes of the issues they are exploring. Understanding these deeper causes puts students in a much better position to prescribe thoughtful and effective solutions.
