Connect idea to a Global Context.

What are the Global Contexts and how do they impact the project?

Students must 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:

• Identities and Relationships: This Global Context explores 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. It asks students to consider – who am I? Who are we? If a student chooses a project that focuses on people and humanity, this could be a good GC for them.

• Orientation of Space and Time: This Global Context explores 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. It asks students to consider the meaning and importance of “where” and “when.” If a student chooses a project that focuses on history or societies, this could be a good GC for them.

• Personal and cultural expression: This Global Context explores 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 aesthetic. It asks students to think about the nature and purpose of creative expression. If a student chooses a project that focuses on creativity and/or aesthetics, this could be a good GC for them.

• Scientific and technical innovation: This Global Context explores 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. It asks students to consider how they understand the world in which they live. If a student chooses a project that focuses on experimentation or anthropogenic impacts, this could be a good GC for them.

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• Globalization and Sustainability: This Global Context explores 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. It asks students to ask themselves how everything is connected. If a student chooses a project that focuses on systems or environmental impacts, this could be a good GC for them.

• Fairness and Development : This Global Context explores 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. It asks students to ask what the consequences of our common humanity are. If a student chooses a project that focuses on ethics or equality, this could be a good GC for them.