Seán Bracken, lecturer in development and intercultural education at the Marino Institute of Education, explains how Metro Éireann’s development supplements can be a useful study tool for teachers and students alike
Human relations are increasingly intertwined on a global level. Just as a stone cast into a small lake creates a ripple that ultimately impacts on all of the shoreline, events which take place in distant lands will, at some time or other, affect our lives.
At times it may be difficult to see the relevance of actions taken by others in far off places. But if nothing else, an examination of what happens in other places provides a lens for us to focus and reflect on our own way of doing things. It provides us with the critical capacity to investigate our own democratic structures and to strengthen our involvement in representative processes.
So, what happens in eastern European, Asian and African countries matters to us, and this is why it is important to explore in the classroom the ways in which human relations are conducted nationally and internationally.
Each month we will be providing information, guidance and suggestions about how the country profiles provided in Metro Éireann might be used to strengthen students’ awareness of development education issues and to illustrate how this can be achieved, while also meeting the teaching and learning objectives identified in subject syllabi.
In this month’s edition, there is a focus on how the articles about Zimbabwe can be used to meet some of the learning requirements of Environmental and Social Studies at Junior Certificate level. Future issues of the paper will explore how the issues might be used in primary, post-primary and even tertiary level.
We would also welcome suggestions regarding how you are using the resources at present so that these ideas and strategies can be shared with other teachers throughout the country.
l The aim of the Environ-mental and Social Studies curriculum for the Junior Certificate is to “develop an understanding of the major factors, events and people who have shaped and are currently shaping the world in which we live.”
In order to realise this aim, students are encouraged to research the causes and possible resolutions of civil and political societies. Students and teachers are also advised to investigate “contemporary, social, cultural, environmental and economic issues.”
As exemplified in the articles in the previous pages, there are significant elements of all these facets of environmental and social studies evidenced in the current crisis being experienced in Zimbabwe.
Suggestions for classroom activities
The following section provides an opportunity for teachers and learners to engage more thoroughly with the content of the articles. Some suggestions are given regarding how the articles might be used to meeting learning objectives in social and environmental studies.
A country on the brink: Compare and contrast how issues of economic management are being addressed in Ireland and in Zimbabwe. Compare this article with one from the Irish newspapers which addresses the downturn in our economy; how are these articles similar and different? Make some suggestions as to why situations might be the same or different in our two countries.
To extend the learning, you might investigate further country facts and by going online to the CIA World Factbook and comparing key facets of life in Ireland and life in Zimbabwe.
On the line from Harare: Critique how the ruling powers in Zimbabwe are abusing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Use this critique to generate letters to the President of Zimbabwe. Share your findings with other students in your school and encourage them to join in your letter writing campaign.
This article outlines the experiences of a Zimbabwean whose relative has fled to Ireland to seek asylum. Contact an NGO in your community which works with asylum seekers. Invite someone who has fled from persecution to speak to your classmates and discuss the importance of the asylum process in protecting the human rights of others.
From riches to rags: Using a two-column grid, identify the views and perspectives of those who were interviewed for this article. Put the names of those who were interviewed on one side of the grid and collate the information they provided in a corresponding space.
Discuss the various reasons provided for the crisis and suggest ways in which the country might be able to regain its strength by addressing the causes of the current crisis. Extend the learning by using this form of critique to investigate positive and negative changes which have occurred in your own community.
