A commitment to collaborative education and an interest in international participation are all critical aspects of teacher involvement in a global project. Some versions of Global Lab are largely in one language, though some are bilingual, and others can be multilingual. While your class does not need to know more than one language, a tolerance for and even interest in the other language and the people who speak it is essential. The new language translators can help!
E.Osman
Selecting and exploring a study site is central to Global Lab. It may be useful to consider its requirements before beginning the Global Lab year.
Use the following criteria to select your study site, which you will examine over the course of Global Lab.
Representativeness - It would help in comparisons with other study sites if your selection is largely characteristic of your local environment.
Motivation - Your study site should have characteristics able to motivate students in their exploration, having, for example, beauty or historical relevance.
Accessibility - Your study site needs to be accessible to the school. You should be able to visit it and return within one class period, or two if you have a double period. If you do not have access to transportation, consider adopting a site on your school grounds. There is very little land that is not rewarding to explore.
Safety - The study site should be safe, not near traffic, free of power lines, construction equipment, or anything else that might compromise safety.
Permission - Your class will regularly visit the study site over the year in the warmer months. Make sure you have permission, if necessary, to be on the site. Also, obtain permission from the owners of any private property that you must traverse to reach the site.
Diversity - The ideal study site has diverse flora (plants) and fauna (animals), and a body of water on it or nearby.
Size - There should be enough room-- a minimum size of 900 square meters-- to conduct ongoing investigations, but not be so large that mapping and evaluation are difficult.
Classrooms need at least one computer linked to the internet and one LCD projector. You will often need to submit results to a shared database.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by chalenging technologies. Teachers should consider working closely with a technology coordinator in order to provide ICT hours, as the curriculum will involve the use of the web, databases and more. Students can learn ICT in a motivating context.
Teachers will sometimes need double periods for labs and field trips.
Teachers should be willing to undertake group work, as teamwork is built into the structure of Global Lab activities. Students receive team assignments; in the field they can take turns and can join their results. Field trips with teachers from other disciplines are encouraged. Language teachers can help students with translation.
You can also put phrases or the URL into Google translate