Social Studies and English: Action Plan 

This is my initial suggestion for approach to teaching Social Studies and English at SHJ; it is further outlined in the schedule.
Naturally this plan is pending of accept by the Dean/pedagogical adviser and may be considerably altered, significantly by including more Norwegian examples, films and texts.
Officially the class is nominated to 84 teaching hours, and English at 124, however I am not aware exactly how many weeks this is distributed over. Ideally some of the two topics are integrated in some of the below sessions, however this does not always have to be the case. The joint educational approach would allow more time for a participatory approach, which integrates part of the PDC and the 7 transition themes suggested on this web.
 

Establishing common ground​

 

 

Through a series of film, text and discussions we'll seek to cover these obligatory topics during the first 2-3 weeks:
L3,L4: During the first session the students will be asked to answer a series of questions in front of a rolling camera. Later in the school year we will repeat this and review the interviews, both in view of the English skills and a potential change of view point
IA2: by means of watching the short "story of " videos, we'll perceive the concept of globalization and gain a personal understanding of it's consequences, as part of our overall quest to outline solutions to the ​dilemmas
WB5: discuss ethical dilemmas inherent in the prevailing capitalistic model, compare different models and test best case solutions
WB1: through introduction to such concepts as "Ecological Economy" and "Gross Happiness Index”, we'll define concepts as "standards of living" and "quality of life", and we'll initiate making a survey attempting to find out if this has led to a better quality of life in Aurland
COM1: during film club nights and classes we'll watch a series of films and listen to interviews about sustainable approaches to land management/crop production, after which we'll discuss the potential for implementing them in the Aurland region.
COM2: whenever possible the interviews will be 'dissected' in smaller parts, to ensure that everyone are understanding the dialogues

Finding potential solutions

 

IA9: on a horizontal level, throughout the VG2 period, we'll seek to develop a transition model for Aurland, as a development solution balancing economic, social and environmental development.
L2: fundamental for the transition movement is the success of integrating a diverse group of citizen in a solution oriented approach. To help facilitate this process we will get a basic understanding of the Non-violent communication technique through role-plays
IA1: through a brief overview of predominant power structures, we'll learn about unique tribal and regional systems which create a more balanced society
WB3: reflect over the value of actively contributing to the community, society and what characterize a good work environment; make detailed outlines for implementing both
IA6: by means of digital tools a series of best and worst case global examples will be made, and solutions will be suggested for their implementation/reduction in the overall Aureland Transition project
L1: This curriculum is designed to be very participatory including a quite unconventional exploring approach to education in general, and especially to English learning
COM7, COM9, CSL4: The curriculum will include texts from University text books, novels, screen plays and songs which all will highlight the overall theme of Transition Aurland from many different angles

Designing the systems

 

PD6: as apparent in the challenges outlined in the films shown in the film club, we'll discuss the inherent responsibilities of the welfare state and seek to outline sustainable solutions for the challenges
WB2: as part of our target area research, we'll seek to visualize the development of professions in the Aurland region and discuss how it is possible to make the development more self-sustainable
WB4: awareness of causes for unemployment in recent Aurland history and related problems. Develop models for reducing both
IS2: research previous and existing gender roles in the Aurland community, compare to other cultures and species and discuss why and how this is possible to change
IS3: compile income data along with available data of savings and loans for a representative amount of Aurland inhabitants, and make models for how to optimize the current situation (if necessary)

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