An Issue of Culture – What to do about mass migrations?:
A PBL
Since 2011 over 5 million refugees have fled Syria due to religious, ethnic and political conflict and many of the refugees have made their way to Europe – looking to the governments there for support and a better way of life. Additionally, more refugees are fleeing a number of countries from the African continent for similar reasons. As a result, governments in Europe are under stress due to the financial burden of all these people, infrastructure is being tested and, most importantly, some cultures are feeling threatened. As result, the rise of far-right political parties is on the rise in many places and as of 2016 a new revised edition of Adolf Hitler’s (1925) Mein Kampf is among the best seller list in countries like Germany. The situation is so dire that the issue of migration even played a role in Britain’s vote for Brexit.
“The migration issue has shaped political discourse inEurope, and is likely to continue to shape it. On one side are liberal internationalists attached to fundamental asylum principles or to the dream of a borderless world; on the other are xenophobic fence-builders who see migration as a modern version of barbaric invasions threatening culture and civilization. The latter, alas, tend to hold sway.
One of the collateral damages of post-truth politics is that not only the present gets distorted – the past gets rewritten as well. Racist videos online depict fantasies of Europe “before” and “after” migration. “Before” is depicted with orderly scenes of 1950s streets, shops and parks where an all-white population strolls or plays happily. “After” is groups of dark-faced men attacking women, rioting against the police, shouting “Allahu Akbar”.
The essential narrative of bigots is that our European world is collapsing under the onslaught of mass arrivals from cultures that we cannot possibly mingle with. In France, a theory called the “great replacement” has spread to large parts of the right and certainly the far-right. It states that, as a result of immigration, the nation’s core population is set to be replaced by non-European outsiders who will wreck the country’s identity. There are also echoes of this inGermany’s Pegida movement,whose full name is “Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the west”.
Debunking these myths can be hard work. Hatred and passions overtake rational approaches and documented facts get swept away. It is even harder when Europe’s long history of almost constant population movement and mixing of cultures is ignored, untaught or forgotten.” (Nougayrede, 2016)
You and your team have been seconded by the European Commission for Migration to solve the migration issue that seems to dividing cultures and countries and causing civil unrest. Your quest: Solve the crisis with a well-researched, defendable solution.
Key Areas for Focus:
1)Political perspectives
2)Impact on social infrastructure
3)Financial costs
4)Impact on culture assessments
5)Population Demographics
6)Human Rights
Follow the PBL format to resolve this problem. Ensure you document all steps along the way before creating a final defendable solution. Refer to the marking rubric throughout this process. Maintain a working bibliography as well, refer to for assistance.
Suggested Timeline:
Class One: Brainstorm Facts, Assumptions, Questions
Class Two: Create a plan of Action; Begin Research
Class 3 & 4: Research
Class 5: Brainstorm & write Possible Solutions
Class 6: Further Learning
Class 7: Final Solution
Class 8: Edit and Submit
Steps to Problem Solving in a Problem – Based Learning Approach
Problem – Based Learning (PBL) is a method for learning information through the use of problem solving. As a learning, your must follow the process as it is laid out below. The process is cyclic, continually asking new questions, researching and then asking more questions. All problems of this nature are inherently open-ended and involve multiple end points. To be successful requires asking good questions, researching effectively, revisiting the process and ultimately synthesizing your research into a coherent position.You have been given an ill-structured problem. Discuss the problem statement and list its significant parts. You may feel that you don’t know enough to solve the problem but that is precisely the point. You will have to gather information and learn new concepts, principles, or skills as you engage in the problem-solving process.
Follow the chart closely. RECORD EVERY STEP. You will receive a large portion of your grade on this process. If you do not follow it, your mark will be adversely affected.
1. Facts / 2. Need to Know / 3. Learning IssuesList information provided by scenario / What assumptions or hypotheses are made form the information provided? / What do you need to look up, research, and explore to find a resolution?
Ask GOOD questions.
4. Create a Plan of Action: List the next steps to be taken in order to obtain new information. Assign and schedule research tasks, especially deadlines. Research independently.
5. Possible Solutions / 6. New Learning IssuesIdeas about how to resolve the problem. / What new issues are created and what additional information has been gathered in order to rule in or out the possible solutions that were created.
7. Return to step 3 and cycle as long as necessary to format a strong, well-researched conclusion.
8. Defendable solution: Create a solution that you can defend. Ensure that you have asked and answered all of the questions that you deem appropriate and important. Make sure there are no holes in your solution.
Assessment for the Problems:
Social Studies 11 PBL
Personal Assessment
Criteria / Self Assessment1 2 / 3 / 3.5 / 4 / 4.5 / 5
Quality of work / I did not contribute much to the project and the parts I did were of low quality / I contributed somewhat to the project but did not provide quality work / I contributed my fair share to the project and provided reasonable quality work / I contributed my fair share to the project and provided good quality work / I contributed my fair share to the project and provided excellent quality work / I contributed more than my fair share to the project and provided excellent quality work
Task commitment / I was rarely on-task in class / I was infrequently on-task in class / I was often on-task in class / I was usually on-task in class / I was almost always on-task in class / I was always on task in class
Name / Group Member Assessment
1 2
(Choose a value) Did not contribute to the project / 3
Contributed occasional but work was not of high quality and did not contribute equally / 3.5
Contributed equally, providing reasonable work but at times was difficult to work with / 4
Contributed equally, providing good quality work and displayed very good group skills / 4.5
Contributed equally, providing excellent quality work and exercising strong group skills / 5
Contributed more than equally and successfully played an effective leadership role in the group
Criteria /
Process
1 2 / 3 / 3.5 / 4 / 4.5 / 5Documentation of Thinking Process / No record of the PBL process given / Record is given but is incomplete or sparsely completed / Records demonstrate that a process was followed. / Record shows considerable demonstration that the process was followed / Record shows that the process was instrumental to the development of the project / Records clearly demonstrate that the thinking process was followed through the entirety of the project
Quality of the questions generated / Few questions were generated, none of which demonstrate creative thinking / Some questions were generated, none of which demonstrate creative thinking / Many questions were completed, with signs of creative thinking / Many questions were generated, with clear signs of creativity / Many questions were completed, many of which demonstrated creativity and possible innovation / Many questions were completed showing, in several instances, very creative questions with possible innovation
Time Management / Group consistently did not work efficiently in class / Group occasionally did not work efficiently in class / Group consistently work efficiently in class / Group was clearly self-directed and always worked efficiently in class / Group was clearly self-directed with obvious signs that additional work was completed outside of class
Criteria
1 2 / 3 / 3.5 / 4 / 4.5 / 5Logic of the Conclusions drawn / Inadequate conclusions are made and not supported by the research or the problem-solving process / Tenuous conclusions are made with some support based on research; connections are not explicit / Sufficient conclusions are made with support in the research; connections are made when presenting the groups’ position / Good conclusions are made, with good research support; connects are viable and can be supported / Strong conclusions are made with good research support; connections are logical and explicit / Excellent conclusions are made with solid research support. Connections are logical and explicit
Information Sources / Few references were provided but were not completed or there was over reliance on questionably authoritative websites / Sufficient resources were provided but standards were not followed / Sufficient references were provided and standards followed; still reliance on questionably authoritative websites / Sufficient references were provided and standard was followed; all sources were authoritative / Research was very thorough, using excellent sources and APA format was followed