INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY WORLD

ALAN C. DENATE MAeD Social Science,LPT

In today’s constantly changing world, societies are becoming increasingly

interdependent and have more social, economic, political and cultural

relationships. Similarly, the problems and issues that characterize the

contemporary world are interconnected and multidimensional. As a result, the

various actors—states, organizations, and citizens—are called upon to work

together to find global solutions. To study these problems and issues, one must see

them from both geographic and historical perspectives, and consider the

economic and political dimensions.

1.1 Contribution of the Program to the Education of Adult Learners. The

Contemporary World program is part of the Social Sciences. It deals with

problems and issues related to the environment, population, wealth, power

and tensions and conflicts. Thus, adult learners become aware of the

consequences of human actions on societies, develop critical judgment, and

define their understanding of the world. As responsible citizens, adults learn to

participate in social debates and contribute to society. The Contemporary

World program allows adult learners to develop the following subject-specific

competencies: Interprets a contemporary world problem and Takes a position

 on a contemporary world issue, competencies that contribute to adult

learners’ general education, prepare them to take part in society and make

up their minds regarding social debates.

1.2 Nature of the Program. The aim of the Contemporary World program is to help

adult learners become interested in contemporary world problems and issues

that all societies face, develop competencies and construct knowledge. By

studying these problems and issues, adults learn to understand the nature of

the relationships that form between societies and the way in which these

relationships shape the organization of the world today. They become aware

of the different viewpoints regarding some of the world’s great concerns. They

compare their own point of view with that of others, thus increasing their

critical judgment. They become aware of the role they must play in society

and of their responsibilities as citizens. The subjects involved in the study of the

Contemporary World program―geography, history, economics and political

science—help adult learners approach contemporary world problems and

issues from a geographic and historical perspective while taking into account

their economic and political dimensions:

Chapter 1 Introduction 4 Diversified Basic Education Program,

Contemporary World

A geographic perspective helps adult learners consider phenomena in terms

of territory, that is, in terms of the effects of human action on spatial

 organization. A historical perspective helps adult learners view the same

phenomena in terms of duration by seeking the origins of the phenomena and

elements of change and continuity related to them. Taking into account the

economic dimension helps adult learners understand the choices societies

make regarding the organization of trade, production, distribution and

consumption as well as the organization of work. Considering the political

dimension helps adult learners understand the organization of power within

societies and the formation of power relations. Each of these subjects makes

a complementary contribution to the understanding of problems and issues

facing the contemporary world.

1.3 Connections Between the Program and the Other Elements of the Diversified

Basic Education Program Connections between the Contemporary World

program and other subjects are readily apparent. They facilitate the

integration of various elements of the Diversified Basic Education Program,

namely, the broad areas of learning, the cross-curricular competencies and

other subject areas.

1.3.1.1 Connections With the Broad Areas of Learning. The broad areas of

learning deal with major issues that adults confront, both individually and

collectively, in different areas of their lives. They help motivate and support

adults in their learning and guide them in their involvement as citizens. Each

broad area of learning raises many questions that could become the basis

for learning situations. Each one consists of an educational aim and focuses
of development that help give meaning to learning. To varying degrees,

the Contemporary World program has connections with all five broad

areas of learning.

Citizenship and Community Life The Contemporary World program has

strong ties to the broad area of learning Citizenship and Community Life. Its

educational aim is to enable adult learners to take part in democratic life

and develop an attitude of openness to the world and respect for diversity.

This educational aim and its related focuses of development are consistent

with one of the aims of the program—that of preparing adult learners to

participate, as responsible citizens, in social debate.

Chapter 1 Introduction Diversified Basic Education Program,

Contemporary World 5

By studying the prescribed themes, adult learners observe the diversity of

societies and acquire knowledge about the principles that characterize a

democratic society. By taking a position on contemporary world issues,

adult learners discover opportunities for social participation. They consider

the role of institutions in society and determine the role that individuals can

play in them. They may also observe that, regardless of period or place,

human beings form relationships of various sorts and try to find shared

solutions to common problems by establishing rules for life in society.

Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities. The

Contemporary World program is also closely related to the broad area of

learning Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and

Responsibilities, particularly its educational aim, which is to encourage

adult learners to develop an active relationship with their environment

while maintaining a critical attitude toward consumption and the

exploitation of the environment. Some elements of the focuses of

development of this broad area of learning, particularly environmental

management and the distribution of wealth in the world overlap with the

themes under study.

Media Literacy. There are also connections between the program and the

educational aim of the broad area of learning Media Literacy, which is to

enable adult learners to exercise critical, ethical and aesthetic judgment

with respect to the media and to produce media documents that respect

individual and collective rights. In the course of their research on

contemporary world problems and issues, adult learners gather data from

various sources, which may present opposing viewpoints or biased

information, and exercise critical judgment in constructing their own

opinions on the topics.

Career Planning and Entrepreneurship. The Contemporary World program

fosters the integration of adult learners into society and the labor market. It

thus contributes to the educational aim of the broad area of learning

 Career Planning and Entrepreneurship, which is to enable adult learners to

make and carry out plans designed to develop their potential and help

them integrate into society. The program also shares common ground with

the focuses of development of this broad area in that it helps adult learners

realize the importance of their participation and action in society. Adult

learners are thus encouraged to become involved, pursue various projects

and put their experience to good use in social, personal, academic and

job-related tasks in order to continue learning throughout their lives.

1.4 Media Literacy. There are also connections between the program and the

educational aim of the broad area of learning Media Literacy, which is to

enable adult learners to exercise critical, ethical and aesthetic judgment with

respect to the media and to produce media documents that respect

individual and collective rights. In the course of their research on

contemporary world problems and issues, adult learners gather data from

various sources, which may present opposing viewpoints or biased

information, and exercise critical judgment in constructing their own opinions

on the topics.

Career Planning and Entrepreneurship The Contemporary World program

fosters the integration of adult learners into society and the labour market. It

thus contributes to the educational aim of the broad area of learning Career

Planning and Entrepreneurship, which is to enable adult learners to make and

carry out plans designed to develop their potential and help them integrate
into society. The program also shares common ground with the focuses of

development of this broad area in that it helps adult learners realize the

importance of their participation and action in society. Adult learners are thus

encouraged to become involved, pursue various projects and put their

experience to good use in social, personal, academic and job-related tasks in

order to continue learning throughout their lives.

Chapter 1 Introduction 6 Diversified Basic Education Program,

Contemporary World Health and Well-Being

The educational aim of the broad area of learning Health and Well-Being is to

encourage adult learners to develop a sense of responsibility for adopting

good living habits. In this sense, the Contemporary World program gives adult

learners the opportunity to consider the consequences of human actions and

collective choices for individual well-being. In addition, some elements of the

focuses of development of this broad area concern individual and group

choices.

1.3.2 Connections With the Cross-Curricular Competencies. The

Contemporary World program enables adult learners to develop cross-

curricular competencies. Like subject-specific competencies, cross-curricular

competencies help adult learners act effectively by mobilizing a number of

resources. However, these competencies provide a broader frame of

reference in that they cut across subject boundaries and allow for a greater
range of action. Each of the subject-specific competencies in the program is,

to some extent, dependent on the application of cross-curricular

competencies, which in turn promote the development of subject specific

competencies. Appendix 1 provides a list of the cross-curricular

competencies. Intellectual competencies Uses information given the central

role played by documents, adult learners are required to mobilize the

competency Uses information when they interpret a problem or take a position

on a contemporary world issue. They must search for information

systematically, acquire the information and use it, drawing judiciously on

various sources.

Solves problems When defining various social issues, adult learners must use

problem-solving strategies in order to explore and test possible solutions,

particularly when expressing opinions and looking for actions to support these

opinions.

Exercises critical judgment. Adult learners develop the cross-curricular

competency Uses critical judgment when they assess the relevance of

documents they consult, taking into account their own frame of reference and

that of authors of documents. They learn to construct and express their

opinions and put them in perspective, taking into account what seems most

fair and valid to them.

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Contemporary World 7

Uses creativity Adult learners develop the cross-curricular competency Uses

creativity by using the resources and materials available in an imaginative

way. They must absorb the elements of a contemporary world problem or

issue, explore the situation and adopt a flexible approach, remaining

receptive to new ideas.

Methodological competencies Adopts effective work methods To interpret

problems or take a position on contemporary world issues, adult learners must

use a rigorous research process. As they construct their arguments, they learn

to use effective work methods. They consider all aspects of a task, regulate

their approach and analyze their procedure.

Uses information and communications technologies In the course of their

research, particularly when processing information, adult learners develop the

cross-curricular competency Uses information and communications

technologies. By mastering information and communications technologies,

using them in their learning, and evaluating the effectiveness of their use, adult

learners employ these technologies to communicate the results of their

research. Personal and social competencies

Achieves his/her potential The Contemporary World program also helps

adult learners develop the competency Achieves his/her potential by

encouraging them to participate in social debate or take a position on world

issues, while respecting the opinions of others. Examining the program’s themes

enables them to compare their perceptions and values, to take their place

among others and, thus, to achieve a sense of belonging to society.

Cooperates with others By developing the competency Cooperates with

others, adults learn to contribute to team efforts, to interact with an open mind

and to evaluate their participation in collaborative work. They learn to see that

participation in social life and cooperation among individuals help make

social change possible.

Chapter 1 Introduction 8 Diversified Basic Education Program,

Contemporary World Communication-related competencies

Adult learners develop the competency Communicates appropriately when

they express their opinions or share their research findings and conclusions

regarding a problem or issue in the contemporary world. They learn to manage

the communication process, become familiar with various modes of

communication and use the most appropriate method to communicate the

conclusions of their investigations.

1.3.3 Connections With the Other Subject Areas Each subject area contains

several subjects. The learning acquired in one subject area can be used to

acquire learning in other areas, and vice versa. This complementarily fosters

connections among subjects in different subject areas, including Languages,

Personal Development, and Mathematics, Science and Technology, and in

turn provides resources on which adult learners can draw to develop the

subject-specific competencies targeted in the Contemporary World program.

Languages The Contemporary World program has connections with the

Languages subject area, particularly with the English Language Arts program.

In both oral and written communication, language is the principal vehicle

used to discuss the problems and issues facing the contemporary world. Using

language properly is a sign of well-structured thinking. Thus, to communicate

clearly their interpretation of a problem and their position on an issue, adult

learners use media sources, mobilize their language competencies, and use

the reading and writing strategies they developed in their language of

instruction classes. At the same time, the knowledge and concepts developed

in the Contemporary World program can help adult learners understand and

write texts and communicate orally in the English Language Arts program.

Personal Development The Contemporary World program and the Personal

Development subject area are linked in that both help attune adult learners

to a set of values connected with community life. To exercise their role as

citizens, adults learn to refer to ethical, cultural and democratic principles; to

take positions on issues, they refer to principles and values of democratic life.

Mathematics, Science and Technology The Contemporary World program

is also linked to subjects in Mathematics, Science and Technology, particularly

since arithmetic and statistical concepts and processes (such as number

sense, graphs, diagrams, contingency tables and the location of numbers on

a number line)

Chapter 1 Introduction Diversified Basic Education Program,

Contemporary World 9

underpin the effective use of techniques proposed in the Contemporary World

program. Adults rely on these techniques to access information and

communicate their research results. Seeing a scientific or technological issue

or application in its social, environmental and historical context, as required by

the competency Makes the most of his/her knowledge of science and

technology, gives adult learners a new perspective on the study of the

problems and contemporary world issues associated with the prescribed

themes. Conversely, when they take a position on a contemporary world issue,

adult learners sometimes have to draw on scientific and technological

knowledge in order to analyze certain dimensions of the issue. This is the case

with regard to the questions raised today by environmental management in

the world, for example:

Learning Situations Learning situations place adult learners at the heart of

the action. The pedagogical context of each situation is based on a

pedagogical aim that is related to different aspects of the Diversified Basic

Education program. In the Contemporary World program, learning situations

enable adult learners to examine the world today beyond what they know,
observe and perceive spontaneously. The situations comprise a scenario and

a set of tasks associated with a contemporary world problem or an issue

related to the themes under study. They also incorporate educational

resources and periods of reflection and review. The more these aspects are

taken into account, the more learning situations will become meaningful,

open-ended and complex. A learning situation is meaningful when adult

learners perceive the connections between the learning they have acquired

in class and possible future applications, gaining a better understanding of the

world today. A situation will be all the more meaningful if it refers to issues

related to current events or the broad areas of learning. A learning situation is

open-ended if it enables adult learners to explore several solutions rather than

just one, and if it involves various tasks, favors the use of different research and

communications media, and results in different types of student work. A

learning and evaluation situation is complex insofar as it requires adult learners

to use the prescribed elements of the subject-specific content. It should also

enable adult learners to make connections with, and use, the broad areas of

learning, the cross-curricular competencies and the knowledge targeted in

other subjects. Thus, learning situations help adult learners develop the subject-

specific competencies and acquire and use knowledge. They can address a

specific aspect of one the program’s subject-specific competencies or involve

both competencies at once. In the evaluation situations at the end of each

course, however, adult learners must apply both subject-specific

competencies.

Chapter 2 Pedagogical Context 14 Diversified Basic Education

Program, Contemporary World

2.2 Families of Learning Situations Families of learning situations consist of

situations of varying degrees of complexity that are related. They provide

specific learning contexts that foster knowledge acquisition and competency

development. Learning situations that require similar resources and that

involve similar tasks often belong to the same family, thus fostering the transfer

of learning. In the Contemporary World program, learning situations are

divided into two families: Interpreting a contemporary world problem Taking a

position on a contemporary world issue. The first family, which deals with the

interpretation of a contemporary world problem, consists of learning situations

in which the tasks proposed allow adult learners to define a problem, analyze

it and consider it as a whole. The second family, which deals with taking a

position on a contemporary world issue, consists of learning situations in which

the tasks proposed allow adult learners to take into account different points of

view, consider the media treatment of an issue, debate it and consider

opportunities for social action.

2.3 Educational Resources The resources that can be used in learning

situations are many and varied: they include source documents, maps,
newspapers, magazines, audiovisual documents, firsthand accounts, etc.

These resources may be part of the immediate surroundings (e.g. library,

multimedia centre, community) or obtained through educational outings. In

addition, resource persons may be asked to take part in pedagogical

activities. In order to use some of these resources, adult learners must have

ready access to information and communications technologies (ICTs) that

they can use as research and production tools to carry out different tasks. The

use of current events enables adult learners to observe the many ways in

which societies deal with problems and issues of the contemporary world. To

make better use of current events, adults may call on their own life experiences

and use the various techniques presented in Appendix 2.

How the Subject-Specific Competencies Work Together

A subject-specific competency is defined as the ability to act effectively by

mobilizing a range of resources developed through the subjects in a program

of study. This ability to act is demonstrated in relatively complex contexts, and

is developed throughout a lifetime. This definition refers to three specific

aspects of the competency: mobilization in context, the availability of

resources and reflection. Competencies are mobilized in context when adult

learners carry out tasks effectively in a given context. Adult learners must

examine the characteristics of the context, take the related constraints into

account and adjust their actions accordingly. Competency development also

relies on the availability of a variety of resources, which adult learners must

acquire and effectively reorganize. Lastly, adult learners must reflect on the

process they used to effectively mobilize a set of resources, carry out tasks and

solve problems in a given situation. This enables them to identify their strengths,

weaknesses and challenges, and to improve their learning process. The

Contemporary World program targets the development of two subject-

specific competencies, as illustrated below.

Focus of the Competency Interpreting a contemporary world problem

involves explaining it and giving it a meaning while taking into account how

the problem is integrated into the complexity of the contemporary world. A

contemporary world problem reflects situations that cause concern. It affects

the whole world, but may take different forms in different societies. To give a

problem meaning, adult learners must use a research process (Appendix 3)

that helps them define, analyze and consider the problem as a whole. When

adult learners define a given problem, they recognize the different forms the

problem takes in the world. They identify the actors involved (states,

international institutions, multinationals, citizens’ groups or media), establish

facts and define the context in which it occurs. When adult learners analyze a

problem, they establish the relationship between different aspects of society

(1) and determine causes and consequences. This analysis may lead them to

identify the points of view of various actors and the interests at stake and
 to recognize the power relations among these actors. When adult learners

consider a problem as a whole, they compare various manifestations of

the problem in the world and identify similarities and differences among

them. They examine the problem on different scales2 while taking into

account various aspects of society. This overview should modify the adults’

perception of the problem and help them put it in perspective. It should

(2) Aspects of society: social, political, cultural, economic or territorial aspects

2 Scales: in world, national or local terms; in the short or long term

Chapter 3 Subject-Specific Competencies Diversified Basic

Education Program

Contemporary World 19 help them establish the global nature of the problem

and permit them to build on their understanding of the problem so that they

can take a position on an issue to which it has given rise. This competency also

encourages adult learners to take a critical look at their learning. For this

reason, they must gather and keep records of what they have learned. This

critical assessment throughout the development of the competency allows

them to consider what they have learned, evaluate the effectiveness of their

strategies, identify the difficulties encountered and determine how they can

improve their learning practices

Development of the Competency The competency Interprets a

contemporary world problem is developed in interaction with the other

subject-specific competency Takes a position on a contemporary world issue.

To ensure the development of the competency, teachers must provide a

range of learning situations of gradually increasing complexity, while varying

the parameters shown in the following table. These parameters are related to

the context and procedures, the subject-specific content to be drawn on, as

well as the adults’ reflective process. They define the respective contributions

of the adult learners and the teacher to the development of the competency

Focus of the Competency Taking a position on a contemporary world issue

involves participating as a responsible citizen in social debate. To fulfill this role,

adult learners examine various points of view on a given issue and reflect on

anything that may influence their thinking. They also consider the media

treatment of the issue, debate the issue with their peers or teacher, and

consider opportunities for social action. Adult learners are expected to take a

position on the issues stemming from the problems they have interpreted. An

issue generally arises when various interests clash over the resolution of a

problem. In the ensuing debates, various actors support their respective

viewpoints and propose solutions. When adult learners examine the points of

view related to an issue, they identify those defended by different actors, such

as states, international institutions, multinationals, citizens’ groups or the media

in order to establish the main points of controversy. They identify the values

and interests that underlie these viewpoints, establish points of convergence

and divergence, identify possible solutions proposed by different actors and

consider their advantages and disadvantages. When adult learners take a

position on an issue, they consider the way in which the media treat the issue,

they look at the choices made by some media and determine the influence

of the media on their own opinion and that of the public. When adult learners

debate an issue on which they are taking a position, they base their opinions

on facts and develop arguments. They demonstrate an open mind towards

opinions different from their own so that, at the end of their reflective process,

they arrive at a more informed and balanced position. When adult learners

consider opportunities for social action, they identify possible types of actions

as well as contexts or institutions in which these actions could be taken. They

then develop an action plan in order to make their opinion known. Throughout

the development of this competency,