Multidimensional Curriculum Enhancing Future Thinking Literacy: Teaching Learners to Take Control of Their Future

This book presents an innovative Multidimensional Curriculum Model (MdCM) that develops future thinking literacy among all ages and levels of school students. It combines theory and practice and is highly applicable for policy makers, curriculum coordinators, lecturers at colleges of education, graduate students, and teachers, who are challenged daily to provide meaningful and up-to-date learning. It will aid teachers to prepare learners for the fast-changing world and equip them with skills that will help them control their futures. It combines latest teaching strategies of transdisciplinarity, phenomenon-based, project based, and problem-based learning, in a unique manner so as to develop 21st century skills. More specifically, it aims at developing higher order thinking skills and processes referred to as scientific, creative, and future thinking. It covers core and non-core-curriculum domains, multi and transdisciplinary teaching, as well as designing curricula for the gifted, the able and students at risk. It applies the latest theories on constructivism and carefully selected tools authentically and relevantly to create interest and challenge, addressing learning from personal, global, and time perspectives. Each chapter highlights a strategy or thinking tool, commencing with theory, followed by a unit description and lesson plans. The chapters each end with a final product named the future scenario. This scenario, written by students projecting themselves into the future, is based on accumulated knowledge, summarizes their learning, and illustrates future thinking literacy.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Notes on Contributor Part 1: Future Thinking Literacy: The Multidimensional Curriculum Model 1 Dynamic Curricula Promoting Future Thinking Literacy: The Multidimensional Curriculum Model  1 Meaningful Learning and Developing 21st Century Skills  2 Conceptual Framework for Curriculum Model Development  3 Developing Thinking Skills  4 The Construction and Components of the Multidimensional Curriculum Model (MdCM)  5 21st Century Thinking Processes Developed by MdCM  6 Efffectiveness Data  7 Learning in Future Thinking Societies (LIFTS) Center 2 Teaching Future Thinking Literacy: Curriculum Design and Development  1 Principles  2 Content and Process  3 Products  4 Designing a Multidimensional Curriculum  5 Additional Key Components  6 Putting It All Together: Developing Future Thinking Literacy  7 Developing a Unit of Study Part 2: Updating the Curriculum in Core Domains 3 Science and Technology: Genetics  1 Science and Technology  2 Example Unit and Lessons  3 Unit Description  4 Lesson Plans  5 Lesson 1–2  6 Lesson 3  7 Lesson 4–5  8 Lesson 6  9 Lesson 7  10 Lesson 8–9  11 Lesson 10–11  12 Lesson 12  13 Future Scenario 4 Mathematics: Consumerism and the Percentages  1 Teaching Math  2 The Percentage  3 Consumerism  4 Example Unit and Lessons  5 Unit Description  6 Lesson Plans  7 Lesson 1  8 Lessons 2–3  9 Lessons 4–5  10 Lessons 6–7  11 Lessons 8–9  12 Lesson 10  13 Future Scenario 5 Language Arts: English as a Foreign Language  1 Teaching English as a Foreign Language in the Arab Sector in Israel  2 Thinking Maps  3 Guinness World Records  4 Example Unit and Lesson Plans  5 Lesson Plans  6 Lesson 1  7 Lessons 2–3  8 Lessons 4–5  9 Lessons 6–7  10 Lessons 8–9  11 Lessons 10–11  12 Future Scenario  Appendix 1: Thinking Maps Templates  Appendix 2: Worksheet (Lessons 4–5) 6 Social Studies: Community Settlements  1 Social Studies  2 Thinking Hats  3 Three-Stage Application of Six Thinking Hats in MdCM  4 Example Unit and Lesson Plans  5 Lesson Plans  6 Lessons 1–2  7 Lessons 3–4  8 Lessons 5–7  9 Lessons 8–10  10 Lessons 11–12  11 Lessons 13–14  12 Future Scenario Part 3: Multidimensional Curriculum for Non-Core Domains 7 The Bible: Leaders and Leadership  1 Leadership, Creative Thinking, and Problem Solving  2 Leadership in the Bible  3 Example Unit and Lesson Plans  4 Lesson Plans  5 Lesson 1  6 Lesson 2  7 Lessons 3–4  8 Lessons 5–6  9 Lessons 7–8  10 Lessons 9–12  11 Lesson 13  12 Future Scenario  Appendix: Problem Solving Process 8 Music: The Beatles  1 Music Education  2 Cognitive Contribution  3 Personal and Social Contribution  4 The Beatles  5 Example Unit and Lessons  6 Lesson Plans  7 Lesson 1  8 Lesson 2  9 Lesson 3  10 Lesson 4–5  11 Lesson 6  12 Lesson 7  13 Lesson 8  14 Future Scenario 9 Life Skills: Me Myself and I  1 Life Skills  2 Life Skills in 1st Grade on the Topic of Self  3 Example Unit and Lessons  4 Lesson Plans  5 Lesson 1  6 Lessons 2–3  7 Lesson 4  8 Lesson 5  9 Lesson 6  10 Lessons 7–8  11 Lessons 9–10  12 Lesson 11  13 Lesson 12  14 Future Scenario  15 Additional Products and Units  16 Unit on Accepting Others  17 Unit on Violence  18 Future Scenario Part 4: Multidimensional Curriculum Integrating Domains 10 Energy: The Phenomenon-Based Approach  1 Phenomenon-Based Learning  2 Energy  3 Example Unit and Lesson Plans  4 Lesson Plans  5 Lesson 1  6 Lessons 2–7  7 Lessons 8–9  8 Lessons 10–11  9 Lessons 12–13  10 Lesson 14  Enrichment Activity  Appendix 11 Jerusalem: The Transdisciplinary Perspective  1 Interdisciplinarity and Transdisiplinarity Teaching and Learning  2 Israel’s Culture and Heritage and the City of Jerusalem  3 Example Unit and Lessons  4 Lesson Plans  5 Lessons 1–2

About the Author :
Hava E. Vidergor, PhD, is a senior lecturer of curriculum and instruction at Gordon Academic College of Education, and Arab Academic College, Haifa, Israel. Her research interests center on curriculum planning and design, innovative teaching strategies and gifted education. She has published numerous papers and presented widely at international conferences. Her Multidimensional Curriculum Model focusing on developing high order thinking and future thinking literacy in K-12 students is currently applied in Israel and internationally.