The Use of Star Trek in the Curriculum:
Intro
Many times I reflect on how students can use television shows as a means of learning social studies. Television shows can be a relevant and meaningful method of instructing students; students identify with pop culture and are seen as being more in tune with what is going on in today’s society. Using Star Trek as a medium to allow students to interpret the future or the ‘invisible’ with inquiry based learning at the center can be a great way to do this. This is a great medium to get students actively participating in topics such as family relationships, friendships, and dealing with bullying.
Star Trek has been around for some time, in various incarnations, and there have been many struggles that Star Trek characters had to go through. These struggles ranged from racial, political, and social problem. For example, observing the conflicts between the hero and villain or saving the planet represents powerful symbols; these symbols can be extrapolated to things in a student’s life. Despite these aforementioned advantages, Star Trek has a few drawbacks. Some of the scenes may not be suitable for children, especially those that contain violence, sex, and strong language.
On the bright side…
Star Trek presents a unique way of introducing multiculturalism. Star Trek’s crew ranges in their culture and backgrounds; even being a trailblazer in fighting against racism. More prominently, though, is that Star Trek has a mix between aliens and humans that may have conflicts. These two points, a diverse cabin crew, and the alien interactions, can be used as a point of reference to the beauty of cultural diversity and how this plays a role in our community. Discussions surrounding race, gender, and equality can also play a role in the class using Star Trek as pedagogy.
Using Star Trek as a means to teach science and technology and its impact on our lives allows students to connect between inside and outside of the classroom. They will result in motivating students to learn more about social studies content. A common thread to include this as a form of pedagogy as well in the primary grades especially is to increase student literacy in science and technology. Being a digital citizen involves manipulation and sharing of digital tools, students can visualise this by critically thinking about Star Trek and how they use technology to run and support their way of life.
Practise - Connections Made To Science
The use of teleportation in the Star Trek series is a prominent part of the show. The show envisions teleporting technology, which is able to reversibly convert matter into energy, as a quick way of transporting people. Using this as a hook for a lesson in science about matter for primary grades can enhance and push student thinking about concepts of matter
REFERENCES
Anijar, Karen. Teaching Toward the 24th Century: Star Trek as Social Curriculum (Pedagogy and Popular Culture). New York: Falmer Press, 2003.
Star Trek. Dir. Robert Wise. Paramount Productions, 1979.
Intro
Many times I reflect on how students can use television shows as a means of learning social studies. Television shows can be a relevant and meaningful method of instructing students; students identify with pop culture and are seen as being more in tune with what is going on in today’s society. Using Star Trek as a medium to allow students to interpret the future or the ‘invisible’ with inquiry based learning at the center can be a great way to do this. This is a great medium to get students actively participating in topics such as family relationships, friendships, and dealing with bullying.
Star Trek has been around for some time, in various incarnations, and there have been many struggles that Star Trek characters had to go through. These struggles ranged from racial, political, and social problem. For example, observing the conflicts between the hero and villain or saving the planet represents powerful symbols; these symbols can be extrapolated to things in a student’s life. Despite these aforementioned advantages, Star Trek has a few drawbacks. Some of the scenes may not be suitable for children, especially those that contain violence, sex, and strong language.
On the bright side…
Star Trek presents a unique way of introducing multiculturalism. Star Trek’s crew ranges in their culture and backgrounds; even being a trailblazer in fighting against racism. More prominently, though, is that Star Trek has a mix between aliens and humans that may have conflicts. These two points, a diverse cabin crew, and the alien interactions, can be used as a point of reference to the beauty of cultural diversity and how this plays a role in our community. Discussions surrounding race, gender, and equality can also play a role in the class using Star Trek as pedagogy.
Using Star Trek as a means to teach science and technology and its impact on our lives allows students to connect between inside and outside of the classroom. They will result in motivating students to learn more about social studies content. A common thread to include this as a form of pedagogy as well in the primary grades especially is to increase student literacy in science and technology. Being a digital citizen involves manipulation and sharing of digital tools, students can visualise this by critically thinking about Star Trek and how they use technology to run and support their way of life.
Practise - Connections Made To Science
The use of teleportation in the Star Trek series is a prominent part of the show. The show envisions teleporting technology, which is able to reversibly convert matter into energy, as a quick way of transporting people. Using this as a hook for a lesson in science about matter for primary grades can enhance and push student thinking about concepts of matter
REFERENCES
Anijar, Karen. Teaching Toward the 24th Century: Star Trek as Social Curriculum (Pedagogy and Popular Culture). New York: Falmer Press, 2003.
Star Trek. Dir. Robert Wise. Paramount Productions, 1979.