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Unit 4: Case Study Group Work-Problem Identification

Authors: Rebecca Boger, Brooklyn College, rboger@brooklyn.cuny.edu, Amy E. Potter, Armstrong State University, amy.potter@armstrong.edu, and Russanne Low, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, rusty_low@strategies.org.


Summary

Units 4, 5, and 6 provide the opportunity for students to delve into a greater examination of food security at a regional level in small teams selecting one of the following locations (Caribbean, New York City, or Nebraska) OR a new location of their choice (provided that information and datasets are easily available and students will work with the instructor prior to the start of the unit) to apply skills and concepts taught in Units 1-3. Unit 4 materials are designed to provide a place-based overview for students to prepare them for the summative assessment, to be submitted in Unit 6, a community-based action plan of how the selected community can increase food security and lessen vulnerability.

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Learning Goals

After students have completed Units 4, 5, and 6 they will be able to:

  1. Brainstorm solution(s) to the wicked problem of food security using spatial tools.
  2. Synthesize multiple data sets and types of background material.
  3. Describe the various factors that influence food security in three different regional contexts.
  4. Make connections between the Earth system and cultural, economic and political processes to understand the wicked problem of food security.

Context for Use

After working through background materials individually, students work together in groups of 3-6 students to identify issues that pertain to a region and work together to understand the scope of the problem using spatial and non spatial data. Students will be provided data sets and readings. Ideally the students will have two class periods to complete units 4 and 5, and will present their analyses to the class for critique in Unit 6. More detailed analysis is possible if students are assigned part of the work as a homework project and there is a week of time between units 4 and 5 and the submission of the assignment in week 6, and/or if they are given time after the class presentations to incorporate feedback into a final submission.

This unit builds on food security and Earth system science covered in the first three units. It can be taught in any course discussing food security or it can be modified to fit a variety of courses in the sciences and social sciences. The activities included in this unit are appropriate for introductory-level college students or as a basis for more in-depth class discussions on food security for upper-level students.

This unit consists of a 90-minute face-to-face class period and is the first component of a three-part exploration (See then Units 5 and 6). This unit is appropriate for lower division undergraduates who are enrolled in social science, environmental science, or ecology courses. The lesson as designed requires a prior introduction to global food security (see unit 1 as an example), and an introduction to Earth's climate zones and climate change (see Unit 2 and 3).

Description and Teaching Materials

4.1 Pre-class Assignment

Based on the region that was assigned at the end of Unit 3, students will complete background readings so that they come prepared to begin their regional case study work. Each assignment includes questions that students will use to focus their thinking and prepare them for group work during class.

4.2 Class Session (15 minutes total)

Materials needed:

  • Flip chart or large format paper for each team of 2-4
  • Markers
  • Post-it Notes

Discussion: Guided Introduction to Case Study Areas

Instructor will introduce the regional areas that will be addressed in the work for the next three class periods using the illustrated slide stack provided in this module. The objective is to build interest in the regions. A target audience for the resulting food security plan will be identified for each region (ca. CARICOM, the Corn or Wheat Board, Farmer's Market association, etc.).

4.3 Group Discussion (45 minutes total)

After the instructor introductions, students will break off into their case study groups and work through the following steps:

Students will work through the materials provided (See Materials for Regions 1, 2, and 3 below). Some of the materials in the documents were given as homework to get them started on their regions.

Case Study Materials for Unit 4

4.4 Team Brainstorm (30 minutes total)

In their teams of 3-6 members, students should first discuss food security issues or problems that they believe are salient to their region in the context of the assigned reading Wicked Problems. As a group, students should use a flip chart or white board to identify and describe at least one of the issues, using as many of the characteristics of wicked problems presented from the reading, as appropriate.

Based on these ideas, teams will then identify what aspect of food insecurity they would like to specifically explore in their analysis in the context of their community/regional plan. Before leaving class, each team should create a list of the types of data (each case study provides additional resources students can utilize) that they will need to assist in the development of the community/regional plan and distribute the tasks between members.

Combined Case Study Materials for Units 4, 5, 6: We have divided the case study materials among Units 4, 5, 6. Should the instructor want case study materials for all three units see combined file below:

4.5 Post Class Assignment

Some of the students may not be able to complete the case study materials and readings in 45 minutes. Students should finish the readings outside of class and work on their assigned tasks for the community/regional plan.

Assessment

The authentic assessment for this module is the creation of a community or regional action plan and will be submitted in Unit 6. Each team will submit their individual action plan. In Unit 6, students will participate in a gallery walk, and see how socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of each region require different solutions. Learners will complete a summative essay after the gallery walk. A checklist is provided for use in the evaluation process. It is recommended that the checklist and rubric be distributed to students by Unit 4 so that they can begin to plan their final project Assignment Guide and Rubric for Summative Assesment (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 306kB Dec2 16). The grading rubric is also provided in Unit 6. If the instructor wishes to evaluate the map products at this stage, the universal rubric for evaluating student work, Units 1-4 is included here: Universal Rubric for Assignments Units 1-5 (Excel 2007 (.xlsx) 40kB Dec1 16).

References and Resources

Note: lists of resources for use by regional case study teams for units 4 and 5 will be provided by case study.

Learn more about Gallery Walks from Pedagogy in Action http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/gallerywalk/index.html

Beckford, C. L. and Campbell, D.R. (2013) Domestic Food Production and Food Security in the Caribbean: Building Capacity and Strengthening Local Food Production Systems. Palgrave Macmillan: New York.

FAO (2015) Regional Overview of Food Insecurity – Latin America and the Caribbean. FAO. http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4636e.pdf

FAO (2013) Climate- Smart Agriculture Sourcebook.

Ritchie, T. (2013) Wicked problems: Modelling social messes with morphological analysis. Acta Morphologica Generalis 2(1): 1-12.

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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »