A guide to
Cambridge Lower Secondary Global PerspectivesTM
Introduction
Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives allows learners aged 11 to 14 to develop and embed the skills of analysis, collaboration, communication, evaluation, reflection and research before they start formal qualifications. Research shows that the earlier learners start to develop and practise these transferable skills, the greater the impact on their learning. These skills will support them in their studies in lower secondary and prepare them for Cambridge Upper Secondary and beyond.
In Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives, learners:
- become increasingly independent learners able to apply the skills of analysis, collaboration, communication, evaluation, reflection and research in everyday situations and when studying other subjects
- explore personal, local and global perspectives to make sense of, and feel connected to, the world around them
- develop an analytical understanding and awareness of global issues, their causes and consequences
- make informed decisions about the information they read, hear and see on global issues, identifying different perspectives and arguments
- work together as a team to achieve shared goals
- engage with others' ideas and ask well-judged questions
- conduct their own independent research on a global issue and effectively communicate their findings and judgements
- reflect on their progress, contributions and learning, and identify areas for improvement
- use information and sources to suggest solutions for local, national or global problems.
Teaching Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives
We provide a wide range of practical resources, detailed guidance, innovative training and professional development so that you can give your learners the best possible experience of Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives.
We believe that for teaching and learning to be effective, there should be alignment between curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. We have designed Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives around this principle:
Curriculum – taken from Lower Secondary Global Perspectives Curriculum Framework
9Rf.03 Explain how personal perspective on an issue has changed as a result of conducting research and exploring different perspectives.
Pedagogy – activity taken from the Stage 9 Challenge 'Feeling safe'
In small groups, learners solve a crime entitled ‘The mystery of the sand’ in Teacher resource - Feeling safe T9.1.
Conclude the activity by asking learners to define 'smuggling' (the crime in 'The mystery of the sand') in their own words. What different factors make smuggling illegal? For example, it involves crossing boundaries between countries with different laws, currencies and taxes. What are some possible consequences of this crime? For example, paying a fine, going to prison.
After the activity, ask learners what other crimes they know of and ask them to contribute to a shared list. You may wish to refer to local, regional or global news stories. A list of crimes and some suggested definitions can be found in Teacher resource - Feeling safe T9.2.
Lead a discussion on why we need crime prevention laws to live harmoniously in society. For example:
- To guarantee our fundamental human rights
- To defend us from harm
- To resolve disputes over limited resources
- To encourage every citizen to be considerate and think about one another.
To lead a successful discussion, you may wish to ask the following questions:
- Why do you think… said that?
- Can you think of an opposing idea?
- What would happen if this was not true?
- Can you add an idea to the list?
Set and agree some rules for discussion, e.g. take turns to speak, do not speak over other people, it is okay to disagree with someone else's perspective, be respectful.
Learners complete a reflective log (Learner resource - Feeling safe L9.3). Tell learners to explain if their personal perspective has changed and how, making reference to specific local or global issues discussed and researched in class.
Assessment
The teacher reviews the learners reflective log and can use this to make a judgement on whether the learner has clearly articulated how their perspective has changed and why making reference to what they have learnt about law and criminality. The teacher can choose to follow up with learner if they need more evidence that the learner has met the objective, e.g. by asking questions.
Curriculum Framework
The Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives Curriculum Framework is available to download on the Global Perspectives (1129) page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site. It provides a comprehensive set of learning objectives. The learning objectives give a structure for teaching and learning and can be used to assess learners’ ability and skills development.
We have divided the learning objectives into six main areas called ‘strands’ which run through every stage. Each strand corresponds to one of the skills: Analysis, Collaboration, Communication, Evaluation, Reflection and Research.
In Stages 7 and 8, the same objectives can be used to structure learning, but the range of materials and contexts you provide to learners needs to be increasingly complex.
It may be appropriate to introduce this framework at slightly different ages to suit your particular circumstances.
The words 'argument', 'evidence', 'perspective' and 'issue' have particular meanings in the context of Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives. These meaning are:
Argument: a series of statements containing reasons and evidence which support a claim about a global issue
Evidence: information about a global issue that helps to develop understanding or prove that something is true or false
Issue: an important subject or problem for discussion
Perspective: a viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning.
We have designed the learning objectives in Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives so learners progress along the Cambridge Pathway. For example, the skill of Analysis includes 'Identifying perspectives' and learning objectives at each stage describe what the learners should be able to do:
| Stage 7 to 8 | Stage 9 |
|---|---|
| 78A.01 Identify ideas and evidence from different perspectives within different sources, on a given issue | 9A.01 Identify perspectives and synthesise arguments and evidence from a range of sources on a given issue |
In Stages 7 and 8 learners will analyse perspectives through the ideas and evidence supporting them. They will work with a range of sources. By Stage 9, they will be able to synthesise arguments from different perspectives. This will prepare learners for Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Global Perspectives, where they will analyse different perspectives on an issue, in order to answer a research question.
Curriculum Framework
The Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives Curriculum Framework is available to download on the Global Perspectives (1129) page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site. It provides a comprehensive set of learning objectives. The learning objectives give a structure for teaching and learning and can be used to assess learners’ ability and skills development.
We have divided the learning objectives into six main areas called ‘strands’ which run through every stage. Each strand corresponds to one of the skills: Analysis, Collaboration, Communication, Evaluation, Reflection and Research.
In Stages 7 and 8, the same objectives can be used to structure learning, but the range of materials and contexts you provide to learners needs to be increasingly complex.
It may be appropriate to introduce this framework at slightly different ages to suit your particular circumstances.
The words 'argument', 'evidence', 'perspective' and 'issue' have particular meanings in the context of Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives. These meaning are:
Argument: a series of statements containing reasons and evidence which support a claim about a global issue
Evidence: information about a global issue that helps to develop understanding or prove that something is true or false
Issue: an important subject or problem for discussion
Perspective: a viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning.
We have designed the learning objectives in Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives so learners progress along the Cambridge Pathway. For example, the skill of Analysis includes 'Identifying perspectives' and learning objectives at each stage describe what the learners should be able to do:
| Stage 7 to 8 | Stage 9 |
|---|---|
| 78A.01 Identify ideas and evidence from different perspectives within different sources, on a given issue | 9A.01 Identify perspectives and synthesise arguments and evidence from a range of sources on a given issue |
In Stages 7 and 8 learners will analyse perspectives through the ideas and evidence supporting them. They will work with a range of sources. By Stage 9, they will be able to synthesise arguments from different perspectives. This will prepare learners for Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Global Perspectives, where they will analyse different perspectives on an issue, in order to answer a research question.
Pedagogy
The Curriculum Framework gives you a list of learning objectives across three stages (Stages 7 to 9). Our support materials then give you guidance on:
- long term planning (how to cover the learning objectives in each stage
- using and adapting Challenges with suggested activities
- lesson planning
- teaching and learning approaches
- the role of the teacher.
Our support materials include:
- Challenges
- Lesson plans
- Teacher Guide
- Videos
- Training
Find and access these support materials on the Global Perspectives (1129) page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site.
The Curriculum Framework is a planning tool. It supports skill development by showing how learners will revisit and engage with concepts at deeper levels and in different contexts throughout the curriculum. The learning objectives in the Curriculum Framework have been designed to support learners’ progression through the different stages. The sub-strands divide the skill areas into more specific and measurable targets for teaching and learning.
The strands provide balanced coverage of the fundamental skills in the subject at this level. By the end of Stage 9, learners should therefore be ready to move on to Cambridge IGCSETM Global Perspectives.
The table below shows some examples of how skills development progress across stages:
| Stages 7 to 8 | Stage 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Collaboration: Working together | 78Cl.01 Work positively within a team to achieve a shared outcome and improve team work, for example by contributing useful ideas, offering solutions to problems, encouraging other team members to participate and being open to others' ideas | 9Cl.01 Work positively and sensitively within a team to achieve a shared outcome and improve team work, for example by contributing useful ideas, offering solutions to problems, supporting and encouraging other team members to participate and being open to others' ideas |
| Evaluation: Evaluating perspectives and arguments | 78E.02 Discuss the effectiveness of an argument, making explicit reference to its structure and use of evidence | 9E.02 Evaluate an argument, considering the structure, reasoning and evidence |
| Research: Recording findings | 78Rs.04 Select, organise and record relevant information from a range of sources and findings from primary research, using appropriate methods | 9Rs.04 Select, organise and effectively record relevant information from a wide range of sources and findings from primary research, justifying the method chosen |
Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives is taught through a series of Challenges. The Challenges are a set of teaching and learning materials that use topics to provide stimulating contexts for the development of specific skills and learning objectives.
Challenges include suggested activities that require learners to analyse, collaborate, communicate, evaluate, reflect or research. Activities are designed to encourage learners to consider and connect personal, local and global perspectives related to an issue. You can find more guidance in the Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives Teacher Guide.
Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives gives learners the opportunity to develop important skills while exploring significant global topics, and issues within these topics. The topics give learners a stimulating context in which to develop skills; however, there is no required content for Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives. Learners do not need to study specific topics or issues and they do not have to learn specific content.
This diagram shows how skills, topics, issues and perspectives are combined in each Challenge.
Assessment guidance
There are many ways to assess how learners’ skills develop during the Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives curriculum. Each Challenge provides opportunities to identify progress, give feedback and discuss next steps with learners. The teacher guide offers guidance on using the Challenges to assess skill development and provide formative feedback to learners.
Assessment guidance provides support and advice on how to assess learners in the classroom, including:
- examples of how teaching and learning activities can be assessed
- approaches to recording achievement
- different approaches to reporting results.
There is no Cambridge Lower Secondary Progression Test for this subject.
Find the Assessment guidance on the Cambridge Global Perspectives (1129) page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site.
Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Global Perspectives
Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives recognises learners achievement and is intended for the final year of lower secondary education - Stage 9. Learners work individually to write a Research Report that must be between 800 and 1000 words. The Research Reports are marked by teachers and moderated by Cambridge International. It is similar to the Individual Report component of Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives, and so, unlike other Cambridge Lower Secondary subjects with Checkpoint assessment, there are no written tests provided for Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives. You can find all of the information you need about the assessment in Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives Checkpoint Instructions.
There are two Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint exam series every year. To enter your learners, go to the Making entries area on Cambridge International Direct.
Assessment guidance
There are many ways to assess how learners’ skills develop during the Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives curriculum. Each Challenge provides opportunities to identify progress, give feedback and discuss next steps with learners. The teacher guide offers guidance on using the Challenges to assess skill development and provide formative feedback to learners.
Assessment guidance provides support and advice on how to assess learners in the classroom, including:
- examples of how teaching and learning activities can be assessed
- approaches to recording achievement
- different approaches to reporting results.
There is no Cambridge Lower Secondary Progression Test for this subject.
Find the Assessment guidance on the Cambridge Global Perspectives (1129) page of the Cambridge Lower Secondary support site.
Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Global Perspectives
Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives recognises learners achievement and is intended for the final year of lower secondary education - Stage 9. Learners work individually to write a Research Report that must be between 800 and 1000 words. The Research Reports are marked by teachers and moderated by Cambridge International. It is similar to the Individual Report component of Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives, and so, unlike other Cambridge Lower Secondary subjects with Checkpoint assessment, there are no written tests provided for Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives. You can find all of the information you need about the assessment in Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives Checkpoint Instructions.
There are two Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint exam series every year. To enter your learners, go to the Making entries area on Cambridge International Direct.
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