Program: BigPicture World History: 4.5 Billion Years Ago to Today

Grade Level: Grades 7-12, General Public 

Presenter: Medard Gabel

Cost:   $175 per program 

Videoconference Availabilty: By request

Program Description: The purpose of "BigPicture World History" is to make students more aware of the large patterns that their social studies courses fit within. The ecologist Howard Odum said, "The only way to understand a system is to understand the system it fits into." This program provides that perspective and context for U.S and World History courses, plus almost all other social studies programs. It provides a big picture perspective on the forces that are shaping today's world. From the formation of the Earth to current events, this program helps students make sense of the world. It helps students to understand what is driving globalization and the events of today. The program chronicles the growth of population, life expectancy, communication, transportation, energy and other technologies and their increasing capacities. History is presented not as a collection of facts, but as forces shaping the world.

Program Objectives:

1. Understand the historical forces shaping today's world
2. Understand the larger systems of which "history" is a part.
3. Gain perspectives on the everyday occurrences of the global and local worlds we all live in
4. Explore the students ideas of what the future might bring

About the Presenter: Medard Gabel is a noted author and speaker who co-founded World Game Institute with Buckminster Fuller. Medard also co-founded Osearth. In conjunction with the Buckminster Fuller Institute, Medard created the Design Science lab which is a workshop for developing strategies to address the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Mr. Gabel has conducted workshops, consulted, and given lectures for over 400 corporations, colleges, universities, high schools, organizations, and governments throughout the world—including the U.S. Congress, United Nations, GM, IBM, and Motorola. Mr. Gabel has been designing, developing, and delivering experiential educational programs since 1970. He is currently the CEO of BigPictureSmallWorld and BigPicture Consulting, and is the author of six books on global problems, resources and strategies, the global energy situation, the global food situation, the U.S. food system, planning, and multinational corporations.

National Educational Standards:

NSS-G.K-12.2
NSS-WH.5-12.9
NSS-G.K-12