What is Animalia

The study described in this chapter is based on a joint World ORT, Israeli Ministry of Education and Pearson initiative to provide an opportunity for international student collaboration on a series of complex science problems. Students from four schools in Israel, three in the United States and one in Mexico, participated in collaborative complex problem-solving on science topics selected by teachers at the participating schools. The intent was to expose students to the realities of collaborating with people under unfamiliar conditions (such as different cultures, languages, and time zones) in order to reach a shared goal, and to foster the value of this practice. The chapter presents the rationale for the project, describes the Animalia mini-course in detail, presents major findings and discusses implications for future curriculum development and further research.