Begin by opening your learning journal for this activity.

The population of the world grew from 1.6 billion in 1990 to 6 billion at the beginning of 2000.

Source: New Internationalist, Issue 309, January 1999.

The topic of population growth rates is, perhaps, one of the most complex population concepts to understand and teach. For example:

	How can fertility rates, infant mortality rates and population growth rates be falling, but the world's population still be growing?
	If death rates are falling and people are living longer, why will population growth continue?
	If families are getting smaller, why is the world's population still growing?

Answering such questions involves distinguishing between percentage rates of change and actual population numbers.

It also involves appreciating the population momentum of past population patterns, particularly the population growth impacts of the relatively youthful nature of the high population countries of the world.

The World Bank's Development Education Program has developed an on-line interactive learning module for explaining these issues about population growth rates to students. This learning module contains maps, tables and population pyramid graphs, as well as a sequenced set of student questions. The Development Education Program has also produced interactive learning modules on other topics, such as Life Expectancy for Children at Birth, GNP per Capita and Access to Safe Water.

Review the learning module on Population Growth Rates for possible use with a class that you teach.

To begin, read the sections called 'Getting Started' and 'For Teachers' in order to understand how to navigate through the learning module and to see the range of worksheets that can be printed for student use.

Then go to the 'Learning Tools' section and review the range of student activities that are provided.

Q1: In what class level(s) and subject(s) could this teaching module be used?

Q2: What prior learning would you plan for your students so that their study of this module is most beneficial?

Q3: Would you be able to use it in your teaching? Why? How might you organise your class to access the module?

Q4: What are some non-computer based ways in which the topic of population growth rates could be taught?

Note: Paper versions of many of the exercises in the Population Growth Rates learning module are located at the end of the on-line version. These can be downloaded and printed for class use.

UNESCO acknowledges the support of The World Bank's Development Education Program in the development of this activity, and for allowing the files for Population Growth Rates to be included in Teaching and Learning For a Sustainable Future.