Window on America (University-based global education program)
Innovations in Teaching and Learning
As educators we realize that our society is creating a world that requires a new set of skills for our students to obtain due to the rapid economic, social, and technological changes that we are facing. Our world is growing "flatter" and is interconnected more than ever. We need to educate people to speak different languages, learn a new set of skills in reading, math, and science, and begin to empathize with others by involving ourselves in the perspectives of others. In our schools we are trying to prepare our students to succeed as good citizens, problem solvers, and leaders that will need to question and evaluate in ways that we can only dream of at this point in time. We continue to bring people with new perspectives into our classrooms as well as take children outside of the standard school institution to recognize the reality of the skills that they need to learn in our 21st century. To engage our students in becoming strong and effective workers they must demonstrate the following new global skills:
www.AsiaSociety.org/Education
Sensitivity to foreign culture
Fluency in foreign langauges
Understanding of international trade
Technology savvy
The abilitiy to manage complexity and work in international teams
Have a strong ethical core
INTERNATIONAL PROJECT-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITITES
Teaching Tolerance is an organization that shares lesson plans and activities that help students begin to look at differences, diversity, and perspectives. I have used many of their lesson plans when teaching about self identity and diversity in our community.
http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-31-spring-2007/feature/question-class
Primary Source is a resource organization for teaching 21st century global education skills for teachers. I have taken many summer workshops there and have been given opportunities to connect with teachers from all over the world. They offer great ideas for assessing students with technology through blogging and wikis
http://www.primarysource.org/
People to People is an organization that connects classroom to classroom across the globe. I had the opportunity to connect with a classroom in Guatemala. The students did a geographic unit on places of interest and what creates community in their neighborhoods.
http://www.ptpi.org/community/SCP.aspx
Global Exchange is an organization that offers lesson plans and advocacy activities related to global issues (fair trade, energy alternatives, human rights, etc.) I began a unit on Human rights and had the students create a human rights coloring book
http://www.globalexchange.org/programs
Heifer Project Reed to Feed Program is a reading incentive serivce-learning program that offers global education opportunities and will foster in children a love for reading, a passion to help others, and a motivation to help create a better world. This is part of my 8th grade curriculum as they become global citizens that learn how they can affect other people's lives while affecting their own through improved literacy skills. In my classroom our end of the year celebration is to visit Overlook Farm in Rutland, Massachusetts to visit a global village and cook lunch over an open fire.
http://www.heifer.org/getinvolved/readtofeed
Habitat For Humanity offers opportunities to those who are interested in getting their hands dirty while learning about the needs of others.
http://www.habitat.org/gv/
Global School Net is an organization where educators and youth can find technology-embedded global projects and partnerships.
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsnpr/
Omprakash is a web-site that connects people with educational work around the world.
http://omprakash.org/
Connect All Shools is an organization that helps teachers to connect with classrooms all over the world.
http://www.connectallschools.org/