Global Awareness for Every Teacher & Every Child

Association for Childhood Education International April 2010

Dr. Betty B. Peel, Associate ProfessorMr. Blake F. Wiggs, MAT Social Studies

East Carolina University

Curriculum standards for both schools and universities are placing increasing emphasis on global awareness

(Freidman, 2005; Hunt, 2005; Heyl & McCarthy, 2005: Collins, Czarra & Smith, 2002)

Why? “Globalization is not new, but the present

era has distinctive features. Shrinking space, shrinking time, and disappearing borders are linking people’s lives more deeply, more intensely, more immediately than ever before.” (United Nations, 1999)

What is global awarenessall about? “Global education should be ‘about’

improving teaching quality; getting values of mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation across cultures into the curriculum; and inspiring students’ curiosity to explore beyond their borders and boundaries.” Bales, 2005

From a child’s perspective, this includes such concepts as: “You are a human being; your home

is planet Earth; you are a citizen of a multicultural society; and you live in an interrelated world.”

(Anderson, Nicklas & Crawford, 1994)

Global awareness means more than knowing your “geography”

“Global education encompasses the strategies, policies and plans that prepare young people and adults for living together in an interdependent world. It is based on the principles of cooperation, non-violence, respect for human rights and cultural diversity, democracy and tolerance. Osler & Vincent, 2002

Can all teachers teach these concepts?

What about teachers who have not traveled extensively and who are not knowledgeable about cultures other than their own?

How do they create a climate which fosters global awareness?

How do they obtain the knowledge and dispositions to do this?

Teacher education standards and programs have included content on diversity to prepare

teachers for our changing

classrooms demographics,

and yet….

Many geographical areas remain culturally and soci-economically homogeneous

And include populations who have

limited opportunities for travel

and the development of “world

perspectives”

Is global awareness necessary for all teachers and students? Global awareness is just as important for

these teachers and students living in less diverse regions as it is for those living in multicultural urban areas….consider the values: cooperation, respect, tolerance, etc.

Challenges to Teacher Educators:

Equip teachers with the knowledge & skills to teach global content

Foster dispositions which enable educators to deliver global content effectively

Prepare teachers to create learning environments which foster global mindedness

Current strategies to prepare and support teachers Community networks Content workshops International travel Libraries Interdisciplinary perspectives

What do these entail?

Community Networks

Social networking Community festivals Merryfield and Kasai, 2004

Provide preservice teachers with opportunities to connect through campus and community activities with international students and families. Encourage participation and experiential learning through active involvement in cultural traditions and celebrations.

Content Workshops

Engage teachers in global awareness Prepare teachers for diversity Develop cultural literacy

Focus on content that closes the “knowledge gap,” but not by learning isolated social studies facts. Current educational values stress critical thinking & respect for other cultures.

International Travel Summer Institutes Study Tours Personal Travel

Many current preservice teachers have had opportunities to travel abroad. If they have traveled with a group of Americans, they may have primarily interacted with their travel group and experienced the culture only through the eyes of “a tourist.” Opportunities to visit with families, in homes, schools, etc. provide a more realistic view of cultures.

Merryfield and Kasai, 2004

Libraries

Non Western Sources Global Newspapers Conflicting Viewpoints Hicks and Ewing,

2003

Use technology and primary sources to assist preservice teachers in viewing historical as well as current events through the eyes of people of another culture.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Encourage an interdisciplinary model rather than study in isolation (choosing to learn about one country or concept at a time)An interdisciplinary context focuses on citizenship exercised across multiple life dimensions (ecological, economic, political, social & cultural)

In 1969, Taylor wrote, “Whatever they teach, teachers should be educated in a

way calculated to raise their awareness of what is happening to mankind in the world’s contemporary circumstances.”

Teacher preparation programs today strive not only to raise this global awareness among graduates, but also to teach how to raise this awareness among their students

To enhance global awareness among their students, teachers should include these dimensions in their classrooms & teaching:(Hanvey, 1976; Kirkwood, 2001; Merryfield, 2001) Perspective Consciousness “State of the Planet” Awareness Cross Cultural Awareness Knowledge of Global Awareness Awareness of Human Choices Understanding of the Marginalized Point of View Involvement in Local or Global Affairs Analyzing the Educational Legacy of Colonialism

Perspective Consciousness

Students should

Realize each person’s world view is unique

Classroom Strategies

Compare personal likes/dislikes; older children may compare personal timelines of important life events

“State of the Planet” Awareness Students should

Be aware of world conditions and trends

Classroom Strategies

Practice conservation and recycling; participate in projects which promote awareness of others’ living conditions (such as Heifer Project)

Cross Cultural Awareness

Students should

Perceive your culture from other vantage points; live “in” rather than “with”

Classroom Strategies

Set up a pen pal project with a classroom in another country; younger children can communicate through pictures

Knowledge of Global Dynamics

Students should

Be aware that world events are interconnected and have unanticipated consequences

Classroom Strategies

Examine the plight of endangered animal species

Awareness of Human Choices

Students should

Realize implications of choices

Classroom strategies

Provide learning opportunities to demonstrate cause & effect; supply & demand

Understanding the Marginalized Point of View

Students should:

Have empathy for the disenfranchised

Classroom Strategies:

Use children’s literature, role play and discussions to facilitate children’s understanding of discrimination, human rights

Involvement in Local or Global Affairs Students should:

Participate in service learning with a goal of improving the human condition

Classroom Strategies

Start a classroom/school recycling project; collect canned food for a local food bank or soup kitchen

Analyzing the Educational Legacy of Colonialism Students should

Analyze alternatives to the Eurocentric framework of history

Classroom Strategies

Use children’s literature that portrays the

views of other cultures

Every day, teachers make instructional decisions that affect how students perceive their own culture, their nation, the lives of people around the world, and the issues and conflicts facing the planet.

(Merryfield, 2002)

Is global awareness important for ALL teachers and students?

ABSOLUTELY!

References

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Cavanagh, S. (2004). International Education Inching Forward in U.S. Classrooms.

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Academic Search Premier Database.

Chisholm, I. (1994). Preparing Teachers for Multicultural Classrooms. The Journal of

Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, 14(Winter), 43-68.

Education for Global Leadership. (n.d.). Committee for Economic Development. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from http://www.ced.org/library/reports/40/208-education-for-global-leadership

Global Education Checklist. (n.d.). Globaled.org. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from http://www.globaled.org/fianlcopy.pdf

Hanvey, R. (2004). An Attainable Global Perspective. The American Forum for Global Education, n/a, 1-47. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from http://www.globaled.org/An_Att_Glob_Persp_04_11_29.pdf

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North Carolina in the World: A Plan to Increase Student Knowledge and Skills about the World. (n.d.). North Carolina in the World. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from http://ciu.northcarolina.edu/content.php/docs/NCWorld_ActionPlan.pdf

North Carolina in the World: Preparing North Carolina Teachers for an Interconnected World. (n.d.). North Carolina in the World. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from http://ciu.northcarolina.edu/docs/NC%20in%20the%20World/Preservice.Teacher.Final.Report.pdf

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