What is Global Education? How will this phenomenon effect our lives and our careers? Here are a few ideas.
Lucy Grey, a member of The Global Education Conference describes global education very simply, "It is designed to significantly increase opportunities for building education-related connections around the globe while supporting cultural awareness and recognition of diversity." To me, this means that from a very young age we must connect with diverse people from diverse places and explore how we are interconnected. Further, global education is an opportunity to learn from others so that we can depend on each other, work on problems, and ultimately make the world a smaller place by making connections and lines of trust.
For my students, that means taking a look at their preconceived notions and stereotypes concerning diverse people. This will be easy at a young age, but as students get older they have some pretty concrete beliefs about people. Beliefs are hard to change because they are built by our surroundings and ultimately our families. Trying to teach kids to challenge their families ideals may be tricky, but in the end it will be worth the struggle. Also, this means that our students have to learn to interact in a positive, civil manner with people they are unfamiliar or possibly uncomfortable with.
Teachers should care about global education because it will effect our students futures and our ability to teach. Like all professionals, we have to keep up with the times. We cannot stay stuck in the past reliant on a typewriter and the pony express. To prepare students for the tasks ahead of them we have to start now. If we do not not start now, they will miss the basic steps and scaffolding process of learning. We can't just take a deaf ear to this information and expect them to pick it up five years from now. By then, the basic programs will be more advanced and the students will not have a leg to stand on.
In my situation, I can use digital programs such as Skype, E-Pals, and Challenge 20/20 to connect with people over the world. If I am learning about Ireland I can literally set up a conference call for my students. If I am inquiring about ecological issues in KY I can set up conferences of visits from local geologists. If I am having a diversity fair, I can learn from actual people all over the world with the click of a few buttons. The children can have pen pals too. We could open up a blog to another school in another country too.
Lucy Grey, a member of The Global Education Conference describes global education very simply, "It is designed to significantly increase opportunities for building education-related connections around the globe while supporting cultural awareness and recognition of diversity." To me, this means that from a very young age we must connect with diverse people from diverse places and explore how we are interconnected. Further, global education is an opportunity to learn from others so that we can depend on each other, work on problems, and ultimately make the world a smaller place by making connections and lines of trust.
For my students, that means taking a look at their preconceived notions and stereotypes concerning diverse people. This will be easy at a young age, but as students get older they have some pretty concrete beliefs about people. Beliefs are hard to change because they are built by our surroundings and ultimately our families. Trying to teach kids to challenge their families ideals may be tricky, but in the end it will be worth the struggle. Also, this means that our students have to learn to interact in a positive, civil manner with people they are unfamiliar or possibly uncomfortable with.
Teachers should care about global education because it will effect our students futures and our ability to teach. Like all professionals, we have to keep up with the times. We cannot stay stuck in the past reliant on a typewriter and the pony express. To prepare students for the tasks ahead of them we have to start now. If we do not not start now, they will miss the basic steps and scaffolding process of learning. We can't just take a deaf ear to this information and expect them to pick it up five years from now. By then, the basic programs will be more advanced and the students will not have a leg to stand on.
In my situation, I can use digital programs such as Skype, E-Pals, and Challenge 20/20 to connect with people over the world. If I am learning about Ireland I can literally set up a conference call for my students. If I am inquiring about ecological issues in KY I can set up conferences of visits from local geologists. If I am having a diversity fair, I can learn from actual people all over the world with the click of a few buttons. The children can have pen pals too. We could open up a blog to another school in another country too.
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