The Midwest Global Teaching Dialogue featured alumni of the U.S. Department of State's Teacher Exchange Programs and other global education leaders sharing best practices in global education. As an alumna of the Teachers for Global Classrooms program, I was excited to attend, learn from the speakers, and visit with other teachers about my experiences in a teacher exchange program. (The blog from my time in India can be found on the "Travel" and "Travel: Part 2" pages of my Globalize Education: Learn, Grow, Connect website.)
Keynote
Listening to Dr. Jennice McCafferty-Wright at the keynote, I made a list of points to remember as I teach a middle school Global Citizenship class this semester. She shared some goals of global education, which can vary by setting and purpose.
Development of civic voice
Ability to be anywhere and be comfortable interacting with others
Cultural understanding
Vehicle for combatting extremism in our own country
Use as a bridge to teach about other cultures
Disrupt dangerous narratives and stereotypes
Foster cooperative relationships
Recognize and celebrate humanity around the world
Global environmental systems
Collective stewards of limited resources
Support the development of others
Participate in a global market economy
Work for justice
Look at the root causes of inequalities and exploitations in the world
IEARN
During the first breakout session, I learned more about iEARN, the International and Education Resource Network. Their goal is to "Learn with the world" not just about it. While we have launched a class project called "Terra Connect EDU" we are always looking for more ways to connect with students around the world. We'll need to locate some grant money to fund our annual membership rates to participate in the iEARN platform.
Sustainable Development Goals
The second session I attended was about the Sustainable Development Goals with representatives of The United Nations Association of America: St. Louis Chapter.
Also known as the SDGs, and the Global Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals were set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The 17 goals are a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet." The World Commission on Environment and Development defines sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
The focus of the United Nations
Declaration of interdependence
Honor the rights of all people, everywhere
Protect the planet, our common home
Shared prosperity
Strengthen universal peace
Students in the fall semester section of my Global Citizenship class connected their design thinking personal interest projects to a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal. When community guests visited and gave feedback about their prototypes, students shared the specific SDG that their project supported. For example, a student who had researched pollution and developed an awareness piece in Google Tour Builder connected his project to goal 14, life below water. A student who was bringing awareness to overpriced medication connected her work to goal 3, good health and well-being.
Videos
During the session on the SDGs, we talked about how humanity can work together to solve the challenges we are facing. Below is the powerful United Nations video "The Story You Are Shaping."
Students love 'Global Goals Cinema Advert" by The Global Goals
Dates to remember:
World Refuge Day - June 20
International Youth Day - August 12
International Day of Literacy - September 8
United Nations Day - October 24
Resources
MYWorld 2030: Take the World Survey Sustainable Development Goals
MYWorld2015 Analytics: Data of voting results in 2015
Preparing Youth for a Global Economy and Community
The closing session featured a panel discussion on preparing youth for a global economy and community. Expert panel members highlighted the following:
Work to break down perceived barriers
"The world in which we live has always been an ebb and flow of people" -Amy Belding
We undergo a personal transformation when we interact with others around the world
When you take two vastly different experiences and bring them together you have a better perspective of what could be
Being globally competent is being aware of the differences that exist
Share learning and leverage technology to connect to a global audience
Technology has accelerated the "flattening of the world." Our neighbor is now global.
Our teacher perspective has to shift fast to keep up with the rapid advance of technology innovations
Students need the skills necessary to have access to the opportunities in a global workforce
Acknowledge the past, right the wrongs, move forward and make change
"We're living in the global"
Prepare our students to continue the dialogue. Empower them to continue to make a difference.
Parting questions
How do you reconcile preparing kids to compete in a global economy while also working for equality? How can we work in tandem to balance the two?
To what challenges are we responding?
What new questions must global education ask?
Teacher Exchange Programs
Be sure to check out Teacher Exchange Opportunities available from the U.S. Department of State and IREX, International Research and Exchanges Board:
Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Short-Term Program for U.S. Teachers
Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Semester Research Program for U.S. Teachers