About This Guide

More and more, the happenings around the world show just how connected we are. Together, we can make the world a better place.

How to Use this Guide: An Introduction

Every now and then, I hear teachers complain that students are disengaged: they’re apathetic; they misbehave in class, won’t do the work, or simply won’t go. Well, perhaps this is the students’ response to what Paolo Freire calls a Banking education. You know, one that resists dialogue and problem solving. It’s the kind of education that treats students as objects. They file into a classroom at a bell and then file out, like objects on a machine line waiting to be assembled. Why not try a transformative way of teaching and learning? Have you ever heard of Global education? No, it’s not a program, but a way of teaching. It challenges students to ask questions and investigate the world, to recognize others’ perspectives, to communicate their ideas, and to take action. We all want civic minded students, right? Global education is empowering, engaging, and impactful. And who knows, it just may change the trajectory of someone’s life.

Global Competence Defined

“Global competence is the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance. Globally competent individuals are aware, curious, and interested in learning about the world and how it works. They can use the big ideas, tools, methods, and languages that are central to any discipline (mathematics, literature, history, science, and the arts) to engage the pressing issues of our time. They deploy and develop this expertise as they investigate such issues, recognizing multiple perspectives, communicating their views effectively, and taking action to improve conditions.” (Educating for Global Competence: Preparing Our Youth to Engage the World, p. xiii)

While there are many definitions for global education, this much is clear – to effectively engage your students in global education there are four components: 1. students investigate the world, 2. students recognize perspectives, 3. students communicate ideas, and 4. students take action.

Why does global education matter?

I don’t know about you, but more and more I find students that think that if it didn’t happen to them, to someone they know, or in their neighborhood, they don’t have to worry about it. Global education is a way to get our students to stop the habit of “othering“, show empathy and care for and about people around the world! It’s a way for our students to celebrate the ways that we are similar, and different, and take actions that help to make the world better!

What this Guide Offers
• This guide provides an example, a work in progress really, of how to lift the learning off the page, take your classroom global, and develop globally competent students. You can follow my journey on every tab, and find a wealth of resources and ways to connect with other educators across the ocean.
• The site follows a logical progression from studying to teaching to traveling and finally to connecting educators!
• Finally, the site provides a wealth of resources including videos, websites, lists, and reflections, that you may use to start your own global education journey.

Welcome to my journey! Thank you for joining me! #AlwaysAnAdventure #TakingSenegalWithMe

This website is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views and information presented are the participant’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, the U.S. Department of State, or IREX.