Global Education UnitS
Although I am a social studies teacher, globalizing curriculum is important for all disciplines. In order to succeed in a globalized world students will need a new set of skills and knowledge that included knowledge of languages, aesthetics skills, ethical awarness, and methods of interacting with other cultures. The goal of global competence is that students should gain the skills necessary to interact with any culture in the world and to feel comfortable doing so. This goal requires that emphases on global competence extend beyond social studies and world language classes and come to reside in all courses. A math class might evaluate statistics of emergency preparedness in a developing country, a science course might team with a classroom in Haiti to collaboratively work on water quality issues, or an English courses might analyze novels and stories from all over the world. Below, you will see two examples of how a curriculum might be globalized. The first example is informal. It describes a world cultures uniit before a "global makeover" and after a "global makeover." The description is informal as I believe many teachers prefer this format.
I teach a course called world cultures, a basic survey course that exposes students to social studies perspecives (Language, Economics, Governments, Social Structure, Customs and Traditions, Art, and Religion). After equipping students with a basic understanding of social science perspectives, students apply these perspectives to each of the world's major geographic regions (i.e. Latin America, Middle East, South Asia...). This course is crucial to broadening students understanding of the world's cultures and the world's issues and thus has been globally oriented since its inception. Despite this global orientation, the goal of the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (TGC) is to get teachers to not merely learn about the world, but to seek out direct connections with the world's people and its issues. After these direct connections are established, TGC asks compels teachers and students to act on issues of global concern.
Prior to completing the TGC the introductory unit of my world cultures course proceeded in a linear pattern. First we examined definitions of culture, the elements of culture, latitude/longitude and the ways in which physical geography influenced culture. Next we would consider concepts of cultural change (diffusion, assimilation, acculturation etc.). Following this students would examine statistics and the differences between the developed and the developing world. Making this unit globally competent does not mean cutting out any of this valuable curriculum, rather, it means finding a way to bring this curriculum alive. Creating a globally competent curriculum, in my estimation, requires seven key components. (I have described these in the "How to Use This Guide" section as well.
1. Structure v. Actor - students must understand how they (and all people) relate to broader social structures like governments, global economics etc.
2. Thin v. Thick Description - students must be given rich, real-life examples alllowing them to personally and emotionally connect with concepts and material.
3. The Global is Found in the Local - in a globalized world, virtually all curriculum relates to and can begin from local issues, objects, concerns or people.
4. Ethics Entails Direct Bridges - If students are to learn about and honestly address the world's issues, they must find ways to learn directly from the people affected by these issues.
5. Technology and Culture - Technology must be used to close cultural and geographic distance.
6. Observing Demands Activism - It is not enought to merely observe or research a people or issue. Where possible, students must find a means of acting on issues of mutual concern.
7. Holistic v. Discipline - Academic disciplines, though arguably necessary, should not limit the scope of student learning. Teachers and students must be willing to collaborate accross displines where learning and issues demand.
Taking these seven components into account, I will begin my unit by asking students to take a digital photograph of the outfit they chose to wore on the second day of school. Next, students will be required to identify the country of origin for each article of clothing they were wearing and to come up with ten questions (global in nature) that pertain to their clothes. They will then be encouraged to ask who, what, when, where, and why questions. After completing this assignment (homework), students will create their own blogs and write their first post on the origin of their clothing. Following the creation of their blogs, we will hang a large blank map of the globe and color in all of the countries where our clothes were from and look for and discuss possible trends. Students will also discuss their individual questions about their clothing as a whole class and will be presented with the unit's specific learning goals. They will then be afforded the opportunity to agument the unit's learning goals to include their own. Having made a local connection to a global issue using technology, students will go on to develop a deeper understanding of the "makers" of their clothing. To do this, they will learn and apply the same concept we always study in this unit: statistics, developed/developing dichotomoy, latitude/longitude etc. Following these topics, my intention is to go deeper--to divide students into groups and ask them to consider one item of clothing more carefully. Can they identify where it came from? Can they identify a person who makes this type of clothing? Can they identify what the clothing is made out of and who makes this raw material? Can they explain why this article of clothing is made outside of the United States? In addition to asking valuable questions, these questions lend themselves to quality lessons on identifying, evaluating, and citing sources--all requirements of the Common Core State Standards. The goal here is to uncover new knowledge, and thus it is important that students have vehicle to display this knowledge more widely. My intenition is to use my TGC website, our classroom Twitter, and perhaps a relevant Wikipedia page to facilitate a broader distrubution. I have also located an author who traveled to the places and met with people who made his clothing and thus hope to secure communication (perhaps via skype) with him. This will begin to fulfill the Thin v. Thick Description requirement and it will get students that much closer to the real people who made their clothes. Ideally, I'd like to have this author connect us with the people he has met on his journey (even if is via snail mail). Because I expect that students will begin to start considering the ethics associated with buying clothing from the developing world, the next step is to debate the ethics of clothing--i.e. is outsourcing good or is it exploitive? (There are also several films that could be integrated). Though students will be blogging about their experiences along the way, the culminating assessment is to have them create a poster (including their own photo) about their clothes. The poster will include their picture, the countries where they came from, key statistics, (hopefully) realy stories of the workers who made them) and an ethical stance.
Prior to completing the TGC the introductory unit of my world cultures course proceeded in a linear pattern. First we examined definitions of culture, the elements of culture, latitude/longitude and the ways in which physical geography influenced culture. Next we would consider concepts of cultural change (diffusion, assimilation, acculturation etc.). Following this students would examine statistics and the differences between the developed and the developing world. Making this unit globally competent does not mean cutting out any of this valuable curriculum, rather, it means finding a way to bring this curriculum alive. Creating a globally competent curriculum, in my estimation, requires seven key components. (I have described these in the "How to Use This Guide" section as well.
1. Structure v. Actor - students must understand how they (and all people) relate to broader social structures like governments, global economics etc.
2. Thin v. Thick Description - students must be given rich, real-life examples alllowing them to personally and emotionally connect with concepts and material.
3. The Global is Found in the Local - in a globalized world, virtually all curriculum relates to and can begin from local issues, objects, concerns or people.
4. Ethics Entails Direct Bridges - If students are to learn about and honestly address the world's issues, they must find ways to learn directly from the people affected by these issues.
5. Technology and Culture - Technology must be used to close cultural and geographic distance.
6. Observing Demands Activism - It is not enought to merely observe or research a people or issue. Where possible, students must find a means of acting on issues of mutual concern.
7. Holistic v. Discipline - Academic disciplines, though arguably necessary, should not limit the scope of student learning. Teachers and students must be willing to collaborate accross displines where learning and issues demand.
Taking these seven components into account, I will begin my unit by asking students to take a digital photograph of the outfit they chose to wore on the second day of school. Next, students will be required to identify the country of origin for each article of clothing they were wearing and to come up with ten questions (global in nature) that pertain to their clothes. They will then be encouraged to ask who, what, when, where, and why questions. After completing this assignment (homework), students will create their own blogs and write their first post on the origin of their clothing. Following the creation of their blogs, we will hang a large blank map of the globe and color in all of the countries where our clothes were from and look for and discuss possible trends. Students will also discuss their individual questions about their clothing as a whole class and will be presented with the unit's specific learning goals. They will then be afforded the opportunity to agument the unit's learning goals to include their own. Having made a local connection to a global issue using technology, students will go on to develop a deeper understanding of the "makers" of their clothing. To do this, they will learn and apply the same concept we always study in this unit: statistics, developed/developing dichotomoy, latitude/longitude etc. Following these topics, my intention is to go deeper--to divide students into groups and ask them to consider one item of clothing more carefully. Can they identify where it came from? Can they identify a person who makes this type of clothing? Can they identify what the clothing is made out of and who makes this raw material? Can they explain why this article of clothing is made outside of the United States? In addition to asking valuable questions, these questions lend themselves to quality lessons on identifying, evaluating, and citing sources--all requirements of the Common Core State Standards. The goal here is to uncover new knowledge, and thus it is important that students have vehicle to display this knowledge more widely. My intenition is to use my TGC website, our classroom Twitter, and perhaps a relevant Wikipedia page to facilitate a broader distrubution. I have also located an author who traveled to the places and met with people who made his clothing and thus hope to secure communication (perhaps via skype) with him. This will begin to fulfill the Thin v. Thick Description requirement and it will get students that much closer to the real people who made their clothes. Ideally, I'd like to have this author connect us with the people he has met on his journey (even if is via snail mail). Because I expect that students will begin to start considering the ethics associated with buying clothing from the developing world, the next step is to debate the ethics of clothing--i.e. is outsourcing good or is it exploitive? (There are also several films that could be integrated). Though students will be blogging about their experiences along the way, the culminating assessment is to have them create a poster (including their own photo) about their clothes. The poster will include their picture, the countries where they came from, key statistics, (hopefully) realy stories of the workers who made them) and an ethical stance.
A Globalized Unit in Understanding by Design Format. Below is a unit on outsourcing that has been formatted according to Understanding by Design, the curricular format currently employed by Naperville Community Unit District 203. This unit links with the revised standards highlighted in the Standards Based Global Education section of this website.