There are many resources that we can pull from to use a global education approach in our instructional practice. They span from international professional development, certifications, local resources and online resources.
International Learning Opportunities
The Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (TGC) is a year-long professional development opportunity for US elementary, middle, and high school teachers to become leaders in global education. Global education is integral to building 21st century skills, and teachers are the greatest resource to empower students as global citizens. TGC equips teachers to bring an international perspective to their schools through targeted training, experience abroad, and global collaboration. Click the icon to find out how to apply.
The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program recognizes and encourages excellence in teaching in the U.S. and abroad. U.S. and international teachers receive grants to study at a university, observe classes and complete a project pertaining to their field of educational inquiry during their time abroad. The program is open to teachers from the United States and selected countries in multiple world regions. Click the icon to find out how to apply.
Fund for Teachers enriches the personal and professional growth of teachers by recognizing and supporting them as they identify and pursue opportunities around the globe that will have the greatest impact on their practice, the academic lives of their students and on their school communities. Click the icon to find out how to apply.
NEH Summer Programs in the Humanities for School and College EducatorsEach year, NEH offers tuition-free opportunities for school, college, and university educators to study a variety of humanities topics. Stipends of $1,200-$3,900 help cover expenses for these one- to five-week programs. Programs are offered in a wide range of subjects from Abolition and the Underground Railroad to Central Asia in World History. These programs offer unusual opportunities experience landmark sites and engage in experiential scholarship. Click the icon to find out how to apply.
Become a National Geographic Certified Educator. The program can be done in person or online and it is free. This is a professional development program for formal and informal K-12 educators inspiring the next generation of explorers, conservationists, and global citizens. The Phase 1 workshop is rooted in National Geographic’s Learning Framework. The Learning Framework is built around attitudes, skills, and knowledge sets that encourage students to think like explorers. Phase 2 involved completing two classroom activities. Phase 3 is a Capstone Project that tells the story of your students’ learning in a visual and creative way. Click the icon to find out how to apply.
Community Resources in the Washington DC Area
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. This is an excellent place to start to nurture our students African - American identity and sense of place in history and in modern society. From their own history, we can begin to teach them thier connection to the broader world. Click here for more information.
The Diaspora Institute is an excellent resource for global education curriculum that is specific to African - American children and the history and culture of Afro - descendants of the African Diaspora. They also provide workshops for educators on special considerations in educating young students of color. Click here for more information.
Smithsonian Museum of African Art is a wonderful resource for internationalizing our classrooms from the perspective of Africa. The museum also has a Children's Africana Book Award Festival that features a full day of books, art, and music to celebrate the best in Children’s Africana literature. They also offer many music and cultural events - perfect connections to global education lesson. Click here for more information about visiting the museum.
Sackler Gallery of Asian Art and Freer Museum offer terrific exhibitions related to Asian art and culture. There are also many free events related to Asian culture. This is a great institution to help students explore the world. Click here for more information.
Embassies. Washington DC is host to embassies all over the world. The Embassy of Ghana is featured in this photo. An idea! Make your students a 'passport' and take them on a virtual exploration of a specific country through children's literature, food sampling, maps, photographs. Top off the unit with a field trip to one of Washington's many embassies. Try to tie the trip into an art exhibition of cultural event. Why not start with the Ghanaian Embassy? Click here for more information.
DCPS Global Ed programs include PK-12 instruction focused on world languages and cultural competence; international travel opportunities; aligned, rigorous global programs across content areas; and global studies academies. This office offers many resources to infuse global education into your classroom. Why not do a lesson or unit that is tied into international food day? The food is served right in the cafeteria! Click here to explore their website.
Standard Based Global Education Updates
A common argument to instituting global education into a classroom is the thought "I am too busy - I have to meet xyz standards." Why not globalize learning standards. I have included to 'globalized' ELA and Math standards for your reference. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2 (2nd Grade ELA) Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
Integrating Global Education: Select fables and folktales from diverse cultures from around the world. Consider selecting from several from each continent or focusing on the diversity of a specific continent. Include maps and photographs of the country and people from which the folktale originates.
Outcome Assessment: Students can create a living classroom museum for another class as an audience. They can share information about each folktale's culture and act out the folk tale using culturally specific props. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.G.A.1 (3rd Grade Math) Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories.
Integrating Global Education: Once students understand the basic categories of shapes create a 'treasure hunt' for shapes within various architectural structures from around the globe. Explain how building structures are dependent upon a culture's natural resources and climate. Another approach is to have students identity shapes in decorative painting used on homes in the Igbo culture of Nigeria or the Ndebele culture of South Africa.
Outcome Assessment: Have students re-draw shapes, label them and/or categories them. Students can collage their re-drawn shapes to create an image of a structure from one specific culture.
Global Education Unit Plan
Songs of the Silk Road is a global education unit that I have included in this guide as an example.