Volunteer Global

Last weekend, I attended a conference that focused on engaging K-12 students in global learning activities. It raised some interesting issues and good discussion! Let’s take a look:

What’s blocking the students from learning?

Global learning programs are not built into the curriculum, or they're being blocked by administrators. Some arguments that were raised included, “How is this different from Anthropology 101?” and “This has no significance in standardized testing.”

There is very limited funding for the teachers to include global learning materials in their classrooms. In fact, many of them voiced their concerns that they already paid out of pocket each year for most supplies used in the classrooms, since the school didn't receive adequate funding.

The participants also expressed concern that they, in fact, need to be educated first – they weren’t comfortable teaching about global issues when they weren’t versed in them already. Furthermore, many attendees at the conference let us know that some of their colleagues were entrenched in their own syllabi that worked for years prior, and were reluctant to change them.

And finally, this concern seemed the most frightening to me – there is a sort of nationalistic ideology in their districts. I’m not talking about patriotism, which is something positive; I’m talking about nationalism, which is patriotism when it becomes egocentric and chauvinistic. World cultures and global learning courses are seen as “un-American.”

What are the benefits of global learning?

This one was interesting: We had all the teachers write their answers to the above question on chart paper. Every single one of those charts had some iteration of “So we can compete on the global stage.” Not one of them had something about working across the cultures for better understanding, or some variation thereof -- while some of the educators considered that as well (which you'll see in the next section), it didn't come across in writing.

How can teachers incorporate global learning into their curricula?

Most instructors came up with the following:

• Language study
• Arts and culture studies
• Foreign exchange
• Networking with students and instructors from another school abroad – Skype was a personal favorite for several participants
• Networking with NGOs, charities, clubs, and other international organizations – bonus: Many of these groups can offer supplies!
• Speakers

By the end of the conference, I got the idea that many of the instructors knew that global learning was important, but they couldn’t quite voice their reasoning for it, as they were stuck on standardized tests and “Why is this relevant” – not that they thought it was irrelevant, but they were told by others that it was. One of the women at my table summed it up nicely: It’s important for students to work with others, rather than against them. It shouldn’t be an “us” and “them” mentality, but rather, an understanding that whether one likes it or not, the world is becoming smaller, and we can’t afford to be ignorant – we can compete, but let’s also try to learn from and about the other side.

If you’re an instructor, or if you know someone who is, and you’re interested in incorporating global learning activities into your course, check with these groups for ideas (checked for student-appropriate content):

• USAID Education Partnerships
• IMS Global Learning Consortium
• United Nations Cyber School Bus

If you'd like to recommend more global learning sites, please leave a comment below.