Thursday, November 8, 2012

Global Citizenship

I did a presentation for the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools on Monday. The topic of the presentation was "Developing Global Citizenship in 21st Century Students". I hope that those who were in my session came away with 3 main conclusions :
1. Global competence is essential for students in the 21st century.
2. Global citizenship is best taught through relationships with people in other countries.
3. Globalizing your curriculum is not an "add on" but rather it is best integrated into things you are already doing in the classroom.
My school has decided to use the Asia Society's Global Competence Matrix to frame our Global Studies program-Investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas and take action.  I think teachers are somewhat overwhelmed with the enormity of this concept, so I used my presentation as a sort of "how to" guide for teachers and administrators. I am including some of the slides I used in hopes that you might be able to get started helping your students become Global Citizens. Remember, ONE STEP AT A TIME!! Just pick one thing new to try.