In six weeks,
this class has exposed me to more of the world educational crises then I was
ever aware of previously. I can say that I am not as worldly as I now wish I
can be. I grew up in an isolated rural
community in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan.
There was one school district for the whole county, with little
diversity. There was a Native American
population but not a strong culturally presence, no public cultural activities
and no community educational awareness programs.
When I started
first grade, I met a girl whose family had recently moved from Vietnam, her
mother married an American GI. I
remember my first thoughts of her were that of a China doll. We became the best of friends, attended the
same church and school, and participated in the same activities. It wasn’t until I participated in an
Institute for Healing Racism that I realized how different we were and the
difficulties she faced growing up. The
activity was called the White Privilege Walk.
We were asked questions (Peggy McIntosh –
Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack) and if we could relate we could take a
step forward. By the end those of us
that consider themselves white, were at the front of the room and anyone of
color was at the back of the room. This
is when I became full aware of the privileges I’ve had because of the color of
my skin. We were asked again to do this
activity as someone else we knew that was culturally, ethnically, and/or a
different “race” from ourselves. I
answered the questions as my Vietnamese friend would have, believing we were so
much alike. I was just about in tears
when I could only take a few steps forward and realized the struggles she faced
growing up and that I was totally oblivious to them. I called her that night and had an amazing
learning experience, truly enlightened about what “others” experience.
So I’ve decided
to address the assignment for what I could bring to “the” classroom to serve
global diversity. As I am not in a
classroom, but work as a coordinator to provide professional development
opportunities to classroom teachers, my approach has a different take on the
topic.
I have offered
IHR courses for teachers to better understand racism, its historical impacts,
and the current implications both individually and institutionally. People have left the 2-day training deeply
impacted by what they didn’t know, and motivated to address racism in their
personal and professional lives (as I was).
I have offered courses on Cultural Competency in the Classroom, to
address the variety of students in our community. I have offered courses on World Religions in
the Classroom, so teachers better understand the religious values and beliefs
of the students in their classroom and the families in our communities. But this course has me thinking, where is the
“globalness” in the courses I provide?
Why was I never taught these topics when I was in college preparing to
become an educator? What are current
teachers doing now to better understand complex global educational issues and
bring it into the classroom to help their students better understand these
issues? So I have been pondering this
over the last week or so…what to do, what to do!
I reflected on
an online program I participated in, through the Equity Alliance Center at ASU, Equity Matters. In the course, they shared the six important
dispositions of Culturally Responsive Teaching (copy attached). Through this Global Urban Education course, I
feel the first of the six dispositions has the most implications for global
competency.
“Socio-cultural
consciousness means understanding that one’s way of thinking, behaving, and
being is influenced by race, ethnicity, social class, and language. Therefore, prospective
teachers must critically examine their own socio-cultural identities and the
inequalities between schools and society that support institutionalized
discrimination to maintain a privileged society based on social class and skin
color. Teacher candidates must inspect and confront any negative attitudes they
might have toward cultural groups.”
Knowing what
I’ve learned, I truly believe that exposing teachers and soon to be teachers to
the world’s cultures can be the most impactful experiences to impact their work
and the students in their classroom. I
would love to see colleges require students to teach and travel in another
country at least for a semester, if not for a year. I wish now that I would have had such an
opportunity. I believe people that want
to educate our youth on global understanding, must first and foremost
understand their own cultural lens and then experience that of being in a world
of a culture different from their own and understanding that we are all complex
human beings.
Being a huge
fan of the Asian Society and Dr. Anthony (Tony) Jackson (he is going to be my
keynote speaker for our 10th Annual Diversity Kick-off even on
August 22 for area superintendents, administrators, and educators), I subscribe
to his Global
Learning blog on the Education Week website. In the June 5th blog by guest
Caitlin Haugen, Executive Director of Global Teacher Education, the topic was International
Experiences Benefit Pre-Service Teachers.
She looks a research to demonstrate that international experiences help
new teachers find jobs and succeed in the classroom. It is a great article to support the
importance of colleges providing these types of learning experiences. Also, I would also highly recommend that all
educators read Educating
for Global Competence: Preparing Our Youth to Engage in the World by
Veronica Boix Mansilla and Anthony Jackson.
Having graduated from Michigan State
University, I was pleased to find out that they are moving along this platform
with their newly developed Global
Educators Program for prospective teachers interested in bringing global
competence to their teaching practice. It includes globally oriented
professional education courses, extracurricular activities, and international
experiences. This is exactly the type of
program needed to insure globally competent teachers, and the impact they can
have on students. I hope to see more
university’s follow along this pathway for teacher training.
But what about current educators, like
me, that did not have this type of training and opportunities for international
experiences? Can teachers partner with
NGOs such as The Power of Education and ANSWER Nepal (two programs I’ve
previously written about) to create win-win situations? Well, I’ve been doing some research and
collecting websites that provide opportunities for us. Following is a list I’d like to share, and
hope that you will be able to share them too.
Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs:
American
Councils for International Education:
Study
Abroad, Volunteer, Intern, Teach and Jobs Abroad
Teachers
for Global Classrooms Program (TGC)
Toyota
International Teacher Program:
Turkish
Cultural Foundation:
East-West
Center:
U.S.
Center for Citizen Diplomacy:
Fulbright
Exchange Program:
IREX
Education projects:
Article
with links:
Global
Exploration for Educators Organization:
National
Geographic Expeditions
Cuba
Education Tours:
World View International Program for
Educators:
NCIV’s
International Opportunities for US Educators (updated 2010):
On a final
note, I would also like to see more exchanges of students from the USA with
international students. I’ve seen this
trend growing within my local school districts, as families host exchange
students, students travel abroad to learn, and cultural exchange programs. I am excited this year to see how two of our
schools do with a new partnership with Weiming Education Group from China. They are piloting a program to bring Chinese
students here to student and will offer opportunities for our students to
travel to China. Hopefully it is
successful, and when it is the Weiming Group plans to build a Chinese Culture
Center to offer educational opportunities for student and community members,
but also house additional students from China.
I currently have my middle school daughter signed up for a back to back
exchange with students from France; she has been in a Spanish Immersion program
since the age of 4 and loves the Spanish culture and language. I am excited for the future of education for
teachers and students alike, but there is lots of room for growth. Hopefully, I will be able to have an
international experience of my own.
Participating in this course has truly inspired me to encourage cross
cultural exchanges when the opportunities are available.
Six Important Dispositions of Culturally Responsive Teaching from Equity Alliance Center
1) Socio-cultural consciousness means understanding that one’s way of thinking, behaving, and being is influenced by race, ethnicity, social class, and language. Therefore, prospective teachers must critically examine their own socio-cultural identities and the inequalities between schools and society that support institutionalized discrimination to maintain a privileged society based on social class and skin color. Teacher candidates must inspect and confront any negative attitudes they might have toward cultural groups.
2) An affirming attitude toward students from culturally diverse background significantly impacts their learning, belief in self and overall academic performance. By respecting cultural differences and adding education related to the culture of the students, programs become inclusive.
3) Commitment and skills to act as agents of change enable the prospective teacher to confront barriers/obstacles to change, and develop skills for collaboration. As agents of change, teachers assist schools in becoming more equitable over time.
4) An equity lens contends that all students are capable of learning, and teachers must provide scaffolds between what students already know through their experiences and what they need to learn. Constructivist teaching promotes critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and the recognition of multiple perspectives.
5) Learning about students’ past experiences, home and community culture, and world both in and outside of school helps build relationships and increase the prospective teachers’ use of these experiences in the context of teaching and learning.
6) Culturally responsive teaching strategies support the inclusive view of knowledge, teaching, and learning. As teachers assist students to construct knowledge, build on their personal and cultural strengths, and examine the curriculum.
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