Teachers in Global Classroom

As a Social Studies teacher in an Expeditionary Learning School in New York City, I have always felt a deep responsibility to help students use lessons of the past to make connections and analyze issues in our fast-changing world. The 6th grade Social Studies curriculum is ancient civilizations and I spend ten months teaching about the extraordinary intellectual endeavors of ancient Mesopotamians  Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Mongolians. Throughout the curriculum my colleagues and I make concerted attempts to connect past successes and failures to current events in our world today. 

As I looked for ways to make those connections more tangible for students, I came across a program called Teachers for Global Classrooms, an organization that helps teachers infuse global perspectives into their curriculum. This seemed like the perfect next step to propel my curriculum forward.

A year ago, I applied for, and received a fellowship through IREX: Teachers for Global Classrooms. As a culmination to this year-long investigation of global education, I am preparing for a three-week adventure to Colombia where I will be visiting schools and teaching in classrooms in Bogota and Bucaramanga. This blog will be a forum for me to describe my experiences with students and teachers in Colombian classrooms, as well as a space to document my own reflections on education in New York on a global and local level.

For those who are new to IREX, below is a brief overview of the program that has led me to this travel opportunity.

The Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (TGC) is a year-long professional development opportunity for teachers to become leaders in global education. According to TGC, teachers are the greatest resource to empower students as global citizens, promote international perspectives, and model local and global collaboration. 

The fellowship is divided into several different components:

• Global education course: TGC Fellows complete an eight-week, graduate-level online course on globalizing classrooms and curriculum.

• Global symposium: TGC Fellows gather in Washington, DC, to build networks, collaborate, and develop strategies to enhance world learning.

• International field experience: TGC Fellows travel for two to three weeks to experience another country’s culture and education system.

• Capstone: TGC Fellows create a Global Education Guide that serves as a resource for their local community to build global awareness and understanding.  

• Alumni: TGC alumni may apply for grants and participate in global networks to sustain their engagement.

In addition to my inquiry into global education, I will also be exploring the research question: How do school leaders and teachers build community among staff and students? What do you do when you need to rebuild or restore community? This question comes out of research I have done on restorative justice practices and a desire for my school to implement additional ways to create a community where students feel safe, empowered and collectively responsible for the well-being of their classmates and learning environment. 

I hope my travels abroad provide new practices for teachers in Colombia as well as practices I can use in my own classroom in New York City.