Elizabeth Chaponot and I just returned from the Global Education Leadership Conference in D.C. As a 2014 Teachers for Global Classrooms alum, I was invited to attend the conference with an administrator by the sponsoring partners, IREX and the U.S. Department of State. I presented an identity-anchored framework for teaching literature and Elizabeth presented on empowering teacher leadership.
The focus of the conference was teacher leadership and global education. “Connect. Innovate. Lead” was the theme. It was exciting and inspiring to connect with teachers from around the country. While they are fresh in my mind, I wanted to share some takeaways:
(1) What exactly is global education? As we develop our curriculum and programming moving forward, we must deliberately work toward cultivating a global perspective in our students. Nurturing global citizens ties in with so much of what we are already talking about — the habits of mind, CSJ mission, social justice education, design think, etc. Making sure our students have a global mindset moving forward means that our students are constantly doing the following:
- investigating the world
- weighing perspectives
- communicating ideas for diverse audiences
- taking action
- applying disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge
(2)
What is my personal global education vision? My dream is for our students to connect with each other and their local and global communities through ideas, books, and writing. I can’t wait to explore how our students might participate in
The Global Read Aloud and connect with the students of other teachers I connected with at the conference.
(3)
Adding a “take action” portion to units now feels more manageable. Sara Krakauer, author the
Innovation on Earth blog shared a framework for student-centered activist projects that I plan on using with my sophomores and seniors next semester as they research a woman’s issue that they care about. She also broke down activism into five useful categories: direct service, advocacy, organizing, awareness/education, fundraising.
(4) What does it mean to be a good leader/teacher? Some of the best speakers I heard, including the U.S. Teacher of the Year Sydnee Chaffee, shared a vision for leadership that really resonated with me. Good leaders are humble. They listen and empower others. Leadership isn’t about trying to get people to change or to see things your way. It’s about putting values first and creating a space that empowers others and encourages them to grow.
(5) My big questions… What does it mean to provide a global education for young women in particular? How should we be leading our students, as young women, to be global citizens? How can we better partner with our C.S.J. sister schools?
(6)
I want to go IB! I’m convinced that the
International Baccalaureatte Programme (1) is way better than A.P. classes, (2) provides a cohesive “big idea”-centered and rigorous curriculum that truly cultivates a global mindset, and (3) is a program we should seriously consider moving forward. It has already packaged so much of what we are trying to do and seems to offer exceptional professional development. We would instantly be tied in with an established network of schools around the world.
