I've been always been amazed with just how many aspects of life are changing simultaneously at any time in our world and in our own lives. I am someone who is always interested in what is occurring in different places and enjoy sharing current events with the people I know. As I prepare for an educational experience of a lifetime in Africa, at the same time, Egypt enters a new era, the world is being bombed in Libya and Japan suffers disaster. It is obvious that thinking in permanent terms does not apply and is something more could benefit from truly recognizing.
The countdown is on for the beginning of my month in Africa. I am traveling to Namibia in a little over 5 weeks to learn about this country's culture and hopefully be a positive face for a number of children living there. This opportunity to stay and learn in an environment that is radically different than where I have lived my entire life is something that I expect to have a lasting impact on my worldview. I am confident that working with these children will open my eyes to the great disparity that exists in this world as I think seeing it through the media is only part of the picture. Understanding that I am a person who can demonstrate and teach these children some academic and life skills while at the same time them being people who are enduring a difficult upbringing is important. I am obviously not exactly sure what I will learn during this month, but I predict that keeping a positive attitude in the face of adversity is an informal educational experience that I will be grateful to have learned from these young people.
As expressed by Dennis (2011), what is happening at a national level affects us all. Global education is an increasingly popular term, but I think many still think that a "countries of the world" geography unit or a pen-pal activity satisfies this modern educational emphasis. These short-term global education lessons do not convey to children the great international and cross-cultural opportunities that exist for them in an interconnected global world (Dennis, 2011). As educators, and as fellow global citizens, it is our responsibility to teach children about the movement of goods and people, the possibilities of technology, and the sharing of culture so that they can take advantage of this change and transcend towards being accepting, opportunistic, and widely literate learners.
The strong connection between global education and integration of the curriculum across subjects is apparent when designing integrated units that strive to capture the valuable explicit and implicit overall understandings. Ideas and concepts like global markets, technological change in civilizations, and anthropogenic impacts on the environment are merely scratching the surface of some of the units that can be integrated. The theme for the big understanding is not the only important part of integrating the curriculum however, as having lessons that are engaging and expressive to support the theme is probably the bigger challenge.
While I mentally prepare to experience Namibian culture in the upcoming weeks, I recognize the positive outlook this will have on my teaching philosophy. I am confident that when I am a teacher and I reflect on the personalities I met in Namibia and the values they shared with me, it will remind me that truths are nearly always subjective, but also that children possess valid knowledge about their world as they relate to the larger global events of the time.
References:
Dennis, J. M. (2011). Global education challenges and opportunities: Students are not isolated from world events. University Business, 14(2), 49-50.
Whats the point if I dont have facebook or twitter?
ReplyDeleteOr the only two "connected" friends I have don't reply?
Or don't receive feedback on what I think is my best post?
Or am too private to share these things?
Or just don't have enough time
For my real family and friends?
That wasn't how I feel about the lack of posts, this is just how I'd run my blog, kind of a poetic conservation with the internet and who cares to listen, haha. Can't take life too seriously :>
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I am so pleased about your African trip. I taught in Cameroon for a year and it was a life changing experience. I truly believe that international travel and work enriches one's life beyond imagination. (Those who choose to teach integrated curriculum tend to be people who have travelled and who know that boundaries are permeable and human-constructed.) As a prospective teacher you should join iEARN. Take a look at their website. It is opportunities like this that convince me that we are finally at the tipping point that I have been predicting for years!
ReplyDeleteAs for your blogging experience. Don't give up. The best thing I think is to join Twitter and begin to follow educational experts in your field of interest. Send a few tweets when you find something interesting and before you know it you will have followers yourself. You can post your blog on Twitter. Maybe no one still will answer it BUT you can keep up with breaking news (and a lot of mundane stuff that you skim through).
Still as you and I have had little success in reaching a large audience (!) I think that there is an age-old skill that we need to learn in the 21st Century. How do we market ourselves? But then we really need to have something worth saying if we expect folks to tune in.
I've enjoyed your blogs but still would like to see a little more connection to the literature if this is to serve as a final assignment. Global literacy is one that is being called for - so you might continue in this direction or with anything that catches your interest in the next little while.