Other Countries' Education Systems Effect on My Teaching
Researching information about literacy in other countries in my Global Research class not only made me more aware of other country’s education system but also allowed me to see in to the education framework that other countries are using and how competitive my strategies are compared to them. It is my goal to make my learners competitive with the rest of the world and prepare them to be a citizen of the world in the 21st Century.
I chose to comparatively evaluate Japan, Zimbabwe, and the United States’ literacy rates. My interest in the education systems in Asia began when I visited Japan four years ago and toured several schools. The culture and overall respect and outlook on education in this country was such a stark difference from that of the United States. Their value on education and the importance they place on getting a good education made me believe that their literacy rates would be much higher than that of the United States. To my surprise, both nations were had a 99% literacy rate according to UNESCO's Global Education Digest. Further, I was also surprised that a nation like Zimbabwe, that is relatively poor, has an overall literacy rate of 90.7%. However, because of current reforms and more emphasis placed on education, literacy rates for children in Zimbabweis at 99.4%.
Below you will find my research paper with more in-depth information about the education systems of these countries.
Tools to Enhance Global Learning
Over the past five semesters in the New Literacies Reading Program not only have I have I learned so many different tools to use in my classroom in my courses but also just from hearing from other teachers. Overthe past two years, I feel I have developed in to a more global teacher.
Some tools that I found useful in my second grade classroom follow:
My community walk: Throughout the year my class and I read books focusing on different parts of the world. After reading them we would discuss their location relative to us. We would also used my community walk to create a map tracking our “world journey” of all the places we visited through books. My community walk map: http://www.communitywalk.com/reading_around_the_world_2013/reading_around_the_world_2013/map/1564566
Earthcam: This is a great website to get kids to see other parts of the world. They also can see how even though it may be daytime here it is night in other places of the world. When we read a book from a different place in the world or were discussing a different country, I used earthcam for the kids to watch what was going on in that place. http://www.earthcam.com/
Pen Pals: Websites such as People to People (PTPI) are free programs that connect classrooms from around the world with each other. The classes can write to one another and learn more about one another's cultures and daily life. This could even move towards classes skyping with one another.
For more information on being a Global Pen Pal and more: http://www.ptpi.org/community/SCP.aspx
Physcial Exercise and Global Learning: I am always looking for "brain breaks" and to get my kids moving but also learning! This website has short videos that get the kids moving and learning about different countries http://www.adventuretofitness.com/teachers. I have used this for indoor recess as well.
Sid from Ice Age also has a video that gets kids dancing and seeing different places around the world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMuJxd2Gpxo
The following website has games and activities for various ages geared towards global learning: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2012/08/global_technology_resources_for_elementary_students.html
My Little Passport is a program that my school has begun to use to get the kids traveling around the world without leaving the school. The travel to different places and complete activities given by our technology teacher: http://www.littlepassports.com/?gclid=CIKn2eT43rYCFTSVMgodMWoAlg
The following websites allow for my students to independently research different countries we have discussed more indepth. I have had them research countries of their choice and use the information they learned to respond to questions on our class blog.
~http://www.timeforkids.com/around-the-world
~http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/index.asp
~http://www.factmonster.com/
~http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids-world-atlas/
~http://web-jpn.org/kidsweb/
~http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/index.html
~http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb/world/index.htm
~http://www.exploreandmore.org/world/default.htm
Teaching with a more Global approach can be difficult for new and veteran teachers. UNC has a program to help teachers with this new way for teaching. Their World View Program provides professional development on the following concepts:
~Develop a greater understanding of world regions, cultures, and global issues through professional learning opportunities and international travel
~How to integrate a global perspective into every subject area of the curriculum and at every grade level
~Respond to rapid, cultural, and demographic changes in our classrooms and communities
Their website also allows you to search for websites and resources according what grade level, region/area of the world, or subject.
http://worldview.unc.edu/global-resources/global-links-and-lesson-plans/
Transforming My Personal Philosophy on Global Education
Over the course of the past two years in the New Literacies Reading program, I have deepened my
initial thoughts of what it means to teach “globally”. Through global learning students can get a better understanding of the world around them and how we are all connected. We live in a world where people from all over the world can connect with one another with the click of a button and children not only need to learn how to connect with these people but also become aware of cultural differences and acceptance. They need to be able to see a topic from different perspectives and points of view. Through the program my ideas and depth of knowledge has evolved beyond a surface level. I find myself integrating more “global learning” effortlessly into my instruction and curriculum. My coursework as well as discussions with my peers have helped me grow in to the teacher I am today. The web tools I use today are used in a meaningful way that integrates core subjects and global awareness. Through class blogs and other tools I feel that my second graders not only leave my class with the skills they need in the 21stcentury but also are aware of cultural differences and places around the world.
Below you will find my paper defining my personal philosophy on Global education.
My Critque on Global Learning Strategies
As I began my journey in the New Literacies Reading Program my understanding of global learner was at a surface level. As I progressed through the program my understanding and value of global learning deepened. Upon completion of my masters I have an understanding of the essentialness of incorporating global awareness in the classroom at any age. Further, I have found so many ways to meaningfully incorporate this in to my classroom. The key is integrating global awareness in to activities that are part of my curriculum. In my Global Theory class, I spent time reading several articles about the integration of global learning in any classroom. Through integrating literacy and social studies, children can become aware of global problems and problem solve to come up with solutions; teaching students the imperative skill of conflict-resolution. Further, it is important to teach children compassion towards others, the desire to help others in need. Many programs are available to teachers in implement this effortlessly in to the classroom, such as Heifer International. While the following critique demonstrates my initial understanding of implementing global learning in to the classroom, these ideas still integrate easily in to any curriculum. These ideas have transformed throughout the past two years.
Below you will find my critique going in to more detail on my initial thoughts on how to incorporate Global education in to the classroom..
Researching information about literacy in other countries in my Global Research class not only made me more aware of other country’s education system but also allowed me to see in to the education framework that other countries are using and how competitive my strategies are compared to them. It is my goal to make my learners competitive with the rest of the world and prepare them to be a citizen of the world in the 21st Century.
I chose to comparatively evaluate Japan, Zimbabwe, and the United States’ literacy rates. My interest in the education systems in Asia began when I visited Japan four years ago and toured several schools. The culture and overall respect and outlook on education in this country was such a stark difference from that of the United States. Their value on education and the importance they place on getting a good education made me believe that their literacy rates would be much higher than that of the United States. To my surprise, both nations were had a 99% literacy rate according to UNESCO's Global Education Digest. Further, I was also surprised that a nation like Zimbabwe, that is relatively poor, has an overall literacy rate of 90.7%. However, because of current reforms and more emphasis placed on education, literacy rates for children in Zimbabweis at 99.4%.
Below you will find my research paper with more in-depth information about the education systems of these countries.
Tools to Enhance Global Learning
Over the past five semesters in the New Literacies Reading Program not only have I have I learned so many different tools to use in my classroom in my courses but also just from hearing from other teachers. Overthe past two years, I feel I have developed in to a more global teacher.
Some tools that I found useful in my second grade classroom follow:
My community walk: Throughout the year my class and I read books focusing on different parts of the world. After reading them we would discuss their location relative to us. We would also used my community walk to create a map tracking our “world journey” of all the places we visited through books. My community walk map: http://www.communitywalk.com/reading_around_the_world_2013/reading_around_the_world_2013/map/1564566
Earthcam: This is a great website to get kids to see other parts of the world. They also can see how even though it may be daytime here it is night in other places of the world. When we read a book from a different place in the world or were discussing a different country, I used earthcam for the kids to watch what was going on in that place. http://www.earthcam.com/
Pen Pals: Websites such as People to People (PTPI) are free programs that connect classrooms from around the world with each other. The classes can write to one another and learn more about one another's cultures and daily life. This could even move towards classes skyping with one another.
For more information on being a Global Pen Pal and more: http://www.ptpi.org/community/SCP.aspx
Physcial Exercise and Global Learning: I am always looking for "brain breaks" and to get my kids moving but also learning! This website has short videos that get the kids moving and learning about different countries http://www.adventuretofitness.com/teachers. I have used this for indoor recess as well.
Sid from Ice Age also has a video that gets kids dancing and seeing different places around the world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMuJxd2Gpxo
The following website has games and activities for various ages geared towards global learning: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2012/08/global_technology_resources_for_elementary_students.html
My Little Passport is a program that my school has begun to use to get the kids traveling around the world without leaving the school. The travel to different places and complete activities given by our technology teacher: http://www.littlepassports.com/?gclid=CIKn2eT43rYCFTSVMgodMWoAlg
The following websites allow for my students to independently research different countries we have discussed more indepth. I have had them research countries of their choice and use the information they learned to respond to questions on our class blog.
~http://www.timeforkids.com/around-the-world
~http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/index.asp
~http://www.factmonster.com/
~http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids-world-atlas/
~http://web-jpn.org/kidsweb/
~http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/index.html
~http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb/world/index.htm
~http://www.exploreandmore.org/world/default.htm
Teaching with a more Global approach can be difficult for new and veteran teachers. UNC has a program to help teachers with this new way for teaching. Their World View Program provides professional development on the following concepts:
~Develop a greater understanding of world regions, cultures, and global issues through professional learning opportunities and international travel
~How to integrate a global perspective into every subject area of the curriculum and at every grade level
~Respond to rapid, cultural, and demographic changes in our classrooms and communities
Their website also allows you to search for websites and resources according what grade level, region/area of the world, or subject.
http://worldview.unc.edu/global-resources/global-links-and-lesson-plans/
Transforming My Personal Philosophy on Global Education
Over the course of the past two years in the New Literacies Reading program, I have deepened my
initial thoughts of what it means to teach “globally”. Through global learning students can get a better understanding of the world around them and how we are all connected. We live in a world where people from all over the world can connect with one another with the click of a button and children not only need to learn how to connect with these people but also become aware of cultural differences and acceptance. They need to be able to see a topic from different perspectives and points of view. Through the program my ideas and depth of knowledge has evolved beyond a surface level. I find myself integrating more “global learning” effortlessly into my instruction and curriculum. My coursework as well as discussions with my peers have helped me grow in to the teacher I am today. The web tools I use today are used in a meaningful way that integrates core subjects and global awareness. Through class blogs and other tools I feel that my second graders not only leave my class with the skills they need in the 21stcentury but also are aware of cultural differences and places around the world.
Below you will find my paper defining my personal philosophy on Global education.
My Critque on Global Learning Strategies
As I began my journey in the New Literacies Reading Program my understanding of global learner was at a surface level. As I progressed through the program my understanding and value of global learning deepened. Upon completion of my masters I have an understanding of the essentialness of incorporating global awareness in the classroom at any age. Further, I have found so many ways to meaningfully incorporate this in to my classroom. The key is integrating global awareness in to activities that are part of my curriculum. In my Global Theory class, I spent time reading several articles about the integration of global learning in any classroom. Through integrating literacy and social studies, children can become aware of global problems and problem solve to come up with solutions; teaching students the imperative skill of conflict-resolution. Further, it is important to teach children compassion towards others, the desire to help others in need. Many programs are available to teachers in implement this effortlessly in to the classroom, such as Heifer International. While the following critique demonstrates my initial understanding of implementing global learning in to the classroom, these ideas still integrate easily in to any curriculum. These ideas have transformed throughout the past two years.
Below you will find my critique going in to more detail on my initial thoughts on how to incorporate Global education in to the classroom..
education_systems_of_the_united_states_zimbabwe_and_japan.doc | |
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personal_philosophy_on_global_learning.doc | |
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critique_of_global_education_strategies.doc | |
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