Module 1 Discoverers
Describe how you implemented one or more new ideas for helping students develop global competence in your school or classroom community.
Please read and respond to at least 1 of your colleagues’ descriptions.
Next, move on to Module 2.
9 Replies
Using resources form Oxfam, I developed a plan to introduce my Kindergarteners to Global Citizenship. We discussed how children from other countries are similar - they need food, water, shelter and then we discussed how things would look different. Having two students from other countries was a huge benefit as parents were able to provide information. We are continuing to learn, and my students are wanting to reach out and become pen pals.
Hey class. My response to this discussion is hard to respond to because I am not teaching just yet. So, I know when I begin I will assign book readings for my students that are focused on other cultures. Also, I will assign them a paper or project regarding different cultures.
Emily, I like the book assignment. This is a good way for them to focus on other cultures.
I like this assignement and i think that it is a good way for them to understand more about other cultures besides their own.
I think this is something I can use in my classroom as well !!
That is an awesome plan to integrate different cultures in the classroom besides their own!
I really like this assignment, I think it is a great way to integrate different cultures into the classroom.
Paula, I enjoyed learning about your teaching plans. It was cool to learn that you had students from two different countries helping everyone else learn. Doing pen pals is an awesome Idea I definitely want to include in my lesson plans.
I agree with you that reading different books from different cultures is very important.
(Initial Post) - Landon Orrand
I am currently a student (future teacher,) but I would implement global competence by having guest speakers! I would invite firefighters, policemen, and park rangers! I would also introduce guests from different culture, so that students can see people with a different background.
I love this idea, Landon! This would truly immerse students into the experience and help them learn about some future careers. Getting students into the process of careers can help guide their interests and fuel future choices!
I really like your idea of using guest speakers to help students develop global competence. Bringing in people like firefighters, police officers, and park rangers would give students the opportunity to learn about important roles in their community and understand how different people work together to keep communities safe and functioning. Hearing directly from these professionals can make learning more engaging and help students connect classroom topics to real-world experiences.
I also think inviting guests from different cultures is a great way to broaden students’ perspectives. When students hear about different traditions, languages, and experiences, it can help them develop respect and appreciation for people from backgrounds different from their own. Experiences like this can also spark curiosity and meaningful conversations in the classroom.
Overall, your plan is a great way to help students see the diversity that exists both in their local community and around the world. These kinds of interactions can help students become more open-minded, curious, and respectful of different perspectives.
Guest speakers would be a neat idea. I really like that!! Students can then hear from different people.
I like your idea of using guest speakers because it connects students to real-world careers. To strengthen global competence, you could expand it by having students compare those same professions in other countries. For example, students could explore how firefighters or police officers operate in different parts of the world and identify similarities and differences. This would help students move from a local understanding to a global perspective.
Paula, I love that you chose to utilize pen pals for global competence! That is such a fun and unique way to get students involved! I'll definitely keep this in mind for my future classroom!
Paula,
I love the pen pals! Great way of learning about others.
Although I am not a teacher in my own classroom yet, I have done internships and student teaching. This has helped to give me perspectives and a better understanding of ways to incorporate global competence within my own classroom one day. Lessons such as social studies could include readings about other cultures and their traditions. This could help to show students how other cultures celebrate holidays and how they are similar or different from their own.
Hi Paula! I like how you stated that you have used resources to help with teaching global competence to your students.
One way in which I plan to help students develop global competence in my classroom is by having students research a country and discover what their culture is like and then having students create a module. For example, I will assign a student to Mexico. I would ask the student to reseach what the culture is like in Mexico. After their research, I will ask the student to create a module that shows all about the Mexican culture. After finish their module I will have each student display this module in the classroom for other students to learn from.
Hi Paula, I totally love your idea of pen pals. In high school, I was in a french class and the teacher gave each student a penpal from France to chat with to learn more french. I absolutely love this idea, my penpal and I kept in contact for several months after the course ended.
(Initial Post)
I am not a teacher yet but something that I can do to teach global competences in my classroom would be when learning about things talk about what other culture do when doing this.
Hi, I like how you have discussions about cultural things with you students. I is great to talk about the difference things that others have to experience.
I currently do not work in the classroom so I am not sure what ideas fit better with the students. But I do want to bring different cultural books into the classroom for the students to read and see what other people do. I want the students to be comfortable to tell the class about their traditions.
I am a student currently, but I would love to take my students on field trips, have guest speakers, and include STEM activities that could lead to experiences outside the classroom. Taking the classroom home is very important as learning happens everywhere but having students experience these global innovations will allow them to become excited about being an innovator and taking their learning beyond the classroom.
This question for me is a little difficult to answer because I have not yet taught in a classroom. I would most likely have my students read books on other cultures and do some kind of a project to assess their knowledge based off what they have learned. I would also like to have other activities for them to learn. (Initial Post)
Katelyn, I totally agree that STEM activities allow for more learning engagement and to get outside of a classroom to test some theories. Something to keep in mind when doing this is to be understanding that your students will most likely fail the first try.
I am also still a student, but I have tutored students from different places in the past, and one of my tasks was to try to introduce them to more western cultures. As an American who has never left the states I could only do so much, but I definitely did try. They were younger so I found that the more effective and fun things were using books that explained traditions and cultures, as well as having guest speakers when we could! I also think that field trips could be useful for this as well.
Hi Ruth, it wouldn't let me just respond to you for some reason, but I like the idea of having some sort of project to see what they learned after books or other learning experiences. It's just difficult not to generalize when assessing these things, but I do agree that it's necessary. Maybe a Kahoot with music or something?
I agree that field trips and guest speakers would be great ideas. Having the students get out of the classroom to learn can help a lot.
I think field trips are a fantastic idea because they get students out of the traditional classroom and experiencing new things while still gaining knowledge.
I agree that field trips and guest speakers would be great ideas. Having the students get out of the classroom to learn can help a lot.
Describe how you implemented one or more new ideas for helping students develop global competence in your school or classroom community.
I am still a student and have not yet taught a classroom but reading books, fun projects, or maybe field trips would be great ways to learn. I am sure there are many other resources to use to help students learn this but these are just a few.
(initial post)
In the future I hope to get creative with the ways that I allow students to exercise and even allow for exercise projects so that students can show what they have learned through exercise.
That is a great plan Lawson that would allow for a plethora of ways to learn.
initial post
in the future, when i am out of school and a teacher, i will do physical examinations in all sports and techniques like running, jumping, and agility. this makes students participate all year to be able to get good grades on the examination but also will make kids want to be the best, like competeing for the best scores.
this is a great plan will, having kids do projects on certain activities that they enjoy will only help them understand it more.
I will implement cultural diversity in my classroom by promoting each individual student's culture in the classroom. This will create a real-world connection between the fellow peers in their classroom and what reflects in the real world. I will have culturally reflective books and journals in my classroom for my students.
Initial Post
Since I am still a student in college I have not taught in a classroom yet. However, I will have students read books, complete projects, and maybe have guest speakers from different communities or cultures. That way they can learn about global competence.
Reply
Will, I think allowing students to exercise and even allow for projects so that they can show what they have learned is a great idea.
Hi Allison,
I love the idea of having guest speakers come in. I always loved hearing other people's experiences and adventures.
I plan to introduce my students to global diversity during the first of the year, hopefully with a very diverse classroom we could have maybe a cultures day to start off. Students can talk about their cultures and how they live, what they celebrate, and how they dress. they can explain how their lives differ from the kids they have met before.
Describe how you implemented one or more new ideas for helping students develop global competence in your school or classroom community.
I plan to bring my students to different global events to expand their diversity. This will also include playing games from other cultures and even including small facts so they are learning and being active.
Initial post
I am a current student so I can not currently do anything. However, as a future physical educator, I will have my students practice different types of activities from different cultures. While doing this I will explain the activity and its significance.
Reply
Daniella, I love that Idea. Taking the students to different global events will give them more insight into what is going on in the world. I also like how you are going to keep them active during this time. This is a great plan and I think it will work very well.
Initial Post: I am currently an education student. I would incorporate "Travel Around the World". Every week, we would visit a new country/culture, learn all about the culture from dances, food, etc. This would give my students a great opportunity to be able to learn about cultures. But also compare the similarities and differences throughout the week.
I think that this would be a really great idea!
Initial Post:
I am not teaching yet however I would like to read books from different cultures and have my students discuss them in class.
Initial Post: I am not yet teaching a class, but I really like the idea of having a diverse library of information about different kinds of people. This allows students to see multiple perspectives instead of just one.
I don't have a classroom of my own as I am still getting my degree but I love the idea of teaching students about other cultures and being able to ask questions to them as pen pals. I believe this will be a great learning experience and help students develop core memories.
-Initial Post-
I still a student and not yet a teacher but if I was a teacher, I would love to do field trips or even have guest speakers come in and have them talk with the students.
It is a great idea to have students maximize their learning. I also like the guest speaker idea as there are so many ways that this could be used.
Initial post
I want to add this to my classroom by assigning reading and videos that inform them of other cultures, religions, and experiences to broaden their knowledge of these unfamiliar areas.
I think its a great way to see to different perspectives of where the students come from to let everyone see that it is ok to be different.
I would love to create opportunities where students can personally interact with people from different backgrounds, which can include inviting guests speakers or going on field trips. In my future classroom, I will strive for each student to feel represented and accepted.
Describe how you implemented one or more new ideas for helping students develop global competence in your school or classroom community.
Because I want to become a high school math teacher, global competence doesn't have too much in my area. However, I was thinking about when doing ratios, I could have examples of ratios of different currencies around the world to show students the differences between them.
One big thing I want to do is to incorporate different cultural books into my classroom. I plan to read a story every day and do a first chapter Friday so my students can see if they are interested in certain books. I want to create a book report or project that has to do with different cultural and how our books relate to it.
~Describe how you implemented one or more new ideas for helping students develop global competence in your school or classroom community.
I believe having visual representations like posters or picture books would be a fun way to open students up to the idea of people outside of themselves. If you just tell them about people different from themselves they might have a hard time imagining exactly what is being described, but accompanying a story with visuals will help students.
I would implement a project-based learning activity to develop global competence by engaging students in creating a “Future City.” In this project, students researched different cultures from around the world, including their architecture, traditions, values, and approaches to community living.
Students worked collaboratively to design and build a model city that integrates elements from multiple cultures. They were required to identify both the unique aspects of each culture and the similarities shared across cultures, such as the importance of family, sustainability, and community structure.
This project could allow students to investigate global perspectives, communicate their ideas through presentations and models, and apply their learning to real-world challenges such as energy use, food systems, and environmental sustainability. By blending cultural understanding with STEM concepts, students developed a deeper appreciation for diversity while recognizing the interconnectedness of people across the world.
You’re introducing global citizenship in a meaningful, age-appropriate way by focusing on basic needs and differences. Involving families makes it authentic, and the pen pal idea helps build real-world connections and empathy.
Initial Post:
One way I would implement a new idea to support global competence is through a “Local to Global Connections” project-based unit. In this approach, students would explore a real-world issue such as pollution, food waste, or access to clean water and examine how it affects both their local community and people around the world. This helps students build awareness, empathy, and the ability to see multiple perspectives, which are all key parts of global competence.
To implement this, I would begin by introducing the topic through read-alouds, short videos, and class discussions to build background knowledge. Then, students would work in small groups to research the issue using kid-friendly resources and compare how it impacts different communities globally. After that, students would create a project such as a poster, presentation, or simple action plan to address the issue in our school or community.
Finally, I would have students share their work with others, either within the classroom, school, or even families and reflect on what they learned about the world and their role in it. This type of learning encourages students to think critically, collaborate with others, and understand that even small actions can contribute to solving larger global challenges.
Reply:
I love how you introduced global citizenship in a way that is meaningful and developmentally appropriate for kindergarteners. Having students compare similarities and differences while also incorporating real experiences from classmates and their families is such a powerful way to build understanding and connection. The idea of becoming pen pals is amazing because it gives students a real opportunity to communicate and build relationships beyond their classroom, which is a great way to continue developing global competence.
I would have the student to do an interview on a person culture. If they didn't have someone to interview than they could do a research paper.
I would love to have a guess speaker to come into my classroom as well.
Hello my name is Christina Cassidy , in my class room I would have guest speakers as this really supports and can give more information from a person who is more aware. Also students are more likely to pay attention, I would have students write a small summary and either questions or facts supporting what the guest speaker discussed and why its important. As a child I always loving having guest speakers in the class room as it provides more information and was just exciting to have someone new and special.
I really love your idea of a guest speaker that is amazing and hopefully you can find one even in all this COVID mess.
Interviews can be really beneficial and I think students gain more from person-to-person interaction. Even doing something like a show-in-tell and having students bring in something that represents their beliefs or cultures and having the students interview each other could have the same effect.
A guest speaker is a great idea. We had someone from Africa speak to our 3rd class, and I remember it to this day! Showing students the differences in our culture will help them be more inclusive in the future.
My plan is to make students aware of the effects to someone who is being bullied and what could happen to them. I also would like to use an experiment where they say something mean to a piece of paper and crumble it up. Once they crumble it up and say sorry, then they will uncrumble it and see that even though they said sorry it still will have those imperfections which relates to the person still feeling said due to what they said to them.
I would use global competence by allowing the students to have open discussions which are students led so they are using the knowledge they already know to talk about the new lesson today. another way I will use this is by having a lot of student-led activities where they are giving the information but they will find the answer on their own. this is building problem-solving skills as well as commutation skills.
I haven't yet taught in a classroom so this is harder to answer. But I think I would stick to my plan of teaching about different cultures and the significance and importance of all of them to my students. This would help to realize their unique individuality and their important history of what makes them, them.
If I were teaching I would utilize current events in my classroom. With that we can read articles and watch videos about events that are going on in the world around us. This can be used in reading as well as social studies, depending on the event it could be used in science. Students become engaged when they know these events are occurring and are recent, taking a break from discussing the past.
(initial post)
~I would implement this by teaching students about many cultures around the world and what may be going on in these countries. The way I would do it is by researching and creating power points or showing videos to teach students.
Global competence is very important in the classroom. Students need to understand what that looks like and why it is so important. As a teacher, it is so important for us to implement this in the classroom.
While I am not yet in a classroom, I have a plan for when I get there. To help students develop global competence in my classroom, I would connect my students with classrooms in other countries through platforms like PenPal Schools and Empatico. They can even work on school projects and just get up-to-date about life in another country.
Penpal is an excellent way to connect students to other students around the world. That will give them a first hand experience of other cultures.
One way I implemented a new idea to help students develop global competence was by incorporating a Global Hunger unit that focused on understanding worldwide food insecurity and its impact on communities. Throughout the unit, students read articles, watched videos, and participated in class discussions about the causes of hunger, the effects of malnutrition, and the efforts organizations around the world are making to address the problem. This helped students build awareness of an important global issue and understand how it affects people in different parts of the world.
To deepen their learning, students completed a “take action for sustainable well-being” project at the end of the unit. They were able to choose from several activities such as volunteering in a community garden, helping with a food bank or food drive, creating a public service announcement, or designing an infographic or brochure to educate others about global hunger and food waste. Giving students choice allowed them to connect with the issue in a way that was meaningful to them.
This experience helped students develop global competence by encouraging them to think about global challenges, understand different perspectives, and take action within their own community. It also helped them see that even small efforts, like raising awareness or reducing food waste, can contribute to addressing larger global problems.
One way I would implement a new idea for developing global competence was by creating collaborative projects that connect students with peers from different countries through virtual exchanges. Students worked together on research about global issues, shared their perspectives, and co-created solutions for challenges like environmental sustainability or community health. This helped them practice cultural awareness, communication, and empathy, while also learning how to consider multiple viewpoints before making decisions. I also incorporated reflection activities, asking students to think about how their own experiences shaped their understanding of the issues and how they could act as responsible global citizens.
Hi Morgan! I really like how your Global Hunger unit combines awareness with action it’s a great way to help students see the real-world impact of global issues. I especially appreciate that you gave students choices for their projects, which allows them to connect personally with the problem while practicing critical skills like empathy, collaboration, and problem-solving. Your approach shows how global competence isn’t just about learning facts but also about taking meaningful action in their own communities.
In my classroom, I implemented a 'Global News Corner' where students take turns presenting news story from a different continent each week. This will boost student engagement with current events. They can research stories from diverse regions. They can start understanding global issues like climate change and economics.
Paula Almond
Mar 24, 2021 at 8:13 PM