Going Global: Preparing Our Students for an Interconnected World Going Global: Preparing Our Students for an Interconnected World
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Going Global: Preparing Our Students for an Interconnected World Going Global: Preparing Our Students for an Interconnected World LowER RigHT PHOTO CREDIT: PEACE CoRps. Contents Preface and Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... 2 PART I Facing the Challenges and Opportunities of a Global Future ....................................................... 3 PART II What Schools Can Do: Strategies for Success ......................................................................................... 9 Getting Started ........................................................................................................................................................................10 Creating a Global Vision and Culture ........................................................................................................................13 Finding and Preparing Teachers ...................................................................................................................................17 PART III Transforming Curriculum and Instruction .................................................................................................23 Science ........................................................................................................................................................................................25 Mathematics .............................................................................................................................................................................28 English Language Arts ........................................................................................................................................................31 Social Studies ..........................................................................................................................................................................35 World Languages ...................................................................................................................................................................41 Visual and Performing Arts .............................................................................................................................................45 Career and Technical Education Programs ............................................................................................................47 Health and Physical Education ...................................................................................................................................49 Interdisciplinary Courses, Simulations, and Capstone Projects ................................................................51 PART IV Expanding Student Experiences .........................................................................................................................55 Harnessing Technology ......................................................................................................................................................56 International Travel and Partnerships .......................................................................................................................60 International Service Learning ...................................................................................................................................... 64 International Internships ....................................................................................................................................................67 PART V Going to Scale .....................................................................................................................................................................69 Resources and Community Partnerships................................................................................................................70 What Districts and States Can Do ..............................................................................................................................73 References .............................................................................................................................................................................80 National Advisory Committee................................................................................................................................82 Schools Cited ...................................................................................................................................................................... 83 PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR AN INTERCONNECTED WORLD 1 Preface and Acknowledgements Today’s high school students will graduate into a world vastly different from that of the 20th century. Rapid economic, technological, and social changes are creating a world that is ever more interconnected. To suc- ceed in this new global age, our students will need a new skill set that goes beyond reading, math, and science to include international knowl- edge and skills. School communities are increasingly interested in preparing their young people to succeed as workers and citizens in this new global environment. To meet this need, Asia Society has created this guide for middle and high schools, drawing on the best practices from Asia Society’s International Studies Schools Network, schools identified through the Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education competition, and the States Network on International Education in the Schools. I would like to thank my colleague Heather Singmaster, the project coordinator, for ably managing this important initiative. The primary Asia Society authors of this guide are Shari Albright, Anthony Jackson, Heather Singmaster, and myself. I would also like to thank award-winning journalist Emily Sachar for her assistance with the manuscript drafts, and Asia Society colleagues for their contributions to the content: Jennifer Chidsey- Pizzo, Judith Conk, Barbara Kelley, Alexis Menten, Grace Norman, and Shuhan Wang. Producing this guide would not have been possible without the wealth of knowledge from the project advisors and the model programs of international education that they repre- sent. These schools and programs are real pioneers in a field that is just beginning to gain national attention. Asia Society is delighted to partner with the Goldman Sachs Foundation on the Prizes for Excellence in International Education. We thank the Goldman Sachs Foundation for their lead support of this guide. Asia Society is immensely grateful to the Freeman Foundation for its generous ongoing support of our education work, and to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for its generous support of the International Studies Schools Network. The innovations in teaching and learning about the world that are highlighted here are intended to serve both as inspiration and as practical, achievable models for change. While this guide is not comprehensive, it aims to illustrate key concepts and examples from more than seventy schools across the United States. The variety of approaches show that teaching and learning about the world is within reach of every type of school. We hope that you will use the ideas embedded in this guide and suggest some of your own so that we may create stronger networks of interested educators and better prepare our young people to succeed in this new global environment. Vivien Stewart Vice President, Education Asia Society 2 GoiNG GloBAL PART I Facing the Challenges and Opportunities of a Global Future PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR AN INTERCONNECTED WORLD 3 Our lives are going global. Companies are manufactur- ing goods around the clock and around the world, and making trade agreements with countries that just years ago were behind an iron curtain. The world’s econo- mies and currencies are intricately tied to one another as never before. In politics, culture, the environment, and health, the actions of countries thousands of miles apart reverberate around the world in minutes. Technology is both an accelerator and a critical facet of this increasing interconnectedness. Migration and immigration are creating more culturally and linguistically diverse societies, including in U.S. communities and schools. The world in which today’s students will live and work is fundamentally different from the one in which their parents and teachers grew up. As a result of this new connectivity, our high school graduates will need to be far more knowledgeable and curious about world regions and global issues, and able to communicate across cultures and in other languages. Their economic livelihood and opportunities for career growth depend on it, as will their ability to be successful as citizens and leaders in the 21st century global community. Our students must emerge from schools college-ready and globally competent. They will need to be able to think beyond our borders — to compete, connect, and cooperate with their generation around the world. Schools Preparing for the Future Responding to this transformed world, parents, teachers, policymakers, and business lead- ers across the country are adding an international dimension to schools and classrooms. Consider these examples: ● Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Chicago, Illinois, an inner-city magnet school that is one of Chicago’s most ethnically diverse schools, has shown how integrating global issues enhances academic excellence.