My best advice for identifying opportunities for collaboration locally and globally is to meet new people and ask their ideas. I have found it easiest to ask teachers around the world to see their standards and then to brainstorm opportunities from here. A few findings of note: The Social Studies curriculum in Ghana is focused heavily on understanding and acting on social issues related to education, reproduction, disease, nationalism, and culture. And, in Morocco, the English curriculum focuses on social issues and project based learning. Facebook is a great place to meet teachers and many around the world are looking for opportunities to connect students.
Following are resources that may be of special interest to teachers in Phoenix, Arizona; however, many may serve for brainstorming community resources around the world.
Following are resources that may be of special interest to teachers in Phoenix, Arizona; however, many may serve for brainstorming community resources around the world.
http://globalcompetencecertificate.org/admissions/ Classes and certification for special training and recognition of implementing global themes into your classroom are provided here. The classes are expensive; however, doing so may make you a leader in the global education movement.
http://www.newglobalcitizens.org/ Phoenix Union High School has partnered with this non-profit organization to bring global education curriculum to teachers throughout the district. Each school has at least one representative and some are embedding in their coursework, while some are offering as a club. There are many free resources and the founders of this club have connections to many groups throughout the world. There resources are definitely worth browsing.
http://www.irex.org/project/international-leaders-education-program-ilep-0 Arizona State University is one of four host universities for the International Leaders in Education Program. Teachers from countries throughout the world spend 10 months in the US, taking university classes, attending cultural activities, and working in a public high school. Bioscience has been lucky enough to host 4 teachers, from Indonesia, India, and Ghana, who have each provided a unique perspective to our school culture. Berry Devanda, from Indonesia, worked with a group of students to create low cost Smartboards for rural schools which have since been distributed in Indonesia and Morocco. This project has continued with younger students who are exploring ways to scale this model.
https://pgs.clas.asu.edu/ Arizona State University's many colleges are all great resources for Phoenix and Tempe high schools. The school of Politics and Global Studies seems to be a close fit to the work we are doing at Bioscience and one that I hope to utilize in the near future.
https://aecp.asu.edu/ Also, the American English and Culture Program offers services to many of Arizona State University's international students. The most impactful portion of all global education units is when students are able to make connections directly with people from other countries. I hope to connect students with this group and encourage them to attend an event or two.
http://sustainableschools.asu.edu/meet-the-teams/bioscience/ Bioscience has worked with Arizona State University's GK12 Fellowship program since its beginning. The Transformational Sustainability Framework from the Transitions Lab is the cornerstone of the year long problem based learning that is embedded into each grade level experience. We are excited to be a pilot program for this model of 21st Century learning.
https://www.facebook.com/rooseveltgrowhousepage Growhouse is a quarter acre property in the heart of Downtown Phoenix' Roosevelt Row dedicated to urban farming, sustainability, and building community. Kenny Barrett, founder and owner, leads many urban vibrancy initiatives and involves Bioscience students every chance he can get. From learning to plant to weekend volunteer days to greenternships, the opportunities with Kenny and his connections is endless!
http://phxrenews.org/ A City of Phoenix initiative for renovating empty lots in the Downtown area, Phoenix Renews largest project is the creation of a refugee transition farm at Indian Steele Park. Our students visit this park during their Freshman year to learn about urban vibrancy and the diverse needs of the refugee population.
http://phoenixunion.schoolwires.net/site/Default.aspx?PageID=313 Central High School offers a Global Studies magnet program led by John Gerace. I have been unable to find further information online, but plan to ask questions the next time I am at a District meeting.
http://www.thunderbird.edu/ The Thunderbird School of Global Management is located at 59th avenue and Greenway and is one of the leading MBA programs in the world. While it has changed management a few times in the last few years, it potentially could be a great resource for connecting students to international visitors and getting resources for embedding global education across all courses.
http://www.prescott.edu/ Prescott College offers a unique experience with focuses on social justice, sustainability, education and more. Bioscience has partnered with their outdoor education program in the past to provide students leadership experiences while rock climbing and discussing world issues.