Photo: Shanna Peeples, 2015 National Teacher of the Year, center
We’re excited for Shanna Peeples, a 2016 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow, who will visit schools in Peru this summer through the fellowship, to be hosting the #GlobalEdChat on Twitter! Join her this Thursday, March 10, at 8 p.m. (ET). And check out her guest post for Education Week’s Global Learning below!
Teacher of the Year: Local Engagement through Global Questions
“‘If the structure does not permit dialogue, the structure must be changed.’ Paulo Freire
Statistics wearing ironically worded t-shirts, skinny jeans, expensive tennis shoes, and careful makeup walk into my classroom every day. Two out of three of them, research says, are bored every day in high school because the material isn’t interesting or relevant, doesn’t have value, and feels forced upon them.
What if helping students articulate their deepest questions can help them reconnect to learning? What if student-centered inquiry led the classroom? What if students’ own questions help them engage in real research?
This is where global education and local investigation come into play.
Each day, teachers are charged with the invaluable task of preparing tomorrow’s citizens. As educators, we have the agency to make instructional decisions that affect how students perceive the world around them. We can equip them with the essential knowledge and skills to thrive in this era of globalization—even beyond graduation.
As a NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow, I am privileged to increase my own global competence as well as model it for my colleagues and students. That competence begins with a willingness to explore and understand cultural and global topics. Understanding comes through open and authentic inquiry, which in turn leads to deeper learning.”
Continue reading on Education Week
Don’t forget to join us for this Thursday’s #GlobalEdChat on Twitter, where the theme will be getting started integrating global education in the classroom.
