STANDARD-BASED GLOBAL EDUCATION UPDATES
BELOW ARE EXAMPLES OF HOW YOU COULD TAKE EXISTING CURRICULUM STANDARDS AND REVISE THEM TO INCORPORATE ELEMENTS OF GLOBAL EDUCATION.
*English Language Arts – 10th Grade:
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail how its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. (Common Core Literature 9-10.RL.2)
*As this standard is very dependent on the text being used, I think the key to making the standard more global is to choose literature that represents diverse perspectives and to include in the work around the standard how cultural perspectives may influence the themes that are present as well as how those themes are developed.
*We work on this theme standard during our unit on Of Mice and Men, so I have already made some modifications, such as including additional texts related to farmworkers and forms of oppression such as sexism and racism which are present in the novel to help students understand themes from Of Mice and Men more deeply. We also use a text by Edwidge Danticat that deals with the earthquake in Haiti. I think that I could choose other literature and literary non-fiction pieces that represent a more global perspective related to class, race, and gender. We could practice thinking about theme with texts from different cultural perspectives, which would also help students think about how class, race, and gender are issues of global significance that manifest somewhat differently depending on the context.
*In our current assessment for theme, students are asked to choose 2-3 concrete details from Of Mice and Men and explain how those develop the theme (in a paragraph that includes a theme statement and commentary/explanation for each detail). Perhaps I could add a piece to the assessment analyzing how the particular cultural and historical setting of Of Mice and Men contributes to the themes of the novel. Then, prior to the actual assessment, we could do a similar practice assessment or two using a text from another country/culture and see what kinds of similarities and differences we see.
Spanish Language Arts Level 2 – Grades 10-12:
Use Technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. (Common Core Writing 9-10.W.6)
*This standard already relates closely to the goals of global education, but I would add that students understand how to use technology to effectively communicate ideas with diverse audiences and to understand how technologies can positively impact understanding and collaboration in a globalized world.
*As part of projects that include technology, I would think about technology applications that could involve publishing students work to a broader audience and how they could get feedback or responses through the internet on their work. We use GoogleDocs to work on group writing projects or presentations, as all students can be working on it simultaneously or from different locations. I would continue this, but when appropriate think of more relevant and real-life audiences for their work so that all writing is not just done for the teacher/class audience. Thinking about using students’ parents as a resource for learning about culture, I would also like to include requirements for students to share things they have written with their families and get feedback from them. I also need to simply incorporate more technology applications in the classroom. Students do research on famous Latinos, and while it is important for them to practice their presentation skills, maybe we could also create an online blog page for students to post a few interesting facts about each of their researched persons. We also do a family project where students create a book with different writing pieces related to family, which could be done in electronic format. (I have done it in hard copy format previously so that students are able to share it with their families, not all of whom have internet/computer access at home, but if done with the right type of technology, students could print the work they have done electronically if that is the way that is best for their family.)
*As this is a standard that is addressed as part of various projects and assignments throughout the year, maybe I need to create some type of a rubric that addresses students’ ability to use technology effectively, and/or also include the standard in self-evaluations and grading rubrics for the different projects.
Spanish Language Arts Level 2 – Grades 10-12:
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. (Common Core Speaking and Listening 9-10.SL.4)
*This is also a standard that applies to different types of content. Similar to the previous standard, the piece I would add to better address global education is that students think about how to communicate with diverse audiences, and how to select and use appropriate technology and media in their presentations.
*Significant to addressing this standard, in terms of global education, is having students first research significant global issues and think about different perspectives that people have on those issues. I will be addressing this standard in my unit plan, in which students will be researching significant social issues in Latin America and developing a presentation on those issues for their classmates. One element that I will include, because my students do not have a lot of experience with giving really strong presentations, is to do a model presentation of my own (I plan to research an issue in one of the countries that they are not covering), as well as give very specific instructions for how to make the presentation clear, concise, and logical. In addition, I’m also thinking about having students make videos that they post to You Tube which include a summary of the issue for a global audience (maybe we’ll even do the videos in English and Spanish) with possible solutions and ways to help. This would be a way to think about how they would adapt their presentation content and style for a wider audience than just our classroom.
*For assessment of the more globalized version of this standard, I could have students do a self-reflection individually or with their group in which they detail the decisions that they made about audience, comparing their in-class presentation and their YouTube video. I think this will help them to reflect on how they adapted their for a broader, more diverse audience.
ELD – Level 4:
An ELL can carry out both short and more sustained research projects to answer a question; gather and synthesize information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; evaluate the reliability of each source and integrate information into an organized oral or written report, citing sources appropriately. (Oregon Department of Education Grades 9-10 English Language Proficiency Standards)
*I feel that this standard was written with 21st Century Education in mind. I would add, similar to the previous two standards for Language Arts (the ELD standards are very closely aligned to the English Language Arts standards) that the research be focused around a globally significant issue.
*I really do not like doing extended projects in the ELD classroom because the ELL students are already so stressed out trying to keep up in their regular classes, but I think I could make this standard work as long as the time in class is very structured, used well, and students do not feel that they have to be doing extra research outside of class. I got a donation of Scholastic magazines this year, so I am envisioning that our research projects could relate to some of the issues raised in our reading. Perhaps after reading/discussing several weekly issues, students could develop their own research questions. I might also design our research projects around issues related to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Preparatory activities would include how to use search terms and how to evaluate web sites. While students work on citing sources in other classes, working on this in ELD class would be good reinforcement of a very difficult skill. Within each written or oral presentation of their investigation, I would also choose specific grammatical forms or writing/speaking skills to focus on.
*I would make a generalized rubric that would include: generating an effective question, conducting research effectively (including search terms and evaluating sources), synthesizing information, and presenting that information clearly (in written or oral form). In this way, students would see the same rubric throughout the year, but the research topic and presentation format could vary.
ELD – Level 4:
An ELL can analyze the reasoning and use of rhetoric in persuasive texts or speeches, including documents of historical and literary significance, determining whether the evidence is sufficient to support the claim, and cite textual evidence to support the analysis. (Oregon Department of Education Grades 9-10 English Language Proficiency Standards)
*To help this standard better integrate global competencies, I would include the element of looking at “documents of historical and literary significance” from different cultures and cultural perspectives.
*I would have to do much more research to know which specific texts could be used to support this standard, but I think it would be interesting to look at what persuasion and rhetoric looks like across different cultures. We could look at pieces form the countries that our ELL students are from as well as other cultures around the world.
*In the context of the ELD classroom, I think that this standard is something that we would work on through formative assessment methods rather than any type of summative assessment. I would have students work on tasks individually and in groups and give them feedback on how they are doing with their analysis and use of textual evidence. We would discuss as a class how culture influences the style of rhetoric in the texts and speeches.