We bring to you five reasons that highlight the importance of global awareness in the classroom. Several issues plague the global society. We are facing environmental, social, and economic problems all over the world. Deforestation, poaching, and pollution are leading to several pressing concerns like global warming and climate change.
The Global Awareness Program (GAP) was born out of a challenge to provide all KU undergraduates with opportunities and access to international experiences. People from different countries and cultures are now connected in ways that previous generations never experienced.
For a more social approach to fostering global connections, many educators actually seek out classrooms in another part of the country or the world and work to foster a relationship between students in each classroom.
In addition to literature, events, and individual connections, students can benefit from exposure to international news and current events occurring across the world.
Teaching Global Citizenship in the ClassroomEmpower your students as leaders and teachers. ... Organize penpals for your class. ... Take field trips. ... Take time to reflect on the world around you. ... Volunteer. ... Include a lesson on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ... Organize an International Week. ... Teach culture through music.
5 Ways to Develop a Global MindsetRecognize your own cultural values and biases. ... Get to know your personality traits, especially curiosity. ... Learn about the workplace and business expectations of relevant countries and markets. ... Build strong intercultural relationships. ... Develop strategies to adjust and flex your style.
Being globally aware means that you enjoy developing an understanding of different nations and cultures and respecting and working effectively with people from all backgrounds, cultures, and religions.
Examples of global awareness are: Referring to international sources in your work. Communicating with an overseas organisation. Learning a new language and cultural tradition. Creating work with other language users in mind.
It includes an indepth understanding of global issues such as population growth, migrations, economic disparities, depletion of resources, and international conflicts, that require global learners to be aware of the world around them.
On the positive side, globalization has improved trade, technology adoption, access to and quality of education, health care delivery, social awareness and poverty alleviation.
3 Creative Ways to Teach Global AwarenessBecome consultants. Encourage students to learn about ecotourism. ... Connect with new people. Do you want your students to interact with others across the globe and share their knowledge and learning with others? ... Explore a new place.
To be globally aware is to leave (1) tolerance of cultural differences and (2) knowledge of cultures, history, world market potential, and economic, social and political trends. To be globally aware is to have tolerance for cultural differences.
Awareness of Global Issues Can Help Us Improve as a Society. Environmental issues are not the only problems we are facing as a global society. Awareness of social, political, and economic issues is equally important.
This is why global awareness in the classroom is so important. It sensitizes the students to the plight of the underprivileged.
One of the main reasons we are not making considerable progress in tackling global issues is the lack of awareness among the population. A large part of the population does not recognize the urgency of these problems.
Global awareness builds empathy- the first step towards correction. Students must be made aware of the gravity of the situation. They should be able to comprehend the dire circumstances that a large chunk of the population faces. Only then will they be motivated to take action and eliminate these problems.
All this makes it abundantly clear that humans are far from realizing their full potential, and we still have a long way to go. However, we will never be able to achieve everything we are capable of if we do not start focusing on the importance of global awareness.
Many people in this world still do not have access to equal resources and cannot afford a basic standard of life. With so many problems, we are already falling behind in forging a safe future for ourselves. However, we can get a head start if we take the first step of spreading global awareness to students.
Domestic and international students from the English-speaking countries listed on the Academic Courses page, select your foreign language course from this list (a minimum of 3 credits).
All students should select two globally focused courses from the following list (minimum of six credits):
Before you dive right into a complex branding strategy, let’s go back to the basics and discuss what branding is. Branding is your company’s identity, both visually- in the design of your content, logos, products, etc.-and your reputation.
Once you have established the look and feel of your brand, as well as the reputation you aim to develop, you need to find ways to get your brand seen by your target audience. There are several mediums your business can utilize to do this such as:
Branding requires some serious thought and usually a team of experts. The product names and logos that are created as a result of this process are well thought out and have specific ideas and aims behind them. As branding experts from Alfred London point out, consistency is key to the way you present your brand to potential customers.
There is a very valid reason businesses invest time and money into developing brands and raising brand awareness. The primary benefit is that once they have successfully built brand awareness, they can boost the sale prices of their products and services.
When trying to establish your brand globally you must do your homework. Research your target market and audience thoroughly. Seek help from local branding agencies that are more familiar with your new customers to facilitate this process.
Now that you have determined your brand’s message, you must deliver it through the appropriate channels. Use the mediums that people are most accustomed to. For example, take out radio or podcast ads in a city where people have long commutes. Research what social media platforms your customers use and how they use them.
The critical thing you need to keep in mind during your branding process is that every negative customer experience can be magnified many times over. They can negate all the positive brand experiences you have so carefully crafted. The key to success in international brand awareness is maintaining a constant vigil.
Open discussion or writing activities about international news can help students exercise key critical thinking skills through a lens of empathy, global awareness, and openness to new perspectives. To expand students’ exposure to international stories and to engage in a variety of class discussions, educators may consider integrating current events into courses where they may less frequently be mentioned, such as science class.
Today’s students are growing up in an increasingly “small world,” or a more interconnected world, where technology allows for simpler, quicker, and accessible international connections between individuals and groups. As students enter into this global space as citizens, learners, and workers, they too will have the opportunity to communicate with, influence, and be influenced by people that live vastly different lives — culturally and geographically — than they do now.
The Global Math Project. This program brings global connections to a specific discipline. Another week-long global event for students and teachers, Global Math Week invites students to find joy in mathematics. Educators who sign up for the program will gain access to a special curriculum that walks students through a unique math story that intends to engage all students in math. To connect participating classrooms with other classrooms around the world, the program encourages sharing experiences throughout the week on social media. For more on Global Math Week, see:
Literature is perhaps the most obvious choice to widen students’ horizons. Ensuring that your classroom library is stocked with novels, picture books, and nonfiction that represent a vast array of perspectives from across the world can lay a strong foundation for global awareness among your students. When building your selection, you might consider the balance of ethnicity among characters as well as diversity of authorship. Seek out stories that foster empathy for characters, spark interest in a new culture, or share histories of places with which students may not otherwise be familiar. The limitations of literature as a means for global connections of course are the lack of interaction between students directly — but literature can serve as a starting point for conversations, questions, and other class projects.
Hosted by global nonprofit organization Kids for Peace, The Great Kindness Challenge is a week-long event where students commit acts of kindness in their schools and larger communities. In 2019, over 13 million students participated from over 24,000 schools across 110 countries.