|
II. Mentor Teacher and Student Classroom Participation in Global Curricular
Collaborations: How can it be done?
A. Mentor Teachers as Professional Educators
Start with a focus on Teachers as Professional Educators.
Have a professional development project director who understands
integration of international education in the classroom and has
the qualities to provide the following:
1. Mentor teachers in recognizing their own strengths, hopes and
capabilities for generating powerful learning experiences through a
global community of teachers and students:
2. Mentor teachers in identifying international education goals that
are important for their students and schools; mentor teachersí
integration of those goals with existing content area curricular goals
as a starting point for implementing global learning collaborations
3. Mentor teachers in aligning their current curricular focus and
international education goals with ongoing iEARN curricular projects
by:
1) identifying current curricular lessons and student work that
could be shared with other schools around the
world; and
2) identifying
current student work that can be the basis for building global learning
collaborations
4. Mentor teachers in using email, iEARN web-based forums, video and
video-conferencing to build online colleague relationshipsand
generate a global teaching community with iEARN project coordinators
and teachers around the world who have similar/same curricular
focus/goals
5. Mentor teachers in taking the iEARN online Professional Development
courses to for further in-dept hexpertiseg in using interactive
Internet collaboration tools and building classroom curriculathrough
online collaboration with an international network of teachers,
students, and resources
6. Demonstrate iEARN curricular project-based classroom lessons which
are custom designed to support the international
education/curricular content focus and goals identified by each teacher
7. Plan and co-teach iEARN project-based lessons with teachers in
their classrooms honoring their expertise of knowing their
students, their classroom and school culture, their curricula, their
grade level, school, district and state educational goals, and their
pedagogical framework for teaching and learning
8. Mentor teachers in using the framework of Teaching for Understanding
with Technology (Wiske, Rennebohm Franz & Breit, Jossey-Bass, 2005)
as a research-based curricular design tool that integrates technology
and international education into classroom teaching and learning
9. Provide opportunities and support for teachers to attend the iEARN
International Teachers conference and beginning involvement in iEARN
projects as preparation for the conference including initial iEARN
project experiences and introductory communicatino with iEARN teacher
worldwide.
Rationales:
1. Integration Rather Than Add-ons
Rather than bringing a scripted international education curriculum into
the classroom - which a teacher must study and then implement as
an add-on to an all-ready full curricula - the C3 World model provides
opportunity for teachers to begin building international education
components in education within and across their existing classroom
curriculum and goals. This helps teachers understand how integration of
international collaborative projects can begin with what they are
currently teaching in their classrooms. It is a process of
mentoring teachers and students to recognize what they are working on
now and what they already know can make valued contributions in the
global community of iEARN. Building from their current classroom
context is an effective and efficient way to immediately bring their
classrooms into global communities of successful student
learning. Teachers are not needing to develop and implement a new
curriculum in order for students to have international education
experiences; studentsí begin global collaborations by taking what they
already know to a global audience of peers. From this entry
point, teachers and students can begin to build global collaborations
that extend their existing curricula and open up new understandings of
their world today in ways not previously imagined possible.
Examples: First Place School
|
|
The entry point of international
education in the classroom for C3 World Teacher, Irene Hrab, First
Place School, Seattle, Washington, was having her students write-up
their social studies project on family memories of treasured childhood
possessions and share their stories online in the iEARN Kindred
Project. She describes how this iEARN Social Studies
project strengthened and integrated existing curricula:
ìBefore this project [C3
World Professional Development and participation in the iEARN Kindred
Project], my teaching was very segmented ñ as Social Studies, English,
Math. One of the problems I always had was I was very torn ñ I wanted
to teach social studies but I had to teach English and math. What this
project did was completely turn it [the overall curricula] around. Now
the curricula is much more integrated. I have no problem teaching
social studies because thereís an English component ñ now itís just all
together.î Irene reported that her students worked
harder on their writing than ever before because they knew they were
excited to share their real stories with real global peers.
|
2. Customize to the Classroom: One Size Doesnít Fit All
The C3 World model of professional development honors the diversities
and commonalities within classroom communities of students and teachers
including what they know and what they hope to do. The he C3 World
model recognizes that each classroom has a distinct composition of
students with diversity of students cultures, academic development,
challenges, strengths, and needs as well as commonalities. Each
student brings his/her background and life experiences into the
classroom. Each teacher brings his/her own culture, strengths,
perspectives, experiences, pedagogical purposes, academic goals for
students and professional development teacher wish list to his/her
endeavors as an educator.
International education begins by recognizing and understanding
the diversities and commonalities of students and teachers in each
classroom. Each classroomís entry point and initial participation
in international education collaborations is defined by who they are,
what they are currently doing with their curriculum, and the what the
teacher identifies as important learning goals. The process of
building international education collaborations is built on
understanding the unique diversities of each teacher and the students
plus the commonalities they share within their classroom community and
with school classrooms worldwide.
Examples: John Muir Elementary School
|
|
C3
World Teacher, Marjorie Lamarre, John Muir Elementary School, Seattle,
Washington identifies her entry point purpose for starting
international collaborations within her culturally diverse
classroom:
ìMy students donít know about other cultures, other countriesÖ while
they have different cultures [in the classroom] they stay within their
own cultures. I want them to view themselves as global citizens
and not make such separation as ìmeî and ìthemî but ìusî. IEARN
gives me the chance to bring my students to that level and make them
global citizens.î
|
3. Tapping the Passions and Purposes for Teaching
A crucial component of success in integrating international education
into classroom teaching is to mentor teachers in articulating a) why
they think it is important to do so and b) what they hope their
students will learn. In addressing these two questions, teachers
discover they are getting back in touch with why they wanted to be
teachers in the first place: a) teaching what is important in the lives
of both students and adults, including the critical need to better
understand todayís world; and b) extending their students world beyond
what they know at present, stretching their minds and providing
educational experiences that make a difference not only in their own
lives, but in the lives of others, beyond themselves.
Example: Stevenson Elementary School
|
|
C3 World Teacher, Paula Fraser, Stevenson
Elementary, Bellevue, Washington, explains how international
collaborations connect with and extend important classroom lessons:
ìWe have a saying in our classroom ëPeople cause problems ñ People
solve problemsí which I think is a way to think of having hope in the
worldÖour young people need hope in the future and that they can use
their thinking and creativity to come up with solutions to
problems. Weíre doing that in our classroom but we needed to go
beyond our classroom and learn how other people think in the world and
reason and feel in the worldÖto know what are the attributes that are
necessary to be a world citizen and to help my students assume some of
those attributes.î
|
4. Recognizing the Role of Human Relationships in Education
A crucial component of successfully integrating international education
into classroom curricula, is mentoring teachers in building their
relationships with teachers worldwide, both online and
face-to-face. They, in turn, then mentor building human
relationships among students globally. Technologies of email,
interactive websites (i.e the iEARN forums), video documents and
videoconferencing provide opportunities for teachers and students to
meet and collaborate with one another across distance and time in ways
not previously possible.
A common quality of excellent teachers is they value human
relationships. Teachersí energy and commitment to integrating
international education into their classroom is markedly enhanced when
they realize it is possible not only to have online colleagues who
share their vision, goals, challenges and passions for teaching but
also realize the opportunity to meet one another in person at the
annual iEARN Teachersí Conference. Their commitment grows
immensely when they realize it is not just about the technology tools,
curricular topics, places in the world, but that is about relationships
and valued friendships with people - with teachers and students.
It is important to build teachersí understandings that many things are
possible in education once the doors of friendship and collaboration
begin. By providing opportunities to build friendships globally with
teachers and students, they understand that using technology tools in
the classroom to connect with the world is not about the ìtech
toolsî ñ itís about the people. They discover that the human
relationships that they value as important within their local school
community, hold the same importance, value and significance globally!
In addition, teachers discover that given the opportunity to share
their global teaching experiences with teaching colleagues in their own
buildings and in schools nearby, they are able to build an even
stronger local community of human relationships ñ a community that was
based on the common experiences of taking their classrooms to the world
and bringing the world to their classrooms.
Examples: John Hay Elementary School
|
|
C3 World Spanish Teacher, Jennifer Geist, John Hay
Elementary School Seattle Washington, identifies how the opportunity
for international education with technology connects to her
understanding that learning languages means learning about people:
ìIím a language teacher. IEARN is about communication and languages are
about communication. What I am trying to teach my students is not
just to learn a language but understand that language is an expression
of who we areÖthat other people in other parts of the world use
languages that express who they are, what their essence is. By
adding technologyÖthe iEARN project opens a window and gives my
students a chance to use language in a real way. They are
communicating with Argentina in the language of the people of Argentina
ñ itís real, itís authentic and thatís hard to come by in language
teaching. ì
|
C3 World
Teachers Seminar
|
| |
Teachers in King
Country,
Washington, USA Gather for
a C3 World Project Seminar
Teachers
in the C3 World Project said that opportunities to learn with teachers
from other schools in the area and build friendships locally at the C3
World seminars were a critically important component of professional
development. They identified the human relationships within the
C3 project as a key component to success in internationalizing their
classrooms. |
B. Classroom Global Learning Demonstration Lessons
Demonstrate whole class global learning lesson with each teacherís
students to introduce the students to iEARN. Offer examples of
the technologies used in the network and how they can use technologies
to learn with global peers. Mentor students in realizing how they
can share their own cultures, schoolwork, and knowledge of their local
community with others around the world through iEARN curricular
projects. Show examples of student work in iEARN curricular
projects.
Rationale: Because teaching global education using new
technologies is a new domain of education for teachers, they greatly
appreciated the opportunity to observe lessons on how iEARN is
introduced to their students. They see first hand how engaged and
enthusiastic their students are with the invitation to use technology
to connect with global peers. They hear and see their students
having ideas about what they can share and learn as they participate in
this global education environment. It is the student energy and
capability for involvement that provides confirming incentive for
teachers to integrate iEARN curricular global learning projects into
the classroom.
Examples:
C3 World Project Director International Education Demonstration Lessons
|
|
| |
iEARN Global Art Project whole class
demonstration lesson on presenting and discussing artwork and writing
from students in Croatia on the topic ìA Sense of Caringî | iEARN Global Art Project small group
demonstration lesson that integrates literacy reading/writing with
visual arts as children present and discuss the artwork they are
sending to an iEARN school in Russia. |
C. Co-Teach iEARN Global Project Classroom Lessons
Initiate co-teaching of specific iEARN curricular project lessons in
the classroom including mentoring of student involvement in global
learning experiences. Demonstrate and mentor uses the technologies and
building collaboration with school tech support to implement project
work. Mentor teachers and students in: a) generating their
own curricular documents to share online, viewin; b) responding to
postings of global peers, and 3) assessing their students'
project work.
Rationale:
By co-teaching, teachers have the opportunity to see lessons modeled
while also actively teaching. The co-teaching brings together the
teacherís knowledge of the curricular content and well-established
rapport with his/her students with the professional development
mentorís expertise in the dynamics and process of global teaching and
learning with technology. It is not realistic to expect teachers to
move from being introduced to whatís possible into designing, planning
and implementing international education projects into curricula
without a significant enduring period of guided and supported classroom
practice.
This process is supported by the research and theory of
Teaching for Understanding (TfU) with Technology (Wiske, Rennebohm
Franz & Breit, Jossey-Bass 2005). To build understandings of
integrating international education into classroom curricular, teachers
need not only introductory experiences but guided inquiry on how to do
it. This results in culminating performances that sustains global
curricular projects as an enduring component of classroom teaching and
learning.
Examples:
|
|
| | C3 World Teacher, Rosa Guerrero at Loyal
Heights Elementary School and Project Director, Kristi Rennebohm
Franz Co-Teach an iEARN Global Art Project lesson. | C3 World Teacher, Jennifer Geist and C3
World Project Director, Kristi Rennebohm Franz plan co-teaching for
Global Art Project |
D. Develop Ongoing Global Projects Curriculum Design In Alignment with Education
Standards
Mentor teachers in aligning global curricular projects with grade
level, district and state standards to achieve student success.
Mentor teachersí implementation of classroom-based ongoing
assessments to measure student performance.
Rationale: In todayís classroom, every teaching and learning
moment is important. Teachers know what students need to
accomplish. By mentoring teachers in aligning global curricular
projects with the high standards and expectations for student learning,
they can recognize how these global learning opportunities can be
designed to address what students need to learn and provide
opportunities that invite that learning to happen.
Examples:
|
|
|
| |
C3 World Teacher, Karma Sawka at Kimball Elementary
School in Seattle, Washington, integrated the iEARN Global Art Project
with reading lessons. She used the envelope of artwork that
arrived from Novosibirsk to teach a lesson on phonetic reading
strategies. |
C3 World Teacher, Paula Fraser integrates
iEARN Heroes Project and Building Bridges of Understanding Project in
the Middle East with Washington State Social Studies Classroom- Based
Assessments and Standards at Stevenson Elementary School. |
C3 World Teacher, Rosa Guerrero integrates iEARN
Global Art Project email messages into Kindergarten and First
Grade Reading & Writing Curriculum at Loyal Heights Elementary
School |
E. Participation at iEARN International Education Teachersí Conference
Mentor teachers in their participation at the annual iEARN International Teachers conference to:
- present their professional development experiences and how that is changing their education practice;
- meet global teaching peers face-to-face with whom they previously have only met online;
- meet many additional teachers from around the world to learn from
their experiences and with whom they can plan ongoing international
education project collaborations, and
- understand from first-hand- experience the tremendous value in having
human relationships with teachers globally and how those relationships
transform understandings of the world today in powerful ways that
translate into transforming learning experiences for students in the
classroom.
C3 World Teachers from Washington State Meet Teachers from the Middle
East at the iEARN International teachers Conference in Kosice, Slovakia
July, 2004
Rationale:
Through professional development that introduces teachers to the iEARN
worldwide community, they can build global curricular collaborations
through online communication with schools around the world. New
technologies make these connections possible. However, nothing
replaces the opportunity for teachers to meet face-to-face at the iEARN
International Teachersí Conference All of the teachers from the C3
World project that attended the 2004 iEARN Teachersí Conference in
Kosice, Slovakia, said the conference experience powerfully moved
forward their understanding of iEARN and global collaborations among
schools. The opportunities to build friendships with so many
teachers from so many places in the world deepened their understanding
of connecting their classrooms with the world. The human relationships
they each established while at the conference provided the basis for
building ongoing and enduring international collaborations into their
school curricula.
Examples:
1. In Kosice, Slovakia, C3 World teachers presented iEARN Comfort
Quilts to iEARN-Iran Teachers for children who lost their families and
homes in the Bam, Iran earthquake.
|
|
| | Teachers from iRAN accept comfort quilts from Loyal Heights Elementary School C3 World teacher, Joanna Choi. | C3 World teacher, Katherine Law, presents a
comfort quilt made by her students at Orca Elementary in Seattle to
teachers from Iran. |
2.
In Kosice, C3 World Teachers Attend Presentations by iEARN Country
Coordinators, attend iEARN teacher/student workshops to learn about
projects, and participate in cultural events.
|
|
| |
C3 teachers meet teachers from Middle East at the iEARN International Conference in Kosice, Slovakia July, 2004 |
C3 teachers with Betty Burgos iEARn leader of Suriname |
3.
Washington State Teachers give iEARN conference workshop on the C3
World International Education Teacher Professional Development Project
|
|
C3 World
Project Director, Kristi Rennebohm Franz, introduces the C3 World Model
of International Education Teacher Professional Development: Story of
how Washington State teachers integrate international education into
classroom teaching and learning with iEARN Curricular Projects
1. Professional development focuses on building local collaborative community with iEARN project mentoring in the classroom
a. What Global Collaborations are possible?
b. How do we do global collaborations in our classrooms that make a difference in student learning?
c. How do we sustain global collaborations to continue making a difference for students?
2. Using Teaching for Understanding with Technology framework for iEARN curricular projects
3. Focusing on connecting international education integration with school, district and state education standards and goals
|
|
