This course will focus on exploring the global competence that students need to thrive in today’s increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. It will focus on creating learning environments and opportunities that value the world as the broadest context for learning, ensuring that students are exposed to real world questions and concerns both within and beyond their local contexts. There will be consideration of ways that teachers can foster students’ awareness of and engagement with global issues, develop open-mindedness to the perspectives of others and encourage reflection on their role as active and engaged global citizens. There will also be discussion of how language acquisition and multilingualism can provide particularly rich opportunities for the development of intercultural understanding and of an appreciation of different languages, cultures, and worldviews.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

By the end of this program,

1. Articulate a clear conceptual understanding of global competence in order to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate one’s own instruction and instructional programs that intentionally integrates issues of global significance in classroom learning.
2. Demonstrate the disposition and capacity to understand and act on issues of global significance as well as the attributes of global competence (core concepts, values and attitudes, skills, and behaviors) to find ways to foster them in students to become globally competent by nourishing critical thinking, and expanding their understanding of the world around them.
3. Examines how language acquisition and multilingualism can provide rich opportunities for the development of intercultural understanding and utilize students’ different worldviews as assets in classroom learning.
4. Examine the purposes and quality indicators of assessment (a range of informal and formal assessments) as they relate to living and learning globally, and how to use results to plan instruction.
5. Demonstrate the ability to plan and provide instruction that systematically integrates language and content/culture based on the evaluation of student’s language proficiency and social or academic needs by designing an instructional unit that reflects the needs of students in the selected setting.

Course Schedule and Topics

This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week.

Week 1: Unit 1 – Overview of the Concepts and Practices of Global Competence, Including Sociocultural Issues and Diversity 

Week 2: Unit 2 – Global Competence Framework and Implications for Curriculum and Instruction

Week 3: Unit 3 – Inquiry into the Global World: Global Issues, Critical Questions, and Social Justice

Week 4: Unit 4 – Issues of Global Competence Assessment, Advocacy and Life-Long Learning

Week 5: Unit 5 – Cultural and Linguistice Diversity, Accomodation and Support

Week 6: Unit 6 – Issues of Identity and Belonging in a Global Community and Implications for Educating CLD Learners in Our Schools

Week 7: Unit 7 – Innovations in Schools: What are the Elements of a Globally – Oriented School or Classroom?

Week 8: Unit 8 – Teachers as Reflective Learners, Educational Leaders, Decision Makers and Change Agents

Learning Guide

The following is an outline of how this course will be conducted, with suggested best practices for students.  The Learning Guides for all units open on the first day of class.  Please review all Learning Guides to access the readings, review assignments, etc.

Unit 1 – Overview of the Concepts and Practices of Global Competence, Including Sociocultural Issues and Diversity 

• Introduce yourself in the Course Forum
• Read through the Course Syllabus
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Complete the Sustainability Module (located in the LRC)
• Take the Sustainability Student Experience Survey
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post in, comment on, and rate the Discussion Forum)
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Complete the Reflective Portfolio Assignment

Unit 2 – Global Competence Framework and Implications for Curriculum and Instruction

• Peer assess Unit 1 Written Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Complete the Reflective Portfolio Assignment

Unit 3 – Inquiry into the Global World: Global Issues, Critical Questions, and Social Justice

• Peer assess Unit 2 Written Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Begin and participate in the Group Activity (Due Unit 6)
• Complete the Reflective Portfolio Assignment

Unit 4 – Issues of Global Competence Assessment, Advocacy and Life-Long Learning

• Peer assess Unit 3 Written Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Continue to participate in the Group Activity (Due Unit 6)
• Complete the Reflective Portfolio Assignment

Unit 5 – Cultural and Linguistice Diversity, Accomodation and Support

• Peer assess Unit 4 Written Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Continue to participate in the Group Activity (Due Unit 6)
• Complete the Reflective Portfolio Assignment

Unit 6 – Issues of Identity and Belonging in a Global Community and Implications for Educating CLD Learners in Our Schools

• Peer assess Unit 5 Written Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Post or submit finalized Group Activity
• Complete the Reflective Portfolio Assignment

Unit 7 – Innovations in Schools: What are the Elements of a Globally – Oriented School or Classroom?

• Peer assess Unit 6 Written Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Complete the Reflective Portfolio Assignment
• Take the Sustainability Student Experience Post Survey

Unit 8 – Teachers as Reflective Learners, Educational Leaders, Decision Makers and Change Agents

• Peer assess Unit 7 Written Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Take the Sustainability Student Experience Post Survey
• Complete and submit the anonymous Course Evaluation