Global Education

Today I attended the Washington State Council for the Social Studies’ Legacies and Lessons Learned Conference. I found each presentation I sat in on to be very intriguing. However, the presentation I was most moved by was “Creating a Road Map for Global Education in Washington State.” This presentation was given by an organization called Global Washington, an organization dedicated to building a collaborative plan to incorporate global learning into Washington’s public schools. Presently, the opportunity for access to global education is quite varied depending on the resources available to children, families and schools, which is of no surprise. The presenter spoke of the need for, and importance of, improving access to a global education for every child here in Washington State.

I love the idea of striving for a more global education in our public schools. One of the most important ideas I took away from the presentation was that a global education, to me, highlights the study and practice of human connections, realizing that we are all connected and creating citizens who make decisions based on local and global considerations. There are a number of steps we can take now in an attempt to enrich and globalize our own teaching and curriculum including, striving to bring the world into the classroom through guest speakers who share their heritage or personal experiences, building community awareness, and enriching and fuel geography courses. According to Global Washington, 9/10 students want to know more about the rest of the world. Isn’t it time that we listen?