Worldwise Learning

Nautilus Gold Award Winner (Books for a Better World) in Social Sciences & Education Create inclusive, democratic classrooms that prepare knowledgeable, compassionate, and engaged global citizens. Today’s global challenges—climate change, food and water insecurity, social and economic inequality, and a global pandemic—demand that educators prepare students to become compassionate, critical thinkers who can explore alternative futures. Their own, others’, and the planet’s well-being depend on it. Worldwise Learning presents a "Pedagogy for People, Planet, and Prosperity" that supports K-8 educators in nurturing "Worldwise Learners": students who both deeply understand and purposefully act when learning about global challenges. Coupling theory with practice, this book builds educators’ understanding of how curriculum and meaningful interdisciplinary learning can be organized around local, global, and intercultural issues, and provides a detailed framework for making those issues come alive in the classroom. Richly illustrated, each innovative chapter asserts a transformational approach to teaching and learning following an original three-part inquiry cycle, and includes: Practical classroom strategies to implement Worldwise Learning at the lesson level, along with tips for scaffolding students’ thinking. Images of student work and vignettes of learning experiences that help educators visualize authentic Worldwise Learning moments. Stories that spotlight Worldwise Learning in action from diverse student, teacher, and organization perspectives. An exemplar unit plan that illustrates how the planning process links to and can support teaching and learning about global challenges. QR codes that link to additional lesson and unit plans, educational resources, videos of strategies, and interviews with educators and thought leaders on a companion website, where teachers can discuss topics and share ideas with each other. Worldwise Learning turns students into local and global citizens who feel genuine concern for the world around them, living their learning with intention and purpose. The time is now.

"Evidence that we live in an increasingly complex and interconnected world exists just inside our kitchens. Cabinets are filled with maple syrup from Canada, jalapenos from Mexico, and pasta from Italy. California tomatoes, Thai mangos, and New Zealand apples sit perched in a bowl on the countertop. In addition to this geographic diversity, a unique and intricate story exists for each food, conveying the numerous systems involved in its production. Due to this interconnectedness, the most challenging issues local and global communities face today have no single cause and no simple solution. Think about mass migration, climate change, and global pandemics. They are, in a word, complex. Understanding them deeply requires both a shift in thinking and a shift in behavior. It no longer works to say that, "A causes B" when we live in a networked world where social, economic and environmental factors intermingle So what does this have to do with education? Our students inherit current-day global challenges and need to be prepared for an uncertain future characterized by social, political, economic and environmental instability. They'll need to recognize how issues don't fit neatly within the artificial boundaries societies have made, such as city, state or national borders. They'll need to understand that systems only improve when solutions address root causes, not just symptoms. They'll need to view themselves as capable and competent in affecting positive, long-lasting change. And, as teachers, our job is to consider how we can help students to develop the thinking skills to understand global issues while forming the competencies to identify and enact solutions that bring about positive change"--

As world travel is growing exponentially, “alternative” travel has grown apace: from ecotourism, gap years, short-term mission trips, cultural travel-study tours, and foreign language study, to college-level study abroad, “voluntourism”, and international service-learning. This book is intended to help the new generation of ethical and educational travelers make the most of their international experience, and show them how to broaden their cultural horizons while also making a contribution to their host community.This book guides independent and purposeful learners considering destinations off the “beaten path” on connecting with a wider world. Whether traveling on their own, or as part of a group arranged by an educational institution, humanitarian organization, or congregation, this book will enable them to make their international encounter rewarding, authentic, enriching, and learning-oriented. This book draws on the author’s extensive travel and many years of guiding college students’ global learning. Richard Slimbach offers a comprehensive framework for pre-field preparation that includes, but goes beyond, discussions of packing lists and assorted “do’s and don’ts” to consider the ultimate purposes and practical learning strategies needed to enter deeply into a host culture. It also features an in-depth look at the post-sojourn process, helping the reader integrate the experiences and insights from the field into her or his studies and personal life. This book constitutes a vital road map for anyone intent on having their whole being—body, mind, and heart—stretched through the intercultural experience. Becoming World Wise offers an integrated approach to cross-cultural learning aimed at transforming our consciousness while also contributing to the flourishing of the communities that host us. While primarily intended for foreign study and service situations, the ideas are just as relevant to intercultural learning within domestic settings. In a “globalized” world, diverse cultures intermingle near and far, at home and abroad.

This volume offers an overview of the context of internationalisation in which plurilingualism becomes a strategic axis for universities and in which university language centres serve as the key instrument to implement this process. It focuses on three key areas in which language centres are working together with governments across Europe, namely: language policy and internationalisation; specific training for the university community; and language testing and accreditation. The contributors to this book are all policy makers, instructors or evaluators from university language centres involved in the internationalisation of their institutions through languages. They teach and evaluate not only ‘regular’ students, but students with very specific needs, such as lecturers delivering content courses in English, students in mobility programmes or administrative staff in contact with international students. The book also includes the presentation of the first national higher education language policy in Europe, developed by the Language Policy Commission of the Board of Rectors of Spanish Universities and endorsed by all public and private universities in Spain.

Learn how to infuse learning with deeper purpose, connectedness, and engagement, so students feel more empowered and less anxious about their futures. In Learning in the Age of Climate Disasters, author and award-winning teacher Maggie Favretti outlines the contexts and causes of "futurephobia" and then offers Regenerative Learning strategies rooted in nature’s principles for repair and redesign. She explains how tending the soil and cultivating the roots of (re)generative power (Love, Personhood, People, Place, Purpose, Process, Positivity) help us disrupt degenerative hierarchical fragmentation. She also explores methods for co-empowering youth creativity, agency, and hope. Chapters include interviews with and contributions by children and young people, as well as key takeaways (Seeds for Planting), and tools to help you implement the ideas. With this book’s thought-provoking concepts, you’ll be able to help students overcome eco-anxiety and find healing connection and meaning for more sustained, regenerative change.

An equitable, inclusive and practical application of culturally responsive teaching that transcends learning environments Educators in the 21st century are teaching diverse learners across a range of learning environments, while attending to critical issues related to equity, inclusion, and social justice. Now there’s a resource to help you merge the essential skills of embedding culturally responsive teaching practices into online and in person learning settings. Using the Dynamic Equitable Learning Environments (DELE) framework, you can build the knowledge, awareness, skills, and dispositions to pivot instruction to facilitate equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist learning experiences that transcend cultural, social, and linguistic backgrounds—no matter where, when, or how your students do their learning. Combining an interactive workspace with teacher preparation and professional development, this book provides an action planner and toolkit for embedding culturally responsive teaching into online and in person instruction. Other features include: Demonstrative, inspirational, and culturally responsive practical approaches for online and in person educational settings Self-reflection questions, anti-bias exercises, and critical-thinking activities that support equity-mindedness Culturally sustaining checklist templates Links to additional responsive online resources, readings, and culturally relevant media Action plan templates to work through in each chapter Additional Call to Action practices to pursue after completing the book When you commit to culturally responsive teaching, you want to build your own capacity to provide every learner, in every educational setting, the ability to connect with the curriculum in authentic and equitable ways. This book enables you to do just that by providing the pedagogical strategies to meaningfully engage all learners, especially in online settings, and ensure that your class is inclusive, decolonized, and takes into account the diverse lived experiences of all learners, their families, and communities.

Transform Learning by Teachers AND Students With Actionable Mentoring Moves Mentor relationships should focus on student growth and provide novice teachers with instructional support to truly make an impact on student learning. Amanda Brueggeman brings this focus to life in Student-Centered Mentoring by presenting mentorship strategies that can be applied effectively in any induction context, all through the prism of orienting mentor conversations around student learning outcomes. This new mentorship model is designed to improve teacher retention, support instructional development, and foster a culture of learning in schools. Mentors will learn how to develop a student-centered approach to mentoring, promote collective efficacy with mentees, engage in reflective coaching conversations with mentees, and prevent new teacher burnout using the following resources: Actionable strategies for mentoring using a student-centered lens Detailed anecdotes and examples from the field Comprehensive ancillary materials, including professional development support for starting a Student-Centered Mentoring program and online tools to help train and support mentors Transforming the traditional concept of mentorship into a clearer focus, this book can be adopted by any mentorship program or a sole mentor as a model for supporting novice teachers while enhancing student learning.

Build civil discourse with courage, understanding, belonging, and empathy. Discomfort lies at the heart of all learning, especially concerning discussions on difficult and complex topics like climate change, slavery, and police brutality. This book presents ways to help teachers become strong facilitators—not endorsers—of contentious conversations to promote community. There are four themes that arise when exploring civil discourse: courage, understanding, belonging, and empathy. This book is organized around these themes, with each chapter providing: How-to tips for bringing work beyond the classroom Checklists to guide progress and assess learning Exploration of different types of discourse and when to use each Steps for preparing a classroom for contentious conversations Activities to practice discourse and disagreement