Regarding specific ways schools can implement global aspects into curriculum and activities, Lehigh University offers a global citizenship certificate program where undergraduate students can travel abroad twice and experience international cultures. A 2006 workshop at Lehigh University examined global education and provided examples of colleges and universities that are providing their students with adequate multicultural, global education. These examples, although they are meant for college-aged students, can be translated to secondary education to provide middle and high school students with global experiences.
One example of a multicultural program is Foreign Language Across the Curriculum (FLAC), in which non-foreign language classes are taught in a foreign language. This is a relatively expensive program because teachers must be fluent in a foreign language, as well as have adequate knowledge in the subject they are teaching. This narrows the pool for potential teachers, so additional training should be provided for teachers that are fluent in a foreign language to be able to teach other subjects. It is important for faculty to feel supported in their multicultural endeavors.
Another program at Duke University uses international Teaching Assistants to expose students to different cultures and languages. These TAs have a different perspective in certain subjects, specifically Social Studies (like history and politics), so they provide students with new outlooks on subjects. Duke also offers “sandwich” courses, where students study abroad for a short period of time in the middle of the semester (White & Stegura, 2006).
It is important to note that one does not have to leave the country to experience globalism and multiculturalism. One university program called Lives of Commitment brought students together before their first year classes began. These students went on a retreat where they worked with new immigrants in an urban environment. They remained in contact with these immigrants for their four remaining years at the university and aided in teaching their immigrants English as a Second Language (White & Stegura, 2006). This program could be used in secondary education as well. Most American communities have experience with immigrants, so classes could take field trips into their community to learn about these people and interact with them. Some students may even be recent immigrants. Schools could set up mentors for students learning English as a Second Language, in which English-speaking students partnered with non-English-speaking students to speak in both languages and learn more about each other’s cultures.
The University of Minnesota offers the Foreign Language Immersion Program (FLIP), which simulates the study abroad experience by offering yearlong, immersion-like foreign language classes. Kalamazoo College invites international staff to work on campus for short periods of time to bring diversity to the college; they also serve international dishes in the cafeteria (White & Stegura, 2006).
This report describes how to globalize student learning and focuses mostly on cultural immersion or learning foreign languages. Through this cultural or language immersion, students will learn cultural customs and better identify with others practices and ideals. Through something as simple as serving international dishes in the cafeteria, student interest may spark and they may seek out to learn more about other cultures.
One example of a multicultural program is Foreign Language Across the Curriculum (FLAC), in which non-foreign language classes are taught in a foreign language. This is a relatively expensive program because teachers must be fluent in a foreign language, as well as have adequate knowledge in the subject they are teaching. This narrows the pool for potential teachers, so additional training should be provided for teachers that are fluent in a foreign language to be able to teach other subjects. It is important for faculty to feel supported in their multicultural endeavors.
Another program at Duke University uses international Teaching Assistants to expose students to different cultures and languages. These TAs have a different perspective in certain subjects, specifically Social Studies (like history and politics), so they provide students with new outlooks on subjects. Duke also offers “sandwich” courses, where students study abroad for a short period of time in the middle of the semester (White & Stegura, 2006).
It is important to note that one does not have to leave the country to experience globalism and multiculturalism. One university program called Lives of Commitment brought students together before their first year classes began. These students went on a retreat where they worked with new immigrants in an urban environment. They remained in contact with these immigrants for their four remaining years at the university and aided in teaching their immigrants English as a Second Language (White & Stegura, 2006). This program could be used in secondary education as well. Most American communities have experience with immigrants, so classes could take field trips into their community to learn about these people and interact with them. Some students may even be recent immigrants. Schools could set up mentors for students learning English as a Second Language, in which English-speaking students partnered with non-English-speaking students to speak in both languages and learn more about each other’s cultures.
The University of Minnesota offers the Foreign Language Immersion Program (FLIP), which simulates the study abroad experience by offering yearlong, immersion-like foreign language classes. Kalamazoo College invites international staff to work on campus for short periods of time to bring diversity to the college; they also serve international dishes in the cafeteria (White & Stegura, 2006).
This report describes how to globalize student learning and focuses mostly on cultural immersion or learning foreign languages. Through this cultural or language immersion, students will learn cultural customs and better identify with others practices and ideals. Through something as simple as serving international dishes in the cafeteria, student interest may spark and they may seek out to learn more about other cultures.
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