of globalization” (p. 17). By connecting their learning to the world outside the school building, students can begin to envision themselves as change makers who can participate constructively, regardless of their age or capacity to travel. The more we get students thinking for themselves and pursuing sustained inquiry into topics of passion, the more likely they are to build their lives around such topics. Pedagogical and instructional approaches like project-based or problem-based learning, design thinking, understanding by design, and place-based education help students tap into their interests and make purposeful choices.
In addition to impacting student engagement—and creating the higher achievement that comes from improved engagement—global partnerships have the potential to develop a sense of purpose that researchers find improves emotional resilience, determination, and lifelong well-being (Damon, 2009). Psychologist William Damon’s (2009) work suggests that connecting students with purposeful experiences throughout their education will help build many related strengths, including increased resilience from a “dedication to something larger than ourselves” (p. 25), and the ability to make “a valued contribution to the world beyond the self” (p. 28). In that regard, a sense of purpose may well be the most important global competency we can develop in our students. Particularly as they begin to grapple with the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of life in the 21st century, a deep sense of purpose—fostered through their connections with real people and experiences—will help them feel empowered rather than helpless.
Global competencies are not about gathering data or proving that students think globally; global competencies are about students becoming people of good conscience who work with others around the world to create a more sustainably just and peaceful world. Our planet needs young people everywhere to become self-motivated global thinkers who care about all stakeholders’ priorities, meaning that they work in partnership to find innovative ways to improve the lives of all people involved in or impacted by the global issues we explore, feel connected to others through a sense of common humanity, are curious about what is distinct in our cultural experiences, and are eager to learn from and collaborate with others. As you begin envisioning the sort of global partnership experience you’d like to create for your students, and which pedagogical and instructional strategies you want to embrace, keep these lofty goals in mind—but remember that first steps can be small as long as you connect students with perspectives and experiences that are humanizing and authentic.
Arguably the most important element of global competency originates in the sense of purpose that making an authentic connection can develop in students.
CHAPTER 2
PREPARING FOR GLOBAL COLLABORATION
Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.
—Paulo Freire
Which aspects of your curriculum might improve with the kind of humanizing that comes from building connections and relationships? What kind of learning experience do you hope to build for students through your global partnership? What regions of the world connect to what your students are studying? How do you envision partnerships playing out in your day-to-day classroom work? What knowledge and skills do you hope your students will develop? This chapter will explore these considerations and more, and help you establish your partnership goals in concrete but flexible ways before you seek a partner.
It’s up to you whether to join an existing project for partnership, which we explore in chapter 4 (page 73), or whether you’d rather seek a partner and build something from scratch, which we explore in chapter 5 (page 93). Both are viable means of engaging, but building from scratch often requires more time. Some teachers develop a collaborative project idea first and then invite other classrooms to join in, welcoming anyone who likes their idea, while others start by finding a partner and then building the project idea together. (Chapter 5 helps you navigate asking a classroom to join yours.) You can work with one or multiple classrooms during your partnership, or you might prefer to connect your students with a few individuals. The key to building effective and sustainable international partnerships, according to Yong Zhao (2012), “is mutual benefits and understanding. Learning to discover mutual benefits and develop mutual understanding itself presents opportunities to develop global competency” (p. 228). I encourage you to consider this your central goal as you begin developing your partnership ideas: How might you craft a partnership that leads students to discover mutual benefits and develop mutual understanding? What mutual benefits and understanding will you need to develop with your partner teacher in order to get students there?
How might you craft a partnership that leads students to discover mutual benefits and develop mutual understanding?
Building a global partnership requires an incredible amount of resilience, flexibility, and patience, regardless of design. If you go in expecting high levels of success in the first year, your experiences may be disheartening. If you are concerned that you don’t have enough global competencies yourself and hold back from the elements that feel challenging, you may end up creating a superficial experience for your students. But if you can see yourself as a learner, can really embrace concepts like failing forward (because everyone fails, John C. Maxwell [2000] says what you do afterward determines whether you fail backward or forward), and are willing to be transparent with students as you hit the bumps, the partnership will be stronger in the long run—plus your students will have the important experience of learning with you more than from you (Freire, 2000).
Consider the following questions when contemplating the kind of partnership you would like to cultivate.
What Do I Want Students to Learn From Their Global Partnership?
The first serious consideration is the kind of learning experience you want to create for your students. If you consider the other classroom a true partner, and that’s the goal, you should find a teacher you would like to work with and then make most of your decisions with your partner. (Finding partners is discussed in detail in chapter 4 and chapter 5.) Serious equity issues can emerge if you overplan the project before your first call, as doing so can make you less receptive to your partner’s needs—and can even make you come across as dominating what should be a collaborative relationship. However, seeking a partner before clarifying some goals and hopes for the encounter can also be problematic. Even worse, failing to establish your readiness and needs, and then trying to coordinate your internal logistics after meeting your partner, can cause long delays in communication that can hurt your relationship with the other teacher.
It is important to ground your global partnership plans in significant learning goals that are fully relevant to your grade level and disciplines. The more you can ground your work in significant learning goals, particularly those that you can quantify through traditional assessments, the less resistance you will encounter from administrators, colleagues, parents, and students who might consider global learning “fluff” or see soft skills as less important than core content. William Kist (2014) notes that the necessary integration of technologies in global education exacerbates these misperceptions, as the use of new media often includes what Kist (2014) calls “the entertainment factor,” and new technologies are often perceived as detracting from the “seriousness of school” and putting fun over rigorous learning (p. 62).
