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Top Ten Tips to Develop Global Perspectives
1. Work within the community to identify learning opportunities.
- Find out about opportunities for students to learn about the political process and their role in it.
- Seek out organizations or groups focused on global education that can give presentations to the student body.
- Obtain posters, leaflets or materials to use when talking to students about global literacy.
2. Encourage students to put themselves in other people's shoes.
- Ask students to picture themselves in certain situations and think about how they might feel.
- Have students think about kids in other countries and consider what basic needs we all have in common.
- Discuss with students some of the challenges kids in other countries face, and consider how they compare to challenges students face in their own lives.
3. Teach students how to appropriately handle conflicts.
- Role play ways to effectively diffuse tense situations.
- Discuss how we recognize the difference between right and wrong.
- Work with students to develop good decision-making skills.
- Discuss with students how international conflicts develop and some of the intricacies of conflict resolution.
4. Engage students in a discussion about where the products they use come from.
- Have students look at labels on the clothes they are wearing, or look at the items they use in the classroom, to find out where they were made. Talk about how far those items traveled to reach students.
- Teach students about the raw materials used to make the products they use. Emphasize the importance of natural resources and their role in our daily lives.
- Consider establishing a vegetable garden at school to help students learn about where the food they eat comes from.
5. Expose students to different cultures.
- Learn about holidays in other countries and celebrate a few throughout the year.
- Look into partnering with a school in another country and connecting students so they can learn about each other's culture.
- Have students research how traditions and values impact peoples' lives in other countries.
- Encourage students to appreciate their cultural differences and talk about how our differences make us unique and special.
6. Teach students about their role as members of the school and their community.
- Include students in discussions about school policy, or engage students in discussions about how to solve problems that are affecting the school community.
- Encourage students to join after-school clubs or get involved in school activities or student government.
- Educate students about their role as citizens of their community. Try to organize volunteer opportunities where students can give back.
- Teach students about local government structure and set up a mock voting booth or organize a voting day.
7. Educate students about sustainable development
- Educate students about the difference between a need and a want. Consider simulating a survival game so students can learn firsthand about needs and how social organization works.
- Talk about interdependence between countries in a historical context and the impact one country and its actions can have on another.
- Consider playing a trading game where students learn how international trade works.
- Discuss humans' impact on the environment and the importance of adopting sustainable practices.
8. Introduce students to the concept of human rights
- Have students consider what their rights and responsibilities are as children, and consider how those relate to the rights and responsibilities of their parents.
- Have students study the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations.
- Have students invent a new country and consider what laws they would impose and what rights they would provide their citizens.
- Introduce students to the Bill of Rights and discuss its importance.
- Explain to students how the United Nations works and consider establishing a Model UN team.
9. Educate students about their connection to the natural environment
- Provide students with a 'green hour' every day.
- Educate students about how ecosystems work and what can impact them.
- Take students on fieldtrips to national parks or other natural areas.
- Teach students about the history of conservation in the United States.
- Help students understand how the actions we take as individuals and members of our community impact our environment.
10. Communicate global literacy initiatives regularly to staff, children and parents
- Decorate bulletin boards and set up displays to highlight a variety of cultures.
- Use colorful stickers, posters and signs as reminders for students to appreciate each other's differences and treat each other with respect.
- Regularly announce global literacy initiatives in school assemblies, staff meetings, newsletters and on the school website.