Worldwise Learning: A Teacher's Guide to Shaping a Just, Sustainable Future

"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"--
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.