Many of our schools suffer from a lack of Diversity; not so much in the ethnic or cultural make up of the classroom, but more so by a deficit in educating children about society on a global level. Children can travel the globe, learn about far away societies and culture without ever having to get on a plane. The school is ideally placed to bring a broader world perspective into the daily classroom under the guidance of the teacher.
Make school projects universal
School projects that require essay writing on a specific country can help provide a broader World View to the classroom.
While teaching Geography is important, children can get a lot of value in the process of researching and preparing projects on other countries. Other projects could involve children drawing the world, arts and crafts and a photography exhibition about a country they or a relative or friend have visited.
Human Rights and social justice
Teachers can Include topics like human rights, conflict resolution, diversity and social justice in regular learning activities. It is a great opportunity to introduce the class to international bodies like the United Nations and its role, and the meaning of human rights. You can draw parallels between the children in a different country and those in your classroom.
How does social justice in your homeland compared to social justice in another country? Encourage the class to see themselves as part of the solution to many of the problems associated with human rights and social justice issues.
Connecting with social media
A connected classroom is diverse classroom. There is little excuse for not reaching across the globe and connecting with the world.
Technology has given us the tools to reach out and touch someone worlds apart and all we need to do is encourage our students to do just that. The teacher can guide students to explore other worlds, peoples and cultures and in so doing create a classroom that is well connected and highlighting similarities rather than differences.
Good old show and tell
Show and tell is a classroom staple but why not bring a recent immigrant to meet and talk to students. Having a live person from a different part of the globe in the classroom who can take children on a magical ride across the world can be exciting and thought provoking. This exercise can be combined with a culinary sample of the country in question. When looking for someone from a different part of the world, check with your students first, you will be surprised that you won't have to look very far for a relative and friend who is only too willing to talk about their birth country.
Celebrate the holidays – all of them
By celebrating worldwide holidays in the classroom, you will be bringing the world closer to home.
Everyone loves a holiday and celebration, and children will enjoy learning about other countries in this fun way. As children celebrate holidays in the classroom setting, it becomes a new learning opportunity that gives them and a way to understand how and what people in other countries celebrate and why.
There are so many fun ways to bring the world closer to home. Learning about other countries and cultures gives children a new and fresh perspective on life. The experience broadens their minds and knowledge base and encourages tolerance and a better understanding of diversity. More importantly, by incorporating the global dimension in the daily curriculum, you will instill a sense of justice and fairness in a new generation.
