Bridgewater’s GLOBE Program to Be Recognized With AACTE Best Practice Award
AACTE has chosen the College of Education and Allied Studies at Bridgewater State University (BSU) to receive the 2017 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives. The award will be presented at the 69th AACTE Annual Meeting Welcoming Session, Thursday, March 2, at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.
BSU will be honored for its Global Learning Opportunities for Bridgewater Educators (GLOBE) program, which sends teacher candidates overseas to participate in faculty-led service-learning, student teaching, and educator exchange programs. Participants are exposed to many international sites, such as Belize, Ecuador, England, Hong Kong, and Puerto Rico. (An overview of last year’s STEM-themed trip to Tbilisi, Georgia, includes video highlights and plans for this spring’s expanded visit.) BSU student teachers who choose international placements chronicle their experiences by contributing to their international student teaching blog, BSU Teaches.
For participating students, the GLOBE program targets learning outcomes aligned with the Association of American Colleges and Universities “Global Learning Value Rubric” including global self-awareness, perspective taking, cultural diversity, personal and social responsibility, understanding global systems, and applying knowledge to contemporary global contexts. An assessment plan connected to this rubric provides feedback to key stakeholders. In addition to traveling with and teaching participating students and advising partner countries on various aspects of education, BSU faculty have presented, published, and received awards for their work around global education. Support for the GLOBE program is evident throughout the institution, whose mission emphasizes diversity and global awareness.
“On behalf of President Fred Clark, Dean Lisa Battaglino, and myself, Bridgewater State University is honored to receive the prestigious AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives,” said Karim Ismaili, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at BSU. “As a regional public comprehensive university, we see global engagement as a high-impact educational practice that serves the entire campus, but which is a particularly important and vibrant element of our College of Education and Allied Studies. Students take part in study tours, teacher placement programs, and service projects around the world. These transformational experiences are embedded in the curriculum, ensuring sustainable and deep learning. The recognition from AACTE is a great vote of confidence for our efforts.”
Offered annually, AACTE’s Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives recognizes a member institution for exemplary practice in the intercultural, global, cross-cultural, and international arenas. It is sponsored by AACTE’s Committee on Global Diversity as part of its mission to assure that a global/international perspective is brought to policy and programs associated with the preparation of education professionals.
AACTE issued a press release today announcing all of its 2017 award winners. For more information on AACTE’s awards program, visit http://aacte.org/professional-development-and-events/awards. Applications for next year’s awards open in June.
Tags: Annual Meeting, diversity, global issues
