P-12 Teachers Across Indiana Bring Global, Science Expertise to The Classroom Thanks to IU
Science continues to advance as the global economy rapidly changes, and P-12 students must acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the careers of tomorrow. It’s up to educators to make sure they are sharing the most up-to-date information with these students in an engaging way. As a premier research institution, Indiana University offers high-quality professional development opportunities to teachers across the state to help them prepare students for the future.
The P-12 School Engagement team consists of faculty from the Office of Community Engagement in the School of Education at IU Bloomington. The team works with partners across IU to offer professional development training in global competency, medicine, and environmental science, giving teachers the resources they need to prepare students for success.
Imparting Global Employability Skills
Indiana’s economy is becoming more globally connected, with over 1,050 companies with origins in 40 countries operating in the state. In 2023, Indiana exports were valued at $56.1 billion, making it the 9th largest state exporter in the country. As a result, there is a growing demand for a Hoosier workforce that can work effectively across cultures and international markets.
Vesna Dimitrieska, director of Global Education Initiatives, partnered with the Center for the Study of Global Change to meet the needs of educators.
“Many people think you have to leave the country to have an international perspective, but you can be globally competent without having to travel,” Dimitrieska said.
“Our priorities include internationalization at home. There are students in rural and urban classrooms who don’t have the opportunity to go overseas. However, they can still be ready to participate in a global economy because teachers can bring the world to them.”
The Global Literacy Invitation Project introduces a teaching strategy of open-ended investigation that extends cross-cultural book themes into other areas and subjects, including technology, science, math, music, and art. In June, elementary-level educators spent a week in Bloomington learning the approach and formulating lesson plans. In November, they will convene virtually to discuss implementation and feedback.
“Trainings like the Global Literacy Invitation Project are so important to me as they support my desire to teach global issues within the classroom,” said Angela Antrim, a third-grade teacher at University Elementary in Bloomington.
“One of my goals is to infuse values of empathy, open-mindedness, and kindness in my students, and learning about other cultures around the world does just that!”
Once finalized, the teacher-constructed lesson plans are available online to share with peers.
View global literacy lesson plans.
As students go on to high school, careers, and technical education, teachers prepare them for high-skill, high-wage careers in specialized industries such as aviation, health sciences, construction, information technology, and more. Many of those industries are intricately connected to the global economy.
Eli Konwest, director of the Center for the Study of Global Change, oversees the center’s P-12 programming. This summer, the Career Readiness in a Global Economy Workshop provided global competency training to vocational teachers. The workshop was also sponsored by the IU Center for International Business Education and Research, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and Digital Promise, an educational nonprofit.
“Career readiness begins with robust educational preparation,” Konwest said. “Infusing global perspectives into all levels of learning is vital to ensuring the competitiveness of the Hoosier workforce.”
“We may be landlocked, but we are connected to the world through exports and foreign investment. Whatever the student’s goal may be, at some point in their career they will engage with the global economy, especially if they remain in the state.”
The June workshop was held on Ivy Tech’s campus in Valparaiso. Heather Singmaster, director of Career and Technical Education at Digital Promise, and Audra Peterson, director of Porter County Career and Technical Education led 41 vocational teachers in the process of internationalizing curriculum.
Read the full release on Indiana University’s website.
Tags: global issues, innovation, teacher quality
