Interconnected WorldRecognizing that certain topics are multinational in scope, Primary Source seeks to offer professional development programs for teachers that transcend geographic borders. In the past, Interconnected World seminars have addressed themes such as economics, religion, and geographic explorations from an interdisciplinary perspective. Confronted with war, poverty, and diminishing natural resources, as well as advanced communication technologies, trade, and cultural exchange, citizens around the world find themselves inextricably linked to one another. Understanding such links is not necessarily a transparent process; it is important to explore the nature and particular impact of these connections. Primary Source provides teachers with the background needed to contextualize twenty-first-century multinational issues with their students, with the goal of creating more informed global citizens. Seminars 2011-2012A Greener World: Understanding Connections Between People and the Environment Three-Day Seminar Series How does the changing global environment affect the lives and livelihoods of people across the world? Drawing upon international case studies, this seminar series will build participants' understanding of human-environment connections in diverse geographic regions. We will explore questions such as: How do our consumption patterns and lifestyles affect societies and the natural environment worldwide? How has human activity shaped and altered the physical geography of our countries and communities? What are the social and political challenges of climate change? How has the environmental movement in the US evolved, and what different approaches to environmentalism exist? What does sustainability look like, and what can individuals and institutions – including K-12 schools – do to move towards achieving sustainability? Special features of the course include participant Green Teams that will explore and create resources for teaching about the environment, a scholar-led workshop on literature and the environment, and a workshop on planning school-based green initiatives. Open to all K-12 educators. World Beat: Exploring Cultures through Music and Dance Three-Day Seminar Series Music and dance are both local and global, reflecting aspects of particular cultures while connecting people across continents and the world. In these three sessions, a variety of West African, South Asian, and Brazilian music cultures will be explored. Teachers will become familiar with a selection of sounds, instruments, dances, playing styles, and ideas from these localities with the aim of enriching their teaching. The course will include demonstrations by musicians and group dancing. Workshops will highlight ways in which teachers can incorporate music and dance into their broader curriculum. Open to all K-12 educators. Reading Non-Fiction: A Global Approach to the Common Core One-Day Workshop How can we make non-fiction truly engaging for students? How can it help us to achieve the Common Core goals for social studies and the humanities while strengthening 21st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and global understanding? In this one-day overview, we'll consider the wide world of non-fiction genres that students won't just tolerate but enjoy. The morning will focus on strategies for reading comprehension with examples from a variety of global texts. In the afternoon, we'll use creative strategies for writing that help students read better and with more engagement and curiosity. Come prepared to be a non-fiction reader and writer yourself! Especially for educators in grades 6-12. Engaging Diverse Classrooms and Communities: Opportunities and Challenges One-Day Workshop Today's educators face increasingly diverse student and community populations. How can teachers, administrators, and other school staff meet associated challenges and discover accompanying opportunities? Drawing from round table discussions, case studies, and interactive simulations, participants in this one-day workshop will identify challenges they are facing. Then, drawing on a panel discussion with experts in cultural competency and interactive breakout workshops on classroom engagement and effective family involvement, participants will begin to hone the skills and understanding necessary to address these challenges and enhance classroom teaching and communication. Special attention will be paid to how educators can best utilize the diverse classroom's most valuable resources—the students and families themselves. Participants will leave this workshop with new classroom resources, curricular ideas and models, and skills and knowledge to better serve both students and families of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Open to all K-12 educators. The Common Core: Getting There Globally Webinar Series Fee: $15 each How can we best prepare students to develop Common Core skills for history and the humanities in a way that incorporates global content and perspectives? This series of webinars, led by Primary Source curriculum specialists, will introduce global resources and innovative pedagogical models that support Common Core standards and the mastery of vital 21st century skills for all grade levels. We will explore various methods for integrating social studies content and literacy to address these essential skills. Each webinar will feature grade-specific, global primary sources and present classroom-friendly strategies designed to help students analyze and evaluate a variety of complex nonfiction texts. Journeys Through History: A Global Book Group Late Afternoon Book Group Join us as we read and discuss real and fictional journeys set in the Caribbean, South Asia, East Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Sessions will include guest facilitators and ideas for classroom connections. Participants are responsible for bringing their own books to each meeting. Using Interactive Whiteboards in the Humanities Classroom Late Afternoon Workshop How can interactive whiteboards bring humanities lessons to life? This introductory workshop will model effective strategies for using these technologies across the curriculum, such as analyzing primary sources in new ways, creating games to enhance learning, and capturing lessons and discussion ideas. Participants will also explore new ways to use traditional teaching tools such as maps and imagery on an interactive whiteboard and leave the session with ideas ready for classroom implementation. Open to all K-12 educators. The registration deadline was Wednesday, September 28, 2011. Limited seats are still available in some programs. To register contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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Educating for Global Understanding
