Professional Development

NEA Foundation Preps Global Learning Fellows

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 02/02/15

The NEA Foundation has partnered with Berlitz to help prepare 33 educators chosen to be Global Learning Fellows for a trip to Peru.

"The NEA Foundation's Global Learning Fellowship equips educators with the knowledge, skills and disposition to bring an international perspective to their students, associations and districts," according to a news release. "Through robust professional development opportunities, collaboration with outstanding educators across the globe, an international field study, and sharing newly-created global curricula, teaching and learning is transformed in their classrooms, empowering their students as global citizens."

Over the course of the year-long fellowship, participants will:

• Complete online coursework focused on integrating global content into core curriculum;
• Gain familiarity with an online resource guide and webinar featuring country specific concepts;
• Complete introductory language learning;
• Participate in a two-day professional development workshop in Washington, DC; and
• Work on an international field study focused on global competence, practice and policy of education and economics.

Upon completion, each fellow will have created at least four lesson or unit plans featuring global competency skills, which will then be uploaded and shared at betterlesson.com for use by other educators.

To prepare the fellows for their trip, Berlitz will provide language learning software and conduct a workshop focused "on ways to recognize communication styles and differences, identify how culture influences behavior and provide strategies for success when traveling abroad," according to a news release.

"To thrive as global citizens, today's students need to be taught how to investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas and take action," said Harriet Sanford, president and CEO of the NEA Foundation, in a prepared statement. "In order to be taught these new global skills, teachers must be supported with comprehensive professional learning focused on authentically integrating these skills into classroom instruction. Language is the road map to other cultures and is therefore an important tool for building global understanding. We are delighted that we can provide our Fellows with online language learning, thanks to our partnership with Berlitz U.S."