Summer Institute for Global Educators

 

The free online Summer Institute for Global Educators, with the support of the National Resource Center Program of the U.S. Department of Education, will allow in-service and pre-service secondary educators in all subject areas to develop courses and lesson plans with enhanced global and regional studies content. Educators from Title I and Title III schools are especially encouraged to apply. Online synchronous and asynchronous sessions will include the use of film and media, simulations, games, and technology to enhance global learning and teaching. Pitt College in High School (CHS) teachers will have the opportunity to meet with CHS staff on foregrounding global issues while meeting University and district requirements. Participating Pennsylvania teachers can apply for Act 48 credits.

Format: Virtual only
July 22-26, 2024

Global conflicts, climate change, and unequal development challenge both societal and personal resilience by causing displacement, restricting resources, and counteracting efforts for a renewable world. Whether in urban or rural areas, people across the world grapple with creating sustainable livelihoods, ecosystems, social infrastructures, and economies. If resilience can be defined as the competence to reduce precarity during a crisis and build a more thriving society after, how can we best encourage students to learn about and become agents for global resilience? 

The 2024 Summer Institute offers a free, week-long professional development opportunity for K-12 educators, combining joint sessions with self-selected tracks that balance interactive activities with time for individual research while prioritizing support for the design of high-quality curricular materials. All sessions will be held virtually.

Tracks Offered:

1. "Building Resilience in the Classroom”
   Acknowledging the various challenges that educators and their students face today, this track will introduce content and strategies to empower participants with helpful tools to better engage and help their students. From understanding the “new normal” of remote instruction and learning, to existential threats to society such as climate change, to the rapidly changing EdTech landscape with the recent acceleration of AI tools, sessions will focus on growth mindset strategies, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, and help to develop a global perspective on mental health and well-being.
2. Interdisciplinary Global Educators Working Group (IGE)
   Educators will work collaboratively to draw on the expertise of colleagues at their schools and will model collaborative learning for their students by producing a deliverable in the form of a globalized unit, lesson, or module. These deliverables will provide their students with the opportunity to examine political, economic, social, cultural, ecological, etc., aspects of inequality from multiple lenses. Examples of proposed group projects could include Science and French language teachers teaming up to offer a lesson on global warming in the Francophone world; or Art, English, and Social Studies teachers collaboratively developing a unit on responses to the global refugee crisis in art and literature. Educators participating in this track will be provided with the time, space, and material support to (re)design an interdisciplinary, global unit, lesson or module. All educators will receive a stipend and a mini grant for their team to purchase curricular materials to teach the new/redesigned unit/lesson/module.
3. “Teaching Global Conflicts”
   This track fosters an understanding of conflicts and peace-building through education. Sessions will illustrate the critical role of education in addressing and mitigating global conflicts, with a specific emphasis on the unique challenges and opportunities presented by conflicts across various world regions.  Educators will delve into strategies for promoting peace, understanding, and reconciliation through educational initiatives. Educators will be empowered to effectively navigate sensitive topics, engage students in meaningful discussions, and cultivate a generation of global citizens committed to peace-building in societies and beyond. 

To Apply

Apply here. Application deadline: January 7, 2024. Notifications will be sent out by April 19, 2024.

Eligibility Requirements

The 2024 Summer Institute is funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s National Resource Center program and prioritizes teacher training for pre-service or in-service educators in the United States. Applications from teachers active abroad will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Schedule & Terms of Participation

The 2024 Summer Institute for Global Educators will offer daily synchronous sessions from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm ET and asynchronous sessions in the afternoon with readings, assignments, and time for collaboration with colleagues and curriculum development.  Accepted participants who meet the requirements listed below, are eligible to receive a stipend of $300 to facilitate the implementation of the knowledge acquired during the Summer Institute into the curricula. This program is free for all participants. Act 48 credits will be offered to PA educators.

By accepting participation in the Institute, participants will agree to:

• attend and complete all required synchronous and asynchronous activities;
• develop a final project (unit plan);
• present the outline on the last day of the Summer Institute, Friday, July 26, 2024;
• submit your final project by no later than Monday, August 10, 2024;
• complete two online surveys to reflect on your participation in the Summer Institute (immediately after the completion of the Institute) and the ways in which your students and instruction have benefited from your participation (approx. 6 months after).