Spring - National Peace Corps Association

Global
Education
News
In Cooperation with ASCD Spring 2013
Why I Support NPCA: Your commitment
to supporting Global Educators
“We will never forget the role that NPCA played in bringing us together!”
When Audrey Scherer signed up for the National Peace Corps Association’s
(NPCA) educator trip to Ghana in 2004, she never envisioned where that would take
her. Yes, she got the homestays, school visits and cultural immersion she wanted.
She was able to bring booklets that her students in Baltimore had made about their
communities and school. She was able to share those with another middle school
classroom in Akosombo, then bring stories and photos back to her students. She
was even able to set up an exchange between her classroom and that same middle
school classroom.
But what came before and next are better told in her words, an inspiring demonstration
of why she supports NPCA.
“From lesson plan ideas to a range of professional development opportunities,
NPCA offers a depth of resources on global education you can’t find anywhere
else. It is truly the premier professional network for teachers interested in global
education, thanks to the tireless efforts of NPCA’s staff, interns, and dedicated
volunteers.
“On a personal note, many RPCVs have their Peace Corps experience to thank
for introducing them to their future spouses. I never served in the Peace Corps, but
I can say I have my NPCA experience to thank for introducing me to my husband.
We met on a Global TeachNet trip to Ghana in 2004. Both of us were middle school
teachers at the time, and we started a partnership between our classes in Ghana
and the United States. Now, 8 years later, we are married and have a 1-year-old
daughter.
“Personally and professionally, NPCA
has had a lasting impact on me. Thank
you for your leadership, your advocacy,
and your commitment to supporting
global educators!”
And thank you to you, Audrey, for
making a financial commitment in support
of NPCA’s work in Global Education!
Please join Audrey in supporting
NPCA Global Education. To learn more
and to make a contribution, visit www.peacecorpsconnect.org/contact-us/contributing/
Thank you for your support!
In This Issue:
9-12 Corner:Diversity and Discrimination 2
Mixing travel and teaching in Morocco 3
Teaching Change in Nepal 4
A Bit of Life in Lesotho: Tupa Trouble 6
Assisting Students in Cameroon 7
A Study of IB Teachers in 43 Nations 8
Next issue will feature books
for summer reading.
Please share your
suggestions with us.
Thanks for Your Support
At NPCA, our First Goal is the Third
Goal of the Peace Corps: bringing the world
back home. Through our Global Education
program, we support educators in classrooms
and communities around the globe
working to infuse global perspectives and
foster a greater understanding of the world
in which we live.
With special thanks to the supporters
listed below, who donated between
January 1 and December 31, 2012, we
provided more opportunities for learning
and engagement, more resources
and lesson plans. We welcome donations
at any time through our secure
website at www.peacecorpsconnect.
org/contact-us/contributing/
Thank you!
Anne E. Baker
John H. Baker
Jane Carol Bohn
Robert B. Chatfield
Billie Ann Day
Skylar Gingrich
Jill R. Goldesberry
Joan E. and John L. Grant
Lee R. Hougen
Gwyn S. Mason
Leila and Imran Meghji
Marie E. Nestingen
Susan Marie Neyer
Richard Perrine
Donald J. Putrimas
Heather Ryerson
Jennifer Richard
Jensy Richards
Michele Tagliati
Audrey Scherer Tetteh
Marlene Elizabeth Thacker
Angene and Jack Wilson
In-kind Donors:
Susan Marie Neyer
Angene Wilson

9-12 Corner: Diversity and Discrimination
By Angene Wilson
Anyone reading this newsletter probably agrees that the diversity of our nation and our world is a positive thing, but also realizes
that discrimination occurs both in our country and around the world. The spring issue of WorldView magazine takes diversity as its
theme. The articles offer an opportunity for teachers to engage students in learning about diversity and discrimination from a global
perspective.
I remember more than 25 years ago when I volunteered with an American youth exchange organization some American host families
were surprised, even shocked, to discover that a German exchange student was black – had Ethiopian-German parents – and that a Dutch
exchange student was brown – had Indonesian-Dutch parents. Of course, citizens of other countries have stereotypes of Americans as
well. “You cannot be American,” a Chinese-American Peace Corps volunteer was told in Morocco. Serving while black in El Salvador
was not easy for a Peace Corps volunteer. Navigating race in Benin was not easy for another African-American volunteer. An Indian-
American volunteer was mistaken for a possible Pakistani spy in Ukraine. And how do gay volunteers deal with their identity overseas
These are the topics of articles in the spring 2013 WorldView Magazine.
The following lesson idea may fit in an English class in which writing a personal essay is a goal. A possibility in social studies,
perhaps a psychology class, would be to use all the WorldView articles in the special section on diversity as resources.
Objective:
After reading the WorldView essay
by Ravi Shah, write a two-page essay
about an experience in which you or
someone you know was discriminated
against. Include the outcome of and
reflections about the experience.
Materials:
WorldView article “Skin Deep” by
Ravi Shah
Procedure:
Ask students to read Ravi Shah’s
essay. In discussion of the essay, ask
questions such as:
• What is the challenge that is the
focus of Ravi’s letter from the Peace
Corps
• How does Ravi begin to assuage his
concerns
• What are his other worries as a
Californian moving to Ukraine
• How did his Ukrainian host family
make him feel welcome
• What was his bad experience in the
capital city of Kiev
• What was the prejudice of his new
host family at what was to be his
permanent site
• What was the happy ending
• How and why might Ravi’s story
have turned out differently
Also discuss how Ravi puts together his
essay to keep the reader interested as he
describes the two instances of prejudice
because of the color of his skin and the
condition of his skin. Finally, ask students
to write their own essay.
Reminder to English
Teachers:
You will find wonderful essays and
stories and lesson plans at peacecorps.
gov in the publications Voices from the
Field and Uncommon Journeys, available
in pdf form. For example, the last
of 11 essays in Uncommon Journeys is
“Mr. John and the Day of Knowledge”
about the first day of teaching English
in Ukraine. Both publications aim to
broaden students’ perspectives and
inspire students to respond to the texts
and create original narratives. Among
my favorite essays in Voices from the
Field – and I have even used these with
undergraduate and graduate students
-- are “Magic Pablo,” “Cross-Cultural
Dialogue,” and “A Single Lucid Moment.”
HREA Distance Learning Programme: Upcoming e-learning courses
This a reminder about HREA’s e-learning courses offered in early 2013. These e-learning courses are generally six weeks in duration
and involve approximately 30 hours of reading, interaction with participants and instructor(s) on discussion boards, webinars, quizzes
and other assignments. Discounted tuition rates apply if you register and pay 4 or 8 weeks befor the course start. The following courses
will be offered in April-May 2013:
Gender-based Violence (3 April-14 May 2013)
NEW! - La Programmation axée sur des droits de
l’enfant (3 avril-18 juin 2013)
Monitoring Children’s Rights (3 April-18 June
2013)
Forced Migration (10 April-21 May 2013)
NEW! - Health and Human Rights (10 April-21
May 2013)
Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender
Identity (10 April-21 May 2013)
NEW! - Monitoring & Evaluation in the NGO
Sector (10 April-21 May 2013)
Project Development and Management in the
NGO Sector (10 April-4 June 2013)
- Human Rights Advocacy (10 April-25 June
2013)
- Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Humanitarian
Law (17 April-28 May 2013)
- Genocide: What Role for International Law
(17 April-28 May 2013)
- Human Trafficking and Smuggling (17 April-28
May 2013)
NEW! - Monitoring Women’s Rights (17 April-28
May 2013)
For further information about each course please click on the course link above. Please note that we no longer have registration
deadlines. Instead we offer early registration discounts up to 25% of the full tuition rate.
For an overview of all courses, please visit www.hrea.org/courses.
2 Global Education News, Spring 2013 www.peacecorpsconnect.org

Mixing travel and teaching in Morocco by Amy Cohen
In October I was part of a group of educators from St
Louis, Missouri that travelled to Morocco to participate in
a unique professional development opportunity. Through
Maryville University’s certification program in Global Awareness
and Civic Education (GACE) I was partnered with a
school in Casablanca, Morocco. The GACE program helped
me incorporate 21 st century skills and cross cultural collaboration
to improve student learning.
I was one of the first American teachers allowed to teach
in Moroccan schools and it was quite an experience. We were
greeted with media and were given grand receptions at each
of the six schools we visited. In some ways, it reminded me
of teaching while in the Peace Corps; crowded classes with
little resources yet the students were eager to learn from
very dedicated teachers. Though students seemed to know
a lot about American culture, they had a range of questions
for us; everything from, “Is college expensive” to “What
is Prom like” to “Why isn’t Arabic taught in our schools”
Our delegation also met with Ministry of Education officials
as well as staff from the US Embassy. I taught a lesson on endangered
animals to students at Charif Al Idrissi high school
in an English language class.
Upon returning to Parkway West high school, my zoology
classes designed advertisements on endangered animals and
then wrote letters to government officials asking for their support
on conservation laws. The classes from two continents
used various forms of technology to communicate with each
other to get a better understanding of global issues and their
role as citizens. When I asked my students what they liked
about the project one student responded, “It enables you to
be more aware of what’s happening outside the US.” Another
commented, “It’s an incredibly neat opportunity to be able to
communicate with people from the other side of the world; to
see how they perceive Americans and to learn their culture.”
My goal is to develop an ongoing partnership where both
students and teachers can use democratic citizenship as the
basis for preparing globally educated students for the 21st
century.
This Prezi summarizes my teaching in Morocco as well
as my student’s work in St. Louis:
http://prezi.com/lui89reibftq/gace-program/auth_key=
dbda27c784ccfc3d5e4a630d1726d3b9b121a48e&utm_
source=em0shvwpr&utm_campaign=gro&utm_
medium=email&
amp;rc=ex0shvwpr
This video showcases the professional work we did in
Morocco as well as some of the history and culture we experienced
while travelling around the country:
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=EbP5ikt5cU8
Amy Cohen with her partner teacher
Saida Adnane
Moroccan students learning
about endangered animals
Reception at Charif Al Idrissi high school
www.peacecorpsconnect.org
Global Education News, Spring 2013
3

Teaching Change in Nepal: Nepal Teacher Training Innovations (NTTI)
By Ashley Hager
I first came to Nepal in 2008 as a volunteer
teacher trainer for a local NGO
and, though I had prepared myself for
the poverty and daily inconveniences
of life in Nepal, including water shortages,
12- 16 hour power outages, pollution
and traffic congestion, I was not
prepared for the situation in Nepal’s
classrooms. Even in the majority of
private English-medium schools, 40+
students are crammed on to densely
packed benches in dark, dank classrooms.
Teachers typically read their
lessons verbatim from text books and
call on students to stand and repeat
facts from the text. A majority of teachers
believe that fear is the most effective
way to motivate students, so physical
punishment and public humiliation are
prevalent in Nepal’s classrooms. Even
if students learn to read and write, they
do not learn how to question what they
learn or how to problem solve, leaving
them unprepared for the challenges and
opportunities they face in their own
lives, or for the kind of leadership their
country needs as it transitions from a
monarchy to a democracy.
I arrived in Nepal during a period
of optimism. The Maoist insurgency
had ended and the monarchy had been
replaced with a newly elected constituent
assembly (CA) charged with writing
a constitution for the world’s newest
republic. Everyone was talking about
“Naya (new) Nepal” and everything
seemed possible. Four years later the
CA has been dissolved, Nepal still does
not have a constitution, corruption has
skyrocketed, and Nepal is considered at
risk of becoming “a failed state.”
One theory for why democracy has
failed to thrive is that Nepal’s people do
not know how to participate effectively
in the democratic process. When I asked
a group of teachers about the solutions
they would propose to solve some of
Nepal’s most intransigent problems,
the responses I got were: “That’s the
government’s problem“ and “Nepal
needs more foreign aid.” A legacy of
monarchy and a rigid caste system have
made Nepalese dependent on authority
and fatalistic about the role they can
play in forging their country’s future.
I founded Nepal Teacher Training
Innovations (NTTI) to encourage greater
levels of critical and creative thinking
and problem solving in Nepal’s classrooms—skills
students need to fulfill
their own potential and skills required
of a new generation of enlightened leaders
capable of making fading hopes for
Naya Nepal a reality. NTTI trains teachers
to use inquiry-based techniques to
encourage deeper thinking, as opposed
to memorization, and to create nurturing,
dynamic, and interactive learning
environments where students feel safe
enough to express their ideas and grow
intellectually.
Since 2010, NTTI has trained more
than 1000 teachers from some of the most
remote and under resourced parts of the
country. Because each teacher typically
works with 80 students over the year,
our program has reached more than
80,000 students. Preliminary analysis of
pre and post-training classroom observation
data reveals that NTTI-trained
teachers improve by 61 % as a direct result
of their participation in NTTI trainings.
NTTI-trained teachers’ classrooms
are lively, interactive hubs for learning
where children, and especially girls, are
eagerly raising their hands and asking
questions that demonstrate new levels
of curiosity and innovative thinking.
Here is what one student said about her
NTTI-trained teacher:
Since my teacher went to this training,
my classes have been more interesting.
Before, my teachers used to lecture all the
time and it was hard to give
all my attention. Now my
teacher asks us to say what
we think and she let us
work with partners.
Also, my teacher
stopped beating us when
we make a mistake. This is
good for me because I was
very scared of the stick so I
never raised my hand. I am
coming to school every day
now and I am understanding
the work better. *Rita
Shrestha, Grade 4
The NTTI training model is unique
in Nepal in that the emphasis is on
teaching methodology rather than
content. Nepali teachers are typically
knowledgeable about their subject matter
but often unable to effectively
communicate what they know to their
students or to assess whether students
understand what has been taught. NTTI
teaches teachers how to present information
in multiple modalities (auditory,
visual, and tactile/kinesthetic), to ask
open ended questions to encourage
critical thinking, to facilitate collaborative
learning opportunities, to focus on
practical application of newly learned
skills, and to motivate students using
positive encouragement rather than the
stick.
NTTI is also the only teacher training
model in Nepal to provide intensive
post-training follow-up teacher support.
Master Trainers conduct demonstration
classes at school sites to give teachers
an opportunity to observe how to
implement best teaching strategies in
an actual classroom context and every
NTTI-trained teacher is observed in the
classroom and participates in an individual
feedback session with an NTTI
Master Trainer. 96 percent of the teachers
we work with say this is the first time
they have been observed and received
feedback on their practice. They tell
us that this follow up support is what
gives them the confidence to use what
they learn from the training in their own
classrooms.
See Teaching Change, page 5
4 Global Education News, Spring 2013 www.peacecorpsconnect.org

Teaching Change, cont. from page 4
NTTI also builds local capacity by
training Mentor Teachers who provide
on-going support to teachers at their
school sites and who serve as sources
of inspiration to their colleagues. Principals
tell us that the Mentor Teachers
create a new momentum for positive
change at their schools as teachers,
who previously were not open to being
observed, are requesting feedback from
Mentor Teachers and expressing an
interest in becoming Mentor Teachers
themselves.
NTTI has a particular emphasis on
female empowerment and motivating
girls to stay in school, as only 20% of
girls in rural public schools graduate
from high school. We provide Girls’ Sensitivity
Trainings to make teachers more
aware of the unique needs of female students.
For example, because village girls
told us they often skip school while they
are menstruating because of the lack of
privacy, NTTI works with another local
NGO to install locks on bathroom doors
in schools.
Because we work in communities
with especially high rates of attrition,
child marriage and trafficking of girls,
NTTI conducts Girls’ Empowerment
Workshops to raise the awareness of
village girls about health, safety, and
the importance of staying in school.
Thanks to a generous grant from Dining
for Women (DfW), NTTI will be
offering empowerment workshops to
more than 400 girls annually. NTTI
trainings are proving an effective forum
for female teachers to prove themselves
the intellectual equals of their male colleagues
and providing opportunities
for talented female teachers to become
Mentor Teachers and Master Trainers,
who serve as role models for girls and
agents of change in their schools and
communities.
“My experience as an NTTI trainer
has opened up my world and given me
confidence I never imagined I would have,
especially in dealing with male teachers.”
*Sumati Shakya, NTTI Master Trainer
If you would like to learn more
about NTTI, please visit our website
www.nepaltti.org and if you would like
to help us move our mission forward,
please contact Ashley Hager, NTTI Project
Director, at a.hager@nepaltti.org
Food Tank, Heifer, Oxfam, RESULTS, Why Hunger and World
Savvy Join KIDS to Form an Alliance
By Jane and Larry Levine
This year marks the 19 th year of the Kids
Can Make A Difference® (KIDS) program and
the third year of our association with iEARN.
Since its inception as a program of Why-
Hunger, KIDS has enjoyed steady growth
and maturity. Upon becoming a program of
iEARN, the reach of KIDS has grown both in
the United States and worldwide through the
Finding Solutions to Hunger Project (FSH).
We feel that the time has come for teachers
and students to use the KIDS Teacher guide,
Finding Solutions To Hunger, as a launching
pad into a wider association with the leading
nonprofit hunger and poverty organizations.
As FSH is structured presently, teachers and
students develop their own projects demonstrating
what they have learned and putting
that knowledge to work to help alleviate the scourge of hunger and poverty in their
community and world. While we feel that the present approach is good, there is an
enhancement that is beneficial for the students and educators involved in FSH.
We believe that we need to enlist the experts in the field of hunger and poverty
to become involved in helping educators understand that there are ways for
them to join ongoing projects that go beyond what the teacher guide offers. We
understand the time restraints that teachers currently face and feel that having a
ready-made menu of projects available to them is a logical next step for KIDS and
FSH.
We took our concept to six of the leading hunger and poverty organizations;
Food Tank, Heifer, Oxfam, RESULTS, WhyHunger and World Savvy and invited
them to join us as the Founding Members of this alliance. We are delighted that
all of them enthusiastically embraced the initiative and now are an integral part
of the project. Our plan is to enlarge the number of organizations participating in
this alliance as we move forward.
With their support and blessing, we are happy to unveil a new addition to
the KIDS website called Suggested Actions. Each of the Founding Members has
a “personal page” that describes ongoing projects that are available for students
and teachers to use as extensions of their classroom work. These projects offer a
diversity of ways that students can follow to make a difference in their community
and world. They also will have the opportunity to dialog with the various experts
in the field. These suggested actions will be updated as the need arises and reflect
the most current initiatives undertaken by the alliance members.
If you want to learn more or about becoming part of the Suggested Actions
initiative and/or are interested in become active in FSH, please contact Larry at
g. We welcome all who want to become part of the
solution. All who join will receive a free download version of the KIDS 255 page
Teacher Guide.
Jane Finn Levine EdD and Larry Levine are Co-founders and Directors of Kids Can
Make A Difference® and may be contacted at kids@kidscanmakeadifference.org.
www.peacecorpsconnect.org
Global Education News, Spring 2013
5

A Bit of Life in Lesotho: Tupa Trouble
By Zoé Schroeder, Current Education PCV in Lesotho (2012-14) zoeschroeder@gmail.com
As I wait for school to start (originally
opening on Jan. 14 th and now
Jan. 28 th ), I am encountering the many
“ups and downs” that Peace Corps has
prepared me for. This has to do with
the 3 month time period when you first
arrive at site and you might experience
loneliness, missing home, too much
attention from your community, not
enough attention from your community
and daily frustrations at mundane tasks
that suddenly become difficult. For your
reading pleasure, I will break down one
of my daily frustrations.
Enter ‘tupa’. It is not a person, but
one heck of an annoying piece of wood.
That is right. Piece. Of. Wood. Here’s the
scene: My community relies on a well to
get all of their water. It is located close
to my house so I consider myself lucky.
But, of course, it is broken. There is a
part missing that applies pressure when
you pump so that water is pushed up.
It broke off about 2 years ago (or so my
neighbors tell me) and has never been
fixed. Therefore, the people of Tabola
have replaced it with a large piece of
wood that you place beneath the lever so
that it can apply the necessary pressure.
Everyone calls it “tupa” of “the stick” in
Sesotho.
Up until about a week ago, the
tupa and I had no problems. I pumped
my water and carried it home like a
good Masotho. Yet, one day I arrived
and discovered no tupa. No tupa, no
water. I stared blankly at the pump for
a couple minutes and I am sure people
were watching and laughing, as they
always do. I eventually made my way
to the nearest house to ask where it was,
and saw another tupa on the ground. In
broken Sesotho, some English and a lot
of hand gestures, I got the impression
that most people have their own tupa.
She let me borrow hers and I successfully
pumped my water for the day. I
was suddenly worried about where I
was going to find my own tupa. You
might say “find the nearest tree,” but
that would not be helpful because I
cannot see a single tree in my site for
miles.
Luckily, my host family has their
own tupa which they usually leave at
the pump for others to use if need be.
But as of late, the tupa has been used
too much and has worn out. The wood
has smoothened out so that it does not
grip the lever well and slips easily. Also,
there is less water now that we are in
mid-summer so you have to pump a lot
harder and faster than usual. After about
10 minutes of heavy pumping, putting
the tupa back 30 times already and I
have yet to see a trickle of water fill my
20 liter bucket, I am ready to throw the
tupa into the bush in South Africa.
Although I struggle with the tupa to
this day, this story has a happy ending.
I get so angry at the pump I have to tell
myself to calm down. I knew I would
not have the modern conveniences here
that I am used to in the US. So why be
mad The past 3 or 4 times I have been at
the pump, something truly remarkable
has happened. Someone has come out
to help me. The other day, it was a boy
who could not have been much older
than 8. While I am ready to burst into
tears at the situation, my neighbors take
on the tupa with such patience. When
it falls, they calmly put it back. They
might laugh at me and my crazy American
ways every day, but they see me as
part of their community. The fact that I
actually go to the tap myself and pump
my own water is a sign that I really am
serious about living here, with them. So
they help me out just like they would
help out anyone in Tabola. It is a very
generous act and I am always touched
when it happens. I can only hope that
after my Peace Corps service I will have
the patience of an African.
Photo taken by Zoé Schroeder on Jan 14 th
2013 in Tabola, Lesotho.
iEARN International Conference
The 20th Annual iEARN International
Conference and 17th Annual
Youth Summit 2013 will be held in Doha,
Qatar from July 1st to July 6th, 2013.
All global educators are welcome!
We invite you to join hundreds
of educators, students, administrators
and partner organizations who come together
annually from 50-70 countries at
the iEARN Conference and Youth Summit
to share how they are using technology
to build global understanding and
enhance teaching and learning! Make
global connections, share best practices
in online collaborative project-based
learning. Have a project to share
Theme of Conference
The theme of the conference will
focus on the use of technologies in education
to reach out, learn and build a
better world together. The conference
will cover topics such as environment,
cultural diversity and the use of Information
and Communication Technologies
in the classroom. Educators and
students will be able to attend plenary
sessions, deliver or attend a variety
of workshops to further develop their
knowledge and skills, share experiences,
discover innovative ways to use ICTs,
and connect with their peers across the
world.
ROTA & iEARN-Qatar
Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) is the
official representative of the iEARN program
in Qatar. iEARN-Qatar provides
opportunities for students and teachers
to collaborate through the network with
other iEARN communities around the
world. Educators have the opportunity
to join the ROTA Knowledge Network
and benefit from professional development
to further develop their professional
skills and implement meaningful
online projects supporting their teaching.
Since its launch in 2008, the program
has reached 99 schools, 411 teachers
have been trained and 1,442 students
have actively participated in projects.
Register at: http://www.iearn2013.
org/
6 Global Education News, Spring 2013 www.peacecorpsconnect.org

Assisting Students in Cameroon with Education
By Pavla Zakova-Laney, RPCV Cameroon 1996-1999
Ever since I was a young teenager
growing up in the former Czechoslovakia
(now Czech Republic), I have
wanted to help others. After I moved to
the United States and met a Peace Corps
volunteer who was going to Mauritania
in 1989, I became very interested in joining
the Peace Corps. However, at that
time I could hardly speak or understand
English and I was far from being an
American citizen. I had left Czechoslovakia
in 1986. I was ready in 1994 when
I finished classes at Wellesley College as
a Davis Scholar and was sworn in as an
American citizen on July 21 st . It was then
that I applied to join the Peace Corps and
was accepted.
I was invited to serve as a science
teacher in Cameroon. I never thought
I could teach because I used to be extremely
shy and thought I was stupid
and ugly. My heart sank, but then I realized
that unless I tried I would never
know if I could do it and maybe I would
enjoy it. I loved it!
I taught biology at a secondary
school in the Northwest Region of Cameroon
from 1996 to 1999. I found out
that many students did not have even
very basic things such as pens, pencils,
exercise books, textbooks, money for
school fees, uniforms, shoes and other
essentials, so I began to personally assist
them as much as possible. I soon
realized that I could not take care of the
many needs of hundreds of eager and
grateful students.
There was no science laboratory or
equipment for teaching biology, no water
or electricity, so I took many students
on excursions. First to a waterfall, about
25 minutes from school, then to a tea
factory and tea plantations in a neighboring
village, a beautiful Lake Oku,
Bamendjing reservoir and, during my
last year, I took my class of 34 students
all the way down to the Atlantic Ocean,
Limbe botanical garden, Wildlife Center,
an oil refinery and of course to Douala,
the largest seaport in Cameroon. It was
at the time when the Mount Cameroon
was erupting. My students were so
happy and it made me very happy,
too.
I d i d n o t
want to leave
the students but
my husband had
been waiting
for me for three
years (I had met
him during my
internship in Oregon
in 1995 and
we were married
in 1998 in Tatum,
Cameroon), so I
joined him in Albany,
Oregon in
November 1999.
He suggested
that I should
start a nonprofit
group so that we could continue to assist
more students. That was all I could think
of after I returned from Cameroon.
I went back in May 2000 with 18
boxes of various donations and in September
we finally got our Tax exempt
status. Now Educare-Africa is a 501 (c) (3)
charitable nonprofit organization dedicated
to improving living and learning
conditions of students in Cameroon. I
am a full-time volunteer president and
executive director working from our
home. Once a year I travel to Cameroon
to assist the students and schools
personally.
Anyone interested could check out
the blog for more information, photographs
and video clips from my annual
trips: http://educareafrica.blogspot.
com/ .
I am looking for another volunteer
who is interested in working with me
in whatever way he/she could so that
we could assist more outstanding needy
students. If you feel inspired, please,
email me at: pavlazl@comcast.net .
Pavla Zakova-Laney.
www.peacecorpsconnect.org
Global Education News, Spring 2013
7

Developing Global Citizens: A Study of IB Teachers in
43 Nations by Merry M. Merryfield, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University, merryfield.1@osu.edu
How do teachers prepare their
students to be citizens of the world
Recently I worked with the International
Baccalaureate (IB) in The Hague to examine
what teachers in the IB Diploma
Programme (secondary school level)
are doing day to day to effect such outcomes.
Through online focus groups,
I and my research assistants—Tami
Augustine, Jason Harshman, Carolyn
Kaplan, and Melinda McClimans—led a
series of two week long threaded discussions
in English and Spanish with 126
IB teachers.
The online discussions addressed
these questions: What does it mean to
be a global citizen What are you doing
day to day to prepare your students to
think and act as citizens of the world
Below are some of the overall findings
and then I focus on one element that the
teachers identified as foundational but
rarely discussed in the global education
literature.
Findings
Analysis of the 14,000 plus postings
during the discussions revealed many
themes and issues that are found in the
global education literature. For example,
there was agreement among most of the
teachers that they:
1. provide their students with personal
cross-cultural and cross-national
experiences with people of other
cultures (through literature, work
with local immigrants, migrants or
refugees, online connections, and
travel);
2. model and promote values of respect,
empathy and caring for those
different from oneself;
3. teach and have students practice
skills in listening, inquiry, evaluation,
analysis of conflicting points
of view, and reflection;
4. select content that is international
in scope and provides opportunities
to develop understanding of global
interconnectedness, global issues
and perspective consciousness;
5. demonstrate how international
mindedness deepens students’ understanding
of their own culture,
history and current issues facing
their community and nation.
However, the major finding that
emerged in both quantity and quality
of discussion is one that is rarely mentioned
in the global education literature.
Open-mindedness was the primary
attribute that most of the teachers—no
matter from what country— described
as fundamental in developing globally
knowledgeable and engaged students.
Open-Mindedness
The teachers perceive the development
of open-mindedness as a complex
process that is both foundational (needs
to be sequenced from Pre-K on up) and
central unifying skill across the curriculum.
According to the teachers, it is
critical in literature and culture learning
and in learning about global issues
and world events. It is foundational
in developing habits of the mind such
as the ability to empathize, anticipate
complexity, overcome stereotypes and
recognize one’s own interconnectedness
with people, global issues and global
change.
The teachers used many phrases to
capture the centrality of open-mindedness
in their teaching. It was described
as the cornerstone of learning about
the world and its peoples because it
allows students to think beyond their
own cultural norms and consider the
perspectives and experiences of people
different from themselves, a process that
is critical to understanding the world.
Open-mindedness was identified as the
major building block, a central skill, and
the foundation that allows for understanding
the world’s peoples and issues.
It allows students to get beyond local
norms and perspectives and consider
those of others without prejudice.
So what does the term actually
mean to the teachers The words most
frequently used to describe openmindedness
place an emphasis on a
willingness to listen to, consider, think
about, or learn about ideas, norms of
behavior, and experiences different
from one’s own without assuming that
differences are negative. Others place
curiosity about the world and its people
and motivation to engage beyond their
comfort zone as key components in
open-mindedness.
Within the IB Learner Profile,
open-mindedness is one of the values
that IB learners strive to develop.
Open-mindedness is measured by the
extent to which students “understand
and appreciate their own cultures and
personal histories, and are open to the
perspectives, values and traditions of
other individuals and communities.
They are accustomed to seeking and
evaluating a range of points of view, and
are willing to grow from the experience”
(http://www.ibo.org/programmes/
profile/). We see these emphases echoed
throughout the conversations between
IB teachers.
According to teachers, open-mindedness
has to come first in the process of
developing global citizens. A teacher in
the United States commented: “Firstly,
one has to be open-minded and try to rid
themselves of any preconceptions or prejudices
toward one or more cultural groups.
I believe this is essential to thinking globally.”
An IB music teacher in China emphasized
that open-mindedness was
used to lay groundwork to examine
prejudices and beliefs about cultural
groups different than one’s own in order
to experience their music without
preconceived ideas.
One teacher in India stated: “Across
the age groups, teaching needs to be aligned
with the understanding of cultural context
and open-minded attitudes among students.
A necessary skill that enables and makes
students’ aware of happenings around him/
her.”
The essential nature of open-mindedness
in developing global citizens
is so complete that the teachers found
it difficult to think of a global citizen
without having open-mindedness as a
habit of mind. “I think a global citizen is
an open-minded person,” noted a teacher
in Mexico.
A teacher in the United States went
one step further to show us how class-
8 Global Education News, Spring 2013 www.peacecorpsconnect.org

oom practice can assist teachers in
developing open-mindedness with all
of the complexity that accompanies it:
I’m inclined to think that being global is
an authentic openness to the truth in all of
its complexity and uncertainty...I emphasize
this because I would like to suggest that
other equally valid answers to this question
are in a sense means towards this ends.
In other words, studying other cultures,
traveling, participation in international
celebrations, service work, etc. are all valuable
experiences which lead to this ‘authentic
openness,’ which I’d like to suggest is at the
heart of ‘being global.’
In their classrooms many teachers
support open-mindedness by discussing
global issues which are perceived as a
key component in developing global
citizenship. Nationalism was one global
issue that surfaced numerous times in
the discussions. When using nationalism
as a topic of study, an IB teacher in
New Zealand pointed out that every
country has its own interpretations of
history related to heritage, culture, and
politics. To achieve student understanding
of nationalism, this teacher uses
schoolbooks from various countries
to examine how historical events are
presented quite differently around the
world. The teacher believes that students
can develop a more open mind
by studying how nationalist feelings
can influence the storytelling around
historical events in all countries .
This finding on the centrality of
open-mindedness is significant as most
other studies have found that global
content is given primary attention.
Open-mindedness is not a single skill,
however. Attitudes and values such as
empathy, listening, respect, and care
were mentioned as critical in developing
global citizens.
If the IB teachers are right and openmindedness
is a critical foundation in
being able to learn about the world—
other cultures, global events, issues and
problems—without the colored glasses
of our own biases, then we need to think
about its place in the curriculum and in
teacher education programs.
Note: The teachers were nominated by an
administrator as exemplary global educators.
Then the study was explained to them
via email from the IB leadership in The
Hague and the teachers’ permission was
obtained. They were divided into eight discussion
groups with one in Spanish and the
others in English. After preliminary email
introducing ourselves and the process, we
ran each discussion group for two weeks.
Threads were developed by the researchers
on the major questions as well as a thread for
introductions and bios and another thread
for examples of pedagogy that included lessons,
projects, experiences, etc. We also had
a teachers’ lounge forum for the teachers
to ask questions, share resources, post fun
photos and videos relevant to their work.
The constant comparative method was used
for data analysis.
Join CONCERN’s 2013 Global Writing Competition and you can
become a published author!
Topics: Explore solutions to some of the world’s greatest development challenges
in 750 – 1000 words:
· Post a blog…on how you would end world hunger
· Give a speech…accepting the Nobel Peace Prize for improving the lives of the
world poorest people
· Tell the story…of what it is like to live in Haiti three years after the devastating
earthquake
Categories: Junior (ages 13-15), Senior (ages 16-19), Adult (20 years or older)
Prizes: Awarded in each of the categories as follows
· First place: Laptop computer
· Second place: E-reader
· Third place: Mp4 player
And becoming a published author in the annual Writing Competition Book!
Deadline: Midnight, March 21 st , 2013
For more information, visit gcc.concernusa.org/global-writing-competition/
Doctoral Research on Global
Education - Win a FREE iPad
Mini!
Dear Global Educator!
I am a Ph.D. student in International
Education Policy at the University of
Maryland, College Park. The focus of
my doctoral dissertation research is how
teachers in the upper-elementary grade
levels teach about the world and world
issues to their students.
I am asking active teachers in grades
3, 4, and 5 to send me instructional materials
they use to teach about world
issues. This could include lesson or
unit plans, reading materials such as
children’s literature and basal readers,
internet resources, digital media, etc.
For example, what children’s literature
do teachers select as read-alouds, what
Internet sites do teachers ask students to
visit, or what activities do teachers plan
when they want to build bridges across
cultures
Submit your global education instructional
materials by March 31, 2013
to be entered to win a FREE iPad Mini!
To take part in this research,
please:
• Go to the following website for a
brief background questionnaire (5
minutes): http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y26NRR8
• Before completing the questionnaire,
you will be asked to read
and agree to the Informed Consent
required by the Institutional Review
Board of the University of Maryland,
College Park.
• Send via e-mail any lesson plans,
unit plans, or instructional materials
that you believe to be your most
successful or best example of global
education-related instructions to
lisa_swayhoover@yahoo.com
If materials cannot be e-mailed,
please mail to the address below and
I will compensate you for the cost of
photocopying and postage:
Lisa Swayhoover
5709 39th Avenue
Hyattsville, MD 20781
Thank you for your assistance.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if
you have any questions. Feel free to
share this with other global educators.
www.peacecorpsconnect.org
Global Education News, Spring 2013
9

A Teacher Workshop in the Amazon, by Nancy Paul
Most elementary teachers have read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry or The
Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley to their classes. And most Returned Peace Corps
Volunteers jump at the chance to travel when they can. I’m lucky to be an RPCV
who is also a teacher and gets to travel every summer. While perusing NPCA’s
Global Education News, I often saw an ad for a trip for teachers to go down to the
Amazon in Peru and work with scientists and learn ways to bring the rain forest
back to their classrooms. Last summer I finally went and met with teachers from
all over the U.S. who ranged from kindergarten teachers to high school Spanish
teachers.
The experience was magical. At night I fell asleep to the rousing symphony
of insects and frogs. In the early morning with mist rising off the river we went
bird watching and saw birds representing every color of the rainbow. We walked
on swinging bridges overlooking the green canopy, which was like looking over
the ocean, going on for miles and miles and never ending. Most surprising to
me, was that unlike the posters in my classroom that showed an abundance of
animals gathered together, animals were difficult to find, and we wouldn’t have
seen anything if it wasn’t for our expert guide Lucio, a Peruvian national. Instead
we quietly followed him as he pointed out the amazing mimicry and camouflage
abilities of the various insects, reptiles, and birds.
We also had a community service project where we painted a school and got to meet villagers who lived along the river.
Even though my former Peace Corps site was in the Marshall Islands thousands of miles away in the Pacific I pulled up a
chair and felt right at home. People who once dressed in woven fibers from the trees were singing away and sharing food
dressed in jeans and t-shirts that Americans had probably donated to the Salvation Army.
If you decide to go it is worth stopping in Lima a day or two early to check out the museums and the restaurants for the
tasty Peruvian cuisine. An optional extension tour of Machu Picchu is offered.
The Educator Academy in Peru is again being offered July 2-11, 2013. For details go to www.amazonworkshops.com.
Professional Development in
Costa Rica
Join 13 teachers from across the U.S.
and discover how you can bringCosta
Rica and the MDGs into your curriculum!
We are accepting applications
for a 5 week professional development
program in Costa Rica this summer,
June 14-July 19 (approximately). The
theme of the program is “Teaching the
United Nations’ Millennium Development
Goals: Costa Rica.” Full-time K-12
teachers in the social sciences, humanities
and Spanish from across the U.S.
are eligible to apply. Cost is $1,000 and
covers round trip airfare from Detroit,
lodging, meals, admission fees, transportation
in Costa Rica. Sponsored by
Michigan State University’s Center for
Latin American and Caribbean Studies,
the College of Education, and the
Earth Charter International Secretariat
in Costa Rica.
Application deadline is March 11.
For more information & an application:
http://2013costarica.wordpress.com
GEEO Summer Programs for Educators
Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) is a 501c3 non-profit
organization that runs summer professional development travel programs designed
for teachers.
GEEO is offering 23 different travel programs for the summer of 2013: India/
Nepal, Italy, Portugal/Spain, Amalfi Coast, Eastern Europe, Budapest to Istanbul,
Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Comfort Thailand, Thailand/Laos, Cambodia, China, Comfort
China, Russia/Mongolia/China, Turkey 15 day, Turkey 8-Day, Kenya/Tanzania,
South Africa/Mozambique/Zimbabwe/Botswana, Morocco, Peru, Ecuador,
The Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica. The registration deadline is June 1st, but
space is limited and many programs will be full well before the deadline.
Educators have the option to earn graduate school credit and professional
development credit while seeing the world. The trips are 8 to 24 days in length and
are designed and discounted to be interesting and affordable for teachers. GEEO
provides teachers educational materials and the structure to help them bring their
experiences into the classroom. The trips are open to all nationalities of K-12 and
university educators and administrators, as well as retired educators. Educators
are also permitted to bring along a non-educator guest.
Detailed information about each trip, including itineraries, costs, travel dates,
and more can be found at www.geeo.org. GEEO can be reached 7 days a week, toll
free at 1-877-600-0105 between 9AM-9PM EST.
The travel programs featured on this page target teacher professional development
and/or curriculum development. For an experience geared more towards
hands-on service, educational programs and a close-up view of the impact of
volunteer service, consider traveling with the National Peace Corps Association’s
Next Step Travel. Learn more about this unique program at http://travel.
peacecorpsconnect.org
10 Global Education News, Spring 2013 www.peacecorpsconnect.org

A new COMPASS has just been
published
The 2012 version of COMPASS:
Manual for Human Rights Education with
Young People has just been published
by the Council of Europe. The new,
updated manual includes much of the
material which made the 2002 edition
so useful for facilitators of human rights
education, but builds upon and expands
this material to incorporate new issues
such as disability and disablism,
religion, remembrance, war and terrorism.
Altogether, COMPASS users can
now benefit from over 60 proposed
activities for human rights education,
as well as new and exciting ways of
addressing human rights issues and
values. For instance, Chapter 1 has been
re-organised and addresses human
rights education as a human right and
considers the potential of the European
Charter on Education for Democratic
Citizenship and Human Rights Education
to provide more possibilities for
more scope and flexibility in human
rights education. Some of the activities
in the 2002 edition that were less used
have been dropped.
Altogether this results overall in
a larger edition of COMPASS with
more relevant, practical and useable
activities. Compass has become a reference
manual for many young people
involved in value-based youth work
and non-formal education. Available in
more than 32 languages, in some states
Compass has become an integral part
of human rights education in schools
and for many practitioners. The French
and Russian versions are expected in
the course of 2013. Guidelines for the
translation into other languages can be
sent to interested partners upon request.
We hope that this new edition will be as
widely disseminated as the first.
COMPASS 2012 can be ordered from
www.book.coe.int The 2002 edition
remains available and downloadable at
www.coe.int/compass
Fulbright Canada Programs
Fulbright Canada, part of the
worldwide Fulbright Program, supports
focused academic exchanges between
Canada and the United States. Along
with joining the prestigious Fulbright
network, all of our grantees receive a
cash award ($12,500 - $25,000), a health
benefit plan, a three-day orientation in
Ottawa, and can apply for our enrichment
opportunities such as our mobility
funding (up to $800) to participate in
academic activities outside of their host
region, our Alumni Internship Program,
our Eco-Leadership Program and our
Community Leadership Program.
I would like to draw your attention
to a number of specific opportunities for
scholars. We are currently seeking applicants
for our various research chairs,
all valued at $25,000 for one semester.
Fulbright Canada offers an outstanding
43 different visiting research chairs
which are available at 22 Canadian Institutions.
Please visit the website with
a catalogue of our awards:
http://www.fulbright.ca/programs/
american-scholars/visiting-chairsprogram.html
These chairs offer an extraordinary
opportunity to scholars seeking to do
comparative research in a welcoming
and engaging environment.
We are also recruiting American
scholars and students for our self-placed
traditional awards that can be held at
any institution across Canada. For more
information about all of our awards,
please visit our website at www.fulbright.ca.
Please note that the deadline
to apply for the 2014-15 academic year is
August 1, 2013 for scholars and October
17, 2013 for graduate students.
I have attached the Fulbright Canada
Winter Newsletter; page 7 has a list of
our upcoming programs with competition
opening and closing dates. Flyers
can be downloaded here:
• American Scholars: http://www.
fulbright.ca/programs/americanscholars.html
• American Students: http://www.
fulbright.ca/programs/americanstudents.html
For general information about our
programs, please contact kinnes@fulbright.ca.
If you have specific questions
about the Fulbright Visiting Research
Chairs, please contact Brad Hector,
Program Officer at Fulbright Canada,
at bhector@fulbright.ca.
Sincerely,
Kaitlyn Innes
Program Officer, Recruitment,
Outreach and Alumni Relations
Reviewers sought
We occasionally receive books or curriculum in the office that authors would
like reviewed in this publication, so we are seeking reviewers. In exchange for
writing a review, you get to keep the materials! Interested Send an email to
globaled@peacecorpsconnect.org with your name, address, and a description of
the grade level(s), subject area(s), and/or types of materials you would be interested
in (e.g., books, curricula, online materials). We’ll follow up by email with a
description if there is a match with what we have and, if so, send it along to you!
Thank you!
Join GlobalEdNews
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click on “subscribe.”
www.peacecorpsconnect.org
Global Education News, Spring 2013
11

Bringing the World into the
Classroom: New Strategies for
Internationalizing Undergraduate
Curricula
Please join the Levin Institute on
May 20, 2013 to share best practices and
promote dialogue about curricular and
co-curricular learning opportunities on
themes of global workforce preparedness,
globalization and global citizenship.
The conference will highlight
the achievements of the SUNY Global
Workforce Project and new and related
programs that strengthen campus internationalization.
To learn more about the Bringing the
World into the Classroom: New Strategies
for Internationalizing Undergraduate Curricula
conference, please visit: http://
www.levin.suny.edu/gwpconference.
cfm. Registration will begin mid-
March.
Korea Academy for Educators
(KAFE): Explore Korean History,
Culture, and Cuisine
July 29 to August 2, 2013, at Korea Cultural
Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Learn about Korean history and culture
from prominent
scholars,
and deepen your
understanding of
Korean American
students and
their families. Fellowship
opportunities to cover travel,
hotels, and meals available for out of
town and state educators. Application
deadline March 29.
For more information and to apply,
contact Daniel Lee (daniellee721@
yahoo.com) or see www.koreaacademy.
org
This newsletter is distributed electronically and posted to the NPCA website. New
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Global
Education
News
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12 Global Education News, Spring 2013 www.peacecorpsconnect.org