Leveraging Technology to Promote Global Citizenship in Teacher Education in the United States and Brazil

Michael Kopish,Welisson Marques

doi:10.46303/ressat.05.01.3

Abstract

With globalization and the increase of technology, collaborative work between institutions from different countries is a reality. Beginning in 2018, two teacher education programs, one in the United States and one in Brazil, developed a partnership to promote collaborative activities in curriculum and instruction, scholarship and research, and for student and faculty exchange. Critical pedagogy and social justice approaches to global citizenship education in teacher preparation guided the partnership’s collaborative activities toward the development of pre-service teachers’ global competencies and ability to integrate technologies as users and educators. This empirical research article presents an exploratory case study of a transnational, collaborative curricular project that leveraged technology in courses for pre-service teachers in the United States (n=12) and Brazil (n=10). The study explores the extent to which course content and activities facilitated pre-service teachers’ development of global competencies and ability to employ emerging technologies for learning and offers implications for practice.

Highlights

To address the demands of globalization, educational institutions are called upon to prepare students to face the challenges and opportunities of a global workforce
The pre-service teachers enrolled in the course expressed surprise that the course activities deviated from prior assumptions and previous experiences in teacher education methods courses
It was clear that the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) approach helped to facilitate pre-service teachers through a new and affirming cultural experience

Summary

Introduction

Frameworks for global competencies (Asia Society, 2011; Boix-Mansilla & Jackson, 2011; OECD, 2018; UNESCO, 2015; World Savvy, 2018) organize around cognitive (i.e., knowledge of global issues, trends, and globalization processes using analytical and critical thinking), socio-emotional (i.e., dispositions of empathy, valuing multiple perspectives, appreciation for diversity, and a sense of responsibility toward a common humanity), and behavioral domains At the forefront in the design and enactment of curricula to develop technological and global competencies, teachers and teacher educators are essential

Methods

Results

Conclusion