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International Education Week - November 17-21, 2008
What is International Education Week?
This observance was established in November 2000 as a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to recognize the global exchange environment between the United States and other countries and to highlight international aspects as well as seek new and innovative ways of incorporating international mindedness throughout the educational and business networks.
Why is International Education Week important?
As the global marketplace continues to develop and the technological advancements bring us all closer together, educators must prepare students for a world with fewer political and trade barriers by equipping them with a broader worldview and cross-cultural communication skills. CASIE salutes 2008 International Education Week and encourages all schools to acknowledge the week with some activity or celebration.
What can my school do to celebrate?
There are many ways you can highlight International Education Week. CASIE has included suggestions below. For more suggestions and to read statements by Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice and other notables, visit iew.state.gov
Of course it is best to introduce the notion of “international mindedness” in connection with the lessons that will occur during the time surrounding November 17th-21st. Here are some suggestions to help make connections.
Resources to help your school celebrate International Education Week
 How International is My School?
To assist schools in preparing their students to meet the demands of a more competitive world, CASIE has developed an International Mindedness Survey for measuring the degree of international or global focus a school integrates into its persona and projects to its stakeholders. As a part of International Education Week, November 17th-21st, CASIE invites your school to measure its own degree of international mindedness by taking the online evaluation.
State of the Village Report - Click here for link
If the world were a village of 1000 people…
This website presents the statistical information by the following categories: ethnicity, languages, religions, age, life expectancy, health, income, land ownership, etc. Teachers may want students to chart these statistics or pursue one or more in depth. Let your imagination and connection to the curriculum be your guide.
iEARN http://www.iearn.org/
iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) is a non-profit organization made up of over 20,000 schools and youth organizations in more than 115 countries. iEARN empowers teachers and young people to work together online using the Internet and other new communications technologies. Over 1,000,000 students each day are engaged in collaborative project work worldwide.
Since 1988, iEARN has pioneered on-line school linkages to enable students to engage in meaningful educational projects with peers in their countries and around the world.
Sign Up Now for the next session of iEARN Learning Circles -- highly interactive, project-based partnerships among a small number of schools located throughout the world. There are two sessions each year, September - January and January - May. To join iEARN Learning Circles, you must first be a member of iEARN and complete an iEARN Learning Circle placement form.
To view a sample project, go to the following site https://media.iearn.org/node/238 Title: Many Faces of Poverty and Homelessness
This is a website for teachers who want to explore the global classroom concept. See how you can get students to connect with ideas and concepts around the world.
Explore Ancestral Footprints
Have your students explore their ancestry. Where did they come from, what are the similarities or differences between them and their ancestor in their day to day life (food, clothing, transportation, profession, etc). Explore the similarities or differences between their country of origin with USA.
Festivals of the World
Celebrate festivals from the countries that are represented within your school community, focusing on festivals during October-December. Explore and discuss similarities or differences between the international festivals and the American festival. Create displays about the festivals. Some suggestions:
- Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, November 9, 2007
- Samhain, the Celtic New Year, November 1, 2008
- Eid, the Muslim celebration a the end of Ramadan, October 12, 2007
Learn more about Cultures around the World:
- http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001610.shtml
- http://members.aol.com/bowermanb/culture.html
- http://www.sights-and-culture.com/
These sites provide opportunities to find links to lessons with a cultural component.
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