Dean’s Sabbatical Series – November 14 at 12:00 in CK 507
Building Global Citizens: A Blueprint for Education Reform – by Todd Kenreich
How well are schools keeping up with our changing world? Are schools preparing students for global citizenship in an interdependent world of nearly 8 billion people? Over the last fifty years, there have been numerous calls to promote global awareness in U.S. schools. Despite these calls, many schools remain ill-equipped to offer a curriculum that centers on the world. Against a rising tide of nationalistic and nativist rhetoric, it is important to support the vital role that education can play in building a more just, verdant, and sustainable world.
This presentation outlines priorities for an education reform agenda that seeks to build global citizens and introduces a dynamic new framework to internationalize what is taught in schools. The “Protecting People and Preserving the Planet” framework illustrates key concepts in global citizenship education and offers suggestions of instructional resources that support inquiry-based learning in the classroom. Highlights from an upcoming book will be shared.
About the Speaker
Todd Kenreich is a professor in the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education in the College of Education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Georgetown University as well as a master’s degree and doctorate in education from The Ohio State University. Dr. Kenreich teaches courses in education policy, global issues for preservice teachers, and professional ethics in education. His research interests chiefly lie in the areas of social studies education and global citizenship education. His work has been published in a number of journals including Theory and Research in Social Education, Journal of Geography, and Social Studies Research and Practice, and he edited a book entitled, Geography and Social Justice in the Classroom, for the Routledge Research in Education series. As a teacher educator and U.S. Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Kenreich has worked with teachers in Ohio, New York, Maryland, China, and Japan. Currently, he co-directs the Maryland Geographic Alliance, an organization of geographers, teachers, and teacher educators that seeks to promote geographic literacy among Maryland’s P-12 students.
