Worldwise Learning: A Teacher's Guide to Shaping a Just, Sustainable Future (Corwin Teaching Essentials)

Nautilus Gold Award Winner (Books for a Better World) in Social Sciences & Education

Create inclusive, democratic classrooms that prepare knowledgeable, compassionate, and engaged global citizens.

Today’s global challenges―climate change, food and water insecurity, social and economic inequality, and a global pandemic―demand that educators prepare students to become compassionate, critical thinkers who can explore alternative futures. Their own, others’, and the planet’s well-being depend on it.

Worldwise Learning presents a "Pedagogy for People, Planet, and Prosperity" that supports K-8 educators in nurturing "Worldwise Learners": students who both deeply understand and purposefully act when learning about global challenges. Coupling theory with practice, this book builds educators’ understanding of how curriculum and meaningful interdisciplinary learning can be organized around local, global, and intercultural issues, and provides a detailed framework for making those issues come alive in the classroom. Richly illustrated, each innovative chapter asserts a transformational approach to teaching and learning following an original three-part inquiry cycle, and includes:

• Practical classroom strategies to implement Worldwise Learning at the lesson level, along with tips for scaffolding students’ thinking.
• Images of student work and vignettes of learning experiences that help educators visualize authentic Worldwise Learning moments.
• Stories that spotlight Worldwise Learning in action from diverse student, teacher, and organization perspectives.
• An exemplar unit plan that illustrates how the planning process links to and can support teaching and learning about global challenges.
• QR codes that link to additional lesson and unit plans, educational resources, videos of strategies, and interviews with educators and thought leaders on a companion website, where teachers can discuss topics and share ideas with each other.

Worldwise Learning turns students into local and global citizens who feel genuine concern for the world around them, living their learning with intention and purpose. The time is now.

Carla Marschall is an experienced educator, curriculum developer, and pedagogical leader, who has worked in a variety of leadership roles in international schools in Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore over the past ten years. She currently works as the Director of Teaching & Learning at UWC South East Asia, with the mission to make “education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” A certified Lynn Erickson Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Consultant, Carla is the co-author of Concept-Based Inquiry in Action (Corwin, 2018). Carla holds a Masters in Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Masters in Applied Educational Leadership and Management from the Institute of Education, University of London. 

Website: http://www.connectthedotsinternational.com/

Elizabeth O. Crawford is a teacher educator, author, researcher, and curriculum designer specializing in global education. She has taught in a variety of school contexts, including elementary and middle schools in France and the United States. Currently an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Elizabeth supports educators as they nurture in students a sense of empathy, responsibility, and concern for self, others, and the environment. She collaborates with other faculty, classroom teachers, and organizations globally to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Elizabeth firmly believes in the power of education and partnerships to transform lives and to build a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership with an emphasis in Curriculum Leadership from the College of William & Mary. She may be reached on Twitter at @TeachGlobalEd or via http://www.teachworldwise.com/.