GER Preparing Globally Competent Teachers 49 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Global Education Review is a publication of The School of Education at Mercy College, New York. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: Brennan, Sharon, and Holliday, Ellie (2019). Preparing Globally Competent Teachers to Address P-12 Students’ Needs: One University’s Story. Global Education Review, 6 (3). 49-64. Preparing Globally Competent Teachers to Address P-12 Students’ Needs: One University’s Story Sharon Brennan University of Kentucky Ellie Holliday University of Kentucky Abstract In this article, two teacher educators share the evolution of an Overseas Student Teaching (OST) program embedded in the University of Kentucky’s Educator Preparation Program (EPP). The goal of this initiative is to help candidates who participate in this program develop skills associated with global competence so they can better address the needs of P-12 students from a wide range of diverse backgrounds when they enter the profession. We begin with a rationale explaining the importance of global competence for teachers as seen through a policy and theoretical lens. We also identify possible obstacles involved in initiatives such as ours and offer suggestions about how to overcome them. Then, we describe the curriculum OST participants follow including key assignments and tools used to guide and assess their progress. We conclude with expansion plans designed to help more teacher candidates in our EPP become globally competent teachers whether or not they participate in the overseas initiative. Keywords Teacher study abroad; Globally competent teaching; International education Laying a Foundation for Global Competence: Introduction and Rationale For more than a decade, education policy making groups (e.g., Council of Chief State School Officers, Partnership for 21st Century Schools ) have emphasized a need to prepare students in P-12 schools for success in what has become an interconnected world (Longview Foundation, 2008). This point was underscored by Schleicher and Ramos (2016) in their assertion that students who cannot communicate across cultures will face immense challenges as they enter the workplace – one requiring collaboration at a global level. Tichnor-Wagner and Manise (2019) offer other reasons why P-12 schools should prepare what they call “global-ready” students (p. 3), including enhanced technology, access to transportation, and global migration. The call to “ready” students for employment in a global community means teachers must be prepared to facilitate the process. Boix Mansilla and Jackson (2011) suggest that this involves embracing the existing diversity in P-12 classrooms and helping all students in those classrooms develop skills needed to fully “engage the world” (p. viii). Considerable evidence suggests that P-12 schools are also increasingly more linguistically diverse and that many students served by them are English language learners (Digital Promise Global, 2016). According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education, 4.8 million ELLs were enrolled in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools when the 2016-17 school year began, representing almost ten percent of the total student population (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). Given the changing demographics in schools and increased human 50 Global Education Review 6 (3) interaction around the world, global competence presents as an essential skill for those entering the teaching profession. The emphasis on global competence for teachers and their students is situated in a transformational theoretical perspective, one related to theories of global citizenship. As described by Shultz (2007), global citizens see themselves as connected to others around the world. They “understand their connection to all other people through a common humanity, a shared environment, and shared interests and activities” (p. 249). Schultz’s theory aligns with curricular frameworks that provide ways to prepare “global-ready” students (e.g., Ramos & Schliecher, 2018; Tichnor-Wagner & Manise, 2019). This theory also relates to cosmopolitanism, an ancient ideology as described by Appiah (2006). He characterizes this ideology as having two critical elements: concern for others and respect for difference (p. xv). Transformational theory espoused by Shultz and embedded in cosmopolitanism fits well within an education context. It contrasts with other theories related to global citizenship, particularly neoliberalism. While a transformational theoretical construct aims to address humanitarian needs, neoliberalism focuses on economic factors related to globalization (Toukan, 2018). Our purpose in this article is to share the story of an initiative embedded in the educator preparation program (EPP) at the University of Kentucky (UK) where we serve on the faculty as teacher educators. The initiative emanates from a transformational, cosmopolitan perspective. Its overarching goal is to help candidates who participate in our overseas student teaching (OST) program develop a skillset associated with global competence so they in turn can help students they serve in P-12 schools from a wide array of backgrounds develop sufficient intercultural understanding and global awareness to thrive in today’s interconnected world. In sharing our story, we identify and address questions related to perceived obstacles associated with integrating global competence into educator preparation. We also describe the curriculum OST participants follow as well as expansion plans designed to help more teacher candidates acquire skills related to global competence. Identifying and Overcoming Obstacles Situating global competence in an education context raises questions about how to prepare teachers who can effectively guide their students in that realm. Perhaps the most fundamental question is: what constitutes global competence in the teaching profession? Boix Mansilla and Jackson (2011) describe globally competent teachers as those who understand global issues including implications for their local communities and can apply this knowledge to foster learning in meaningful ways. Essentializing from research by others in the field (e.g., Brennan, 2017; Cushner, 2016; Jackson, 2015), we believe globally competent teaching includes two elements: skill with helping students understand and address globally and locally relevant issues as well as knowing how to help students develop cultural self-awareness and awareness of other cultural perspectives. Considerations regarding the effort required by EPPs to develop this global competence among educators raise questions about possible obstacles. For example, do teacher educators have the expertise to foster acquisition of global competence among their pre-service teacher candidates? this special skillset? If most EPP faculty are White and middle-class, who will support them first in developing such cultural self-awareness? Further, will EPPs value this expertise to the point of making room for it in Preparing Globally Competent Teachers 51 the curriculum? Given the many demands placed on teacher candidates and on teacher educators, this might seem like a tall order. EPPs must prepare their candidates to meet the teacher performance standards required for certification, and at the same time, fulfill mandates regarding program accreditation. On the school side, teachers shoulder immense responsibilities with numerous tasks competing for their attention. Curriculum standards imposed on schools related to student achievement understandably take priority over other interests. Evidence of restrictions imposed on educators at all levels can be seen in curriculum standards mandated for P-12 schools in Kentucky referred to as Kentucky Academic Standards (Kentucky Department of Education, 2019). Also, see the Kentucky Teacher Performance Standards for an example of mandates used to assess novice teachers’ progress (Kentucky Division of Educator Preparation, Assessment, and Internship, 2018). How, then, do we effectively overcome obstacles such as these? Though some scholars have expressed concern about the lack of attention to internationalizing the EPP curriculum (e.g., Brennan, 2017; Cushner, 2016; Quezada, 2010; Roth & Rӧnnstrӧm, 2015), resources are increasingly available to address this concern. For example, Boix Mansilla and Jackson (2011) have constructed a framework designed to help teachers embed global learning in the school curriculum in ways that comply with curriculum standards such as those mandated in Kentucky. Using four core domains embedded within the framework, teachers can create project-based instructional units directing students to “investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, recognize perspectives—others’ and their own, communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences and take action to improve conditions” (p. 11). Whereas Boix Mansilla and Jackson’s framework helps teachers overcome curricular obstacles, a document published by NAFSA is designed to address EPPs concerns about regulatory compliance associated with teacher certification and program accreditation. NAFSA’s document, Viewing the InTASC standards through a global preparation lens (NAFSA, 2015 ), serves as a companion to the InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards, standards commissioned by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)—an organization comprised of officials who lead departments of education in states across the nation. The InTASC standards serve as a framework for assessing the performance of teachers in relation to student learning outcomes (InTASC, 2013) (CCSSO: Council of Chief State School Officers, 2013). NAFSA’s Global Preparation Lens document highlights elements within the InTASC standards showing to what degree teachers focus on global learning—learning that helps students broaden their cultural perspectives by addressing globally and locally significant issues. Since EPPs must demonstrate how their teacher candidates meet the InTASC standards for accreditation reviews conducted by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the Global Preparation Lens document serves as a valuable resource for teacher educators who wish to embed global competency in the EPP curriculum. CAEP Standard 1.1 explicitly states the InTASC standards must be met by EPPs to maintain accreditation (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation - CAEP, 2019). See, for example, InTASC Standard 2 Learning Differences, “2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives into discussions of content including attention to learners’ personal, family and community experiences and cultural norms” (CCSSO, 2013, p. 17). 52 Global Education Review 6 (3) Given the availability of these and other resources to help EPPs integrate global competency into teaching practice, there seems to be little reason not to do so from a compliance standpoint. There are also demographic reasons speaking to the need to prepare globally competent teachers considering the population of candidates aspiring to enter the profession. Take, for example, Marx and Moss’s (2011a) observation that teachers who have not had opportunities to work in diverse groups “often hold ethnocentric beliefs that negatively influence the educational experiences of diverse students” (p. 36). Their observation coupled with Ladson-Billings’s (2017) point regarding the sharp contrast between the largely White teaching force and diverse P-12 school population makes a compelling case for preparing globally competent teachers. Work over the last decade on this topic (e.g., Brennan, 2017; Cushner, 2016; Marx & Moss, 2011a; Quezada, 2010) strongly argues for preparing teachers who can help their students connect the larger world to the locale where they reside and communicate effectively with people from a diverse array of cultures. This evidence serves as the basis for the initiative undertaken at our university. Broadening Cultural Perspectives and Building Global Competence While most EPPs do not offer the option to student teach overseas, it has been available to candidates enrolled in UK’s EPP for over 40 years. The overseas student teaching program was established in the early 1970s by a faculty member who served as the director of field experiences for the educator preparation program. Among his many responsibilities, Dr. Leland Smith conducted accreditation reviews in P-12 schools in Central and South America along with administrators from other U.S. universities. These other U.S. universities shared a common feature with UK: Many of their teacher candidates also came from rural areas with homogeneous populations and had very limited exposure to cultural diversity. Some had never traveled outside the region where they resided. When these institutional representatives conducted accreditation visits at school sites abroad, they shared concerns about whether teacher candidates from their home institutions were equipped to address students’ needs if employed by schools with diverse populations. As a result, a partnership was formed to provide opportunities for candidates to student teach in the schools they reviewed. This formal partnership was named the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching (COST). To help program participants build a strong foundation for teaching overseas, the UK director designed a three-credit, academic bearing course which UK COST participants were required to complete prior to student teaching. The course, entitled Culture, Education and Teaching Abroad, was unique within the COST network at the time since it was not required for teacher candidates from other institutions in the Consortium. It was designed to help candidates examine cultural perspectives – their own and others’ – as well as learn more about education systems in countries where they would student teach. Over the years the program has changed in several ways. One relates to placement site expansion. While placements had been limited to partner schools in Central and South America when the program began, candidates now have opportunities to teach in schools in Africa, Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. In addition, the curricular focus has changed to emphasize pedagogical practices designed to help P-12 school students thrive in the world as it exists now and in the future. Our ability to “shift gears” is due largely to the availability of resources which have come available in recent years (e.g., Boix Mansilla & Preparing Globally Competent Teachers 53 Jackson, 2011; InTASC, 2015). We also see the complementary expertise we bring as co- teachers (and authors of this article) as a catalyst in transforming the course. The first author has longtime experience teaching in the EPP and directing UK’s OST program, and the second author has experience working in the university’s Education Abroad office while completing undergraduate and graduate studies in International Relations and Diplomacy. When we began teaching the preparatory course together in 2017, we used the new resources and our synergistic energy to create assignments linking cultural learning with specific, globally- focused pedagogical practices. In doing so, we tightened the coupling between the preparatory course and the overseas student teaching experience. Program Re-visioning: Applying Global Learning to Teaching Practice While the preparatory course as we currently teach it still aims to help teacher candidates participating in the OST program expand their cultural perspectives, we now spend considerable time helping course participants translate what they are learning into concrete teaching practices. Some course assignments are foundational in nature, designed to help participants examine theories and perspectives about culture and global issues. Other assignments in the course connect directly to those completed during student teaching. See Figure 1 for a summary of all key assignments discussed in this section. Three assignments in particular help with foundation building. The cultural exchange experience is one such example. Early in the semester we introduce course participants to international students who are pursuing degrees in various disciplines on campus. Once introduced, participants and their cultural exchange partners arrange meetings at various times throughout the semester to get acquainted and learn about each other’s cultures. This experience culminates with a report in which course participants reflect on what they have learned. Another assignment completed as the course progresses is the cultural plunge. Because we want OST participants to experience what it is like to be an outsider in an unfamiliar place, we ask them to spend time immersed in a culture different from their own where they feel like a stranger in ways that create a little discomfort. Participants choose various ways to take the cultural plunge, including attending religious services conducted in another language as well as visiting schools and/or community organizations serving underrepresented minorities. After completing the experience, participants submit a report reflecting on what they learned regarding being a stranger in another culture carefully considering class discussions regarding stereotypes that may exist. While the cultural exchange and cultural plunge assignments are not directly linked to participants’ teaching practice, they serve as valuable building blocks for working with students and colleagues who come from backgrounds different from their own. These experiences also provide ways to understand “culture shock.” Reading Kohls’s Survival Kit for Overseas Living, another course assignment, helps candidates understand “culture shock” defined as “the more pronounced reactions to the psychological disorientation most people experience when they move for an extended period into a culture markedly different from their own” (Kohls, 2001, p. 91). Though most OST participants are usually only abroad for eight weeks, the experience of working in a school overseas, especially for those who have never been abroad before, can create confusion, frustration, and homesickness brought on by culture shock. The cultural exchange and 54 Global Education Review 6 (3) cultural plunge experiences, together with the in-class discussions about Kohls’ book, help prepare them for possible cultural adaptation challenges as they begin their overseas teaching experience. At the very beginning of the course, OST participants create digitally formatted documents, referred to as home culture stories, which they share in class. These stories highlight cultural values, traditions, traits etc., related to their cultural identity. While student teaching overseas, participants use the stories to introduce themselves to the students in their classrooms and are used as a springboard for helping these students tell their own cultural stories using digital tools. Later in the course, participants design project-based, globally focused instructional unit plans using, as a guide, the core domains outlined in the framework by Boix Mansilla and Jackson (2011) and local curricular standards. They implement and evaluate their plans while student teaching. Plans must include details specifically showing how they will engage their students in projects addressing issues having global and local relevance. In the past, unit plans have focused on various topics such as energy use, recycling, global migration, and climate change. The goal of the global unit plan assignment is to provide a way for student teachers to help their students address issues that matter in their own community and also matter to people in communities around the world. Toward the end of the course, participants identify a P-12 classroom in Kentucky with which they plan to connect their classroom while student teaching overseas. Most connect with a classroom where they completed a field placement. Some select a Kentucky classroom for this activity where a friend is teaching. This international classroom connection sets the stage for an assignment required during student teaching in which students in the connected classrooms share their cultural stories and sometimes collaborate on projects related to the globally focused units. Classroom connections are made synchronously or asynchronously through an electronic medium (e.g., Skype, Zoom). For instance, one recent OST graduate, while student teaching, conducted several sessions via Skype between her fourth-grade students in the bilingual school where she taught in Spain and a fifth-grade class in Kentucky, where she had completed an extended practicum. Ann (a pseudonym) established two goals for student interchange (conversations conducted in English): to learn about each other’s cultures and to compare energy systems used in their locales. Ann foreshadowed this during her practicum placement by helping students in the classroom where she was placed examine energy sources used in Kentucky. When she began student teaching in Spain, she used the same approach with the class there. Prior to the first Skype session, Ann asked the students in Spain to develop questions for their Kentucky counterparts, vote to determine which questions they would ask, and consider how they would answer questions they might be asked by students in Kentucky. Questions, she explained, would first focus on cultural traditions and then proceed to discussions about energy sources. When students in the Spanish school initially examined the topic, they began to see value in the European Union’s (EU) goal to shift to renewable energy sources. At this point, students in Spain thought the approach was ideal and did not understand why anyone would have a different perspective. When Ann directed her students in Spain to examine energy sources in Kentucky including the use of coal, their initial reaction was negative. However, once the Spanish students learned about the economic impact of Kentucky’s failing coal industry, they Preparing Globally Competent Teachers 55 expressed concern about the potential negative effects, such as job loss, if coal was replaced by other energy sources. Expressed concerns led to conversations about how renewable energy may be better for our planet but might have negative consequences in certain areas, at least in the short term. Students in both locales started researching solutions and generating ideas about how to reduce the carbon footprint and create jobs for people who may lack employment when energy sources change. Students in both locations also shared their findings with parents and school administrators in forums as a small “action step,” seeking their advice about what might be done to help those who lost jobs. The entire process was student led and all involved seemed eager to learn from students close to their age who lived in another part of the world. Connecting students in Spain with those in Kentucky helped everyone better understand the complex issues associated with conditions within and outside their immediate environment. Guiding and Assessing Global Competence in Teaching We use several newly created tools to guide and assess growth as OST participants’ progress through the preparatory course. See Figure 2 for a table summarizing these tools. One tool we use to assess program impact is the myCAP’s Self Reflection Survey from the My Cultural Awareness Profile (myCAP) commissioned by NAFSA and developed by Marx and Moss (2011b). myCAP focuses specifically on helping teacher candidates consider their cultural perspectives. Through this survey candidates examine their cultural perspectives and views about global issues in education. Candidates complete the self reflection survey early in the preparatory course. The positioning of the survey when the course begins follows Bennett’s assertion that “cultural self-awareness [is] the beginning point for any cultural interaction analysis” (1998, p. 58). Indeed, as students dive deeper into cross- cultural interaction and analysis throughout the course, they reflect about similarities and differences between their cultural values and those they meet from diverse backgrounds while participating in the overseas student teaching program. Results from pre-and post-course myCAP surveys have proven illuminating as participants have shared their cultural learning journeys. A preliminary review of the 2018 Fall Semester course participant group’s responses showed growth in several areas. When asked on a scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” regarding the phrase “It is easy to find a global connection in most topics I [plan to] teach,” the post-course survey average moved toward "strongly agree." When asked whether “school curriculum should encourage students to consider how their actions impact global issues,” all participants “strongly agreed” in the post- course survey, whereas there was less enthusiasm in the pre-survey. Participants also indicated growth in acknowledging falsehoods inherent in the phrases such as “other people are more cultural than I am” and “the cultural background of students shouldn’t impact the way you teach.” To augment myCAP and foster deep reflection during student teaching, we created three question sets. Participants electronically submit responses to the first set when they settle into their overseas placements, the second set at the mid-point, and the third set as they conclude their student teaching experience. At each point, candidates describe changes in their cultural perspectives as well as strategies they are using to promote global competence. We also conduct a debriefing session when they return from their overseas placement as a final reflection. During that debriefing, returning candidates often 56 Global Education Review 6 (3) report mild homesickness and cultural adaptation challenges experienced when the overseas placements began. Once acclimated to their new surroundings, participants frequently say that they are able to examine different cultural practices in a new light and even incorporate them into their lives. One such example is the enhanced global stewardship exhibited in countries outside the United States, especially in New Zealand where there is a strong effort to care for the environment. OST participants also say the schools overseas embrace the globally focused strategies they bring to the classroom. During the debriefing OST participants also present what we refer to as a “signature piece”— an example showing how they impacted student learning while student teaching overseas. The presentation provides a way to highlight strengths they might share with an interview committee when applying for teaching positions. During the presentation, participants briefly describe the piece and explain its impact on student learning. Most returning candidates highlight a part of the global learning unit as their “signature piece,” although some discuss how they connected their overseas classroom with one in Kentucky. During student teaching, we use NAFSA’s Global Preparation Lens document (InTASC, 2015), described earlier, to identify how OST participants demonstrate global competence related to the InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards used to assess teacher performance (CCSSO, 2013). For example, regarding InTASC Standard 2: Learning Differences (d), we consider how OST participants infuse multiple perspectives in lessons to help students create and share their cultural stories. We also consider how participants address InTASC Standard 5: Application of Content (f) engage their students in … “seeking inventive solutions to local and global problems …” (p. 14) when designing, implementing and evaluating their unit plans (CCSSO, 2013). We believe the changes we have made to the OST program have positively influenced participants’ perceptions and practices. OST participants have consistently given high ratings to the preparatory course and to their experience student teaching overseas. While some indicated the preparatory course was more rigorous than expected, several said it transformed their thinking and practice. One comment represents the whole group’s general sentiment: “Discussions about becoming a global citizen and gaining new perspectives were extremely helpful.” Student teachers’ perception evaluation ratings were equally strong. Some expressed a desire to continue using the practices developed during the program in their teaching, especially connecting students in classrooms where they taught in Kentucky with those in their classrooms overseas. In terms of teacher performance, we have seen participants successfully implement strategies to promote global competence among students in classrooms at home and abroad. Planning for the Future Using a Global Pathway Our goal to expand the international program to promote global competence among increasing numbers of teacher candidates stems from several initiatives undertaken in recent years by the UK International Center, which serves the whole campus community. During the 2014-2015 academic school year, UK created a 2015-2020 strategic plan. Embedded in the plan is a commitment to diversity and inclusivity as well as a strategic initiative urging the University to “engage diverse worldviews and perspectives” (University of Kentucky, n.d., p. 12). Each college was tasked with creating its own complementary strategic plan. Faculty members in the College of Education (COE) formed a team Preparing Globally Competent Teachers 57 to strengthen global competency and build international partnerships. Team members had various international initiatives already in motion, creating a collaborative attitude. This attitude led to discussions about how to help the pool of teacher candidates in the COE acquire skills related to global competence. The College of Education’s resulting strategic plan ultimately supported the University’s plan for diversity and inclusion by, among other objectives, enhancing “opportunities to infuse into the curriculum international and diverse perspectives across the curriculum and the co-curriculum” (University of Kentucky College of Education, 2015, p. 4). The Curriculum and Instruction department in which our faculty resides created a strategic plan following the COE’s example, which explicated a specific action plan for producing globally competent graduates. The department set a goal to increase global-mindedness while fostering diversity and inclusiveness among faculty, staff, and students with a pledge to scaffold experiences as candidates progress through the program to help broaden their worldviews (University of Kentucky College of Education, 2015). Prior to the strategic planning process, the UK International Center undertook several initiatives to integrate education abroad experiences more deeply into the curricula at a time when the second author was a graduate student worker in the Education Abroad office. One such initiative relates to curriculum integration. In the field of international education, “curriculum integration” refers to “an intensive process to develop pathways to build international learning for all students” (Woodruff & Henry, 2012, p.1). For UK Education Abroad, this process resulted in designing a set of “Major Advising Pages” highlighting various international opportunities available for specific majors in each college. Some featured four-year academic plans with integrated semesters abroad (NAFSA, 2016). This initiative, as well as the Curriculum and Instruction department’s strategic goals related to global competency, sparked the creation of the Global Pathway for teacher candidates in all EPP certification areas. See Figure 3 for a depiction of the Global Pathway. International opportunities as well as opportunities to engage with people from diverse backgrounds are readily available to teacher candidates, but they are often difficult for candidates to discover on their own. This Global Pathway integrates many opportunities into one single document which can be used in advising, especially for university students not yet admitted to the EPP who are seeking international experiences. The Global Pathway provides a “step-by-step” approach, laying out various opportunities on-and off-campus. Creating Opportunities for Education Majors to Broaden their Cultural Perspectives While creating the Global Pathway, we noticed a lack of relevant, affordable international opportunities for education majors between the time they entered the university as freshmen and when they began the EPP. Additionally, it appeared existing opportunities did not offer academic credit toward their major. Before applying for their program, education majors are generally disconnected from the COE as they complete UK Core coursework and electives. To address both issues, the second author collaborated with another faculty member to develop a faculty-directed embedded program in Belize. The program was made possible by generous support from the Curriculum and Instruction department, College of Education, and the UK International Center. 58 Global Education Review 6 (3) The Belize program took place for the first time during the Spring 2019 semester. Embedded within it was a three-credit academic bearing course entitled Globally Minded Teaching and Learning. The course served as an elective for the EPP. Participants (mostly first- and second-year education majors) were introduced to globally competent teaching. During spring break, they spent several days observing, volunteering, and collaborating with the students and teachers in a rural elementary school in Corozal, Belize. Because the Belize program was developed with the Global Pathway in mind, future iterations will serve as a stepping-stone for teacher candidates interested in increasing their global competence before formally entering their EPP. The Belize program includes many elements candidates will see again, at a higher level, if they choose to participate in the Overseas Student Teaching program. Scaled versions of similar assignments from the OST preparatory course are used to encourage cultural self-awareness and learning about cultural differences. For example, Belize participants in Spring 2019 were asked to consider their own cultural values and participate in a “cultural partner” interview activity with students from a UK English as a Second Language class. They also completed surveys drawing questions from the myCAP survey combined with the Intercultural Knowledge and Competence Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) rubric developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (Association of American Colleges & Universities, n.d.). We have not yet conducted research to systematically analyze cultural learning growth; however, insights offered by participants in the Spring 2019 Belize cohort suggest improvement in critical areas outlined in the VALUE Rubric, including intercultural communication, cultural worldview framework knowledge, and cultural self-awareness. Reflecting on skills gained, participants said the program helped broaden their cultural perspectives. One noted, “Observing differences in educational methods and customs at [the Belizean school] broadened my perspective on possible teaching methods, particularly ones based on values that are not prevalent in my culture.” Another reported an increased respect for difference and diversity saying, “I was able to see a lot of people who were not like me but were just as successful and happy, and it helped me to deepen the understanding that there are multiple types of people and ways to live life and that is more than okay.” While building the Belize program, two other COE colleagues sought funding to develop a similar program in Iceland to attract education majors searching for an introduction to globally competent teaching. The Iceland program, like the one in Belize, will fit into the Global Pathway by filling a gap for candidates intending to enter the EPP. This gap seems especially large for minority groups who are traditionally underrepresented in education abroad programming (NAFSA, n.d.). Both the Belize and Iceland programs intentionally try to attract candidates from underrepresented populations. These programs have comparatively lower budgets than many others offered by third-party providers. They also better fit the schedules of education majors who may need to work to help defray college expenses and those who rely on financial aid and scholarships only disbursed during the fall and spring semesters. Of the 10 participants in the Spring 2019 Belize program, one was a member of an underrepresented minority group, one was a first-generation college student, three were from out-of-state, and half of them had never traveled outside of the United States. Many were able to use their existing financial aid packages to pay Preparing Globally Competent Teachers 59 for the program and/or earn additional need- based scholarships. We expect these programs and those created by faculty in the future will help broaden the pool of candidates who participate in international education experiences. Designing a Certificate Recognizing Global Competence in Teaching From the Global Pathway project, individual four-year plans are being developed for each EPP for use in advising prospective and current teacher candidates. For example, the elementary education major plan offers opportunities such as (a) joining a Living Learning Program with opportunities for freshmen to volunteer in schools and/or community agencies with diverse populations, (b) participating in faculty-directed study abroad programs (e.g., the Belize program) which include relevant credit-bearing courses, and (c) enrolling in overseas student teaching. These comprehensive documents encourage faculty input on recommended international and multicultural experiences and allow university students to choose opportunities best fitting their academic, personal, and career goals. Ultimately, these documents will serve as advising tools for candidates interested in earning a certificate highlighting skills they have acquired to address the needs of all P-12 students, whatever their background, to live and work in our interconnected world. The certificate will be flexible enough to allow teacher candidates to choose the opportunities best fitting their goals yet rigorous enough to ensure they have acquired the necessary skills to do the job. The certificate can serve as a tool for graduates, when applying for teaching positions, to show they bring added value to schools with their unique skillset. Solidifying the Global Pathway and Bonds with School and Community Partners When it becomes an option for all teacher candidates, we believe the Global Pathway project currently underway at our university will increase the pool of candidates in our EPP who have the skillset to infuse global competence into their teaching. There is a compelling case for this endeavor, considering the demographic mismatch between teacher candidates in the EPP generally and P-12 students they will serve when they take positions in the local schools. Most of our candidates are White females, and many come from rural homogeneous communities. These candidates will likely practice in schools with very diverse student populations including many ELLs. For example, the school district serving the Lexington community, where UK is located, has experienced a nearly 300% growth in the number of ELLs in the last decade. The number of first languages spoken by students in the local school system rose from 27 in 2005-2006 to nearly 100 in 2016-2017, according to data reported recently by the metro city government multicultural affairs coordinator (Lexington- Fayette Urban County Government, 2019). In contrast UK’s EPP enrollment data indicates that 87 % of the candidates enrolled are Caucasian and 80% are female across certification programs, though we do not currently have data on the candidates’ linguistic diversity (University of Kentucky, 2016). The contrast between the school and university demographics strongly suggest a need for a certificate highlighting global competence in teaching. Having resources to integrate this skill into the school curriculum and teacher performance assessment process makes building the Global Pathway easier. However, we know there is more work ahead to fully realize our goal. We must involve more 60 Global Education Review 6 (3) faculty in the process and engage more fully with our partners in local and overseas schools as well as within the community where our schools are located. Although we have established a team with school and university partners, we must engage more stakeholders in the work. Together with our university, school, and community partners, we want to address questions such as the following: How can we better prepare our candidates to serve students who bring various cultural values to the classroom? What dispositions, knowledge, and skills do candidates need to help their students broaden their cultural perspectives and prepare for full participation in our interconnected world? How can we provide a baseline for these skills to education majors before they enter the EPPs? Intentionally including skills and dispositions related to global competence in EPPs provides a mechanism for teacher candidates to earn a university-sponsored certificate, which we believe adds value to their diplomas and enables them to prepare the students they serve for the world in which they will live and work. Through the frameworks and initiatives described in this article, we are confident EPPs can embed global competence naturally in the existing curriculum rather than add to the faculty workload and to the workload of the teacher candidates they prepare for the profession. We are ready to take the next step on our own pathway toward infusing global competence into the EPP. We hope the ever- evolving story we have shared will encourage other EPPs to create a pathway of their own. Preparing Globally Competent Teachers 61 Figure 1 Key Assignments Completed Through Preparatory Course and Student Teaching Assignment Description Timeline Learning Objective Home Culture Story Digital presentation highlighting cultural values, traditions, traits, etc., related to their cultural identity. Completed early in the prep course. Participants encouraged to share the story while student teaching, and have their students share their cultural stories. To help OST participants examine their own cultural “story” before considering the cultural story of those from different backgrounds. Project-Based Globally Focused Instructional Unit Plan Using the “Core Domains” outlined by Boix Mansilla and Jackson (2011), OST participants create an interdisciplinary unit plan addressing a globally focused topic. Unit is completed at end of course and implemented while in their overseas classroom. To help P-12 students make local-global connections for issues affecting them and others in meaningful ways. Connecting Two Classrooms While teaching overseas, OST participants digitally connect their overseas classroom with one in Kentucky. Connections initiated during the preparatory course then carried out during student teaching. Unit Plans included when possible. To facilitate cultural exchange and promote intercultural understanding. Cultural Exchange Experience OST participants meet with international students several times during the preparatory course to exchange ideas about culture. Throughout the preparatory course. To broaden cultural perspectives. Cultural Plunge OST participants visit an unfamiliar place and write a reflective report about culture and overcoming challenges. Visit and report completed mid- semester. To experience being an outsider in an unfamiliar place. Figure 2 Assessment Tools to Guide Growth Regarding Global Competencies Assessment Tool Description Timeline Learning Objective My Cultural Awareness Profile (myCAP) commissioned by NAFSA OST participants reflect about their cultural perspectives using myCAP’s structured surveys to guide responses. OST participants complete myCAP at several checkpoints: (a) beginning of the preparatory course, (b) conclusion of preparatory course, and (c) conclusion of their overseas teaching experience. To promote cultural and pedagogical growth related to global competence. Overseas Student Teaching Reflections OST participants reflect about cultural learning including challenges OST participants complete first reflections when they To augment myCAP and foster deep reflection during student teaching, 62 Global Education Review 6 (3) with communication, culture shock, etc., throughout their overseas experience, examining growth and communicating challenges and successes with facilitators back home. arrive overseas, second midway through their experience, and third when they prepare to return home. OST participants submit written reflections exploring their evolving cultural perspectives, coping with culture shock, and strategies promoting global competence while student teaching overseas. NAFSA’s “Global Lens” Document: InTASC as a Framework: Viewing the InTASC Standards through a Global Preparation Lens The document provides a concrete way to guide and assess growth regarding globally competent teaching practice related to InTASC Standards. Planning and evaluating instruction throughout the student teaching experience. To guide and assess growth regarding globally competent teaching practice and provide a vehicle for reflection between student teachers and their supervisors on this domain. Figure 3 University of Kentucky College of Education’s Global Learning Pathway for Students in EPPs Preparing Globally Competent Teachers 63 References Association of American Colleges & Universities. (n.d.). Intercultural knowledge and competence VALUE rubric. Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/value/rubrics/intercultur al-knowledge Appiah, K. (2006). Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a world of strangers. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Bennett, M. J. (Ed.). (1998). Basic concepts of intercultural communication: A reader. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. Boix Mansilla, V. & Jackson, A. (2011). Educating for global competence: Preparing our youth to engage the world. New York: Asia Society. Brennan, S. (2017, May). 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Retrieved from https://www.uky.edu/iraa/enrollment- demographics University of Kentucky College of Education. (2015). Strategic plan. Lexington, KY: Author. Woodruff, G. A., & Henry, A. M. (2012). Curriculum integration of education abroad. Washington, DC: NAFSA. About the Authors Sharon Brennan is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and director of clinical practices and school partnerships for the educator preparation program at the University of Kentucky. She is a former director of the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching (COST). Her academic work focuses on globally competent teaching practice, teacher assessment, mentoring novice teachers, and curriculum development. Ellie Holliday joined the University of Kentucky College of Education as a lecturer and coordinator of international partnerships in 2014. She earned her B.A. in international studies and M.A. in diplomacy and international commerce from the University of Kentucky. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. through the Department of Educational Leadership Studies at the University of Kentucky.