Educating for a Globalized World

The nearly 80 national flags waving across the King School campus reflect the many cultures in the community and serve as a visual reflection of the school’s commitment to global education.

The standard-bearer of this commitment is the Global Education program, which, in its 13th year, is deeply integrated into the curriculum from the classroom to the sports fields. Founded by world languages teacher Dr. Gilles Chosson, global education and global perspectives are incorporated into the student experience across all divisions, and the program’s success is earning accolades as it grows.

In May, three King teachers earned prestigious Global Expression and Thought (GET) Prizes for best practices in global education for K-12 schools. The Global Education Benchmark Group gives the award after considering the curriculum of more than 300 member schools representing 17 countries.

“This recognition of King’s global curriculum honors the work of our colleagues and highlights the value our school places on global education,” said Laura Bowe, who was named Director of Global Education in 2022.

Guiding questions with global themes are an important part of the curriculum within every division. Whether students are studying English, history, math, or science, they will explore global connections and perspectives in their lessons.

“In the Lower School, culturally responsive teaching immerses students in purposeful learning experiences which connect to their own lives and their role in a community,” Bowe said. “In the Middle School, guiding questions around identity and perspectives prompt students to examine their place in the world. In the Upper School, faculty guide students’ exploration of the self and their relationship with others. Upper school students may also pursue a global studies distinction by engaging in an intensive interdisciplinary course of study.”

LOWER SCHOOL: SYMBOLS AND CULTURE

As second grade teachers Emily Decker and Aman Samra were developing lessons to enhance their geometry unit, they considered where shapes are used throughout the world and how they could infuse a global perspective into the lessons. They looked to the existing curriculum, which included a book called “If You Lived Here,” which features houses of the world, including those of the Ndebele of Zimbabwe and South Africa. Inspired by the tribe’s use of symbolic shapes, Decker and Samra looked to other cultures and added lessons surrounding Ghanaian and Islamic symbols. As the students learned about the different cultures, they began to approach geometry with a global lens to understand how shapes are linked to identity.

The class investigated how shapes in art and architecture communicate cultural identity. In South Africa, the Ndebele people create geometric wall paintings outside their homes as a form of communication with their village. In Ghana, patterns are used to create symbolic kente cloth. Nature and abstract motifs are used in Islamic architecture and the decorative art of many geographic regions to foster peace, share stories, and communicate principles of the religion. Students then designed their own authentic representations to make wall paintings, kente cloth, and mosaics.

Samra said: “As we researched more about the history and purpose of these things, we determined our unit drive, which was to use shapes to tell a story. I think what really helped me in this process was that I have had the opportunity to travel and study art and architecture in college. I tried to use my personal experience to help make ties.”

The teachers compiled information sheets about each art form, which students used as they conducted research. The research, in turn, sparked brilliant artwork as the students produced original pieces infused with colors, patterns, and shapes. The success of the curriculum earned Decker and Samra a GET prize.

MIDDLE SCHOOL: CULTURAL IMMERSION

Since its inception in 2015, King’s Costa Rica cultural immersion program has evolved into a transformative experience for middle school students. Initially designed to allow eighth grade students to practice the language, the journey has grown to incorporate service learning and to emphasize a deeper understanding of the Costa Rican way of life.

“Every time we go, we refine the curriculum, and it gets better,” middle school teacher Jenna Du Puis said. “Authenticity has been our guiding principle, a measure of whether an experience truly reflects the culture and daily life of the people of Costa Rica. We carefully choose activities that align with this principle.”

Once in the country, Du Puis encourages the students to experience the culture by tasting local cuisine, witnessing traditional farming practices, supporting local artisans, and engaging in service opportunities.

Community service is central to the trip. Guided by the question “Where am I needed in my community?” students spend months preparing for the trip. Part of their preparation is to create projects that support King’s partner organization, the Orphaned Starfish Foundation (OSF).

Du Puis first took students to an OSF orphanage in 2018. “It was the most meaningful experience I have ever had in the realm of service work,” she said. “It left me with a deep appreciation for the learning opportunity that comes from visiting and speaking with the people we are helping.”

Students return from the trip with insights into societal issues that spark meaningful discussions and encourage critical thinking about similar issues in the United States. The experience inspires them to seek out similar service opportunities with other King partner organizations and in their own communities.

With each trip, Du Puis said new doors open to enriching, educational, and thought-provoking experiences that strengthen the curriculum.

“We have an excellent tour guide, a biologist who absolutely loves his country,” said Du Puis, adding that this is the third year working with this guide. “He is fluent in historical and cultural details about Costa Rica and can answer every question we ask. He can also explain the biodiversity within the country. This kind of experience goes way beyond the textbooks; it is learning at its best.”

UPPER SCHOOL: IDENTITY IN ART

Ran LaPolla, who teaches art and design, is always looking for ways to use art to build a classroom community and provide a safe setting to discuss concepts like identity. As upper school global arts students were preparing to embark on a study of race, she enlisted the help of a student in exploring ways to facilitate dialogue.

“Mimi White ’20 was very interested in art around social justice, and I wanted to create this course,” LaPolla said.

“I approached her to see if she would be interested in helping me create the global art curriculum, and she really helped shape this class. She was essential, and she was able to bring the perspective of a student and that of a person of color.”

The resulting “Race in Art" unit introduces students to the idea of societal perceptions of identity. Using five paint colors, students mix the colors to match their skin tones and those of the five artists studied in the course.

“This topic can be hard to discuss, and the unit is meant to allow students to access the concept of race from a very different approach,” LaPolla said. Through self-expression and the creative process, students consider their own heritage and that of others.

The unit builds a classroom community, providing a safe setting to discuss complex concepts that ultimately examine historical and contemporary situations about race. White assisted LaPolla in teaching the class for the first time in the spring of 2020, earning independent study credit for her work.

“Mimi made me a much braver teacher,” said LaPolla, who earned a GET prize for the curriculum. “I stand up there and say things with conviction that I would not have had without her perspective and help.”

LaPolla has taught the course three times since creating it, and she said that the curriculum is more relevant each time she teaches it.

“It is always so hard to know what would feel like appropriation, and it has been a really positive lesson,” LaPolla said. “This comes from a positive take on identity and celebration of that, but provides a window into other worlds while creating a feeling of camaraderie as the class starts to interact around it.”