MEH World History Teacher to Tour Chinese Schools in June

Erlynn Kirsch, an 8th grade World History teacher at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, has been named a 2014 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow.

With this honor, Kirsch joins a unique class of 32 award-winning public school educators who have spent this past year building their global competency skills, or the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance.

“In order for students to be prepared for the global age, their educators must be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and disposition to teach in the global age,” said Harriet Sanford, president and CEO of the NEA Foundation.

“Our Global Learning Fellows program has an intentional focus on supporting educators as they strengthen their global competencies: investigating the world beyond one’s immediate environment; recognizing multiple perspectives; communicating ideas effectively with diverse audiences; and taking action to improve conditions,” she said.

The international field study in China, from June 20-30, includes visits to schools in Beijing and Xi’an to provide educators with structured opportunities to observe high quality instruction and to interact with Chinese teachers and administrators. It also includes opportunities to investigate China’s historical and cultural significance. 

In preparation, the Fellows will complete an online course to provide them with a framework to contextualize their experiences in China by examining the impact of its historical and cultural legacies on contemporary Chinese society and educational system.  

At the conclusion of the NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship, educators begin working on a final project to create a lesson plan, unit plan, or full curriculum integrated with global competency skills. By creating this plan, and then sharing with educators around the world via an open source platform, Fellows are contributing to an increasing field of knowledge on this topic. 

Kirsch, the 2013-2014 Virginia Education Association Teacher of the Year, is in her first year of teaching at Falls Church City Public Schools.