EFAC DREAMS - Education For All Children

EFAC DREAMS Brings Global Citizenship into the Classroom

Over the past two years I have used the EFAC DREAMS curriculum in ten classrooms in grades two, three, and four. The teachers became especially interested in the unit upon realizing that it covered the majority of social studies standards in their respective grade levels. Within less than a month's time, teachers covered geography, economics, and civics standards in addition to numerous reading, writing, and technology standards.

Students came to understand the meaning of becoming a responsible global citizen in the most meaningful, hands-on way. They spent their time learning about and communicating with real students across the world. In place of reading about community service, students developed proposals and put their own ideas into action.

BRENDA MARTIN
EFAC Dreams Coordinator and Educator
Hulstrum Elementary School, Northglenn, CO

EFAC DREAMS is a pilot program working closely with schools to create learning environments that encourage students to become critical thinkers, responsible global citizens, and future leaders. This is accomplished through a standards based, rigorous and relevant curriculum that focuses on 21st century learning skills, technology, and building lifelong connections with EFAC scholars. The global citizenship curriculum is a social studies unit designed to simultaneously challenge students in the developed and emerging world to problem solve through communication and collaboration. EFAC Dreams curriculum has at its core the relationship building with one of our EFAC scholars. The challenge for the study unit is to explore the similarities and dissimilarities of the two cultures, and the work is documented through blogs, wiki (education-for-all-children.wikispaces.com) and a unit web site called a glogster. EFAC Dreams curriculum includes all academic areas of a standard social studies unit and can easily be adapted to meet requirements in the 50 states. Detailed lesson plans and interactive learning tools are supplied for each grade level. The following academic areas are included in this innovative and unique curriculum.

ECONOMICS The comparative study of African and US markets by virtual visiting of markets in Kenya
CULTURE The study of the similarities and differences of traditions in each country
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Service learning through fundraising projects for EFAC Scholars
GEOGRAPHY Virtual scavenger hunts highlighting similar opportunities and challenges associated with geographic differences
CIVICS Comparative study of types of governments
TECHNOLOGY BASED WRITING AND READING Use of interactive tools resulting in Power Points, blogs, and glogsters developed by students

After a successful DREAMS pilot program in ten classrooms in Colorado in 2009-2010 and an enthusiastic response to our presentation at the 2010 National Staff Development Council Summer Conference, we are expanding our geographic reach in 2011.

Read our blog to learn more about EFAC DREAMS.