By Nicholas Allen | January 7, 2021
World View has impacted my classroom by making me a better teacher through opening my eyes to the diversity in those around me and how to better love my students. Being aware of diversity in my classroom allows for students to be themselves and bring something to their peers that they may not have been exposed to anywhere else. I love my students and their individuality and World View has allowed me to be a more engaged listener and ask better questions to my students.
Caitlin Farr teaches Health and Physical Education to 6th-8th grade students at Harold E. Winkler Middle School in Concord, North Carolina. The school, an International Baccalaureate focusing on academic achievement and real-world application, has spurred Farr’s interest in global studies, but her first global inspiration came years before. “I first became interested in global education by having a sister living in another country and during my studies in college where we learned about the history of physical education and how different countries and societies enjoy different sports, lifestyles and traditions.” That interest led Farr to register for UNC World View’s Shared Narratives: UNESCO Intercultural Competency Training on the Story Circles methodology last fall (offered again on January 21). Her next venture into global education professional development came when UNC World View partnered with the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence to facilitate the inaugural World Council Teaching Fellows Program. She is one of five fellows selected to work with Dr. Darla Deardorff on applications of the Manual for Developing Intercultural Competencies: Story Circles.
Caitlin Farr and Harold E. Winkler Middle School are already applying these concepts in their classrooms. “Our campus utilizes Story Circles during our homeroom time to get students to connect with one another and work together,” she stated. The school also creates community service opportunities for their students to experience the diversity all around them and have an immediate impact in their communities. Although UNC World View strives to bring the best in global professional development, it takes an engaged teacher to ultimately synthesize the content and integrate it into their curriculum. Caitlin Farr is just that teacher.
World View has impacted my classroom by making me a better teacher through opening my eyes to the diversity in those around me and how to better love my students. Being aware of diversity in my classroom allows for students to be themselves and bring something to their peers that they may not have been exposed to anywhere else. I love my students and their individuality and World View has allowed me to be a more engaged listener and ask better questions to my students.
Engaged listening is but a part of Farr’s efforts to expand intercultural competence and introduce global concepts to her teaching. She’s also inspired by the idea of pairing standard lessons side-by-side with comparable content from different countries and cultures. “For example, when I teach nutrition, there is a website I found that compares food guides from around the world. Even something as simple as finding an article related to health/physical education and sharing it with the class as a discussion starter would allow them the opportunity to see how we are both alike and different than those around us,” Farr explained. She would like to expand this idea to various sports across the globe as well. As a college student, she was introduced to cricket—a small moment in time that turned her into a lifelong enthusiast. “It would be fun to allow students the same opportunity to get out of our norm and learn something new and teach their peers about what they have learned,” she elaborated. Farr’s creative aspirations about integrating other cultures into the health/physical education classroom have translated into real curriculum practices as she and her team adjust to alternative learning modes amidst the pandemic.
Teaching in a pandemic is extremely challenging, but the hands-on nature of health and physical education poses extra risks. Classes are restricted from use of shared equipment and certain activities. “We are making the most of what we do have,” noted Farr, “My team and I have given students some freedom when it comes to physical education by giving students what we call ‘Free Choice’ days.” Students get to improve their fitness through an activity that appeals to them strongly, rather than mandated participation. “Not every student is the same and likes the same activity, so it is great to see the diversity amongst my students—even in an area as simple as being active,” Farr emphasized. Indeed, diversity is a lived experience as much as a cultural concept, which “Free Choice” days clearly demonstrate. Despite challenges, Farr and her team’s remote pivots have had upsides. “We have also been able to welcome the students into our lives in a new way by recording workouts for students to complete,” Farr went on, “This allows students to see us being active the entire class with them rather than instructing.” Even for a physical education teacher, six workouts a day at 45 minutes each is a tall order. Farr observed that pre-recorded workouts also allow her to be creative in what students do and what equipment they utilize while exercising. “Not every student has the same ‘equipment’ at home so we were able to diversify and have them use what they had whether it was a dumbbell or a can of food or a water bottle,” she explained.
The pandemic has also presented opportunities to discuss other burgeoning aspect of healthy living. “For health we are currently teaching mental and emotional health so the pandemic has helped open up conversations about stress between the virus, changing learning environments, and how to stay flexible,” Farr asserted, “Students are able to see how what we teach is practical for the world in which we live.”
Props to Caitlin Farr and her team for their creative thinking and dedication to expanding their students’ worldviews! We’re grateful for your work and can’t wait to see what’s next.