1.  Waves of Global Change:  A Holistic World History Teaching Model

The signature workshop/short course is based on the (forthcoming) book Waves of Global Change: A Holistic Approach to World History. This unique, groundbreaking approach presents a “big picture” of world history that spans a broad sweep of time from the big bang to the present. The overarching development of humans through time and space organizes this world history into five major historical transformations or critical turning points called waves--communal, agricultural, urban, modern, and global. Each wave is holistic, meaning that it has distinctive cultural characteristics or patterns that reinforce each other. We link this approach with national standards and suggest activities and assessment ideas. Illuminating our long human history can help us learn its valuable lessons.

2.  Global Awareness for Educators: Transforming to 21st Century Skills

   We often hear the refrain “our students need to be more globally aware.” But the question remains: what is it and how to do it? It is necessary to provide a context for the overwhelming global changes sweeping the world today and what is essential for our students to know today. This workshop, especially designed for educators, helps sort out the broad sweep of life-altering global changes transforming our world today that are influencing every aspect of our daily lives.
   We examine the five dimensions of global awareness: five worldviews, the world as a system, ten critical global issues, awareness of cultural diversity, and recognition of human choice. Along with facilitating an always lively discussion and the sharing of ideas, strategies for implementation, additional resources, measurement instruments, correlating with national standards and alternative assessments are included. 

3.  Enhancing our Cross-Cultural Awareness: Suggestions and Strategies

In this workshop we explore ways in which we as educators and our students can gain cross-cultural awareness. This involves perspective-taking, seeing through the eyes, minds, and hearts of others; “standing in another person’s shoes.” By recognizing deep cultural awareness one needs to experience another perspective for a comparison to one’s own. Participants engage in activities, thought-provoking exercises and dialogue which are designed to enhance our cross-cultural awareness. This workshop is for educators or students. With this more inclusive understanding we can gain understanding of others and a sense of responsible global citizenship.

4.  Infusing Global Awareness into the Curriculum: Suggestions and Strategies

This workshop examines the five dimensions of a global perspective: five worldviews, the world as a system, ten critical global issues, awareness of cultural diversity, and recognition of human choice. Along with facilitating an always lively discussion and the sharing of ideas, strategies for implementation, additional resources, measurement instruments, correlating with national standards and alternative assessments are included. 

5.  A Global Approach to United States History: Suggestions and Strategies

Adding a global focus to a United States history course places the nation within, not outside and apart from, the larger structural patterns that have taken place around the world. In this workshop we practice placing United States history into a “big picture” context as we explore major world developments—from the age of colonial conquest to globalization—that have profoundly shaped our historical past and continue to shape our future. Within this more expansive framework we can fit in our existing knowledge and adapt it to our present curriculum. In keeping with national standards, we also explore practical classroom strategies to help our students broaden their global perspective. 

6.  Piecing Together the Globalization Puzzle: 10 Essential Pieces

The forces of globalization bombard us daily, while impacting every aspect of our lives, including education. In this workshop we embark upon an exploration of how and why globalization, with an emphasis on economic globalization, has become the prevailing economic system governing our society today and why we are suffering a global economic crisis. Using a systems approach we uncover 10 essential pieces that are vital for the implementation and perpetuation of economic globalization. With this greater understanding we will exchange views about the advantages and disadvantages of economic globalization and its far-reaching consequences. We wrap up with a lively dialogue about why globalization matters to educators, link the content to national standards and spend adequate time on how we can communicate this important phenomenon to our students in a thoughtful and balanced way. 

7.  Understanding Diverse Worldviews: Guidelines for Educators

Based upon our experiences, history, traditions, upbringing, and myths we view our world through various lenses or ways of understanding reality. These particular perspectives or worldviews shape the choices we make in our everyday lives, influence the way we solve problems, and determine the way in which we fashion our future. In this workshop five different worldviews in the United States and world today are thoughtfully examined, and then analyze how each worldview affects the way critical issues are understood and solved. We continue with an evaluation of our own personal worldview and see how it shapes our teaching. We next evaluate each worldview to better understand whether the worldview we personally hold harmonizes with the future we wish to bequeath to the next generations. Finally, we devise ways that this valuable information can be effectively used in our classrooms. 

8.  Infusing Human Rights into the Curriculum: Suggestions and Strategies

Human Rights is an important global issue today. This workshop defines human rights both today and historically. We then examine a number of interesting historical human rights case studies and links them to contemporary issues. We also investigate human rights for women, indigenous peoples, minorities, and others. We look at reasons for human rights abuses in the past and present and explore ways in which students can be involved in mitigating human rights abuses today.  

9.  Historical Roosts of Globalization: A Systems Approach

Although it seems as though economic globalization has powered its way into our lives almost overnight, it actually has evolved historically over the last five centuries and intensified and expanded in only the last thirty years. Peering though a “big picture” lens we will explore the emergence of the capitalist economic system, investigate the different facets of its development, probe into how it has changed over the last 500 years, and link it to current economic globalization. Our economic history for too long has intentionally been presented as dry, arduous, and unconnected to our everyday lives. With a greater awareness of the economic forces underpinning the globalization project, we can more clearly and confidently assess the positive aspects and resist the detrimental aspects of economic globalization and embark upon fashioning a more just, equitable and sustainable future.

10.  Globalization and Our Future

This inspiring workshop explores the far-reaching issue of globalization and its sweeping impact upon our everyday lives, the environment, and people throughout the world.  Using a multifaceted systems approach we will inves1tigate the historical currents of globalization, examine specific global issues, and uncover 10 essential factors necessary for implementation and perpetuation of the globalization project. If requested, special attention will be directed to the diverse ways women respond to global changes in their daily lives, such as their increased participation in the labor force and feminization of poverty.  With this greater understanding of globalization our group will decide who benefits and who loses in this complex project and engage in a thought-provoking dialogue about possible sustainable and equitable paths for our shared human future. 

11.  Shifting Directions: Creating Alternatives to Economic Globalization   

This thought-provoking workshop brings a fresh perspective to the overwhelming changes globalization is bringing to our world. Using a systems approach, a brief overview of economic globalization and its historical roots is given. Next an in-depth exploration of more just, sustainable, and equitable alternative to economic globalization will be discussed.  We conclude with a lively dialogue about how these more life-enhancing alternatives may be integrated into our lives today.