1

Reflection on My Teaching Practice in Facilitating Student

University of The People

EDUC 5810 - Living and Learning Globally

Dr. Ilknur Yuksel

February 22, 2024.

 2

Reflection on My Teaching Practice in Facilitating Student

According to the readings from this course, What I have become aware of is that

unlike my country, Myanmar, which is still stuck in translating the text and delivering the

contents and subjects, the worlds’ education trend is directed to sustainability and

globalisation. I was wondering how I can give the concept of sustainability and globalisation

when the country is chaotic with civil war, arbitrary law and propaganda education.

Benefically, that “ how” question could open my eyes to see that it is the right time to raise

the sustainable concepts, to make a bridge from the local matters to the global matters and to

value and implement social justice in our society.

Thinking about Myanmar is like working in the night without light but enlightening

the characteristics of sustainability and globalisation is like seeing the light in the dark. Evans

et al.,(2014), point out that teachers play a vital role in delivering the concepts of social

change, sustainability and globalisation and shaping the students to become global citizens.

Thus, being a teacher, I undoubtedly believe that I could facilitate my students to develop in

global issues and sustainable matters by creating a safe classroom environment.

Numerous students come to the class with different shapes, colour, culture, gender,

social background, economic status, educational backgrounds and skills. To be able to teach

these diverse students in a classroom, the teachers need to make the classroom a safe palace

where all students can raise their voice freely. According to my experience, there is one

burmese girl among Kachin students in my classroom. One day, I was freely talking about the

Kachin and the Burmese conflict and I told students how burmese people oppress the Kachin

in various ways. Consequently, that girl's face turned red and didn’t know how to react in the

classroom and she just kept silent and listened to what I said. To be honest, I admitted that I

thought I was right that time and I assumed that she should know it too. Differently, When I

have learned the global competences, I regret what I have done on that day. Boix and Jackson
 3

(2011) assert that global students must have the ability to investigate the world, recognize

other perspectives and their own, communicate effectively with diverse students and take

action to improve conditions. Those abilities will make the students become global citizens.

Even if the students must have those abilities, a teacher who will shape their education must

also have those abilities. I just raised what I would like to mention without hearing her

opinion on the case . Indeed I should have raised cause and effect instead of blaming and

talking about the negative side of burmese people. Reflecting on that event, I learned that I

couldn't make the classroom safe for everyone to raise their voice freely. Then, I have learned

I can make a safe classroom environment by nurturing the four global students' competences.

I will facilitate the students by offering the students a safe classroom environment.

So, students will freely raise their voice and learn from each other when I use scenarios in

teaching, classroom discussion and asking many questions relating to the global matter and

local matter and social justice.

 4

References

Boix Mansilla, V. & Jackson, A. (2011). Educating for global competence: Preparing our

youth to engage the world. New York: Asia Society. Retrieved from

https://asiasociety.org/files/book-globalcompetence.pdf

Evans, M., Montemurro, D., Gambhir, M., & Broad, K. (Eds.). (2014). Inquiry into

Practice: Learning and Teaching Global Matters in Local Classrooms. Ontario

Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE).

http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/oise/UserFiles/File/TEACHING_GLOBAL_MATTERS

_FINAL_ONLINE.pdf