Find links to useful websites from around the world

Global Issues: Website of the week

Teaching About the War "Rethinking Schools presents this special collection of articles and resources for classroom teachers. This section includes materials that focus specifically on Iraq, as well as articles that address the more general issues of armed conflict and society's priorities." Visit this site

Global Issues: EFL/ESL Specific Sites

		Intercultural Voices The Intercultural Voices blog provides a meeting point to interact about Intercultural competence in ELT. You can also download a very well designed pack of materials for developing intercultural competence. To see this site go to: Intercultural Voices
		Oxford University press publishes Global Issues – A course book by Ricardo Sampedro and Susan Hillyard. It has new activities, downloadable worksheets, a glossary, and opportunities for feedback. The site does require free registration though.
		BaFa BaFa: Does it Work with University EFL Learners? : BaFa BaFa is a simulation to teach cross-cultural awareness. Participants find out what it feels like to be the one person in a group who is different. RaFá RaFá is the elementary version.
		British Council Peacekeeping English Project: The aim of PEP is to reduce, resolve and prevent conflict worldwide through improved English language communication. PEP also provides free online language development for military personnel, border guards and police through the British Council's LearnEnglish Military website.
		DEN wolf project: Do wolves deserve their reputation? Innovative reading / writing / listening EFL site using slides and audio samples. Great resource from the Digital Education Network
		German Culture Pages: Produced by students of English (EFL) at the Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik, Technische Universität Dresden (Germany). Their aim is provide information about their culture, other cultures and issues related to student life in Dresden/Germany and abroad.
		JALT Publications: Publications of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
		One World, One People: Monthly updated EFL/ESL lessons on global and local environment issues
		TOPICS, An Online Magazine for ESL-EFL Learners: Not just global issues, but some useful stuff. eg. the effects of TV violence on children

Global Issues: Other Education Sites

		International Day of Peace on 21st September Here's a really fantastic link to some really useful materials for the International Day of Peace on 21st September. There are some video materials and also some suggestions for class projects.
		American Forum for Global Education: Includes a useful list of links by country to Africa, Asia and Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East, Western Europe, Eastern Europe
		Association for the Study of Literature & the Environment: Encourages new nature writing, traditional and innovative approaches to environmental literature
		Ancient Trees Project: Learn about your local ancient trees and branch out by sharing your findings
		Association for Experiential Education: With an emphasis on learning through technology and the Great Outdoors
		BULLYING: Kidscape is a UK charity for / about children who are suffering bullying. Child violence is a US site with a self-help book and some free articles.
		Counterpunch : CounterPunch is the bi-weekly muckraking newsletter edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair. Twice a month we bring our readers the stories that the corporate press never prints. We aren't side-line journalists here at CounterPunch. Ours is muckraking with a radical attitude and nothing makes us happier than when CounterPunch readers write in to say how useful they've found our newsletter in their battles against the war machine, big business and the rapers of nature.
		Critical Pedagogy : part of the 21st Century Schools web site. "Critical pedagogy considers how education can provide individuals with the tools to better themselves and strengthen democracy, to create a more egalitarian and just society, and thus to deploy education in a process of progressive social change."
		d i s i n f o r m a t i o n: A wonderful site for conspiracy theorists. Use the search mechanism to find many provocative articles on global issues.
		Dragonfly: Nature project activities 'for investigators of all ages'
		EarthWeek, A Diary of the Planet: Locate natural and man-made current environmental events using maps and symbols, then learn about them with the accompanying background information
		ePALS Classroom Exchange: Connecting classrooms around the world
		Foxfire : teaching approach and publication advocating learner-centred, community-based education.
		Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network : GLSEN is an education organization creating safe schools for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
		GeoGame Description: Project from the Global Schoolnet Foundation to teach children geography terms; to read and interpret maps; to increase awareness of geographical and cultural diversity
		Global Classroom: Exchange scheme promoting inter-cultural learning and personal development
		Global Schoolhouse: Joint Global SchoolNet / Microsoft venture aiming to bring educational resources to students, educators, parents and the extended learning community
		The Globe Programme: Global Observation and Learning to Benefit the Environment
		Great Ideas Global Issues: A lesson plan for children 7 - 12 to offer a visual symbol of the interlocking nature of 10 global issues
		Green Teacher Magazine: A magazine by and for educators to enhance environmental and global education across the curriculum. 50 pages of ideas and activities 4 times a year.
		Hewitt's Global Issues page: Course outline for global issues course in a Michigan high school. Examples of student work and useful links to other global issues sites
		The International Education and Resources Network (iearn): Enables young people to make a meaningful contribution to the health and welfare of the planet and its people
		IMUNA: Not-for-profit NGO dedicated to furthering global issues education at the secondary school level
		The Informal Education homepage: Excellent site describing how learning can be achieved outside schools, colleges and other formal educational settings
		InMotion Magazine: multicultural, online U.S. publication about democracy.
		Intercultural E-Mail Classroom Connections: Free service to help teachers and classes link with classes in other countries and cultures for email classroom and pen-pal project exchanges
		InterLink Project: Description of a British Council project bringing together schools in New Zealand and Britain across the World Wide Web. Useful for other teachers who'd like to do the same.
		Language futures Europe: Site on language policy, multilingualism, global language structures, and the dominance of English
		Model United Nations: Participants learn about other people, cultures and international relationships while developing a global perspective on real issues in the world community today. The Elementary School version of this United Nations simulation can be found here.
		Radical Teacher: various articles from the magazine which focuses on critical teaching practice, the political economy of education, and institutional struggles.
		Rethinking Schools : Rethinking Schools believes that classrooms can be places of hope, where students and teachers gain glimpses of the kind of society we could live in and where students learn the academic and critical skills needed to make that vision a reality. Contains some wonderful teaching ideas such as Understanding Large Numbers.
		Second Nature - Starfish: Second Nature, a Boston-based environmental education organisation, recently introduced a comprehensive collection of on-line databases with the release of Starfish. The resource was developed to help educators infuse environmental and sustainability concepts into their teaching.
		Sharing Nature Foundation: Site established by Joseph Cornell, author of 'Sharing Nature with Children'. Info. about programs for adult leaders, books and resources, activities.
		Simulation Training Systems: Simulations designed for non-profit institutions and schools - eg. 'Star Power' is about the uses & abuses of power; in 'What is No?' participants discuss the intentional and unintentional ways misunderstandings and hostile environments are created.
		Social Studies School Service: Section on global studies includes a web exercise on the United Nations and its related agencies; elementary and middle level activities to recognise global diversity; etc.
		Soundout.org : promoting meaningful student involvement in schools
		Teachers Without Borders: A non-profit, non-denominational corporation devoted to global educational change at the high-school level for an information age.  TWB creates an appropriate match between worldwide research on learning with effective, personalized educational solutions at the local level.
		UNICEF Voices of Youth Home Page
		Understanding Global Issues: 'concise, fact-packed unbiased briefings' on various topics in the news for sale at L2.95 each
		Using the web: Examples of teachers using the Web for communicating, publishing, accessing information, collaborating
		THE VIDEO PROJECT: 'Media for a safe and sustainable world': Educational Videos on the Environment, Violence Prevention, Human Rights, Nuclear Issues, Conflict Resolution and Related Concerns

Global Issues: General Interest

		A piece by Howard Zinn on the war: Discussion about the war with Iraq
		UNICEF Top 10 Cartoons for Children's Rights Cartoons for Children's Rights is a UNICEF broadcast initiative that aims to inform people around the world about children's rights.
		Adbusters: Great site debunking advertising campaigns with spoof paper ads and 'uncommercials'
		Amnesty International
		Artists Against Racism
		American Friends Service Committee : an antidote to NATO. Website on peace initiatives and militarism.
		Association of World Citizens
		Crosspoint Anti Racism: Amsterdam-based group supporting everyone in the field of anti-racism. Searchable by country.
		EcoNet: Working to support ecological sustainability and environmental justice
		Environmental Organisations WebDirectory: A good place to start on any environmental topic
		Forests, Trees and People Programme: Iinformation and articles on community forestry activities in many countries - Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, Nepal, etc.
		Friends of the Earth: Homepage of a major environmental group
		Global Issues on the UN Agenda: Topics addressed by the UN system and information resources
		Global-Issues.Net: Website maintained by the non-profit organization FTF: (Facing the Future: People and the Planet)
		Global Issues.Org: A personal website (by "Anup Shah") providing links on global issues
		Globalization and Unilateralism: An analysis of the origins and effects of globalization and unilateralism
		Greenpeace: Homepage of a major environmental group
		The Independent Media Center : "..a network of collectively run media outlets for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate tellings of the truth. We work out of a love and inspiration for people who continue to work for a better world, despite corporate media's distortions and unwillingness to cover the efforts to free humanity."
		Life after Capitalism: Looking at alternatives to capitalism
		Multinational Monitor On-Line: Watches over corporations worldwide
		NEPAD: A site looking critically at the New Partnership for African Development and also looking at the relationship between G8 and the African continent
		New Internationalist: A simple English site examining some of the crucial global issues of today
		One World: A brilliant site regularly updated with current information on global issues. First stop for students who want to find out what's going on in the world.
		OneWorld Magazine: Includes many articles on different aspects of environmentalism worldwide
		Our Changing Planet: "US global change research program supports activities that provide information on policy relevant to understanding about the coupling of human activities and the environment across a broad range of issues, perspectives and interactions." (These people need help. Contact The Plain English Campaign -Website imminent - fax +44 1663 747038).
		PeaceNet: Invites visitors to take action for positive social change in peace, social and economic justice, human rights and the struggle against racism
		Programs Curriculum Materials: Excellent resource section contains downloadable info. on conflict resolution, global connections, the environment, international organisations
		United Nations
		U.S. Global Change Research Program: Helping to understand, assess, and predict global change
		VSO home page: Voluntary Service Overseas
		World Wildlife Fund

Global Issues: Books and offline journals

Rachel Martin, Listening up:reinventing ourselves as teachers. (Boynton Cook 2001): A challenging book that raises questions about women's work in our societies, patriarchy, the myths we all have about this.

Lester Milbrand, Learning to think environmentally while there is still time (Suny 1996): written in a language and format that is very accessible, this is a Socratic dialogue between neighbors over the backyard fence, so to speak, about many pressing environmental issues. Kind of book high school kids can follow and have found neat from NY to Portland. How to treat complex issues in simple language is an art in itself.

Steven Widdows & Peter Voller, Open Minds: Exploring Global Issues through Reading and Discussion (1996) (ISBN 0-472-08358-9 pp. xxiv+179) You can read a review of this book here.

Radical Teacher: "..an independent magazine for educational workers at all levels and in every kind of institution. The magazine focuses on critical teaching practice, the political economy of education, and institutional struggles. " See web site here.