Borderless Education: A Pedagogical Framework for Cultural Responsiveness and Global Competence

The context is clear, educators must develop comprehensive global competencies that are grounded in culturally responsive foundations to create classrooms that are inclusive and offer a curriculum that is rich in identities, relevant, and borderless. This book builds on the work of scholars who have called for culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining pedagogies while centering the importance of global competencies in education.

The authors share a new integrative pedagogical framework that bridges the gap between culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies and global teacher education. Contributing authors showcase various strategies proving the value of embedding culturally centered global competencies in teacher preparation and classrooms. Each contributed chapter ends with a series of questions designed to elicit critical thinking; promote the development of human-centered pedagogies; and inspire work that supports inclusion, belonging, and acceptance.

Christina Wright Fields, PhD (Poughkeepsie, New York) is an Associate Professor of Education at Marist University. Dr. Fields’ research focuses on culturally responsive pedagogy, urban education, equitable administrative practices, and global education. Prior to joining Marist College, Dr. Fields oversaw a pre-college global infusion project at Indiana University Bloomington with Dr. Amy Horowitz. Dr. Fields received the 2022 Longview Foundation Global Teacher Education Fellowship, 2019 Marist College Strategic Plan Grant-Think Global, Act Local: Developing Social Justice Minded Youth, and 2017 NASPA Program Excellence Award in International, Multicultural, Cultural, Gender, LGBTQ, Spirituality and Disability. Dr. Fields served as 2022-2024 co-chair for American Association of Colleges of Teacher Educators (AACTE) Global Diversity Programmatic Advisory Committee and was a member of AACTE’s Global Teacher Education Professional Learning Community. Currently, she serves as a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) coordinator at Marist University and the co-chair for the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Commission for Academic Affairs. Dr. Fields has presented at American Education Research Association (AERA), International Conference on Urban Education (ICUE), International Visual Sociology Association (IVSA), Critical Race Studies in Education Association (CRSEA), and American Association of Colleges of Teacher Educators (AACTE). She has published in Administration Theory & Praxis, Black Educology, Public Integrity, Journal of African American Women and Girls in Education, and Journal of Education Human Resources.

Novea McIntosh, Ed.D. is an Associate Professor in the School of Education and Health Sciences at the University of Dayton. Dr. McIntosh coordinates the Adolescent to Young Adult program (Secondary education licensure) and co-directs the Urban Teacher Academy. Dr. McIntosh is an Afro Caribbean scholar practitioner whose research focuses on culturally responsive pedagogy, intercultural competence, decolonization and global education. As a global scholar, she collaborates with the University of Dayton Human Rights Center and NGOs such as Determined to Develop leading international interdisciplinary practicum to Malawi Africa, and study abroad in Florence Italy. Dr. McIntosh received the 2024 Longview Foundation Global Teacher Education Fellowship and 2025 Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) University of Dayton fellowship. Dr. McIntosh served as 2024-2025 co-chair for American Association of Colleges of Teacher Educators (AACTE) Global Diversity committee and was a member of AACTE’s Global Teacher Education Professional Learning Community. She currently serves as the President for the North American Community: Uniting for Equity (NAC: UE) and secretary for AACTE Internationalization of Teacher Education Topical Action Group (TAG). Dr. McIntosh coaches and provides professional development to in-service and pre-service teachers. She presented at American Association of Colleges of Teacher Educators (AACTE), American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the American Educational Studies Association (AESA). Dr. McIntosh’s scholarly work has been published in national and international journals. Recent publications include: Teacher Preparation Partnerships to Foster Learning for All Students. Middle School Journal 55(1); Disrupting and transgressing the canon: Including BIPOC voices in BIPOC Alliances: Building Communities and Curricula for the Curriculum & Pedagogy; and Developing Culturally Responsive Antiracist Activists in Reconceptualizing Social Justice in Teacher Education: Moving to Anti-racist Pedagogy. Additionally, she has published in Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, Journal of Catholic Education, Journal of Interdisciplinary Education and International Journal of Educational Reform.

Rochonda Nenonene, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the department of teacher education at the University of Dayton. She serves as the First Year Experience Coordinator and the Founding Co-Program Director of the Urban Teacher Academy. Areas of research interests include: urban teacher preparation, culturally responsive/sustaining pedagogy, social-emotional learning and dispositions of teacher candidates. Dr. Nenonene conducts professional development for school districts on culturally responsive teaching, student engagement, classroom management, social-emotional learning and issues relevant to equity and social justice. Dr. Nenonene is a 2022-2023Institute for Teachers of Color Fellow (ITOC) and 2019 University of Dayton Global Education Fellow. She currently serves as the President for theGlobal Community: Uniting for Equity (GCUE) and Co-chairs the membership committee for American Association of Colleges of Teacher Educators (AACTE). Dr. Nenonene has presented at American Association of Colleges of Teacher Educators (AACTE), American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the American Educational Studies Association (AESA). Recent publications include: Social Emotional Learning. In Reiser, R., Carr-Chellman, A., Dempsey, J. (Eds.), Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, 5th Edition (Chapter 12), Routledge; Disrupting and transgressing the canon: Including BIPOC voices in BIPOC Alliances: Building Communities and Curricula for the Curriculum & Pedagogy; and Developing Culturally Responsive Antiracist Activists in Reconceptualizing Social Justice in Teacher Education: Moving to Anti-racist Pedagogy. Additionally, she has published in Teacher Education Quarterly, Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, Journal of Catholic Education, and Multicultural Learning and Teaching.