Teaching and Learning for Intercultural Understanding

Engaging Young Hearts and Minds

Debra Rader

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781138102712
• eBook ISBN: 9781351595230
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Teaching and Learning for Intercultural Understanding is a comprehensive resource for educators in primary and early years classrooms. It provides teachers with a complete framework for developing intercultural understanding among pupils and includes practical and creative strategies and activities to stimulate discussion, awareness and comprehension of intercultural issues and ideas.

Drawing on the most current research and work in the field of intercultural competence and existing models of intercultural understanding, this book explores topics such as:

• understanding culture and language
• the importance of personal and cultural identity
• engaging with difference
• cultivating positive attitudes and beliefs
• embedding awareness of local and global issues in students
• designing a classroom with intercultural understanding in mind.

With detailed ready-to-use, enquiry-based lesson plans, which incorporate children's literature, talking points and media resources, this book encourages the practitioner to consider intercultural understanding as another lens through which to view the curriculum when creating and choosing learning materials and activities. Teaching and Learning for Intercultural Understanding sets out to help the reader engage young hearts and minds with global and local concepts in a way that is easily integrated into the life of all primary schools – from New York to New Delhi, from Birmingham to Bangkok.

p.7

PART

1	Compelling pedagogy for our times

p.9

CHAPTER

1	What is intercultural understanding?

Introduction

Indian at Heart

Global in Spirit

This was the placard that greeted us as colleagues and I stepped out of Mumbai Airport in October 2014. It could not have been more perfect as we had come from around the world to explore the topic of intercultural understanding at the Alliance for International Education (AIE) Conference. Within the rich multicultural context of India, it illustrates the value of one’s own cultures, languages, beliefs and identity, as well as an attitude of openness to those of others. It suggests knowing oneself and, at the same time, a willingness to connect with those who are different. Simple and powerful, this sentiment expresses the essence of intercultural understanding (Rader, 2015).

But just what is intercultural understanding?

What exactly do we mean when we use this term?

There is not a fully agreed upon definition of intercultural understanding and the concept is often described, rather than defined. In this chapter I provide a Framework for Developing Intercultural Understanding (Rader, 2016) drawing on my experience in international education, key research in intercultural understanding and related fields, and the prominent models that have informed my thinking. My intention is to provide a shared understanding of intercultural understanding so that we can apply it in our teaching practice.

The terms intercultural understanding and intercultural competence are often used interchangeably in educational contexts and discourse depending on the individual or organisation. For the purpose of this book I have chosen to use the term intercultural understanding, as understanding between cultures suggests human connection, which I believe is at its heart. I think of intercultural understanding as both a disposition and a competence. As a disposition it is a mindset or orientation, which includes beliefs, values and attitudes; as a competence it includes knowledge, understanding and skills. Together they provide a way of being in the world that enables us to approach and engage with difference in mutually respectful and affirming ways. Throughout this book I use the words disposition and competence alternately, given the context.

p.10

PAUSE FOR REFLECTION

How would you describe intercultural understanding? What comes to mind when you think of this concept?

Let us start by considering the breadth of work that has been done in the field of intercultural understanding and related fields. We will first take a brief look at the historical context of intercultural understanding in education and organisations that promote it, along with its particular relevance to life in our world today. I will then present the models that have informed my thinking and my Framework, which is the foundation of this book. Lastly, I will discuss my Framework and its importance in education today and for the future.

Historical context of intercultural understanding in education

International education developed to educate children for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world following the end of the Second World War. The United Nations (UN) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) were formed in 1945; the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was developed in 1948. The UDHR outlines the role of education in intercultural understanding:

Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial and religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

(Article 26, paragraph 2, italics added)

This is supported by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1989), which is highly relevant to our work with children in schools. It, ‘affirms the rights of children to respect their own cultural identity, language and values, and to enjoy their own culture, practice their religion, and use their own language (Articles 29 and 30). Article 29 (c) of the Convention states that, ‘education should be directed to the development of respect for the child’s parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own’. Article 29 of the Convention further states that:

education should prepare the child for “responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin.” This represents the essence of education for intercultural understanding.

(de Leo, 2010)

As air travel and global trade increased, international schools began to emerge to serve the internationally mobile expatriate community. They offered a curriculum that differed from the host country national system and included an international perspective that promoted respect for cultural diversity and working together towards a better future.

The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) was founded in 1968 and offers four highly regarded programmes of international education. It introduced the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (IBDP) in 1968, followed by the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) in 1994, the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in 1997 and the IB Career-Related Programme (CP) in 2012. The IBO’s initial aim was to provide a challenging and comprehensive education that would enable students to understand and manage the complexities of our world and provide them with skills and attitudes for taking responsible action for the future. Such an education was rooted in the belief that people who are equipped to make a more just and peaceful world need an education that crosses disciplinary, cultural, national and geographical boundaries (IBO website). While the IB does not follow any particular national curriculum, it includes best practice from many educational systems and has become an exemplar of international education in schools worldwide.

p.11

The IB mission states:

The International Baccalaureate (IB) aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

(IB, 1998, italics added)

UNESCO has been a leader in developing current education policy and practice beginning with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD has its roots in the history of the UN environment movement for sustainable development, which began in the 1980s. As it was recognised that education and learning lie at the heart of approaches to sustainable development, education for sustainability grew alongside to address the environment, society and the economy. These three spheres of action and learning for sustainable development are interconnected through culture – the value of respect for self, for others and for all life on earth is seen as central to sustainable development. Education for intercultural understanding is situated within the context of ESD under society where:

the social dimensions of ESD relate to the need for individuals and societies to live and work together peacefully, with justice, equity, care and respect for human dignity and rights. This requires people of diverse cultures to understand and respect each other, and to treat each other equitably and inclusively, whether within or between nations.

(de Leo, 2010)

UNESCO’s 1996 report, International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, identifies four pillars of learning: Learning to Know; Learning to Do; Learning to Be; and Learning to Live Together. All four pillars are equated with Pestalozzi’s ‘head, hand and heart’ framework (see de Leo, 2010) and suggest learning in the cognitive (head), affective (heart) and behavioural (hand) domains.

The impact of increased mobility, globalisation, advances in technology and pressing global issues has seen the emergence of Global Citizenship Education (GCE). Oxfam, a not-for-profit global charity committed to fighting poverty and injustice and promoting human rights, published its first curriculum for Global Citizenship in 1997 and this has continued to develop to meet the needs of our changing world.

Oxfam has also published valuable resources for schools worldwide, most notably Education for Global Citizenship: A Guide for Schools (2015), and Global Citizenship in the Classroom: A Guide for Teachers (2015).

‘United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has promoted global citizenship education since the launch of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) in 2012, which made fostering global citizenship one of its three education priorities’ (UNESCO, 2014). Global citizens identify with the wider global community as well as their local, regional or national one. UNESCO has also published many excellent resources for educators and schools in the areas of intercultural understanding, intercultural competences and global citizenship – the most pertinent of which are highlighted in this chapter.

p.12

Most currently, Education 2030 (The Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action) builds on the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015 and sets out a new vision for education for the next 15 years (UNESCO, 2015a).

Of particular relevance is Target 4.7, which states:

By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.

(UNESCO, 2015a, italics added)

As we can see there are several common threads running through these documents that identify the importance of developing an appreciation and respect for cultural diversity, understanding and friendship between people of diverse backgrounds, and working together for a more peaceful, just and sustainable future.

The thinking that has informed this book

There are many concepts related to intercultural understanding such as global citizenship, international-mindednes...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Praise
• Teaching and Learning for Intercultural Understanding
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part 1 Compelling Pedagogy for our Times
• Part 2 Teaching and Learning for Intercultural Understanding
• Part 3 Putting it into practice: Modelling, Living and Learning Intentionally
• Appendix A: Children’s Literature for Developing Intercultural Understanding
• Appendix B: Multimedia Resources
• Appendix C: Web-Based Resources
• Appendix D: Resources for Educators and Parents
• Appendix E: Partnering With Families
• Appendix F: Connecting with the Community
• Appendix G: Organisations that Promote Intercultural Understanding
• Appendix H: Templates for Lesson Plans
• Epilogue: To teachers Everywhere
• Index