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NEWS OF THE SCHOOL A framework for Global Education in the Lower School By Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell, Lower School Director There is an activity called “Who Am I” in which students are asked the simplest of questions: Who am I? Imagine that I lead this activity with the objective of increasing my students’ awareness of themselves as global citizens. I might ask them to think about, or to write down, who they are. I give them instructions such as, “Write down whatever pops into your head; do not think too much about it; and one- or two-word responses are preferred.” To follow up, I ask them to share who they are. Not surprisingly, I get responses such as: “I am a girl… a boy… a daughter… a son… an American… an Italian American… a Park Tudor student… a good soccer player… a good artist,” etc. After sharing, we discuss all the things to which they are connected: team, family, school, neighborhood, country, world, and so on. We discuss the different responsibilities that emanate from these connections. I have done this activity many times and not once has a student said that they were a “global citizen,” or some approximation thereof. Certainly, it is not wrong to say you are “a boy,” “a girl,” etc.; however, it tells us something about how we are educated if we systematically do not recognize our role as global citizens. Educating global citizens is timely and critical. Rischard (2003) and Friedman (2005) have poignantly pointed out how our world is changing exponentially. There is unprecedented growth in population, substantive change in the world economy, and a virtual explosion in all things technological. As Rischard notes, these factors lead to, or complicate, issues with poverty, the environment (e.g., global warming, deforestation, water distribution), and human conflicts (i.e., genocides, wars, invasions). We seem to recognize the serious problems that have the potential to tear us apart. The goal is to formally recognize these problems within the school structure. Teaching practice must directly follow from this recognition. A depth and breadth of curricular and cocurricular events must be the outcome. This is what we hope to achieve at Park Tudor Lower School. First, thought must be given to how global education curriculum fits into existing curriculum structures (e.g., state standards, curriculum maps, benchmarks, unit plans and differentiation goals). Specific curriculum enhancements such as Writers in Electronic Residence (WIER) might be considered as well. WIER connects student writers across the country with each other and with professional writers. The three-way collaboration on student writing becomes a catalyst for learning. Programs, committees, departments and personnel that support the tenets of Global Education also might be appropriately instituted. Some schools have created a Global Education Center with a full-time director. Many schools have something akin to a Community Values Committee or a Coordinator of Diversity Activities, as Park Tudor does. Finally, faculty goal-setting might also incorporate the global education dimensions. There are numerous programs available designed to promote character/moral development. Some specific instructional activities in the classroom might also be useful. Many teachers use weekly class discussions or incorporate environmental programs (e.g., recycling) into daily activities. Any way to recognize and celebrate cultural, racial, and religious differentiation is, of course, a worthy pursuit. The construct of differentiation can be taken one step further by asking the counseling department or educational psychologists at a school to connect research and theory with practice. Any philanthropic activity would naturally suit, as well. For example, Thanksgiving and holiday charity drives and community outreach programs are popular. Cultural exchanges Seminar Room dedicated in honor of Jim Leffler The Upper School Seminar Room (which many years ago served as a Latin classroom and as an office) has been renovated in honor of retired Upper School Director Jim Leffler. On December 7, Leffler and his wife Joni were honored by current and former students and faculty at a dedication reception for the “Leffler Seminar Room and Art Gallery.” abound in all shapes and sizes. The counseling department also may have a number of significant initiatives. In the Lower School the counselor runs two unique programs that target some at-risk students. In “Banana Splits,” the counselor meets with students experiencing challenging family situations such as divorce and parental death. In “New to Park Tudor,” she regularly meets with all new students, helping them adjust to the school. Curriculum can be invigorated, re-thought and reflected upon so as to include the continued on page 7 The room boasts new furniture and a gallery wall on which student and professional artwork is displayed. Head of School Doug Jennings said, “The Leffler Seminar Room and Gallery is a fitting tribute to a man who inspires thoughtful reflection.” Leffler retired in June 2006 after 17 years as director of the Upper School. Jim Leffler (center) talks with Head of School Doug Jennings (right) and Director of Guidance and Counseling Larry Eckel in front of the plaque for the Leffler Seminar Room at a reception in his honor on December 7. 6 PARK TUDOR PHOENIX SPRING 2007
NEWS OF THE SCHOOL continued from page 6 dimensions of global education. For example, Problem Based Learning (PBL) is becoming more popular in grade schools. PBL is essentially a version of the Case Study Method, well known in colleges. The essence of the approach requires the presentation of complex, yet developmentally appropriate, problems to small groups of students, who in turn work together to solve the problem. Outside of curriculum, again, there is no shortage of things that could be done. It is critical, for example, to give educators a chance to participate in professional opportunities. Conferences, all-faculty reads, web sites and especially professional goal-setting should all be incorporated into the process. Global Education is in our DNA. We are one tribe and it is high noon, and I believe that Student trips to China, South Africa planned for summer Two groups of Upper School students will head to far corners of the world in two new school-sponsored trips this summer. Nineteen students will embark on a 16-day, multi-city cultural tour of China in June, while 22 students will head to Capetown, South Africa in July to participate in a community service trip organized by the Indianapolis service group Ambassadors for Children. “In today’s world, so much learning can take place beyond the classroom and the campus. The value of experiential, onsite learning and study abroad can’t be overestimated,” says Head of School Doug Jennings. The school is seeking funding to make more of these study-travel opportunities available to students, regardless of their family income. The trip to China was organized and will be led by Upper School social studies teacher Margo McAlear, who has studied in China and wrote her master’s thesis on the effects of the Cultural Revolution. Other chaperones are social studies teacher Jeff Johnson and Director of Communications Lisa Hendrickson, who have traveled extensively and studied and lived abroad. The trip will begin in Beijing, where students will visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and a traditional hutong neighborhood. They will spend the night at the high school attached to Beijing Normal University, meeting with Chinese students and receiving training in Chinese language, art appreciation, calligraphy and Chinese painting. They also will practice Tai Chi with Chinese people in a local park, meet and talk with local students at the English Corner of People’s University, and participate in classroom activities with Chinese students. The group will fly to Xian, visiting the Terra Cotta Warriors and the Muslim Quarter and riding bicycles on the city wall. Students then will board a flight to Lijiang, an ancient town that during the Song Dynasty was the “last step” for caravans heading over the Himalayas via the Silk Route. It is the home of the ethnic group Naxi, and students will explore the old town and become acquainted with Naxi music. They will bicycle to Baisha village to view Buddhist temples and frescoes, then fly to Shanghai. In Shanghai they will visit the Bund, take a boat ride on the Nuangpu River, visit old Shanghai and see a Chinese acrobatics show. They also will make excursions to the towns of Suzhou and Tongli. Another group of students will head to South Africa in July. The students will spend four days at the Christel House Academy, a school founded by Indianapolis philanthropist Christel DeHaan, where they will teach peace modules, and two days volunteering at the Baphumelele Children’s Home in Cape Town, which houses abandoned or orphaned children from six months to 16 years of age. Students then will travel to Robben Island to visit the prison where former President Nelson Mandela was housed for 17 years. The island provides an insight into South what students do today influences what they do tomorrow. Thus, a pathway toward Global Citizenship is proposed. I think of the framework as the Lower School’s foreign policy. As global citizens we will acknowledge and act on this policy. Africa’s Apartheid past and the future of racial reconciliation. They will also tour the scenic Cape Peninsula, including the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Chaperones for the trip are Montez Currin, Park Tudor’s coordinator of service learning, and Upper School English teacher Tyra Seldon. Lower School teaching assistant Bonne Lovelace shared traditions of her Muslim religion with students at a Lower School assembly this fall. SPRING 2007 PARK TUDOR PHOENIX 7
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