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Developing Global Citizens: A Study of IB Teachers in 43 Nations by Merry M. Merryfield, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University, merryfield.1@osu.edu How do teachers prepare their students to be citizens of the world Recently I worked with the International Baccalaureate (IB) in The Hague to examine what teachers in the IB Diploma Programme (secondary school level) are doing day to day to effect such outcomes. Through online focus groups, I and my research assistants—Tami Augustine, Jason Harshman, Carolyn Kaplan, and Melinda McClimans—led a series of two week long threaded discussions in English and Spanish with 126 IB teachers. The online discussions addressed these questions: What does it mean to be a global citizen What are you doing day to day to prepare your students to think and act as citizens of the world Below are some of the overall findings and then I focus on one element that the teachers identified as foundational but rarely discussed in the global education literature. Findings Analysis of the 14,000 plus postings during the discussions revealed many themes and issues that are found in the global education literature. For example, there was agreement among most of the teachers that they: 1. provide their students with personal cross-cultural and cross-national experiences with people of other cultures (through literature, work with local immigrants, migrants or refugees, online connections, and travel); 2. model and promote values of respect, empathy and caring for those different from oneself; 3. teach and have students practice skills in listening, inquiry, evaluation, analysis of conflicting points of view, and reflection; 4. select content that is international in scope and provides opportunities to develop understanding of global interconnectedness, global issues and perspective consciousness; 5. demonstrate how international mindedness deepens students’ understanding of their own culture, history and current issues facing their community and nation. However, the major finding that emerged in both quantity and quality of discussion is one that is rarely mentioned in the global education literature. Open-mindedness was the primary attribute that most of the teachers—no matter from what country— described as fundamental in developing globally knowledgeable and engaged students. Open-Mindedness The teachers perceive the development of open-mindedness as a complex process that is both foundational (needs to be sequenced from Pre-K on up) and central unifying skill across the curriculum. According to the teachers, it is critical in literature and culture learning and in learning about global issues and world events. It is foundational in developing habits of the mind such as the ability to empathize, anticipate complexity, overcome stereotypes and recognize one’s own interconnectedness with people, global issues and global change. The teachers used many phrases to capture the centrality of open-mindedness in their teaching. It was described as the cornerstone of learning about the world and its peoples because it allows students to think beyond their own cultural norms and consider the perspectives and experiences of people different from themselves, a process that is critical to understanding the world. Open-mindedness was identified as the major building block, a central skill, and the foundation that allows for understanding the world’s peoples and issues. It allows students to get beyond local norms and perspectives and consider those of others without prejudice. So what does the term actually mean to the teachers The words most frequently used to describe openmindedness place an emphasis on a willingness to listen to, consider, think about, or learn about ideas, norms of behavior, and experiences different from one’s own without assuming that differences are negative. Others place curiosity about the world and its people and motivation to engage beyond their comfort zone as key components in open-mindedness. Within the IB Learner Profile, open-mindedness is one of the values that IB learners strive to develop. Open-mindedness is measured by the extent to which students “understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience” (http://www.ibo.org/programmes/ profile/). We see these emphases echoed throughout the conversations between IB teachers. According to teachers, open-mindedness has to come first in the process of developing global citizens. A teacher in the United States commented: “Firstly, one has to be open-minded and try to rid themselves of any preconceptions or prejudices toward one or more cultural groups. I believe this is essential to thinking globally.” An IB music teacher in China emphasized that open-mindedness was used to lay groundwork to examine prejudices and beliefs about cultural groups different than one’s own in order to experience their music without preconceived ideas. One teacher in India stated: “Across the age groups, teaching needs to be aligned with the understanding of cultural context and open-minded attitudes among students. A necessary skill that enables and makes students’ aware of happenings around him/ her.” The essential nature of open-mindedness in developing global citizens is so complete that the teachers found it difficult to think of a global citizen without having open-mindedness as a habit of mind. “I think a global citizen is an open-minded person,” noted a teacher in Mexico. A teacher in the United States went one step further to show us how class- 8 Global Education News, Spring 2013 www.peacecorpsconnect.org
oom practice can assist teachers in developing open-mindedness with all of the complexity that accompanies it: I’m inclined to think that being global is an authentic openness to the truth in all of its complexity and uncertainty...I emphasize this because I would like to suggest that other equally valid answers to this question are in a sense means towards this ends. In other words, studying other cultures, traveling, participation in international celebrations, service work, etc. are all valuable experiences which lead to this ‘authentic openness,’ which I’d like to suggest is at the heart of ‘being global.’ In their classrooms many teachers support open-mindedness by discussing global issues which are perceived as a key component in developing global citizenship. Nationalism was one global issue that surfaced numerous times in the discussions. When using nationalism as a topic of study, an IB teacher in New Zealand pointed out that every country has its own interpretations of history related to heritage, culture, and politics. To achieve student understanding of nationalism, this teacher uses schoolbooks from various countries to examine how historical events are presented quite differently around the world. The teacher believes that students can develop a more open mind by studying how nationalist feelings can influence the storytelling around historical events in all countries . This finding on the centrality of open-mindedness is significant as most other studies have found that global content is given primary attention. Open-mindedness is not a single skill, however. Attitudes and values such as empathy, listening, respect, and care were mentioned as critical in developing global citizens. If the IB teachers are right and openmindedness is a critical foundation in being able to learn about the world— other cultures, global events, issues and problems—without the colored glasses of our own biases, then we need to think about its place in the curriculum and in teacher education programs. Note: The teachers were nominated by an administrator as exemplary global educators. Then the study was explained to them via email from the IB leadership in The Hague and the teachers’ permission was obtained. They were divided into eight discussion groups with one in Spanish and the others in English. After preliminary email introducing ourselves and the process, we ran each discussion group for two weeks. Threads were developed by the researchers on the major questions as well as a thread for introductions and bios and another thread for examples of pedagogy that included lessons, projects, experiences, etc. We also had a teachers’ lounge forum for the teachers to ask questions, share resources, post fun photos and videos relevant to their work. The constant comparative method was used for data analysis. Join CONCERN’s 2013 Global Writing Competition and you can become a published author! Topics: Explore solutions to some of the world’s greatest development challenges in 750 – 1000 words: · Post a blog…on how you would end world hunger · Give a speech…accepting the Nobel Peace Prize for improving the lives of the world poorest people · Tell the story…of what it is like to live in Haiti three years after the devastating earthquake Categories: Junior (ages 13-15), Senior (ages 16-19), Adult (20 years or older) Prizes: Awarded in each of the categories as follows · First place: Laptop computer · Second place: E-reader · Third place: Mp4 player And becoming a published author in the annual Writing Competition Book! Deadline: Midnight, March 21 st , 2013 For more information, visit gcc.concernusa.org/global-writing-competition/ Doctoral Research on Global Education - Win a FREE iPad Mini! Dear Global Educator! I am a Ph.D. student in International Education Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. The focus of my doctoral dissertation research is how teachers in the upper-elementary grade levels teach about the world and world issues to their students. I am asking active teachers in grades 3, 4, and 5 to send me instructional materials they use to teach about world issues. This could include lesson or unit plans, reading materials such as children’s literature and basal readers, internet resources, digital media, etc. For example, what children’s literature do teachers select as read-alouds, what Internet sites do teachers ask students to visit, or what activities do teachers plan when they want to build bridges across cultures Submit your global education instructional materials by March 31, 2013 to be entered to win a FREE iPad Mini! To take part in this research, please: • Go to the following website for a brief background questionnaire (5 minutes): http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y26NRR8 • Before completing the questionnaire, you will be asked to read and agree to the Informed Consent required by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Maryland, College Park. • Send via e-mail any lesson plans, unit plans, or instructional materials that you believe to be your most successful or best example of global education-related instructions to lisa_swayhoover@yahoo.com If materials cannot be e-mailed, please mail to the address below and I will compensate you for the cost of photocopying and postage: Lisa Swayhoover 5709 39th Avenue Hyattsville, MD 20781 Thank you for your assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Feel free to share this with other global educators. www.peacecorpsconnect.org Global Education News, Spring 2013 9
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