Global is a perspective to every topic

A three-day International Symposium dealing with Education of Global Citizens took place in Hanasaari (Finland) from 5th to 7th May. The general aim of the symposium was to explore, share and promote concepts, pedagogy and practice concerning the education of global citizens, particularly in general education. Two Finnish initiatives were in special focus, namely the proposal for the new core curriculum mainstreaming global education and the KOMPPI school development partnerships creating global responsibility.

In his opening keynote Liam Wegimont identified a number of conceptual challenges: “Global education has emerged as a field that is largely consensual, anti-theoretical and makes assumptions that are ungrounded. “ Karen Pashby responded to the challenge by applying ethical approach to global education. She juxtaposed soft and critical Global Citizenship Education, the first representing universalism with one shared view of good life and the second reflexivity and dialogue interrogating our good intentions and putting action into context. Regarding global competences, she argued that they cannot have static definitions as in the rapidly changing world challenges are growing and multiplying.

Werner Wintersteiner brought up three interconnected western burdens, namely Auschwitz, Hiroshima and colonialism that underlie our relationship to Global Citizenship. In his résumé he concluded that Global Education is a challenge to Eurocentric views of the world, is a project rather than a ready made concept and needs a global educational dialogue (to pick three from a list of many).

Ethical, civic, ecological and intercultural competences of global citizens were discussed deeply in the four different workshops. On the basis of the workshop reports and the keynotes the Symposium agreed upon shared conclusions that will be published later (here, too, I hope).

On Wednesday afternoon, we had a stately visitor, as Minister Pekka Haavisto talked about development cooperation. “Ownership and reciprocity are at the heart of international development and peace keeping projects,” he said. He also referred to the Millennium Development Goals and said that there’s a small gap in quantity but a big gap in quality in reaching the MGs of education. Education of teachers is the key development area in developing countries.

In his closing words Helmuth Hartmeyer emphasized the need to put justice at the core of Global Education and to recognize the distinction and relations between individual ethics and the underlying power structure. He also reminded us about the pedagogical challenge: education cannot be transferred, only acquired by dialogue, engagement and fun.

The symposium was organized by the Finnish National Board of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Culture and Global Education Network Europe (GENE).

OPPI: celebrating learning

Finally, an international learning festival dealing with the most fascinating and mind-blowing issues in learning and discussing global challenges and mega trends without stiff self-important lectures and academic jargon. Even if some of the topics were serious and heartfelt, the atmosphere in general was relaxed and joyful.

As hierarchies are inevitably crumbling down and flexible global networks and learning communities are gradually replacing them, as students become more and more engaged in their own learning, more and more self-organized and they participate in the process as designers, it’s only proper that also in “conferences” participants are actively taking part, learning by doing, creating new contacts and joining new networks. The 21st century way of learning in which the learner is at the centre should be applied throughout in professional development, teacher training, seminars, workshops and conferences.

New ideas and fresh points of view were presented in many of the discussions, lectures and workshops. Students’ voices were heard and a little bit of music and circus and lot of play were included.

For me, PISA statistics and comparisons were very thought-provoking. Why do boys and students with immigrant background do so badly compared with girls? How much of that is due to teachers and teaching? Majority of Finnish teachers are white female high-achievers. Do they even speak the same language with boys and immigrant pupils? How is it possible that the Finnish students with very low self-belief, motivation and engagement still have the best learning results in Europe? Is it, at least partly, due to the “good girl” syndrome? And, seriously, what does this kind of lack of motivation and engagement do to creativity and collaboration?

On the other hand, Saku Tuominen’s workshop in which he presented his mindset for dreaming and doing was quite inspirational. I’ve always been an advocate of learning by boing, but now I think I’ll include dreaming in the equation as well. I’m sure a dreamstorming session now and then in a Finnish classroom would make a difference. Dreaming as such is fun, but including doing (realizing your dreams) in the process is what makes it life-changing. It goes very well together with “thinking globally, acting locally” principle.

I also took part in OPPI TeachMeet livestream, my first ever. I really enjoy these semi-spontaneous meetings in which the participants are at centre. The feeling was very warm and encouraging thanks to Oliver Quinlan and Tim Walker. I also shared a little OPPIstory from my classroom a few years back. Yey!

I love Sugata Mitra. I’ve once heard him lecture about the hole-in-the-wall experience/experiment a few years ago and I’ve been an absolute fan since. His school in the cloud is a dream almost come true. It was fantastic to hear him again. He never fails to challenge us. He’s all for minimally invasive teaching and self-organized learning. So, he suggested, teachers shouldn’t be guides but friends. Wow! What do you say to that? A lot of re-thinking to do!

Curriculum development - towards 21st century skills and literacies

Schools and learning worldwide are challenged by globalization and digitalization. New skills and literacies are required from the 21st century citizens. With people travelling more and more freely across borders to work and study, intercultural and communication skills will make an essential part of the new literacies. When using new technologies, we can travel anywhere and meet anyone (virtually) anytime. Digitalization and global networks are bound together in a way that is changing the world faster than we can imagine.

Instead of what, general education will have to be about how. How to find relevant information in the world in which new knowledge is being built constantly and its amount is growing exponentially? How to collaborate and work together in different kinds of teams, communities and networks that can be global and multicultural? How to find and use the best ICT tools and applications for a wide range of tasks and how to use audio, video, pictures and diagrams to present and express our ideas in the most appropriate way?

To cope with the constant changes, besides communication and ICT skills, citizens of the future will need flexible intellectual capacity to think creatively, learn to learn and reflect on their thinking/learning. But being a global citizen is not only being connected and move smoothly from one network to another. It’s also about feeling responsible for the well-being of the world, making choices that support sustainable development and fostering peace, equality and human rights.

To educate a new generation capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century, the school culture (the way we do things at school) has to be radically changed. In the future, the learning process will be characterized by asking questions, finding answers and building knowledge (rather than transferring information). Teachers and students will collaborate and work together in flexible teams and classes. Students will design their own learning and exploit their strengths in project-, problem- or inquiry-based learning activities. They’ll learn by doing, playing and discussing.

The learning environments will be diverse and open in many different ways.  A lot of learning takes place in real-life or virtual environments. Textbooks are used as any other sources, not guiding the learning process or defining its content. Students build and create their own eBooks and learning materials and share them with other learners. Students can consult experts and work together with their peers in other countries around the world and share knowledge and ideas.

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Hopefully, building communities across borders and making friends around the world will also make us gradually understand the true essence of global citizenship and this globe of ours a bit better place to live.

Network for Sustainable Innovation

eTwinning ambassadors are a network of teachers committed to promote cross-border collaborative learning between European students and teachers. They have experience and expertise in project-based learning and enthusiasm for spreading the good word.

Last weekend almost 300 eTwinning ambassadors gathered in a conference in Catania in Sicily. The special theme of the conference was Network for Sustainable Innovation, containing three equally important terms that are at the basis and define the essence of eTwinning.

Network

eTwinning is a huge network consisting of (216,000) European teachers, HTs and librarians sharing the desire to connect and collaborate across borders, develop the understanding of different cultures, find friends and enhance 21st century skills such as communication, ICT, team work, creativity, entrepreneurship etc. Through its members the eTwinning network is connected to over 100,000 schools and more than a million teachers around Europe.

Within this continuously growing network there are smaller networks of practice (foreign language teachers, school librarians, creative classroom teachers, ambassadors etc.) There are also communities of learners, often developed during a Learning Event or around a special group with shared objectives and interests.

Sustainability

In the global world with common world-wide problems such as pollution, global warming, limited resources and poverty, it’s vital that children learn to understand the consequences and the environmental impact of their actions. As citizens of the world we bear the responsibility of protecting and saving our environment for future generations.

Through eTwinning and internationalization at home we don’t only enhance values embedded in global education but also support sustainable way of life by offering a real possibility of working together and making friends on the net and promoting virtual cooperation and collaboration instead of actual traveling.

Innovation

By their nature eTwinning teachers are pioneers of educational change. They are willing to explore and plunge into the unknown. They’re looking for new ways of learning and willing to open the classroom doors and windows to the future. This creates the mental state and atmosphere in which creativity and innovation bloom. The moment when you enter the discomfort zone is crucial. Innovation can only take place outside the box, preferably working, learning and building knowledge together in a Network for Sustainable Innovation.

Sharing - at the heart of the new way of learning

We had a two-day seminar for 80 teachers and HTs interested in global education. The central issue and focal point of the meeting can be characterized by one word “sharing”. How does the internationalization of schools and global education support the culture of sharing and working together and help pulling down the barriers between different school subjects and the walls around schools? How can we gradually change the way of working and learning at schools so that, in August 2016, teachers and students are ready to start implementing and carrying out the curriculum-based learning of the new era?

The teacher's role has traditionally been to act as the guardian at the gate of knowledge. She weighs and chooses the information to distribute to her students at the appropriate dose of chunks. Knowledge moves in one direction from top (teacher) to bottom (student).

In a networked system information flows in all directions. Students and teachers form a network in which information, messages, and knowledge flow according to individual needs and interests. Self-interest and concealment of information will soon backfire. In a networked school, you are what you share. The teachers are learners alongside the pupils.

Knowledge sharing has not been part of the traditional school culture. Students that have been punished for sharing (= cheating). Textbook based teaching culture doesn’t encourage teachers to share (= extra work). But in printed educational material information becomes obsolete very quickly and the contents don’t tend to support the acquisition of skills needed at work and in life today and in the future. They need to be complemented and replaced by learning materials produced collaboratively by students applying the key phases of knowledge construction process: search, critical evaluation, constructing, presenting and sharing of knowledge. It's about learning to lean differently.

International projects have long been applying new ways of learning. It’s natural and meaningful to combine the learning of foreign languages, communication and ICT skills with culture, geography, natural sciences, history or any other school subject for studying collaboratively hands-on. The projects cannot rely on the information provided by textbooks, but the information is searched by students and constructed into presentations, quizzes, photo galleries and videos that are shared with a partner classes and students. Students meet on Skype and at forums, learn by discussing and chatting, asking questions and telling stories, in short, sharing.

The school will develop into learning community in which teachers and students work together sharing knowledge and experiences across class boundaries. Students can share what they’ve learned and experienced in the project by visiting other classes or at morning assemblies, by organizing exhibitions and creating photo galleries (online or real-life), writing in a blog, creating eBooks, giving workshops or organizing theme days, and by inviting parents, supporters and other stakeholders to visit school and the project website. Sharing is a skill that is learned by doing. It is a way of learning that empowers equally the sharer and the receiver. It will increase your responsibility and appreciation of your own work and the respect of others’.

I sometimes wonder if there was a special significance in that my project, which almost 10 years ago won the eTwinning competition in the series of pedagogical innovation, was called "Learning and Sharing"?

Children Making the World a Better Place

Our Students – Future European Entrepreneurial Citizens was a two-year Comenius project in 2011-2013 coordinated by the Primary School of Orivesi Centre. Six primary schools from England, Ireland, Italy, Austria and Finland participated in this multilateral project.

The project was founded on the basic principle that good life is based on acknowledged rights and responsibilities, shared values and mutual respect. The focus was on the students, creating a possibility for them to learn to know each other, learn about other countries and cultures, and develop their information technology and communications skills. The main contents of the project were the understanding of children's rights, responsibilities and our shared values as well as various participatory learning tasks, dealing with art, traditions, voluntary work and the culture of the partner countries.

In addition to that, quite a few students were able to visit the partner countries in order to learn about other European cultures, explore similarities and differences between their own lives and those of their peers and share their experiences with their schoolmates.

The project helped our pupils to develop the skills and values needed to promote active citizenship and overcome situations of injustice and discrimination. Some of the schools in the partnership, located in very deprived areas, created opportunities to encounter different cultures for pupils who may otherwise never be able to travel.

More about the project and its outcomes on the English website of the Primary School of Orivesi Centre.

Integrating math, science and technology in an international project

My good friend, Finnish eTwinning ambassador Tuija Lindström, has been involved in new ways of teaching and learning for quite a few years, first in GOAL (Go Outside and Learn) and then in MOE (Maths on Earth) projects.

Maths on Earth is both Comenius and eTwinning project. It focuses on the use of mathematics as a tool to study real world phenomena and to lead students to mathematical and scientific problem-solving in everyday situations.

Many of the project activities are carried out outside the classroom in the nature, museums, workshops and companies. Mainly, participatory teaching methods, such as short inquiry-based projects, experimental arrangements, games and brain-storming, are used. The idea is to connect everything that is studied in students’ everyday life. The partner teachers design learning materials and workshops to be held jointly together, thus widening and deepening their own understanding of teaching and learning.

The students aged 13-15 are extremely motivated to carry out the tasks. Their communication and social skills have developed. Especially the girls have benefitted from the new holistic approach to math and science.  The communication between students from different countries in an authentic virtual environment supports foreign language learning. Students have the opportunity to design their own learning and work. In this way their own initiative is encouraged and their self-esteem and self-organizing skills are developed. The results of the students’ work are published on the net.

Tuija outlines her own experience:

As a teacher I’ve developed and widened my views. Sharing and learning together with teachers and students from different cultures has been rewarding.  My relationship with my own students has developed as my role as a teacher has changed. The students’ uniqueness and diversity as human beings has become more evident day by day while working together with them, side-by-side.

MOE - project website