When we consider current global issues in our classrooms, a question arises regarding our students' ability to feel and understand the pain and suffering of others around the globe. How can middle or upper-class students feel the pain of hunger, or the hopelessness of poverty? How can they relate to totally disempowered human beings around the world? The ability to personally feel the impact of these powerful situations, unknown to them "in the flesh," is critical to a thorough understanding of the global reality. So, how can we help our students develop empathy for their fellow humans? Let's start at the very beginning.
Psychologists tell us that when we as infants first develop our awareness of others as beings not directly linked to us and not part of "our group," we respond with concern, rejection or fear. (Aunt Sally can attest to this, as little Jimmy begins to cry when she first visits the family and picks him up.) This is an understandable evolutionary reaction to a possible threat to our well-being. To the infant, others are present only to meet his/her needs or as possible threats. An infant has no sense of empathy for the welfare of others.
As we gain confidence in ourselves and in our environment, we lower our guard and become less insular; we are more accepting of new faces. We begin to develop our social self and learn to interact productively with others. We begin to accept the existence of others in our world.
Although we remain self-centered as children, we normally begin to develop a rudimentary -- but very real -- concern for fairness and justice. We automatically reject obvious perceived injustices perpetrated against our siblings and our social group. As we reach what Jean Piaget called the "Concrete Operational Stage" of cognitive development, we reject specific examples of perceived wrongdoing against those close to us.
A little later, we reach Piaget's "Formal Operational Stage" and we are able to internalize abstract concepts that we can apply to specific situations; concepts such as "justice," "fairness," and "empathy." We now have the tools to develop empathy toward those who are personally unknown to us.
The specific attributes of human nature have been a matter of considerable philosophical and psychological debate over the years. I am going to be on the side of those who believe that in a normal, non-threatening environment, all humans begin to develop "basic human empathy." I am going to define "basic human empathy" as "the intellectual and emotional ability to feel the joy or pain of others who are not personally close to us."
Not everyone develops basic human empathy. In very threatening environments, some children/adolescents cannot get beyond the evolutionary dictates of self-preservation-at-any-cost and do not develop a sense of empathy; this is not normal human development. Fortunately, most humans do develop empathy as we develop cognitively and morally/ethically.
In those cases when our environment and our conditioning conspire to thwart normal development, the result is an adolescent or adult with an under-developed capacity for empathy. Several questions arise: What specific factors can interfere with the development of the human capacity for empathy? Can we as teachers help our students develop their normal potential to become empathetic human beings and care for both the pain and the well-being of those unknown to them? If so, how can we do it?
In our next post we will explore some possibilities....
September 28, 2009
September 20, 2009
OUR STUDENTS SHOULD NOT BE MERE HUMANTS
Behold the wonder of an anthill. Thousands, tens of thousands of ants, each pursuing its single-minded duty with the utmost efficiency and commitment: collecting food, creating additions to their habitat, defending their queen and their way of life, reproducing in earnest. Interfere with their activity, and you do it at your own peril; the entire colony will go into defensive mode and attempt to contain the intrusion with total concentration. The colony will continue to grow, build, reproduce and add to their habitat. Ants have no way to alter their genetic demands. They have no free will.
We can marvel at this example of inflexible, pre-programmed activity. It becomes an object of interest, as human observers occasionally intrude through a glass wall and observe the never-ending pursuit of ants to be ants. Yet, (as far as we now,) no ant stops to question its pre-programmed genetic dictate. No ant questions its role, its work, or its goal. No ant challenges its genetic destiny.
Free will does not play a role in an ant's world. They live and die pushed and pulled by their genetic directives. Of course. They are, after all, ants. We would not expect them to do otherwise -- to rebel against their genes or challenge their conditioning.
Behold now the humant habitat. Tens of thousands -- or hundreds of millions -- of humants, hurrying about in pursuit of their socially ordained duty, building additions to their habitats, acquiring and consuming food, defending their way of life and their "queen," reproducing in earnest. Behold their magnificent buildings, their advanced vehicles, their designer clothing, their work and their play. How many of them live in a higher plain than ants? How many of them question the directives of their social order? How many look inward for answers, rather than blindly submit to their cultural conditioning? How many challenge the norms, the expectations, the goals that their societies inject? How many humans are, in fact, humants?
Whatever the number of humans that you would include in the "humant" category (and I would include a very high proportion,) it seems beyond doubt that these humans have lost -- at least temporarily -- the defining characteristic of "humanness": free will. Through social conditioning, they have lost the ability to think for themselves, to question, to reflect, to challenge. They have become humants.
Humants accept the status quo unquestioningly. They have drowned their ability to envision options under the sea of "what is," not allowing themselves to envision "what could be." Humants are guided by obedience to the social dictates. They obey well. They don't allow themselves the human luxuries of questioning, challenging, or envisioning alternatives. When visionary humans depict a different option for humanity, humants fight against it automatically, as an attack on the anthill. This anthill, they feel, is the only anthill. All other options must be rejected.
Throughout history, there have always been more humants than humans. Humants have rejected change and progress to the best of their ability. Yet, that minority of brave humans who have allowed themselves the power to think, to question, to challenge and envision better options have managed to move us forward in spite of humant resistance. They are responsible for all human progress. They have taken us from the cave and the dark ages to the present. They now envision our future potential as a species evolving toward a brighter future and a more just world. They will help create a better human society in a better world.
We must empower our students to not be mere humants. We must help them realize the human potential to attain justice and peace; for the enlightenment of humanity; for the greater good of the species. Knowing that they will find the opposition of humants along the way, we must empower them to engage in battle and prevail. Given the critical issues that we now face, the future of humanity rests on their success.
We can marvel at this example of inflexible, pre-programmed activity. It becomes an object of interest, as human observers occasionally intrude through a glass wall and observe the never-ending pursuit of ants to be ants. Yet, (as far as we now,) no ant stops to question its pre-programmed genetic dictate. No ant questions its role, its work, or its goal. No ant challenges its genetic destiny.
Free will does not play a role in an ant's world. They live and die pushed and pulled by their genetic directives. Of course. They are, after all, ants. We would not expect them to do otherwise -- to rebel against their genes or challenge their conditioning.
Behold now the humant habitat. Tens of thousands -- or hundreds of millions -- of humants, hurrying about in pursuit of their socially ordained duty, building additions to their habitats, acquiring and consuming food, defending their way of life and their "queen," reproducing in earnest. Behold their magnificent buildings, their advanced vehicles, their designer clothing, their work and their play. How many of them live in a higher plain than ants? How many of them question the directives of their social order? How many look inward for answers, rather than blindly submit to their cultural conditioning? How many challenge the norms, the expectations, the goals that their societies inject? How many humans are, in fact, humants?
Whatever the number of humans that you would include in the "humant" category (and I would include a very high proportion,) it seems beyond doubt that these humans have lost -- at least temporarily -- the defining characteristic of "humanness": free will. Through social conditioning, they have lost the ability to think for themselves, to question, to reflect, to challenge. They have become humants.
Humants accept the status quo unquestioningly. They have drowned their ability to envision options under the sea of "what is," not allowing themselves to envision "what could be." Humants are guided by obedience to the social dictates. They obey well. They don't allow themselves the human luxuries of questioning, challenging, or envisioning alternatives. When visionary humans depict a different option for humanity, humants fight against it automatically, as an attack on the anthill. This anthill, they feel, is the only anthill. All other options must be rejected.
Throughout history, there have always been more humants than humans. Humants have rejected change and progress to the best of their ability. Yet, that minority of brave humans who have allowed themselves the power to think, to question, to challenge and envision better options have managed to move us forward in spite of humant resistance. They are responsible for all human progress. They have taken us from the cave and the dark ages to the present. They now envision our future potential as a species evolving toward a brighter future and a more just world. They will help create a better human society in a better world.
We must empower our students to not be mere humants. We must help them realize the human potential to attain justice and peace; for the enlightenment of humanity; for the greater good of the species. Knowing that they will find the opposition of humants along the way, we must empower them to engage in battle and prevail. Given the critical issues that we now face, the future of humanity rests on their success.
September 13, 2009
"WHAT A BEAUTIFUL LIFE YOU LIVE"
A person very close to my heart recently surprised me by saying, "What a beautiful life you live..." upon hearing about my teaching and my commitment to global education.
I found it surprising to be the focus of this simple, almost magical bit of praise. I had, of course, thought about the intrinsic value of teaching and the personal rewards of my involvement in global education many times during my 30+ years of global teaching -- but I had never thought or heard words that touchingly simple: "What a beautiful life you live." Taken aback by the simple power of those words, I was forced to focus on them and ponder their implications.
We teachers who wake-up daily before the end of our dreams, who "punch-in-and-out" the bureaucratic clock on the way to and from educating others, who are typically immersed in paper and paperless work, parental contacts, lesson plans, test preparation, homework correction and classroom discipline, may be easily distracted from our real jobs: we are global educators. we intend to create a better world through the agency of our students.
We welcome young, eager, sometimes immature students -- ordinarily the products of our cultures' narrow-minded conditioning -- and take steps to help them develop their global vision, their human sensitivity, their intrinsic humanism. We attempt to nurture their potential and enrich their very being. We hope that they will become the masters and mistresses of their chosen professional futures and use their expertise and commitment to create a better world for all humanity.
Is there a better way to spend our years on this living planet? Is there a more noble or more powerful undertaking? Is there a more worthwhile and rewarding professional pursuit?
Let us at least occasionally look beyond the daily tasks and toils of daily schooling. Let us at least occasionally ignore the incongruity of society's limited material rewards. And during those moments, let us instead revel in the intrinsic value of our own efforts -- imperfect as they may be at times -- and look anew, freshly and hopefully at what we really do: we educate global citizens; we empower the princes and princesses of tomorrow; we endeavor to create a better world.
How many professions can claim that as their over-arching goal? How many industries contribute in the same measure? None that I know of. None. Not one.
So, fellow global educators, rest assured that beyond the daily tasks and toils, beyond the bureaucratic trivia and the occasionally overwhelming demands, your work has value that others cannot claim. Your work perdures beyond your life and grave. Your work is noble, beautiful and long lasting. And when someone at some future time approaches you and says, "What a beautiful life you live," you will perhaps be a little less surprised than I was.
I found it surprising to be the focus of this simple, almost magical bit of praise. I had, of course, thought about the intrinsic value of teaching and the personal rewards of my involvement in global education many times during my 30+ years of global teaching -- but I had never thought or heard words that touchingly simple: "What a beautiful life you live." Taken aback by the simple power of those words, I was forced to focus on them and ponder their implications.
We teachers who wake-up daily before the end of our dreams, who "punch-in-and-out" the bureaucratic clock on the way to and from educating others, who are typically immersed in paper and paperless work, parental contacts, lesson plans, test preparation, homework correction and classroom discipline, may be easily distracted from our real jobs: we are global educators. we intend to create a better world through the agency of our students.
We welcome young, eager, sometimes immature students -- ordinarily the products of our cultures' narrow-minded conditioning -- and take steps to help them develop their global vision, their human sensitivity, their intrinsic humanism. We attempt to nurture their potential and enrich their very being. We hope that they will become the masters and mistresses of their chosen professional futures and use their expertise and commitment to create a better world for all humanity.
Is there a better way to spend our years on this living planet? Is there a more noble or more powerful undertaking? Is there a more worthwhile and rewarding professional pursuit?
Let us at least occasionally look beyond the daily tasks and toils of daily schooling. Let us at least occasionally ignore the incongruity of society's limited material rewards. And during those moments, let us instead revel in the intrinsic value of our own efforts -- imperfect as they may be at times -- and look anew, freshly and hopefully at what we really do: we educate global citizens; we empower the princes and princesses of tomorrow; we endeavor to create a better world.
How many professions can claim that as their over-arching goal? How many industries contribute in the same measure? None that I know of. None. Not one.
So, fellow global educators, rest assured that beyond the daily tasks and toils, beyond the bureaucratic trivia and the occasionally overwhelming demands, your work has value that others cannot claim. Your work perdures beyond your life and grave. Your work is noble, beautiful and long lasting. And when someone at some future time approaches you and says, "What a beautiful life you live," you will perhaps be a little less surprised than I was.
September 7, 2009
A BRITISH APPROACH TO GLOBAL EDUCATION
Let us today take a look at global education in secondary schools from the perspective of British global educators.
In the U.K., the secondary curriculum includes the cross-cultural component, "Global Dimension and Sustainable Development." This dimension is organized around eight key concepts which apply to all the subjects in the secondary curriculum.
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: The awareness that in today's world we are not only citizens of a nation, but also citizens of the world. This self-perception is at the core of today's global reality.
INTERDEPENDENCE: The awareness that human actions on one side of the planet impact other humans around the world. Whether we talk about food production, climate change or nuclear proliferation, we are all inter-connected and interdependent to a degree never before seen in the history of the planet. Unilateral, self-centered actions by short-sighted nation-states are not likely to advance the human prospects on the planet.
SOCIAL JUSTICE: As humans develop morally and ethically, we recognize that principles of social justice (such as those embraced by most major religious denominations) should define human behavior around the world. This is a key link between global education and religious beliefs. Too often, the members of religious denominations appear to ignore their own religious leaders' calls for justice and peace. Global educators should, within the scope of the curriculum, clearly identify such links and build on their implications.
HUMAN RIGHTS: The quest for human rights for all is a never-ending struggle. We now have in our possession the key document to advance such universal rights: the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document has been endorsed by practically all the nations of the world. While we can bemoan the wholesale lack of compliance around the planet, global educators should use it as a core document signifying our present best judgment of the rights of each and all humans; it is an indispensable document, and one of the hallmark achievements of humankind.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION: While destructive armed conflict was never a good thing in human history, the nature of present conflict -- exacerbated by the explosion of warfare technology -- makes it imperative that we develop alternative, effective means to resolve conflict. Reliance on international agreements and a supra-national legal apparatus with global reach and effective enforcement powers should in time replace the "cow boy" mentality of individual nation states. Much progress has already been made on the visualization and the conceptual framework that would support such legal structures, but progress lags in the implementation of the obvious necessary steps, largely due to the hesitation of the powerful countries of the planet.
DIVERSITY: Humans have an unending capacity for prejudice. Possibly stemming from our evolutionary past, we tend to distrust, demean and fear others who are not exactly like us. This attitude might have helped some human groups survive and procreate in our evolutionary past, but is today a key barrier to understanding and cooperation. The sciences, particularly biology and psychology, should take a leading role in explaining the "oneness" of humankind. Our oneness as human beings is overwhelmingly superior to the very minor attributes that by nature or nurture make us different. A global educator must combat the human tendency to feel superior to others and build on the foundations of science to ensure that our students embrace diversity and eschew prejudice and discrimination of all types.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Could there be any doubt about our descendant's amazement of our present passive acceptance of hunger, poverty, malnutrition, sickness, lack of education, and so many other socio-economic ills? Won't their reactions be similar to our own amazement at the evils that our ancestors accepted as normal? The statistics of under-development are so horrifying that we calmly face a daily silent holocaust. "Silent," because we do not want to think or talk about it -- but that should be the tell-tale indicator that our present situation is not acceptable under any ethical or moral code known to humankind. The complex problem of under-development must be understood and squarely faced by our students.
VALUES AND PERCEPTIONS: "We see what is behind our eyes," says an ancient Chinese proverb; we perceive what our mind tells us to perceive. The real world outside of our own minds must battle our expectations, preconceptions, schemas and conditioning before it can be accepted by our minds. The reality outside our minds must battle the desired reality within our minds before it can gain admission to our cognitive awareness. This is a battle often lost. Psychological foundations of perception, conditioning, cognition and critical thinking will help our students to understand the real world.
Our value systems create "macro-schemas" through which all perceived reality is "sifted." That which is not acceptable to our value system is rejected. Awareness of this peculiar human cognitive process should help our students come to terms with reality and human rationality (or lack thereof.)
Global educators should consider starting their courses with these considerations before moving on to other complex issues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go to http://www.globaldimension.org.uk/ for much more of this valuable contribution from British global educators, including specific ways that you can introduce a global dimension into any subject that you teach. We would also like to invite educators from around the world to share other national perspectives and schemas of global education.
In the U.K., the secondary curriculum includes the cross-cultural component, "Global Dimension and Sustainable Development." This dimension is organized around eight key concepts which apply to all the subjects in the secondary curriculum.
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: The awareness that in today's world we are not only citizens of a nation, but also citizens of the world. This self-perception is at the core of today's global reality.
INTERDEPENDENCE: The awareness that human actions on one side of the planet impact other humans around the world. Whether we talk about food production, climate change or nuclear proliferation, we are all inter-connected and interdependent to a degree never before seen in the history of the planet. Unilateral, self-centered actions by short-sighted nation-states are not likely to advance the human prospects on the planet.
SOCIAL JUSTICE: As humans develop morally and ethically, we recognize that principles of social justice (such as those embraced by most major religious denominations) should define human behavior around the world. This is a key link between global education and religious beliefs. Too often, the members of religious denominations appear to ignore their own religious leaders' calls for justice and peace. Global educators should, within the scope of the curriculum, clearly identify such links and build on their implications.
HUMAN RIGHTS: The quest for human rights for all is a never-ending struggle. We now have in our possession the key document to advance such universal rights: the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document has been endorsed by practically all the nations of the world. While we can bemoan the wholesale lack of compliance around the planet, global educators should use it as a core document signifying our present best judgment of the rights of each and all humans; it is an indispensable document, and one of the hallmark achievements of humankind.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION: While destructive armed conflict was never a good thing in human history, the nature of present conflict -- exacerbated by the explosion of warfare technology -- makes it imperative that we develop alternative, effective means to resolve conflict. Reliance on international agreements and a supra-national legal apparatus with global reach and effective enforcement powers should in time replace the "cow boy" mentality of individual nation states. Much progress has already been made on the visualization and the conceptual framework that would support such legal structures, but progress lags in the implementation of the obvious necessary steps, largely due to the hesitation of the powerful countries of the planet.
DIVERSITY: Humans have an unending capacity for prejudice. Possibly stemming from our evolutionary past, we tend to distrust, demean and fear others who are not exactly like us. This attitude might have helped some human groups survive and procreate in our evolutionary past, but is today a key barrier to understanding and cooperation. The sciences, particularly biology and psychology, should take a leading role in explaining the "oneness" of humankind. Our oneness as human beings is overwhelmingly superior to the very minor attributes that by nature or nurture make us different. A global educator must combat the human tendency to feel superior to others and build on the foundations of science to ensure that our students embrace diversity and eschew prejudice and discrimination of all types.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Could there be any doubt about our descendant's amazement of our present passive acceptance of hunger, poverty, malnutrition, sickness, lack of education, and so many other socio-economic ills? Won't their reactions be similar to our own amazement at the evils that our ancestors accepted as normal? The statistics of under-development are so horrifying that we calmly face a daily silent holocaust. "Silent," because we do not want to think or talk about it -- but that should be the tell-tale indicator that our present situation is not acceptable under any ethical or moral code known to humankind. The complex problem of under-development must be understood and squarely faced by our students.
VALUES AND PERCEPTIONS: "We see what is behind our eyes," says an ancient Chinese proverb; we perceive what our mind tells us to perceive. The real world outside of our own minds must battle our expectations, preconceptions, schemas and conditioning before it can be accepted by our minds. The reality outside our minds must battle the desired reality within our minds before it can gain admission to our cognitive awareness. This is a battle often lost. Psychological foundations of perception, conditioning, cognition and critical thinking will help our students to understand the real world.
Our value systems create "macro-schemas" through which all perceived reality is "sifted." That which is not acceptable to our value system is rejected. Awareness of this peculiar human cognitive process should help our students come to terms with reality and human rationality (or lack thereof.)
Global educators should consider starting their courses with these considerations before moving on to other complex issues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go to http://www.globaldimension.org.uk/ for much more of this valuable contribution from British global educators, including specific ways that you can introduce a global dimension into any subject that you teach. We would also like to invite educators from around the world to share other national perspectives and schemas of global education.
August 17, 2009
WHAT MAKES IT GLOBAL? PART III
We continue today reviewing Robert Hanvey's 5 Global Dimensions. Their application in the classroom will ensure that global teaching and learning are indeed taking place.
In our last blog we reviewed the first 2 of Hanvey's global dimensions: Perspective Consciousness and State of the Planet Awareness. We will now consider the remaining 3 dimensions.
(3) CROSS-CULTURAL AWARENESS. As mentioned earlier, all human beings receive a heavy dose of conditioning from whatever culture they are a part of. We learn, through different types of conditioning, the ways of our cultures. We then assume that "our" ways are the best ways, if not the only ways. Other, different cultures are then perceived as inferior, imperfect, or just simply "weird." These perceptions then get in the way of rational understanding and acceptance of other cultures.
Remenbering again Hanvey's first dimension (Perspective Consciousness,) he now calls on us to objectively study and understand the ways of other cultures - particularly those that differ from our own in significant ways. "Understanding" doesn't mean "automatic acceptance." Oppressive government, institutionalized prejudice and discrimination, or systematic abuse of human rights are not acceptable simply because "it is our way." There are global standards of acceptable behavior for human societies. The United Nation's International Convention on Human Rights is a good guide to what should not be acceptable or not acceptable behavior in any culture.
Most societal differences, however, are not issues of human rights as much as issues of benign cultural differences. Consider, for instance, food preferences. In the US, eating certain animals is not considered "acceptable." Hot dogs, however, are part of the American national psyche -- mostly because most Americans are not aware of what actually goes into a hot dog, or how it is processed. In some countries, corn is food for pigs; in others, it is a welcomed part of the national diet. Why the differences? Simple: early conditioning. We are taught as children what is culturally desirable and what is not. We then simply accept it and think no more.
Many people believe that the best way to develop cross-cultural awareness is to live in foreign countries, or at least to visit long enough to understand the culture. No question; but not everyone can do that. The good news, however, is that we can -- partially or vicariously -- come into contact, understand and accept other cultures. Again,a healthy dose of humility and avoidance of cultural arrogance are helpful in attaining this end.
We could develop a scale of "cross-cultural interaction" that would evolve in this fashion: awareness>understanding>acceptance>embrace. We don't have to embrace all cultural differences; but we should always try for understanding, and if possible,acceptance.
(4) KNOWLEDGE OF GLOBAL DYNAMICS. What makes the world work? How do things really work under the surface? Who are the "movers and shakers"? Why do some countries have more influence than others? Why are some countries rich and others poor? How does foreign aid really work? Who makes the decisions regarding international lending -- and why? What do the international institutions do? Who controls them and how? How does the United Nations work? What does it do? Who controls it? In other words, how does the world really work?
Imagine living in a city or country and not knowing the "rules of the game"; only frustration and trouble would ensue. Such is also the case with living in a complex world and not knowing how it works, who manipulates the strings and how.
Two factors bear mentioning at this point: one, the complex interconnection of global issues. It is hard, if not impossible, to isolate one issue from all others. "Foreign aid," for example,(or what passes for foreign aid,) is often connected to subsidies for national manufacturers, local political forces, the buying of political support among recipient countries, support for friendly governments, strengthening of military alliances, etc.
The second factor is that events often have unanticipated outcomes or consequences. The support of a friendly dictator through massive aid in order to obtain narrow political benefits today may only buy the long-term enmity and antagonism of that society when the dictator is gone.
The United Nations plays a key role in the understanding of this dimension. Despite the ignorant disparagement of the UN by narrow-minded, chauvinistic politicians, it is our primary vehicle in the development of global peace and a more just human society. The very real limitations of the UN are well known and almost always the work of the powerful nations who are not willing to relinquish their political power. The UN is only an international institution with very limited powers, controlled by the most powerful nations on the planet. Should the UN become more of a supra-national institution? Should the power equation be made more democratic? Should it have more autonomy, rather than be controlled by the single veto of a powerful nation?
A future global leader needs to understand early how the world really works and begin to think of alternatives which would ensure a greater degree of human justice and welfare.
(5) AWARENES OF HUMAN CHOICES. Students generally see themselves as dis-empowered citizens. As they become enlightened global citizens capable of creating a better world,they must understand the true power that they hold in their hands. Relinquishing this power to others will not necessarily create a better world. It may instead contribute to the destruction of the planet.
Human life on planet earth can get much better for all; it can also get much worse. The grave issues that we face must be solved, or the entire human species will pay the price. Our students must become aware that they are participating in the construction of their future.
Whether we identify examples of great leaders in history, or discuss the great mass revolutions of the past, or use any other pedagogical avenues, we must efectively convey to our students our sincere expectations that they can -- and should -- see themselses as global change-agents. Today, as students, they already have more power than they imagine -- simply because society does not expect them to care, or to be involved. Whatever they do will be noticed. Tomorrow, empowered by a university education, graduate studies, unshakable personal commitment and the clear and shining vision of a better future, they will have the opportunity to become true global leaders able to make the world a better place for all humanity.
-------------------------------------------------------------
As previously mentioned, there is beauty and power in Robert Hanvey's conception of global education through the teaching and learning of his 5 Global Dimensions. While no human model is perfect, it remains the most accessible and functional approach to global education. Any teacher who implements Hanvey's approach in the classroom will surely give his/her students the power to become an empowered global citizen.
In our next posting, we will look at a British view of global education.
Until soon, then.
In our last blog we reviewed the first 2 of Hanvey's global dimensions: Perspective Consciousness and State of the Planet Awareness. We will now consider the remaining 3 dimensions.
(3) CROSS-CULTURAL AWARENESS. As mentioned earlier, all human beings receive a heavy dose of conditioning from whatever culture they are a part of. We learn, through different types of conditioning, the ways of our cultures. We then assume that "our" ways are the best ways, if not the only ways. Other, different cultures are then perceived as inferior, imperfect, or just simply "weird." These perceptions then get in the way of rational understanding and acceptance of other cultures.
Remenbering again Hanvey's first dimension (Perspective Consciousness,) he now calls on us to objectively study and understand the ways of other cultures - particularly those that differ from our own in significant ways. "Understanding" doesn't mean "automatic acceptance." Oppressive government, institutionalized prejudice and discrimination, or systematic abuse of human rights are not acceptable simply because "it is our way." There are global standards of acceptable behavior for human societies. The United Nation's International Convention on Human Rights is a good guide to what should not be acceptable or not acceptable behavior in any culture.
Most societal differences, however, are not issues of human rights as much as issues of benign cultural differences. Consider, for instance, food preferences. In the US, eating certain animals is not considered "acceptable." Hot dogs, however, are part of the American national psyche -- mostly because most Americans are not aware of what actually goes into a hot dog, or how it is processed. In some countries, corn is food for pigs; in others, it is a welcomed part of the national diet. Why the differences? Simple: early conditioning. We are taught as children what is culturally desirable and what is not. We then simply accept it and think no more.
Many people believe that the best way to develop cross-cultural awareness is to live in foreign countries, or at least to visit long enough to understand the culture. No question; but not everyone can do that. The good news, however, is that we can -- partially or vicariously -- come into contact, understand and accept other cultures. Again,a healthy dose of humility and avoidance of cultural arrogance are helpful in attaining this end.
We could develop a scale of "cross-cultural interaction" that would evolve in this fashion: awareness>understanding>acceptance>embrace. We don't have to embrace all cultural differences; but we should always try for understanding, and if possible,acceptance.
(4) KNOWLEDGE OF GLOBAL DYNAMICS. What makes the world work? How do things really work under the surface? Who are the "movers and shakers"? Why do some countries have more influence than others? Why are some countries rich and others poor? How does foreign aid really work? Who makes the decisions regarding international lending -- and why? What do the international institutions do? Who controls them and how? How does the United Nations work? What does it do? Who controls it? In other words, how does the world really work?
Imagine living in a city or country and not knowing the "rules of the game"; only frustration and trouble would ensue. Such is also the case with living in a complex world and not knowing how it works, who manipulates the strings and how.
Two factors bear mentioning at this point: one, the complex interconnection of global issues. It is hard, if not impossible, to isolate one issue from all others. "Foreign aid," for example,(or what passes for foreign aid,) is often connected to subsidies for national manufacturers, local political forces, the buying of political support among recipient countries, support for friendly governments, strengthening of military alliances, etc.
The second factor is that events often have unanticipated outcomes or consequences. The support of a friendly dictator through massive aid in order to obtain narrow political benefits today may only buy the long-term enmity and antagonism of that society when the dictator is gone.
The United Nations plays a key role in the understanding of this dimension. Despite the ignorant disparagement of the UN by narrow-minded, chauvinistic politicians, it is our primary vehicle in the development of global peace and a more just human society. The very real limitations of the UN are well known and almost always the work of the powerful nations who are not willing to relinquish their political power. The UN is only an international institution with very limited powers, controlled by the most powerful nations on the planet. Should the UN become more of a supra-national institution? Should the power equation be made more democratic? Should it have more autonomy, rather than be controlled by the single veto of a powerful nation?
A future global leader needs to understand early how the world really works and begin to think of alternatives which would ensure a greater degree of human justice and welfare.
(5) AWARENES OF HUMAN CHOICES. Students generally see themselves as dis-empowered citizens. As they become enlightened global citizens capable of creating a better world,they must understand the true power that they hold in their hands. Relinquishing this power to others will not necessarily create a better world. It may instead contribute to the destruction of the planet.
Human life on planet earth can get much better for all; it can also get much worse. The grave issues that we face must be solved, or the entire human species will pay the price. Our students must become aware that they are participating in the construction of their future.
Whether we identify examples of great leaders in history, or discuss the great mass revolutions of the past, or use any other pedagogical avenues, we must efectively convey to our students our sincere expectations that they can -- and should -- see themselses as global change-agents. Today, as students, they already have more power than they imagine -- simply because society does not expect them to care, or to be involved. Whatever they do will be noticed. Tomorrow, empowered by a university education, graduate studies, unshakable personal commitment and the clear and shining vision of a better future, they will have the opportunity to become true global leaders able to make the world a better place for all humanity.
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As previously mentioned, there is beauty and power in Robert Hanvey's conception of global education through the teaching and learning of his 5 Global Dimensions. While no human model is perfect, it remains the most accessible and functional approach to global education. Any teacher who implements Hanvey's approach in the classroom will surely give his/her students the power to become an empowered global citizen.
In our next posting, we will look at a British view of global education.
Until soon, then.
WHAT MAKES IT GLOBAL? PART ll
In our last blog we introduced Robert Hanvey; let's now focus on what Hanvey called the 5 "Global Dimensions" that, if implemented in the classroom, will make our instruction "global."
(1) PERSPECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS. Most people go through their entire lives holding beliefs and opinions that they have never questioned. Neither do they stop to reflect on the fact that those beliefs and opinions -- that collectively form their "worldviews" -- are indeed part of their own personal, cultural and historical perspective.
My perspective on global warming, human rights, or any other global issue reflects my cultural/ historical conditioning, my personal experiences, and even my personality structure. It may very well be a valid perspective; Hanvey nudges us to realize that, no matter how solid we feel our perspective is "the right one," it is still one perspective among many possible valid perspectives about reality that people can rationally and logically hold. He doesn't want us to renounce our perspective; he simply wants us to acknowledge that it is one among many.
This simple, commonsense cognitive step is surprisingly difficult for many people to take, for it requires a measure of intellectual humility that we often don't want to embrace. There is comfort in complete, dogmatic certitude. Acknowledging that my perspective is not the only universally valid one requires intellectual strength and a degree of personal security.
We have often heard that "there are 2 sides to every story," and most people will give lip service to that assertion. The trick is to allow ourselves to go from lip service to an honest emotional and intellectual acceptance of its deep significance. Based on my own personal experience, cultural conditioning, personality structure, etc., I can comfortably hold a certain opinion or value. Hanvey invites us to acknowledge that if I had a different personal experience, cultural conditioning, or personality structure, I might hold a different opinion or value and be just as convinced of its intrinsic validity -- as indeed, many people do.
We must acknowledge that reality is affected by the perceiver. My perception is likely to be different from that of others -- especially if those others come from a different culture and a different historical context. This simple realization is at the core of the ability to become "globally aware." Without it, nothing else is possible. Intellectual humility and a strong logical foundation will enable us to open ourselves to the complex global reality.
(2) STATE OF THE PLANET AWARENESS. Sadly, in many societies and cultures around the world, the average person simply does not know what is happening on the planet; people live in their own personal, local, or national cocoons, insulated from the real world. Such individuals cannot be global citizens. We need to be acutely aware of what is happening in our global village -- particularly in our time, when events in one side of the world affect the entire planet.
Along with the many opportunities that our present reality brings us, we have very significant issues and problems that we must face and conquer, or risk a very uncertain future. These issues and problems are never simple; they offer very complex, intertwined and difficult challenges. Whether we talk about climate change, nuclear proliferation, threats to human rights, or any of the many significant challenges that we face today as a human species, we must become aware of what is happening in our neighborhood -- planet earth.
We ignore our problems at our great peril. Ignorance or passivity are likely to lead to disaster. If the majority of humans do not appear interested in becoming educated about our present challenges, those who do become the leaders of future humanity. Knowledge is, indeed, power. As our students acquire the basic knowledge to identify and define the major issues faced by humanity, they will also be building their leadership curriculum vitae and placing themselves in a position for future global leadership.
Naturally, as we set-out to learn about the very significant issues that we must face, Hanvey's earlier words about "perspective consciousness" must come to the fore. Without perspective consciousness, our attempts to understand our global issues is doomed to failure.
In our next blog we will continue to review Hanvey's list of 5 "global dimensions." Until soon, then.
(1) PERSPECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS. Most people go through their entire lives holding beliefs and opinions that they have never questioned. Neither do they stop to reflect on the fact that those beliefs and opinions -- that collectively form their "worldviews" -- are indeed part of their own personal, cultural and historical perspective.
My perspective on global warming, human rights, or any other global issue reflects my cultural/ historical conditioning, my personal experiences, and even my personality structure. It may very well be a valid perspective; Hanvey nudges us to realize that, no matter how solid we feel our perspective is "the right one," it is still one perspective among many possible valid perspectives about reality that people can rationally and logically hold. He doesn't want us to renounce our perspective; he simply wants us to acknowledge that it is one among many.
This simple, commonsense cognitive step is surprisingly difficult for many people to take, for it requires a measure of intellectual humility that we often don't want to embrace. There is comfort in complete, dogmatic certitude. Acknowledging that my perspective is not the only universally valid one requires intellectual strength and a degree of personal security.
We have often heard that "there are 2 sides to every story," and most people will give lip service to that assertion. The trick is to allow ourselves to go from lip service to an honest emotional and intellectual acceptance of its deep significance. Based on my own personal experience, cultural conditioning, personality structure, etc., I can comfortably hold a certain opinion or value. Hanvey invites us to acknowledge that if I had a different personal experience, cultural conditioning, or personality structure, I might hold a different opinion or value and be just as convinced of its intrinsic validity -- as indeed, many people do.
We must acknowledge that reality is affected by the perceiver. My perception is likely to be different from that of others -- especially if those others come from a different culture and a different historical context. This simple realization is at the core of the ability to become "globally aware." Without it, nothing else is possible. Intellectual humility and a strong logical foundation will enable us to open ourselves to the complex global reality.
(2) STATE OF THE PLANET AWARENESS. Sadly, in many societies and cultures around the world, the average person simply does not know what is happening on the planet; people live in their own personal, local, or national cocoons, insulated from the real world. Such individuals cannot be global citizens. We need to be acutely aware of what is happening in our global village -- particularly in our time, when events in one side of the world affect the entire planet.
Along with the many opportunities that our present reality brings us, we have very significant issues and problems that we must face and conquer, or risk a very uncertain future. These issues and problems are never simple; they offer very complex, intertwined and difficult challenges. Whether we talk about climate change, nuclear proliferation, threats to human rights, or any of the many significant challenges that we face today as a human species, we must become aware of what is happening in our neighborhood -- planet earth.
We ignore our problems at our great peril. Ignorance or passivity are likely to lead to disaster. If the majority of humans do not appear interested in becoming educated about our present challenges, those who do become the leaders of future humanity. Knowledge is, indeed, power. As our students acquire the basic knowledge to identify and define the major issues faced by humanity, they will also be building their leadership curriculum vitae and placing themselves in a position for future global leadership.
Naturally, as we set-out to learn about the very significant issues that we must face, Hanvey's earlier words about "perspective consciousness" must come to the fore. Without perspective consciousness, our attempts to understand our global issues is doomed to failure.
In our next blog we will continue to review Hanvey's list of 5 "global dimensions." Until soon, then.
August 9, 2009
WHAT MAKES IT GLOBAL ? PART l
As the global consciousness of teachers (and students) increases in response to planetary realities, more and more teachers are becoming de facto global teachers -- often without using that particular label. They are doing so as a response to the obvious educational needs of our students. Many of these global teachers wish for a clear template to apply to their classroom. When is our teaching "global"? What makes it so?
In the next three posts, we will attempt to provide some guidelines that will confirm to ourselves that our teaching is indeed "global." We will seek 3 different approaches to determining what makes our instruction global: (1) "Instinctive" globality; (2) Robert Hanvey's five dimensions of global understanding; and (3) the global dimensions that guide teaching for global awareness in the UK.
Many teachers, particularly older teachers who went to college before global education became fully established, simply follow what a colleague has called the "instinctive" approach to global awareness (here the term "instinctive" is used in its "spontaneous," or "visceral" meaning, rather than in its narrower psychological meaning.). "Instinctive" global teachers implement global education by using a comprehensive philosophical outlook to inform their pedagogical decisions. Often motivated by thoughtful internationalism or humanism, they arrive at common sense decisions about the educational needs of their students and apply them to classroom instruction using usually self-developed ways and means. They were global teachers before they adopted the term "global."
These teachers are guided by strong guiding principles and beliefs, such as, "we are all equal members of one common humanity," or "there is more that unites us than separates us as human beings," or "we should advance humanistic attitudes in our teaching," or "prejudice is not a rational or acceptable way of dealing with others who are different from us." Instinctive global teachers normally are surprisingly effective, since they have typically arrived at the global dimensions of education on the strength of their own convictions -- often relying on powerful self-reflection, logic, and a thoughtful analysis of our planetary reality. In the classroom, they employ the same tools of every successful teacher, simply adding a thoughtful question, an incisive comment, or a key global insight as they cover the required material.
Teachers more formally grounded on the conceptual frameworks of global education may occasionally underestimate these "self-made" or instinctive global teachers; that would be a serious mistake. The sincerity of their outlook and the power of their convictions most often make this group of teachers extremely effective. Yet, even these self-made global teachers can improve their effectiveness by adding a more structured conceptual framework to their teaching -- this is where Robert Hanvey comes in.
Just as we can perceive beauty in a painting or a piece of music, we can also perceive the beauty of clean, clear, and simple conceptual frameworks in the world of ideas. Robert Hanvey (1976) has given us one such approach. It is "beautiful" in its clarity, simplicity, and applicability to any classroom situation. Although many people have sought to revise, modify, or add to Hanvey's dimensions, they remain the single most powerful model of global education available to us. Hanvey maintains that there are 5 "dimensions" of global understanding. The implementation of any one of those dimensions at any moment in our teaching can make our instruction "global." They are not esoteric variables, but clear, simple guidelines that are easy to relate to.
In our next blog,we will focus on Robert Hanvey's dimensions. One day, history books will acknowledge the power of his inductive thinking and the enormous value of his contribution to education.
Until soon, then.
In the next three posts, we will attempt to provide some guidelines that will confirm to ourselves that our teaching is indeed "global." We will seek 3 different approaches to determining what makes our instruction global: (1) "Instinctive" globality; (2) Robert Hanvey's five dimensions of global understanding; and (3) the global dimensions that guide teaching for global awareness in the UK.
Many teachers, particularly older teachers who went to college before global education became fully established, simply follow what a colleague has called the "instinctive" approach to global awareness (here the term "instinctive" is used in its "spontaneous," or "visceral" meaning, rather than in its narrower psychological meaning.). "Instinctive" global teachers implement global education by using a comprehensive philosophical outlook to inform their pedagogical decisions. Often motivated by thoughtful internationalism or humanism, they arrive at common sense decisions about the educational needs of their students and apply them to classroom instruction using usually self-developed ways and means. They were global teachers before they adopted the term "global."
These teachers are guided by strong guiding principles and beliefs, such as, "we are all equal members of one common humanity," or "there is more that unites us than separates us as human beings," or "we should advance humanistic attitudes in our teaching," or "prejudice is not a rational or acceptable way of dealing with others who are different from us." Instinctive global teachers normally are surprisingly effective, since they have typically arrived at the global dimensions of education on the strength of their own convictions -- often relying on powerful self-reflection, logic, and a thoughtful analysis of our planetary reality. In the classroom, they employ the same tools of every successful teacher, simply adding a thoughtful question, an incisive comment, or a key global insight as they cover the required material.
Teachers more formally grounded on the conceptual frameworks of global education may occasionally underestimate these "self-made" or instinctive global teachers; that would be a serious mistake. The sincerity of their outlook and the power of their convictions most often make this group of teachers extremely effective. Yet, even these self-made global teachers can improve their effectiveness by adding a more structured conceptual framework to their teaching -- this is where Robert Hanvey comes in.
Just as we can perceive beauty in a painting or a piece of music, we can also perceive the beauty of clean, clear, and simple conceptual frameworks in the world of ideas. Robert Hanvey (1976) has given us one such approach. It is "beautiful" in its clarity, simplicity, and applicability to any classroom situation. Although many people have sought to revise, modify, or add to Hanvey's dimensions, they remain the single most powerful model of global education available to us. Hanvey maintains that there are 5 "dimensions" of global understanding. The implementation of any one of those dimensions at any moment in our teaching can make our instruction "global." They are not esoteric variables, but clear, simple guidelines that are easy to relate to.
In our next blog,we will focus on Robert Hanvey's dimensions. One day, history books will acknowledge the power of his inductive thinking and the enormous value of his contribution to education.
Until soon, then.
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