International-mindedness and the image we hold of children

It is vital, that as educators we have an articulated idea of what our image of the child is. It is through holding a strong belief in this image that influences the way in which we advocate and enable children’s valid contribution in making decisions within matters that are of concern to them, be it within, or outside of the classroom (Smith & Taylor, 2009).

Diversity and difference is a pertinent factor of international-mindedness; it is about embracing the cultures of others and constructing cultural pluralism amongst our communities, thus, the goal of diversity being that of uniting people and gaining all that you can from one another, as opposed to merely tolerating the diversity of others.

Respect and tolerance of diversity are two very conflicting notions; it is one of the responsibilities of educators to instil respect within children, for others; tolerance is merely putting up with the difference of others, the “salad bowl” (Gonzalez-Mena, 2008) is based on incorporating the cultural diversity of others into our Australian culture; embracing them for all that they are. It is vital that we construct a diversity-respecting curriculum (Fleet, Patterson, and Robertson, 2009); incorporating the lives of children into the curriculum, therefore creating meaning and linking what is important to them throughout the curriculum.

Embedded within my own notions of education, is that a child’s learning community is “place of culture” (p38) a learning environment where children are exposed to the values and notions of other cultures, becoming apart of it, understanding it on a deeper level. It is about children acquiring intersubjectivity, the ability of humans understanding the notions and culture of others, with the perspective of an open mind (Bruner, 1996). A child’s learning environment must equip them with skills of understanding, feeling and acting in the cultural world, which surrounds them. It is about embedding the school within the communities cultural context; allowing children to find there identity within there culture, building their self-esteem and confidence based on who they are, not what they can do (Rogoff, 1993, as cited in Faulkner, Littleton, &Faulkner, 2004).

When questioned about international-mindedness, our participant Katie affirmed a strong conviction within this notion, stating, “to ‘teach children to appreciate and participate in the richness and strength of a multicultural society’ so all my teaching must take place with this backdrop.”  With that being said, it is vital to place children within an environment, which exposes them to the ideals and culture of society (Derman-Sparks & Olsen-Edwards, 2010).

Yet, when considering the practical aspect of international-mindedness being prevalent throughout the culture of a classroom, Katie had affirmed that, “students’ learning is supported by transdisciplinary themes which have global ramifications. This allows for international-mindedness to develop in a constructivist manner, through each year level of the programme.” In considering this statement, the IB has deeply embedded the notion of international-mindedness throughout its framework, ensuring that educator and children of all ages are interacting with this fundamental notion throughout the units of inquiry (IBO, 2007; Singh, 1999).

As stated by Roberts (2009), “[a]ll of our lives are inextricably interconnected” (p4). Providing an international perspective and understanding within classrooms, to be applied in real-life situations, encouraging children to identify themselves as global citizens, utilising this as a vehicle to empower them in contributing as active participants within their global community, this is a fundamental aspect which is central to the tenets that the IB is comprised of; a tenet which I have embedded firmly throughout my own educational philosophy. This being a vital aspect of the equation to constructing a classroom culture of international-mindedness, as affirmed by Hill (2006), “[i]t is the attitude of mind reflected in both the teaching and administration of the school, rather than the cultural composition or location, which is important” (p98).