PGCE PROCESS WORK MODULE 1 UNIT 2 ACTIVITY 4
THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE OF AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL....
I will look at CURRICULUM as my chosen area to investigate in light of the question "what is an important feature of an International school?".
Hayden and Thompson (2008) highlight the fact that, because there are so many different types of International schools in existence, there is also great variance in the curriculums offered. In fact they make the point that, even within one school, different types of curriculum can be implemented- a school might adhere to one form for their junior section of the school, for example, following the Cambridge International Exams, and then adopt a different one, such as InternationalBaccalaureate, for their senior section of the school.
Hayden et al. also point out that curriculum differences pose the question of:
“what it means for education to be international, and whether such a concept can actually exist other than in a context where ‘international’ is essentially a euphemism for ‘western’ or, indeed, ‘western liberal’ “ (ibid. p,76)
They make the above point because of the fact that, in most International schools, the medium of instruction is in English, yet the schools contain a multicultural mix of pupils whose first language, in many cases, is not English. They suggest that this might go against the very concept of what it means to be ‘international’. They also state that, many International Schools have developed based upon systems that operate in the Western World and this doesn't give a true global representation and could be seen to be at odds with the concept of International-Mindedness that should be prevalent in a school which classes itself as ‘international’.
I agree that providing instruction in a person’s first language is ideal, but I also realise that, in a classroom that can contain many different nationalities, it is not practical to do so. Perhaps this might be achieved in some way, if, for example, each pupil were to wear headphones or have a device that enabled the language to be instantly translated, but this would be a costly process and also, would perhaps isolate that pupil, making classroom discussion extremely difficult.
To highlight any one aspect of what I perceive to be the most important feature of an international curriculum is difficult, because it depends which curriculum you are referring to. My prescription for a pre-school and Infant curriculum, for example, would be very different from that I would advocate within a senior school.
For a pre-school I would emphasise the need for play and self-discovery more akin to that which operates within the Swedish system. I believe that, if it is not possible for a very young child to be nurtured within its own home then, to try to replicate that and allow the child time to develop naturally in a school is the next best thing.
Once they begin school, I would advocate a slightly different approach which still permits play at an infant level but progresses to include more teacher instruction.
Piaget refers to the stage of a child’s development from the ages of 2-7 years as the Pre-Operational Stage. He maintains that during this stage children learn through play and struggle with certain concepts such as logic, constancy and understanding other people’s viewpoints. I think this may be true for some children, but I don’t think you can generalise, because I feel that children develop at different rates. I am more aligned with Vygotsky who, according to Macleod (2007, updated 2014) believed that:
“No single principle (such as Piaget's equilibration) can account for development. Individual development cannot be understood without reference to the social and cultural context within which it is embedded.”
As a teacher I have seen some very young children who have much greater levels of maturity and understanding than others who are much older. Some children are much happier being instructed and operating under very clear guidelines and respond best to this, whilst others are willing to question and explore. For this reason I believe that a teaching method that permits a child-centred approach of learning together with combination of some more didactic teacher instruction is best from infant to lower Primary level.I feel that with the role of the teacher should become more that of a guide as the children develop in their levels of maturity.
An international senior curriculum I feel should encompass a range of subjects that enable its students to have equal opportunities to access any university. Within this there should be scope for individualised programmes of study that also permit routes into vocational training.
If I had to summarise one particular key feature that could be applied throughout the different international curriculums it would be that it should aim to produce well-rounded, creative, independent- thinking individuals who are able to co-operate with others whatever their nationality, cultural beliefs and mental or physical capacity may be.
Bibliography
Hayden, M. C. and Thompson, J. J. (2008) International schools: growth and influence [online]. Paris: UNESCO. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001803/180396e.pdf (accessed 21st October 2016)
Macleod, S. (2007, updated 2014), Lev Vygotsky, Simply Psychology (online). Available at: http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html (accessed 15th September 2016)
Macleod, S. (2009, updated 2015) Jean Piaget, Simply Psychology (online) Available at: http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html (accessed 3rd November 2015)
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