Thursday, 3 November 2016

PGCE Process Work MODULE 1 Unit 2 Task 3- Haywood's concept of international Mindedness


PGCE Process Work Unit 2 Task 3- Haywood's concept of international Mindedness

Consider any ways in which different aspects in Haywood's typology of international-mindedness are NOT promoted in your own educational setting.


Haywood (2007) has devised a typology of codes that he feels embrace the concept of International-Mindedness (IM). These are :

Diplomatic
Political
Economic and Commercial
Spiritual
Multi-cultural
Human Rights
Pacifist
Humanitarian
Environmentalist
Globalisation

He goes into detail about all of the above in terms of possible definitions and implications implied within them. He summarises the basic concepts contained within his suggested typologies into five ‘essential components’. Which he states are:

curiosity and interest in the world around us, based on knowledge of the earth and on its human and physical geography; 

open attitudes towards other ways of life and a predisposition to tolerance as regards other cultures and their belief systems

knowledge and understanding of the scientific basis that identifies the earth’s environment as a common entity of value to everyone;

 recognition of the interconnectedness of human affairs (in place and time) as part of the holistic experience of life

human values that combine respect for other ways of life with care and concern for the welfare and well-being of people in general.



Hayward concludes that:

“We cannot set standards, benchmarks, expectations (or even the inclusion of foreign language) as an essential criterion for international- mindedness. What we can do is expect each school to develop a strategy for its community, to make it explicit how this strategy supports international learning, and to identify outcomes and assessment approaches for students at different ages.” (Haywood, 2007,   p.87)


'IM', OR LACK OF, WITHIN THE LAST SCHOOL I TAUGHT IN.

Most of the above goals above, as identified by Hayward, are aims that were spoken about in staff meetings for teachers at the International school I last worked in. The intention was to make the pupils aware of the importance of respecting other people’s cultures and beliefs and to promote a feeling of equality and an attitude of  awareness  and tolerance of differences. I don’t feel that this was necessarily always communicated strongly enough to the pupils. The main reason for this, I believe, was largely due to what Hayward lists as one of the ‘supporting components' necessary for schools to achieve IM, that being:

“the way that curriculum is designed and constructed” 

There was not time within each lesson for the teacher to emphasise these points. They would mostly be discussed in relation to a specific incident that might have occurred, such as a report of bullying within the school. There was no specific lesson timetabled to address IM ideas.

I don’t think that the concept of what Hayward refers to above as “the scientific basis that identifies the earth’s environment” was fully addressed in the school in which I taught, or what Hayward refers to as: “interconnectedness of human affairs". Environmental issues such as global warming were discussed, but not their wider scientific implications with regard to advancements in technology and new discoveries. I feel this is particularly relevant in today’s “Knowledge Age” (Trilling and Hood, 2007). I feel very strongly that young people, and in fact society as a whole, need not only to know about Information Technology (IT) in terms of its application but also in terms of it’s implications. 

The internet, which grants access to knowledge surrounding the issues of IM can also grant access to inappropriate material and counteract the very values that IM attempts to promote. 


Reflecting on these issues reminded me of a blog I wrote as part of my BA studies. In it I looked at the ethical implications of people engaging with social media. (Lynn Terry, 2014)
 I use the pseudonym Lynn Terry to adhere to the terms and conditions of my contract as a dance examiner.





Bibliography

Haywood, T. (2007) A Simple Typology of International-Mindedness and Its Implications for Education. In: Hayden, M, Levy, J. and Thompson, J. (eds.) The SAGE Handbook of Research in International Education, pp.79-89 [online]. London: SAGE Publications. Available at: http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=419250 
(accessed 15th October 2016)


Lynn Terry, (2014)  Comments on reader 1, Ethical Considerations (online). (weblog). Available at: 


Trilling, B. and Hood, P. (2001) Learning, Technology, and Education Reform in the Knowledge Age or We're Wired, Webbed, and Windowed, Now What? In: Paechter, C., Edwards, R., Harrison, R. and Twining, P. (eds.) Learning, Space and Identity. London: Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd.

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PGCE Process Work MODULE 1- Unit 2 Task 2C - Comparing teaching methods in 3 Different Countries

PGCE Process Work Unit 2 Task 2 - Comparing  teaching methods in 3 Different Countries

I watched documentaries on the Performing arts in Cuban education, the Swedish Early Years teaching system  and Primary Maths teaching in Hungary. I will refer to the UK as my chosen country because I was a dance and drama teacher there for many years and was educated there. It is important to note, however, that, there are many different types of schools in the UK and some are already implementing these approaches so, it is difficult to generalise.

Before writing my comments I will briefly summarise the main methods in the three educational systems shown in the video clips:

CUBA

The Cuban approach places great emphasis on the importance of the performing and visual arts because it wants it’s people to become the most cultured in the world. The government provides funding for the materials and has a mission of equality for all. It uses the arts to preserve it’s cultural traditions and a strong nationalistic feeling is created in this way. I feel that the creation of Arts Instructors who are pupils from the age of 14 who go into the schools and help the teachers and also gain work experience . As well as gaining teaching experience themselves, the younger pupils look up to their older peers and emulate them and respect for the profession is also fostered. It is a programme lasting four years.



SWEDEN

The Swedish Early years programme stresses the importance of learning through play and creating an atmosphere that is as closely linked to the idea of a family environment as possible. There is no formal instruction, no testing and no equivalent of Ofsted. The teachers are well trained and trusted and the emphasis is on creating happy children who learn from their environment and from each other as well as from the teachers in a fun way at their own individual pace. There are no learning goals and they are not taught to read or write. A great deal of importance is placed on playing outside and letting off steam. They don’t believe in forcing a child to learn at this young age. Once they do get to school, at the age of 7, they achieve some of the highest literacy results in the world.

HUNGARY

The Hungarian approach to Primary maths teaching made use of developing kinetic skills through using materials to help the pupils work acquire basic understanding and application of maths. They made use of every day objects such as conkers to help with the concept of addition and subtraction for example. They regularly tested their pupils with mental arithmetic exercises in the class but had no formal tests or inspections.



Write one or two paragraphs about any ways in which the approach in your own chosen country could be improved in light of what you have seen in the three programmes. 
Methods the UK could adopt

All three methods were different but all had commonalities. these were:
They placed importance on highly trained teachers 
The teachers were trusted by the system
There was no system of school inspection such as Ofsted or constant national testing. This meant the teachers were less pressurised to meet targets and could be more creative in their approach. 
The teaching profession is revered
All used peer learning across different age groups. Peer learning is the concept that:
All placed lower learning pressures on their younger pupils
All had a later school starting age
All placed emphasis on Kinesthic and Visual learning- simply put, these are the notions of learning through doing and seeing, respectively.


I feel all the above methods would benefit the UK system. I feel there is far too much pressure on both children and teachers as a result of national testing and inspection reports. In all three countries the teaching profession is revered. In the UK there is a shortage of teachers and government incentives have had to be introduced to try to entice people into the profession. As well as the methods listed above I also think the Cuban Art Instructors model could be adopted so that work experience is lengthened to gain a real understanding of a prospective career and possibly also create links for future employment.



Bibliography

Boud, D. (2001). ‘Introduction: Making the Move to Peer Learning’. In Boud, D., Cohen, Ruth & Sampson, Jane (Ed.). Peer Learning in Higher Education: Learning From & With Each Other. London: Kogan Page Ltd, 1–17.


Facstaff, Kinesthetic Learning in the Classroom, (online). Available at: http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/jvt002/Docs/ASEE-2008b.pdf (accessed Oct 15th 2016)

Grandin, T. (2006) Thinking in Pictures with 2006 Updates from the Expanded Edition, (online). Available at:

Gwee, C.E. Peer Learning: Enhancing Student Learning Outcomes, Successful Learning no 13 CDTL (online). Available at: http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg/success/sl13.htm (accessed online Oct 1st 2016)


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PGCE PROCESS WORK MODULE 1- UNIT 2 Task 2 B- SUCCESS STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

PGCE PROCESS WORK UNIT 2 Task 2 

ch 2 SUCCESS STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD 
Write notes about any ways in which you feel the 'success factors' in these case studies might be of benefit to the educational system in which you currently work.

I will look at the “success factors” in the educational systems of Singapore and Finland. I will briefly summarise the main approaches to the way these two countries have both gone from nations that had a largely uneducated population and poor economic growth to countries who have created a model for ‘success’ in terms of education and economic growth. Both countries have done this in a relatively short timespan.

THE SINGAPORE  EDUCATIONAL METHOD 
The Singapore method, according to Stewart (2012), had three main stages of educational development. She refers to these as: “Survival”, “Efficiency” and “Global Knowledge”. Below I will briefly simplify and summarise these three phases.

1.Survival 1959-1978 - get people educated - create schools

2. Efficiency 1978-1996 - make vocational education important and create different routes to higher education i.e. Vocational route and academic route of equal importance. Create links with industry, internships and therefore smoother route to jobs

3. Global Knowledge 1990’s- Present
Create links with other countries by providing generous funding to attract researchers from other countries- big investment in creativity, innovation and research. Also make changes in the school system to develop a: “national culture where learning and creativity flourish at every level of society” (Ng, 2008b, p. 6 cited in Stewart 2012, p. 39).

Singapore’s vision for its education system is summarised in the word below,. It aims to:

“touch the hearts and engage the minds of learners by promoting a different learning paradigm . . . emphasizing discovery through experiences, differentiated teaching, learning of lifelong skills, and the building of character through innovative and effective teaching approaches” (Ho Peng, Director General, Ministry of Education, personal interview, August 2010, cited in Stewart, 2012, p.41).



FINLAND’S EDUCATIONAL METHOD
They aim to create independent, creative thinkers and foster a desire to learn in their pupils.

They recognise the need for highly trained teachers and the necessity to provide the funding and resources for teacher training. The government spends a great deal on funding for education.

They promote teaching as a profession to be revered. This means that it is respected amongst its young people, their parents and in society as a whole.

The Finnish government believes in the importance of giving more autonomy to schools to make their own decisions about the curriculum they teach and also how their schools are run.

Both The Singapore system and the Finnish system have recognised the need for “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation.” (Stewart, 2012) 

They realise that education can be a tool that can be used to generate economic growth.

Formal education starts at an older age than in the UK.





COMPARISON OF THE ABOVE METHODS WITH MY TEACHING IN AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

I will compare these ‘success factors’  summarised in the case studies highlighted in the Singapore and Finnish educational systems (Stewart, 2012) with the experience I had in the last International school that I worked in. 

The school  I last worked in was privately funded so the amount of money they received from the pupils’ fees, private donations and fund- raising events, governed how much was available for the school to spend. Had more funds been available, then I believe they would have been able to make better provision for their pupil’s in terms of the resources, but also, they would have been able to afford to pay their teachers a better salary.


LOW FUNDING- LOW SALARY- Teachers and their Profession undervalued

Some teachers felt undervalued because the school was not able to pay them what they considered a decent salary. Rates of pay were a lot lower than in the UK. Also, the school employed some teachers who, although they were very experienced and qualified in their field, did not have QTS.The school paid these teachers significantly less in order to save money elsewhere. Some subjects in the school were considered more important than others. As a result, a general malaise existed amongst some of the teachers and amongst some teaching faculties, some of which had a larger budget for resources than others: this did not create the best working environment. I feel that the school would have benefited from a more equal opportunities policy in terms of funding and salaries.

The notion of respect for the teaching profession which was generated by the Educational policies of the Singapore and Finnish governments d would have been of great benefit in the school I worked in. It relied upon parents who could afford to pay the school’s fees. Some of these parents took the attitude that, as they were paying the teacher’s salary, the teachers were little more than servants there to meet the demands of their offspring. Respect has to be earned, but, I feel that, this also begins with a grass roots approach which tackles the concept of teaching as a profession to be revered. 


EDUCATION SYNONYMOUS WITH ECONOMIC GROWTH

It is interesting to note that the countries, who are seeing the fastest economic growth, like China and Finland, as illustrated in the case studies in “Success Stories From Around the World”, are those whose governments have recognised the importance of elevating the teaching profession to one that is held in greater esteem. They are providing a larger budget for education in the belief that, to put it simply, the more you put in, the more you get out.

I believe that all schools, not just the one I last worked in, would benefit from a greater injection of funds, but, this is not always possible to achieve.  I also believe that the creation of what is perceived to be a ‘successful’ school depends on much more than that. Stewart (2012), makes the point that she has seen some very successful and creative teaching approaches in some of the poorest countries.







Bibliography


Stewart, V. (2012), World-Class Education : Learning from International Models of Excellence and Innovation. Alexandria, US: ASCD, ProQuest ebrary. Web. 19 October 2016.

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PGCE PROCESS WORK MODULE 1- UNIT 2 TASK 1A- TEACHING ACROSS CULTURES- KENYA

PGCE PROCESS WORK UNIT 2 TASK 1
List the Problems Faced by the English Teachers in the Video clip: Teachers TV (2006a) programme, Wider Horizons - Four Go to Kenya
What were the challenges that the four English teachers faced in teaching Kenyan students?
Why did they find the experience unsettling?

The problems faced by the four teachers during their work in Kenya were:

The pupils in Kenya were used to learning by rote and the English teachers did not teach in this way. 

The pupils in Kenya were not used to being asked questions so were unresponsive and reserved when it came to answering the questions posed by the English teachers. It was however, interesting to see how the younger pupils reacted to their own teacher when he posed questions.This Kenyan Primary school teacher had a different approach which seemed more akin to that adopted by the English teachers in their own school. The younger Kenyan children were responsive to their teacher.

The English teachers themselves had expressed their own anxieties about teaching at the Kenyan school and felt uncertain of their own abilities to teach these pupils. It is possible that these insecurities came across during the lessons and this may also have contributed to the Kenyan pupils’ reservedness in responding to and answering questions posed by the English teachers.

Although it was mentioned that lessons were conducted in English at this Kenyan school it was also mentioned that English was not their first language. I observed that the Kenyan teachers in the video spoke in a slower, more deliberate way and in heavily accented English. The pupils may not actually have understood everything the English teachers said as they spoke more quickly and had regional accents.

It was mentioned and observed in the video that the Kenyan pupils had a strict code of behaviour which they observed. They were shown to be very quiet and respectful of authority and the English teachers, by their own admission, were not used to this in their own school. 

The English teachers referred to the short attention span of their own pupils and the fact that their pupils expected to be entertained in their lessons. The English teachers were shown to use resources to illustrate the information they were trying to get across to the Kenyan pupils e.g. the torch and the globe to demonstrate the sun’s intensity. This use of resources seemed alien to the Kenyan pupils. 

The English teachers were not prepared for the fact that Kenyan pupils were not used to critiquing each other’s work and did not respond well to this or to discussion .

I believe the teachers found the experience unnerving because they were not prepared for the different way in which the Kenyan pupils responded to them and their teaching methods. They had apparently not studied the Kenyan educational system or the culture prior to their visit. They were used to spending time getting their own pupils to be quiet and were unprepared for the disciplined and quiet, respectfulness of the Kenyan pupils or their concentration spans which the English teachers admitted were much greater than those of their own pupils.

‘There was lots of teaching but not much learning .... We want assertive and confident people'. How far did you agree with the conclusions drawn by the four English teachers about their experiences?

I don’t believe that the English teachers could measure what the Kenyan pupils had learnt merely by observing the fact that their normal style of teaching was didactic. They reached this conclusion based upon the way the Kenyan pupils responded to the English teachers’ own teaching methods. These methods were clearly different from those the Kenyan pupils were used to. 

Just because the English teachers did not necessarily get the response they expected from the Kenyan pupils does not, in my opinion, qualify them to make such a sweeping value judgement on what the Kenyan pupils learnt either in the English teachers’ lessons or in the course of their usual studies at the school.

There could have been many reasons why the Kenyan pupils did not appear as confident or outspoken as the English pupils in the school where the English teachers normally taught. There are cultural differences to be taken into account. It was evident that the Kenyan pupils had a strict code of behaviour that was expected and that they were not called upon or expected to give their opinion as a rule in class, as was evidenced by the interview with the Kenyan teacher. Therefore, it might have been considered a mark of disrespect in the school culture that these pupils were educated in to voice their opinion. 

The English teachers assumed that, because the pupils didn't voice their opinion, they didn't have one and were incapable of critical thinking. We do not know what evidence they had to base this remark on other than their brief experience at the school. What, for example, were the Kenyan students’ test results like? Mention was made of the fact that the Kenyan pupils had to pass their end of year tests before they could graduate to the next class, so presumably some, if not all, the Kenyan students were indeed learning what was asked of them.

Write about the difficulties involved in transferring teaching techniques from one teaching culture to another.

In my opinion there are many differences involved in transferring teaching techniques from one culture to another, some of which I have already mentioned in relation to the video extract of the English teachers’ experience in a Kenyan school. We live in a multicultural society and even within one classroom there are often many different nationalities. 

Each country has its own inherent beliefs, moral and ethical codes to which it adheres. These evolve over the course of time and are influenced by many different factors for example; governmentally policies, resources, environmental issues, to name but a few. I feel it is important to acknowledge the fact that there are these differences and that some countries’ values are more deeply embedded in tradition than others.

Another consideration is the fact that, even within different cultures, some individuals observe these codes more than others. Teachers need to be sensitive to these differences which will inevitably present challenges both in the lesson planning stage, and delivery of the lessons.

The Qatari Case makes reference to some of the aims of international education below stating that:

 “…international education adopts a curriculum that espouses a philosophy built around the following concepts and values: universal mindedness, awareness and empathy, cultural tolerance and the respect of other’s behavior and views, open mindedness, flexibility of thinking, neutrality, and universal affiliation” (Allan, 2002; Hayden et al. 2000; Hayden and Thompson, 1996, cited in Baker and Kanan 2005, p 334)

The above quote, in my opinion, is a model that teachers should try to embrace but, to achieve all these values in a multi-cultural society, is difficult; transferring teaching techniques from one country to another makes the values even harder to achieve. In order to attempt to do so I feel it is essential for some dialogue to be established between the teaching faculties in the different countries so that there is a greater appreciation of the cultural differences and teaching methods implemented.  I feel that it is necessary for teachers in other countries to pool ideas and work together to try to respect the cultural diversity that exists, whilst at the same time endeavouring to find the best methods to bridge the gaps that may be present as a result. In this way teachers can attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural differences and try to find ways of adapting their teaching in order to best facilitate the learning process for the pupils.


Bibliography


Baker, A. M. and Kanan, H. M. (2005) International mindedness of native students as a function of the type of school attended and gender. Journal of Research in International Education 4(3): 333-349.


Teachers TV (2006a) Wider Horizons - Four Go to Kenya [video online]. Retrieved from: http://www.teachers.tv/videos/wider-horizons-four-go-to-kenya [accessed 3 February 2011].
[Teachers TV videos now available at: http://schoolsworld.tv/videos/].


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PGCE Process Work MODULE 1- Unit 1 Task 6 - is it Possible to Teach Without Values?

Is it Possible to Teach Without Values?

     “ Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Kolb,1984, p.38 ).

If this is true, then, throughout our lives, we are forming opinions based upon our experiences that we have had. In order to formulate an opinion you must, I feel, place a value judgement on it. Is it possible to maintain neutrality whilst teaching, or will these values inevitably encroach upon the knowledge you are imparting to your students is a question for debate? 

Dewey believed that:

“…education must be conceived as a continuing reconstruction of experience…’ (Dewey 1897, cited in Kolb, p.4 )

If we take both Kolb’s and Dewey’s view that learning and education cannot be separated from past experience then, it would appear that it is inevitable that teachers would pass on their values, intentionally or otherwise, to their students.

I think that your past experience does shape who you are as a person and influence your thought process and that will establish the values you  have. I also believe that, because of your experiences, you can revise and even change your perspective on things and so your values can be altered. This is to do with the reflective process that Kolb et al. believe we continually go through during our lives. Jennifer Moon refers to this as:

“learning from the meaningful representation of learning” (2004,p.91)

Kolb developed his ‘Learning Cycle” to try to show this process of reflection. Simply put, this is the concept that we experience something, think about it, test out what we have discovered and then act accordingly as a result. Kolb’s Learning Cycle is illustrated below:







Argyris and Schon developed Kolb’s theory further and devised “Double Loop Learning”. Cartwright summarised the purpose of this well, I think, in the following words, describing it as:

“a way to better understand the ordinary, to question our everyday working world, to think outside the presumptions and limitations that we have, perhaps unconsciously constructed for ourselves” (Cartwright, 2002, p 69) . 





If the above philosophers are right, then it would be almost impossible to teach without values because they are inherent within each of us. I believe this to be true.

Crib and Gewirtz (2011) believe that a teacher aught to have an opinion and make their students aware of it, because not to do is is using what they call ‘licensed avoidance tactics’’. I don’t agree because I feel that a teacher should not try to influence their pupils by allowing their own values to present a biased view of subject matter they are teaching. 

Young minds are very impressionable and a teacher is in a position where he or she does have the ability to affect a child’s response to a situation, so I believe that it is not necessarily a bad thing for a teacher to attempt to remain neutral. It does, however, depend upon the circumstances. If a child is demonstrating behaviour that may be damaging to others or to him/herself, then, I believe that, in such an instance, it would be morally and ethically wrong for a teacher not to intervene. The very act of intervention would be a demonstration of the teacher acting according to the values he/she possesses. 

My own thoughts on the subject of whether we can teach without values is expressed in the quote below:


“Teachers are permanently involved in values education... sometimes ... without even realizing that they are teaching values ...” (Kohlberg & Turiel in PORTELE, p. 7, cited in Harecker, online)




Bibliography

Cribb A. and Gewirtz, S. (2011) Values and schooling. In: Dillon, J. and Maguire, M. (eds.) Becoming a Teacher: Issues in Secondary Education, pp. 55-67. 4th ed. [online].Maidenhead: Open University Press. Available at: http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=326918
 (accessed 16th September 2016)

Harecker, G. Teaching Values at School: a Way to Reach a Better Understanding in Our World, New Perspectives in Science Education, (online). Available at: http://conference.pixel-online.net/science/common/download/Paper_pdf/325-IBL26-FP-Harecker-NPSE2012.pdf


Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall

Kolb, D. A. and Kolb, A.Y. (2008) Experiential Learning Theory: A Dynamic, Holistic Approach to Management Learning, Education and Development, Weatherhead School of Management Case Western Reserve University, (online). Available at: http://learningfromexperience.com/media/2010/08/ELT-Hbk-MLED-LFE-website-2-10-08.pdf (accessed on 6th October 2016)

Moon, J. A. (2004) A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning Theory and Practice, RoutledgeFarmer, London and New York.


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