Global Training Partner Summit for Middle East and Africa
May 7, 2021
Teacher, teacher, how does your garden grow?
Jun 30, 2021
The fourth industrial revolution, the 4Cs, future-ready, AI – all included in a plethora of catchphrases that swirl around the educational landscape. After a while, we become numb to these words, mainly because the underlying intention remains the same – developing our learner’s skills and enabling them to participate in an ever-changing environment. However, I have since discovered a more encompassing concept that I’d like to explore with you.
I was recently introduced to the concept of cosmopolitanism. My immediate thought was – hold up! Just another word for globalization or global citizen. However, once I started to unearth more about it, there were apparent differences in the meaning of cosmopolitanism that set it apart from other “global” trending phrases.
If you look at the sketch below, based on Canvas of Learning’s YouTube video explanation you might recognize some common aspects.
The critical point that stood out for me was the holistic view presented and the undeniable link to moral values. Cosmopolitanism combines all the recognizable elements that we throw around on the global landscape. This theory asks us to fine-tune our learner’s moral sensitivity and to help develop their moral courage so that when they need to, they can “do the right thing at the right point.” Narrative imagination is a crucial principle that requires teachers to guide learners to use their imagination across cultural differences.
This is achieved through the creative application of Arts & Literature. As a student of Humanities, this lit me up. Within our educational landscape, we have given the STEM subjects too much power. Only recently have the Arts been allowed back into the exclusive club. I would argue that allowing the traditional hierarchical structure of subjects inhibits our development of a balanced individual, but that is a blog for another day.
With the use of Arts & Literature, we can let learners immerse themselves into “walking in another’s cultural shoes” rather than transmitting superficial engagement. This learning construct helps develop multiple perspectives, cultivate empathy and create a greater awareness of their position to another. It is referred to as “the art of living”.
With the affordances of technology, enabling cosmopolitanism has never been easier, but it takes purposeful effort and planning to incorporate into our daily teaching practice. (Links to the tools mentioned, can be found at the end of this post)
As teachers, one of our professional development objectives should be to investigate, critically evaluate and extract aspects from various frameworks and theories to grow our thoughts about education and our profession. These metacognitive processes help us grow and develop and help our students become cosmopolitan members of society. Which part of this theory resonates with you?
Links:
Microsoft Digital Citizen Course
Microsoft in Arts & Related Blog
Author: Ilonka Poole (Thank you to Charmaine Cowell for the introduction to this concept and sharing of resources.)
Ilonka Poole is a freelance design architect who has a passion for igniting the a-ha moment with learners and teachers. She believes fiercely in collaboration and runs a PLN group for teachers. Ilonka is closely associated with NBConsult and a certified Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert.
