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Cooperating to create global citizens
By Roger W R Morgan |
June 27, 2012, Wednesday
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ONE of the exciting issues in contemporary education is the pursuit of a program which leads to global citizenship. Many schools and universities produce mission statements which link with this ideal but are by their very nature culturally bound in terms of expression and the route to be followed to enable students to achieve this.
There is then a series of expectations which are institutional national and individual interpretations of the paths which students should follow.
This then raises a question for us all in our educational roles: Is there a clear definition of global citizenship? Can this be interpreted in a way which enables this to apply across the cultural barriers which frame the background of all students or are we all held prisoner by our individual and cultural beliefs which form the background of our individual histories and experiences or those of the institutions and countries within which we have grown up in and experienced?
Is there then an ideal curriculum which enables the student/teacher to be a global citizen in a local national, international context or are there conflicting views between these levels of understanding? Is there a holistic understanding or is it the economic interpretation of international citizenship that is critical? Where do we start and where do we finish or is there a process which should be pursued in determining global citizenship? Are there specific agreed concepts which form the framework within which our understandings can evolve or is this too simplistic an understanding?
I was born in Wales - I am Welsh - I am British as part of the United Kingdom I am also a European, despite the issues and problems the region faces at the moment. I am also a global citizen. To be one does not, I would suggest, prevent my acceptance of the other identities. Neither is there a hierarchy where one interpretation is seen as superior to another. We can hold an understanding of different levels of awareness which help us to understand discrete and specific problems/issues within our environment, be they cultural economic competitive concerns for others or whatever.
Our schools in a Shanghai context can be a little bit of England, America, France or China, and our concerns for our interpretation of global citizenship are set by where we come from. What is it we want our citizens to pursue? There is also the issue of being certain what our national agencies want from their educational system and what fringe groups see as essential. While it is possible for the fringes to be seen to be correct, they can be the complete reverse and nothing more than the expression of a few well-wishers.
Where then does this leave us? We are not a proselytizing group of individuals but there are certain values we hope all our citizens will pursue. We want critical objective thinkers who can work towards the future, who can provide rational answers and suggestions based on the views they hold, while realizing that they are not necessarily totally au fait with all aspects of the issues they face. To use these views to provide possible answers while realizing others might hold different or differing views based on country region religion or belief is in itself a major step forward.
Children today have a wonderful opportunity to enact this if they are to face issues their parents began tackling. In 20 years the world will begin to run out of traditional fuels and the issue of global warming be more pressing. Twenty years ago, we talked about an environmental catastrophe. Today, we have conferences and policies for some and are starting to address problems, but in 20 years the time for talking will have been replaced by the need for direct action.
I am a positivist and believe strongly in the next generation - their skills as independent thinkers and actors and their ability to deal with issues and problems which today we see as insurmountable. Children, given the right opportunities, will deal with these issues as things to overcome positively. Where is it we look to in any organization when we talk about high-tech solutions? It is frequently the youngest and newest member of our institution.
(Roger W R Morgan is co-principal of SUIS
Pudong campus. The article is abridged due to space limitation.)
There is then a series of expectations which are institutional national and individual interpretations of the paths which students should follow.
This then raises a question for us all in our educational roles: Is there a clear definition of global citizenship? Can this be interpreted in a way which enables this to apply across the cultural barriers which frame the background of all students or are we all held prisoner by our individual and cultural beliefs which form the background of our individual histories and experiences or those of the institutions and countries within which we have grown up in and experienced?
Is there then an ideal curriculum which enables the student/teacher to be a global citizen in a local national, international context or are there conflicting views between these levels of understanding? Is there a holistic understanding or is it the economic interpretation of international citizenship that is critical? Where do we start and where do we finish or is there a process which should be pursued in determining global citizenship? Are there specific agreed concepts which form the framework within which our understandings can evolve or is this too simplistic an understanding?
I was born in Wales - I am Welsh - I am British as part of the United Kingdom I am also a European, despite the issues and problems the region faces at the moment. I am also a global citizen. To be one does not, I would suggest, prevent my acceptance of the other identities. Neither is there a hierarchy where one interpretation is seen as superior to another. We can hold an understanding of different levels of awareness which help us to understand discrete and specific problems/issues within our environment, be they cultural economic competitive concerns for others or whatever.
Our schools in a Shanghai context can be a little bit of England, America, France or China, and our concerns for our interpretation of global citizenship are set by where we come from. What is it we want our citizens to pursue? There is also the issue of being certain what our national agencies want from their educational system and what fringe groups see as essential. While it is possible for the fringes to be seen to be correct, they can be the complete reverse and nothing more than the expression of a few well-wishers.
Where then does this leave us? We are not a proselytizing group of individuals but there are certain values we hope all our citizens will pursue. We want critical objective thinkers who can work towards the future, who can provide rational answers and suggestions based on the views they hold, while realizing that they are not necessarily totally au fait with all aspects of the issues they face. To use these views to provide possible answers while realizing others might hold different or differing views based on country region religion or belief is in itself a major step forward.
Children today have a wonderful opportunity to enact this if they are to face issues their parents began tackling. In 20 years the world will begin to run out of traditional fuels and the issue of global warming be more pressing. Twenty years ago, we talked about an environmental catastrophe. Today, we have conferences and policies for some and are starting to address problems, but in 20 years the time for talking will have been replaced by the need for direct action.
I am a positivist and believe strongly in the next generation - their skills as independent thinkers and actors and their ability to deal with issues and problems which today we see as insurmountable. Children, given the right opportunities, will deal with these issues as things to overcome positively. Where is it we look to in any organization when we talk about high-tech solutions? It is frequently the youngest and newest member of our institution.
(Roger W R Morgan is co-principal of SUIS
Pudong campus. The article is abridged due to space limitation.)
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