Abstract.
Education is the key to equality and equal opportunities for all. It is the route to fair democracy, sustainable development and productive economic success for everyone across the globe. In order to achieve this, education seeks to address certain key values which involve a clear understanding of the wider society in which we belong, respect for the cultural diversity presented by different populations all over the world and an understanding of the issues which affect the world we live in both locally and internationally. An international school curriculum is very essential as it helps to secure commitment to mutual and sustainable development both at a national and an international level. It helps to introduce international education in schools which promotes a clear international understanding.
This research paper seeks to determine the role of an international curriculum in developing student’s reading, writing and critical thinking skills. The information used in this research has been derived from extensive literature reviewed from books, peer-review journals and a few Internet sources.
From the research findings, it is clear that the development of coherent international curriculum is profoundly essential as it helps to mold the young people in schools to become responsible global citizens now and in future. It also helps the students to understand and appreciate cultural diversity as well as the values, beliefs and attitudes upheld by various people and nations all over the world. This plays a vital role in equipping the students with knowledge and skills which enable them to participate actively in the global community.
International Education in Public Schools.
According to UNESCO, international education refers to a process which is aimed at achieving an international understanding of the issues related to cooperation, peace and unity of nations all over the globe. This kind of education combines three major perspectives which include the study of human rights, fundamental liberties and the system of United nations. International education is very vital and it should be incorporated into the curriculum of all public schools in order to promote awareness of international cooperation and peace.
Another definition refers to international education as transfer of knowledge which is aimed at giving every child a clear understanding of his past heritage which is to be shared by everyone all over the world. This is meant to give the child a concise view of the issues which are happening in the present world as well as those which happened in the past in order to help him cope in a world where interdependence and cooperation among people is of uttermost importance. The basis of international education emphasizes on an attitude of uttermost respect for the human life regardless of the race, ethnic origin or societal class and it brings an understanding of the things which promote unity both nationally and internationally. This definition which was devised by a group of representatives from various schools in different countries is quite comprehensive though it foreshadows the importance of utilitarian, pedagogical and humanistic impetus of the importance of international education (Stanford, 2004).
Developing a global dimension in public school curricula.
Global issues affect everyone’s life regardless of age, race, ethnic group or social class. The society today is greatly influenced by the people’s cultures, religion, languages and behaviors which originate from different parts of the globe. This makes it very important to broaden every student’s knowledge and experience on certain global issues while in school in order to equip them adequately on how to cope with such issues on an international front once they are out of school.
National economies around the world have become increasingly interconnected due to globalization and trade liberalization which makes them interdependent on international trade and investment with other nations. A clear understanding of such international trade is important for the students as it will respect other nations as well as exposing them to business opportunities all over the globe. It is thus clear that education plays a key role in helping students and young people in general to understand their role and responsibility in the global development.
Incorporation of a global dimension in the school curriculum involves combining local and international issues with that which is taught in class and practiced by the entire school community. In this case, students are given the chance to evaluate their personal values and make adjustments which will help them to appreciate other people’s values, cultures and beliefs all over the world. This gives the students the necessary knowledge, skills and experience which help them to avoid prejudice, corruption and discrimination when dealing with people from various cultures all over the globe (Earley, 2006). It will also help them to make significant contributions to issues concerning the global community and this way, they will have become responsible global citizens.
A school curriculum plays a great role in the introduction of a global dimension in public schools. It helps to develop and improve the student’s sense of identity by giving them the relevant spiritual, social, moral, cultural and intellectual knowledge which they need to view and address problems encountered in the society from an international perspective. Whereas certain subjects or programs of study taught in public schools today such as history, geography and other arts have some global dimension in them, most other subjects still need a revised curriculum to incorporate international education. In order to incorporate a global dimension in such subjects, a comprehensive and well defined international curriculum is very necessary.
An International curriculum.
There has been controversy surrounding the definition of the term curriculum. Some people define it as a combination of all the activities which take place inside the school environment while others restrict curriculum to only those topics which are defined by the official policy of the system of education.
The development of an international curriculum requires a critical review of the current curriculum used in schools to include some global content addressing the world and multi-cultural issues. This is known as the internationalization of the curriculum which is meant to prepare all students to become better global citizens (Knight, 2003).
An international curriculum has some major features which ensure that;
It provides an inclusive environment suitable for learning within the approved education context.
Diversity and international understanding is promoted in all the major school programs.
All the teaching and learning processes are conducted in ways which are culturally sensitive.
International examples are integrated in all the suitable learning activities.
Educative multicultural cohorts are used to assist in both formal and informal learning processes and that heterogeneous groups of people are encouraged to work together to promote unity.
Communication amongst various communities in the school who come from different cultural backgrounds is encouraged at a personal level as well as academically.
The main strategies of an international curriculum in public schools for both local and international students involves the inclusion of international contents in form of examples or case studies in the curriculum, broadening the traditional understanding through inter-cultural approaches and methods of teaching and inclusion of materials derived from intergovernmental organizations such as UN as well as international researches in order to improve the student’s knowledge on international matters.
In addition, the curriculum should highly discourage the use of any language which is racially or ethnically biased. The use of stereotypes associated with different cultures should also be discouraged in schools and this issue needs to be clearly addressed by the international curriculum.
Internationalization of the curriculum involves the review of a school’s coursework, classroom practices as well as the extracurricular activities which are carried out within the school environment (Knight, 1997). An internationalized curriculum encourages respect for other nations and their cultures and this requires all the teachers and the students in schools to avoid the use of monolithic terms when describing other nations. In addition, an international curriculum addresses global concerns such as globalization and ethical issues related to such concerns. This includes the study of issues affecting the whole world such as social justices, equalities, issues related to human rights, global economic and environmental issues among others.
Key concepts of an international curriculum.
The key concepts of a curriculum which seeks to introduce a global dimension in public schools include citizenship, sustainable development, social justice, diversity, interdependence, values and perception, conflict resolution and knowledge of human rights (Gardner, 2003).
Citizenship;- This includes passing the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to the students in order to enable them to become responsible global citizens. It involves teaching the students about democracy in the political and social institutions as well as encouraging them to exercise their democratic rights when dealing with global issues.
Sustainable development;- This involves understanding the importance of utilizing the available resources to fulfill the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs. An international curriculum addresses this by teaching the students how to make significant contribution to the future growth and development of the global economy.
Social justice;- This involves understanding the role of social justice in sustainable development and improving the welfare of communities all over the world.
Diversity;- This involves teaching the students how their individual cultural backgrounds differ from those of other people and helping them to appreciate and respect such differences both within and without the school environment.
Values and perception;- A critical evaluation of the developing world helps the students to appreciate the effects of such developments on people’s values, behaviors and attitudes when dealing with certain situations. It also enables the students to appreciate the different cultures, national and religious backgrounds which are prevalent in the international community.
Conflict resolution;- This involves teaching the students the types of conflicts which are likely to occur between different communities and nationalities, the causes of such conflicts and how they can be solved effectively to promote peace, unity and harmony amongst nations.
Human rights;- A clear understanding of the basic human rights is also important for the students as well as a proper explanation of the importance of respecting such rights and the entire human race.
Interdependence;- This involves a proper understanding of how individuals and nations are interdependent on one another and this helps the students to appreciate the fact that no man is an island. For this reason, the students tend to respect other people regardless on their cultural backgrounds since they understand the repercussions of not doing so. It also helps the students to view themselves as part of larger global community in which they are all expected to be responsible citizens.
Importance of an international curriculum.
The rationale for introduction of an international curriculum in public schools is funded on the notion that acquisition of knowledge of global issues and a clear understanding of cultural diversity across nations constitutes an integral part of the whole learning process or education in general (Bruner, 2002). In this case, an international curriculum plays a vital role in promoting global citizenship and giving the students the necessary knowledge which they need to face the multicultural international working environment which they are likely to face ones they are out of school.
International curriculum for international education in public schools translates into several advantages for the students. First of all, the demand for students who have a substantial understanding on matters concerning international issues is quite high at the work place since such students are believed to be knowledgeable and inter-culturally competent (Bossone, 2005). In addition, international curriculum helps the students to become inquirers, thinkers, risk takers and communicators who are principled, reflective, healthy, knowledgeable and open minded.
One of the major objectives of an international curriculum is to develop the student’s ability and help them to become responsible leaders and citizens. For this reason, the students are put on various programs which teach them how to read, speak, listen and write properly as this is the only way they can express their views concerning the various local and global issues. The curriculum also teaches the students on how to think critically when faced by certain global issues such as global warming, poverty and so forth.
The benefits of an international curriculum are quite substantial though less tangible. Through international education, students are taught how to be responsible citizens who are aware of the political, economical, social and environmental issues affecting them personally as well as at a national and international level. This way, the students are made aware of peace, justice and unity ideals and how such ideals can be effectively implemented in order to promote international harmony and cooperation.
The use of a comprehensive and well balanced international curriculum which is coupled with relevant assessments for the students is bound to assist public schools in developing the talents possessed by the young people and it also helps the students to apply the knowledge learnt in class to real life situations in the outside world.
Developing reading, writing and critical thinking skills.
The international curriculum is aimed at assisting students who are non-native speakers to polish their reading skills in English, encourages healthy programs which involve both the local students to international students to learn together and improve on their reading skills and vocabularies. Students are taught how to read languages and demonstrate their understanding in multicultural diverse group discussions. In addition, the curriculum provides the necessary strategies which help to sharpen the student’s critical thinking skills and their ability to visualize inferences when dealing with certain global issues.
The assessments provided by the curriculum assist in determining the level of the student’s understanding on international education. The group discussions and outside classroom exercises help the students to exercise what they have learnt in class and how they can apply it in real life. Moreover, the school curriculum enables the students to improve their proficiency on both spoken and written English, develop their thinking skills and helps them to improve their social as well as academic life through reading. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the use of an international curriculum facilitates student exchange programs whereby students from a certain country travel to schools in another country to share knowledge and skills with other students. This helps students to learn and appreciate different cultures and it also helps them to develop the necessary social as well as intellectual skills to cope with different people and situations across the globe.
The curriculum encourages the students to become open-minded to different ideas, opinions, values and perceptions which they are likely to encounter in the international community. This way, the students become enriched with adequate knowledge and they are able to view life from a broader perspective (Earley, 2006).
Moreover, the international curriculum encourages the teaching of those global issues affecting other nations as well as those affecting the world as a whole. This includes the study of problems such as global warming, climate changes, poverty, famine and so forth. This motivates the students to think critically on how they can come up with lasting solutions to the problems or how they can help as responsible global citizens. The curriculum also at times requires the students to write essays on international issues and solutions and this serves as another way of improving the student’s mode of thinking as well as polishing their writing skills.
Apart from this, an international curriculum advocates for shared reading, story telling and other group discussions in order to promote unity among the students who come from different backgrounds. This helps the students to improve on their reading and listening skills as well as helping them to improve on their spoken English.
Conclusion.
Whether one considers the whole concept and importance of an international curriculum from a practical or a philosophical point of view, it is evident that an international curriculum is highly important and its implementation must start from primary schools in order for it to achieve significant results in the whole process of modeling responsible global citizens. This is because skills, attitudes and perceptions need to be developed and nurtured through many years of contact with the relevant knowledge and important ideas. The incorporation of a global dimension in the current school curriculum will help to enlighten the students on various global issues and this will help to promote peace and unity among nations all over the world. This will eventually transfer into significant economic,social and political benefits for the nations as harmony is upheld all over the globe.
References.
Bossone, R. (2005). Importance of Curriculum Internationalization. New York: City University of New York.
Bruner, J. (2002). The process of Education. New York: Vintage Books.
Earley, P. (2006). Developing cultural intelligence at work. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Gardner, H. (2003). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2006). Reading, thinking and writing. Denver, CO: NAEP.
Knight, J. (1997). A shared vision? Stakeholders’ perspectives on the internationalization of higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 1(1), 27-44.
Knight, J. (2003). Updated internationalization definition. New York: Harper and Row.
Stanford, G. (2004). Human interaction in Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
UNESCO. International Education. Retrieved on 3 October, 2008, from <<http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001385/138578e.pdf.>>
