INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION


Teacher Lori Fritz from Southbank International


School discusses the importance of instilling in students an awareness of global issues and some ideas for achieving this


T


HE WORLD is more and more interconnected and there is a growing consensus that it is important for young people to have an awareness of issues facing us on a global scale. This is the aim of global citizenship education which tries to develop an


appreciation and understanding of international issues, cultures and societies. As well as providing a well rounded and holistic


education, global citizenship can also help to improve community cohesion by encouraging young people to consider things from someone else’s perspective. Global citizenship can be a vital part of all young


people’s education and will help to prepare them for adult life in an increasingly international world. However, it can be difficult for schools to find time to address these issues in a way that is not superficial. Working in an international school, my colleagues


and I can study global citizenship simply through our diverse student and teacher population. We have students from more than 60 different nationalities. What better way to learn about the problems and perspectives of different parts of the globe than to work with people from every part of it? While we may have an advantage when it comes


to teaching global issues, the idea of global citizenship is important for all students to think about. Modern communications technology means that we are just a click away from the rest of the world so students


Union address: ATL Ask the right questions


During the ‘annual qualification carping fest’, the


right questions never get asked – or answered – says Dr Mary Bousted


THIS YEAR, like last year and the year before that, ad infinitum, press coverage of GCSE and A level results was highly contradictory. While pupils and teachers were congratulated for achieving top grades and raising pass rates, including outstripping predictions for the percentage obtaining the new A* at A level, the same articles damned both groups with faint praise, questioned exam standards, comparability with previous qualifications, and grade inflation. This constant carping is tedious and unfair.


Teachers are limited in how far they can determine which exams their pupils take, and pupils have no choice at all once they have decided on their subject options. In any rational world, teachers would not be criticised for preparing their pupils well for exams, and pupils would not be slighted for working hard to get good grades. And crucially, in this annual qualification carping


fest, the most important questions are too rarely asked or answered. There is little exploration of the fundamental


question of whether the exams taken by young people are fit for purpose. By this I mean how far they prepare young people for work, further academic study and in their capacity as young adults taking part in civil society and leading mature personal lives. It is no good asking employers – who, at this


time of year, become very vocal about the supposed inadequacies of the state education system – what they think school leavers should be able to do and what they should know. Beyond saying that standards are woefully low, a


claim they continually fail to substantiate, they have little to add. Perpetually dissatisfied and negative, employers have lost any authority to speak with any integrity about the relevance of today’s exams. Teachers are much better placed to consider the


effectiveness, or otherwise, of the qualifications for which they enter their pupils. We have researched this issue, looking at the evidence and asking member opinions and views. We have concluded that the current exam system


does not get the best out of young people, fails to engage and develop the professionalism of teachers, and leaves the nation short-changed in the acquisition of skills. But the fundamental question is not about exam standards, it is a question of what is, and is not, assessed and the ways in which the time given to test preparation affects what is taught and learned in schools. We are concerned that pupils in England take


too many exams and that the time devoted to test preparation leaves little or no space for the development, through the school curriculum and its assessment, of the fundamental skills which underpin real learning. Currently too few students gain many of the skills


needed for the world of work and for successful future lives, such as physical skills of co-ordination, control and movement; creativity; communication; information management; learning and thinking skills; and interpersonal skills. Even a cursory glance at this list will reveal an


important truth. All these essential skills need a much wider and more varied assessment than can be provided by exams. This is a lesson which has been learned by other economically developed nations which test much less often and much less intensively than we do in England. InMake Assessment Measure Up, our joint paper


on assessment carried out with the National Union of Teachers, we put forward an evidenced case for a different way of doing things and argued for a much greater role for teacher assessment in our education system. This paper focuses on real issues and not the phoney debate played out every August in the papers.


• Dr Mary Bousted is general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. Visit www.atl.org.uk


Global issues


Real-life debate: Students have their say during this year’s Southbank World Summit


no longer need to leave the country or meet people from overseas face-to-face or to develop a better understanding of life in other nations and cultures. Many schools are making links between students of


different countries, and the internet means that it is now easier than ever to make connections. This could be on an informal and occasional basis, or through a formal partnership scheme in which schools are linked with partner schools in other countries. There are also formal programmes bringing students


together like the Model United Nations (MUN) which we take part in each year. We also participate in the Global Issues Network, which is a forum for international school students to meet, debate and plan action on global issues, such as climate change, international labour laws, and the fight against child poverty. As well as getting involved in formal programmes, schools can also develop their own projects to address


global citizenship in the curriculum. For many years now we have been running a Southbank World Summit with our pupils – initially with students in years 9 to 11, but this year we ran the summit with our younger students in years 7 and 8. The summit is a formal debate around a topic of


global importance. In previous years, students have debated carbon capture technology and biofuels, urbanisation, and the problems of displaced peoples. This year we considered problems related to water.


Each student was assigned a country whose views they would go on to represent at the debate. The students were then given the task of researching the water issues in their country, then working together in a group to write a proposal or resolution for action to make things better. The resolutions put together by the student groups


were then debated in a special event held at the International Student House in London. The summit


was opened with a speech and presentation by Nicola Gibb, a spokesperson from WaterAid who has worked as a hydrogeologist in many countries. An activity like this supports the ideas of global


citizenship by engaging the students in a real-world problem-solving activity. Getting them to think from the perspective of the country that they are representing gives them an opportunity to try and understand the issues facing that country and how those issues relate to the rest of the world. For example, telling a student that they represent


Uganda and asking them to think of a proposal that will help solve a particular water-related problem in the country is more effective than simply telling a class about the lack of clean drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa. The active problem-solving approach in a summit


deepens the learning experience and also ensures that young people do not feel overwhelmed by the immensity of global issues that at their age they have limited power to influence. Our hope from this project is that not only will the


students develop an appreciation of the complexity of global issues, but also that they will gain concrete experience of trying to create consensus on ways forward to solve problems. Global citizenship can tie together various elements


in a school’s curriculum. A project like the Southbank World Summit can demonstrate to students how their subject learning in any national or international curriculum is applied in the real world. For example, the water summit made use of students’ knowledge of physical and human geography, politics, sociology, science and mathematics. This project also covers vital life-skills such as


research, communication, problem-solving and teamwork, and encourages students to become independent learners. Having initially run the summit with older students


in the school we were unsure of how the younger students would take to it. But we were impressed by their grasp of the issues and the maturity of their viewpoints as well as their confidence in public speaking. As adults we can sometimes underestimate young


people and so seeing how students engage in activities about real-world problems can be really inspiring for the teachers as well as the students involved.


SecEd


• Lori Fritz is the middle years programme co-ordinator and deputy principal (academic) at Southbank International School in London.


FOR BETTER CHILD HEALTH SCHOOL NURSES MORE


A properly resourced school nursing service is required to help schools meet the government’s health and wellbeing objectives.


Research published in the British Journal of School Nursing (BJSN) shows that more school nurses are needed to meet these objectives and ensure school children receive the health care and support they deserve. Therefore


the BJSN has launched a campaign to increase the number of school nurses.


For more information on the campaign visit


http://moreschoolnurses.co.uk Support the campaign or send us your views at:


bjsn@markallengroup.com 12


SCHOOL NURSES FOR BETTER CHILD HEALTH


MORE


SecEd • September 16 2010


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