CULTURAL EDUCATION
Redefining cultural education: taking teaching beyond the classroom
unrecognised, importance. They teach and equip pupils with many valuable skills including creativity, problem solving, teamwork, self- confidence, self-esteem and the ability to fully consider and analyse situations. Such skills will be even more significant as AI becomes a part of everyday life. We should embrace and mustn’t fear advances
C
ultural education is often considered as part of a broad and balanced curriculum,
with emphasis placed on providing pupils with a variety of cultural experiences. In a fast-paced, ever changing world where technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are reshaping how we live and work, Andy Puttock, Group Education Director at the world’s leading premium international schools organisation, Nord Anglia Education, says cultural education is now more important than ever and must evolve beyond classroom-based studies.
More than cultural experiences When people talk about cultural education, the emphasis almost immediately shifts to learning about different cultures. This is, undoubtedly, a key part of it, but it can mean that another important element, the arts, is overlooked. In its 2013 summary of cultural education
opportunities, the UK government recognises the arts as the highest form of human achievement. Through the arts, we not only make sense of ourselves, we also better understand the world in which we live. Teaching and studying the arts allow us to appreciate and understand our common humanity and communicate across boundaries. The arts already facilitate and encourage an international language that doesn’t rely on verbal communication. It is internationalism and cultural education in its purest sense. Looking beyond this, it is the expressive nature of the arts that’s of growing, and sometimes
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www.education-today.co.uk December 2018
in technology and AI. Conversations about robots replacing teachers or making learning redundant as there will be no jobs left for humans are massively short-sighted. Workplaces and classrooms will become increasingly hybrid and the most successful pupils will find themselves in the future working in partnership with AI. It is at this point where tomorrow’s generation will draw on skills like creativity, problem solving and teamwork to complement data-driven machine intelligence. It’s important to note that robots will not be able to effectively teach skills that rely on emotional intelligence and are fundamentally subjective.
Beyond the classroom and extracurricular These skills are significantly enriched by cultural education that provides pupils with the opportunity to learn about different cultures and
beliefs. Experiencing cultures and understanding about other ways of life is absolutely essential to building empathy. It provides young minds with new perspectives, which benefits creativity, problem solving and teamwork. To achieve this though, requires proper cultural
immersion. Yes, it’s good to teach from texts in the classroom and invite in experts to speak with classes, but pupils need first-hand experience and real-life expertise. It is one of the reasons why Nord Anglia Education has a partnership with UNICEF. It’s a collaboration that enables our pupils around the world to step out of the classroom and into different communities. They’re provided with insights and practical experiences of cultures from a diverse mix of the people that live and breathe these different ways of life, every day. The pupils can see the varying challenges
facing other cultures, appreciate cross-cultural nuances and better understand how interpersonal communications may differ in another society. This helps create much more internationally- minded pupils, enhancing the prospect of tomorrow’s leaders, influencers and policy makers being increasingly considered, diplomatic and sustainable in their thinking.
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