IS CULTURAL DIVERSITY BEING SACRIFICED ON THE ALTER OF INTERNATIONALISM?And if it is, what can we do about it?

WHATS THE PROBLEM?

Every country has the goal of educating it’s citizens

What about an education system that has no countries?

.the IB was seeking to design a genuinely international curriculum to meet all the various needs of those sixteen to eighteen year olds in international schools who were seeking entry to different forms of higher education all over the world

WHAT DID THE IB WANT TO ACHIEVE?

It was then believed that those needs and interests included the moral, aesthetic, and practical education of the whole person and this extended far beyond the purely intellectual and academic preparation sanctioned by university entrance examinations (1980)

the IBO designed an educational program based on a philosophy that combines knowledge, experience, and critical observation. This philosophy emphasizes education as a process (learning how to think), not just a product (a collection of knowledge). (2009)

SCOTTS VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOLS DISTRICT – CALIFORNIA - 2009 The IB philosophy is to foster tolerance and inter-

cultural understanding among young people through a specific method of teaching. This method of teaching, also known as a "curricular framework", incorporates critical thinking, problem solving, and exposure to a variety of viewpoints. The IB philosophy emphasizes:

Awareness of the similarities and differences among many cultures, understanding issues on an international scale, and responsible citizenship

The inter-relatedness of various disciplines and issues

A "Socratic" (question-and-answer) form of achieving knowledge in the classroom

Student-centered inquiry and communication

WHERE DOES CULTURE FIT IN THIS?

…schools do not view curriculum development as a ‘culture-bound’ process.

Is it the case that international education complements cultural heritage, i.e. that with-in all cultures there is an underlying schema of overall human values with an underlying commonality?

DECIDING WHAT IS APPROPRIATE

INTERNATIONALISM OR CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Is it internationalism globalist, with stereotyped cultural ‘fossils’ that are conveniently appropriated for that process, thus marginalizing true multicultural practices?

Or is it culturally diverse, constructed in the context of the artist?

CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE OR NOT?

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

“Expression in the Visual Arts is characterized by forms of visual representation, that reflect the cultures of different societies.” It goes on to say.. “Art, including artistic theories and practices, is a cultural manifestation.”

“For students to communicate visually, they must locate themselves with-in the cultural context, or contexts, from which to discover and develop appropriate techniques”.

Dip Visual Arts Guide 2002

CHANGES IN CULTURAL VIEWPOINTS?

…the course encourages an active exploration of visual arts within the students’ own and other cultural contexts. The study of visual arts and the journey within it encourages respect for cultural and aesthetic differences and promotes creative thinking and problem solving.”

- 2009 Diploma Visual arts Guide

CULTURAL IMPERIALISM OR CULTURAL PLURALISM

The consideration of cultural objects from other times and cultures removes them from their source. It assumes that objects have values that transcend the cultures that made them. What these might be is either not stated or serve as a ‘sieve’ to suit the dominant cultures ends. In this context they become ‘cultural fossils’ that marginalize their value

WHY DO WE CHOOSE WHAT WE DO?

These dominant traditions institutionally record what they think appropriate and omit, or deliberately forget, elements they don’t regard as important.

This attitude is used to fortify social, ethnic and national cohesion. For this reason certain memories and artifacts are deliberately chosen and promoted. Why else would a Sri Lankan student of the visual arts taught by a Sri Lankan teacher study Monet? Such an attitude tends to equate ‘positivist’ with ‘authoritarian’ and tends to be culturally specific. In the same vein, why value painting over other less specific art practices?

FINDING THE COMMON GROUND

Leveling the playing field

THE IB APPROACH TO PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

MEDIUM FOR THE MESSAGE

Hard copy and .pdf publications Area subject and Program workshops Website Forums On-line Curriculum Center OCC Conferences On-line training Accreditation visits Self Evaluations

ISSUES AND PROBLEMS

Cost of Travel for International Schools Consistency of advice and direction Complexity of the various guides Lack of Access for constructive criticism Lack of transparency in Assessment Uncontrolled variety of interpretation of

requirements Complexity of planning tools Uncertainty of boundaries between school

content and IBO context Danger of ‘textbooks’

LEARNING MANAGEMENT MODELS

LEARNING MANAGEMENT MODELS

AN LMS FOR CURRICULUM

CHANGING PEDAGOGY WITH AN LMS

LEARNING PROCESS MODEL

A NEW VIEW

THE IB MODEL – USING TECHNOLOGY

Maintaining our cultural identity How to create consistency using technology The role of data and databases Leveling the playing field for teachers without

strangling them Reducing the workload Involving the students as ‘true’ learner

participants Increasing the validity of assessments both in-

schools and in the framework Using technology to involve the WHOLE school

community Recognizing we live in the 21st Century