Global Education: Implications for national curriculum. Associate Professor Ruth Reynolds School of Education, University of Newcastle, Australia

What is Global Education ? It is a very contested term. A key division in thinking about Global Education is between globally competitive education as opposed to education for living in a global world.

Two views of global education Globally competitive students How we educate students to be globally mobile, to compete with others on a global scale, to consider how education is a global imperative economically, culturally, ecologically and politically enabling nations and corporations to take advantage of these global opportunities (Apple, Kenway & Singh, 2009; Ball, 2012). Learning to live in a global world 21 st century students need to be interconnected and interdependent to address global issues that have arisen particularly as a result of global capitalism and globalization, such as human rights abuses and environmental sustainability (Abdullahi, 2011; Cogan & Grossman, 2009). It focuses on grappling with issues of learning to live together (Starkey, 2012).

Teaching Global Education Teaching and learning about involves the teaching of concepts – the provision of information and the teaching of appropriate technical and intellectual skills for a global world. For - involves the development of an interest in and concern for the concepts and ideas which engenders positive attitudes and values coupled with behavioural changes. To build global linkages. Dialoguing with others in a cooperative manner and sharing with other peoples or experiences is a strong pedagogy for global education. Collaborating, participating.

Quadrant 2: Shared Prosperity – Strengthening international/intercultural content of curriculum – Fundraising for worthy global causes – Scholarships for deserving international students – International development projects (designed and led by developed country teams) Quadrant 4: Global Community – International research collaboration and capacity building, among equal partners – Developing holistic and transformative global education curriculum – Sustainability initiatives that permanently reduce consumption and waste – Exploring creative and equitable solutions to global problems Quadrant 1: Sustained Elitism – Recruiting fee-paying international students – Provision of programmes/establishment of branch campuses abroad – Field trips/study tours to other countries – Developing skills for international business Quadrant 3: Targeted Internationalism – Study abroad opportunities for students – Connecting classrooms via technology – Exchange opportunities for faculty/staff – Foreign language teaching as part of the curriculum Four different types of activities to encourage global citizens (Pike, 2015)

Technology to assist global education Kusmawan (2015) emphasised the role of technology in developing global education in Indonesia, especially in its unique position of having a huge diversity of ethnic and religious groups as part of its national character. Technology influences both aspects of global education – it assists building national responses to curriculum to build a curriculum which enables its citizenship to be able to interact with the world businesses and political processes and it also assists in developing the “softer” skills of collaboration, intercultural competency, and allows dialoguing about values.

Global Education Research and Teaching focuses (University of Newcastle) Action approaches In citizenship education (Banks, 2001), education for the environment (Fien, Yencken & Sykes, 2002), peace education (United Nations [UN], 1998) and in inquiry pedagogies generally (Reynolds, 2014) there are examples of how important active participation, locally and in community, is in transforming society. Intercultural Competency Deardorff (2006) : “the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations” (p. 247), but at a school level, it is a capability that requires a large degree of student direction, student engagement and essentially student action to be truly intercultural competence.

Australian Curriculum and Global Education The Australian Curriculum which has been developed over the past 6 years and as an online curriculum document continues to develop and change incorporates knowledge, skills and understandings, general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities. It is thus seen as a three dimensional curriculum.

Disciplinary Knowledge Disciplinary knowledge is found in the eight learning areas: English, Mathematics, Sciences, Health and Physical Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts, Technologies and Languages. Capabilities There are also 7 general capabilities. These relate to the fundamental mandate of the Australian Curriculum to ensure that all children develop capacity in literacy, numeracy, information communication technology, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding and intercultural understanding.

The curriculum identifies 3 Cross Curriculum priorities that include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and Sustainability.

Knowledge skills and understandings in well established discipline areas with strong focus on teaching content and achievement standards.

Investigating with ICT An example of a capability

Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia Australia is increasingly looking to Asia strategically, politically and culturally as well as economically. Correspondingly, Asia literacy is going to be a key requirement of our young people, as Australia seeks to strengthen its ties in the Asia region and be an effective contributor to the wellbeing of the region as a whole.