IBO Conference in Yokohama March 2017 Inspiring Communities… … with a green tea frappuccino Ed Wickins, Executive Principal of ESF Kowloon Learning Campus, HK James Smith, Head of Secondary ESF Discovery College, HK

A Big Mac and a Coke (Cambridge and Thompson 2001)

Globalisation Often associated with economic integration and the global market place.   Dimmock and Walker (2005) see globalisation as ‘the tendency for similar policies and practices to spread across political, cultural and geographical boundaries.’  A process of values-free homogenisation as the world is increasingly dominated by transnational and transcontinental brands, products and ideas.   

Internationalism (same as international mindedness ?) Emerged from ideas about the world ‘as we would want it to be’ (Cambridge & Thompson, 2001, p.9):  there is an idealistic edge to it.   With the word ‘nation’ as central, internationalism is rooted in relations between countries and the desire to reinforce peace.   If globalization implies sameness, internationalism is much more about learning from difference and diversity. Internationalist organisations have outward-looking perspectives (UWC, UN)  

Globalist or internationalist ? Provocation 1 Globalist or internationalist ?

Doesn’t have to be a binary: From global to glocal

Glocalisation Derived from Japanese ‘dochakuka’, often summarised in marketing circles as ‘think globally, act locally’.   In terms of business management: ‘the tailoring and advertising of goods and services on a global or near- global basis to increasingly differentiated local and particular markets.’ (Robertson, 1992, p. 28).   Green Tea Frappuccino (Starbucks) and Shogun Burger (McDonalds) are glocalising attempts by global brands to appeal to local markets.  

So what ? ‘International’ Schools ?

International schools have changed The recent rapid growth of international schools in Asia is not due to an expansion of schools committed to an ideological viewpoint and to serving the needs of ‘global nomads’.   The demand for international schools places now comes predominantly from non-globally mobile families who perceive comparative advantage in an international education.  These local families consider that an international school education is superior to a local one.     To meet the needs of families who want the benefits of a globally recognised brand, international schools must take seriously their responsibility to educate for the local context.   Being internationalist in outlook and localist in emphasis are compatible and interdependent.   

International mindedness is essential for IB schools but inadequate. Shouldn’t we all be trying to build on our globalised standard and create something local and distinctive ? (internationalisation’s diversity rather than globalisation’s homogeneity) “Wouldn’t it be disappointing if all TOK essays, the world over, were the same !” (Eric Jabal)

International and Local dimensions Curriculum The taught curriculum includes significant reference to international and global concepts The taught curriculum includes significant reference to the local context The wider curriculum actively values engagement with other cultures and nationalities The wider curriculum actively values engagement with local communities An international language is used as the medium of instruction The dominant local language is formally taught in the school Students are encouraged to celebrate other cultures within the school within a framework of improving intercultural literacy Students are encouraged to celebrate their own culture within the school

Provocation 2 Reflect on the international and local dimensions of your school. Visit http://tinyurl.com/glocalschools Complete the international / local dimension form. Confidential, so be honest ! What patterns have emerged ? Why ? What actions should we take ?

Some new thoughts from the conference Does your school pay ‘local hire’ teachers less than ‘expatriots’ ? What messages does this send ? How should international schools in Hong Kong teach about the democracy (‘localist’) movement ? Are the pedagogical practices associated with the delivery of the IB programmes global / universal / held in common, or culturally-located? Are there / should there be different ‘IB’ pedagogies depending on where you are in the world?

Challenges about the local dimension How can we formally value an international school’s commitment to their local community through vision and mission statements ? How can we develop more local role models in school hierarchies ? How can we find space in the curriculum for local students to continue to develop their competence in their own language ? How can we use the flexibility offered by many international curriculum frameworks to foreground local case studies, issues and themes to deepen international understanding through contextual study ? How can we go beyond tokenistic links with local community organisations to develop sustained relationships that develop the contextual understanding of our students ?

https://edwickins.me/the-local-dimension/