How can educators encourage creative learning in an ever changing world that challenges individuals to navigate great distances that may be cultural, social, geographic, and psychological? As classrooms today are becoming more multiethnic and multicultural, the roles and responsibilities of teachers have also become more multi-layered, interdisciplinary, and complex. Knowledge of other cultures, traditions, languages, and customs that mirror the diversity of the world can better equip both teachers and students with the skills needed to navigate these micro and macro changes. But what transformative changes across educational levels are needed? What systemic and institutional barriers erode a truly inclusive and transformative learning context where all can participate? The teacher’s ability to help link “local and global” issues is particularly important. A knowledge of history, place, and culture helps to cultivate a sense of purpose and meaning in life (Dei, 2002). Too often, the psychological, emotional, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of learning are undervalued in traditional educational contexts. In the process of their education, individuals can lose vital connections between themselves, their community, and their cultural heritage. Transcultural learning and Global Citizenship Education (Gce) building up awareness, empathy, and personal and social agency. The skills that individuals need in today’s rapidly changing world transcend traditional curricula and assessment protocol.
A “world curriculum” would integrate themes and topics across the disciplines; it would take into account a need for learners to understand world philosophies, religion, cultural studies, arts based education, world issues, literature, and new literacies. Emotional literacies such as empathy, resilience, motivation, and transcultural communication can be integrated in powerful way when rigid boundaries between the disciplines are broken. By adding an international dimension to subjects and by encouraging students to extend their knowledge and skill sets to other cultures, communities, and ways of being, we will be in a better position to work toward finding solutions to some of the greatest challenges our world faces today. This key note speech will draw upon theoretical frameworks from transformative learning, creativity, cultural studies, reading resilience, new literacies, post-colonial research, and global citizenship education. Parallels between theories of creativity and transformative learning theory will be reconfigured from the lens of transcultural literacies and global citizenship education. Ideas for developing a “world curriculum” will be highlighted. A monograph and an annotated bibliography for building a transcultural curriculum will be provided to all ICIE conference participants.
Note: The day and time of the speech are subject to change.
Where
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Studies, University of Bucharest