8th Fire ... from Canada to Haiti and back again

Much of my work and focus has been with Haiti but I'm regularly reminded of local issues which share so many similarities to the global (remember glocal perspective building?!). These can include issues of socio-economic disparity, community-building, power(lessness), innovation, discrimination, etc. Although all of these themes intersect with many different communities in Canada, I'm particularly atuned to their intersection with First Nations peoples.

One of our goals at the faculty of education has been to increase our own awareness of aboriginal ways of knowing. I have participated in multiple meetings and presentations that have involved the WLU Office of Aboriginal Initiatives. Last week, we hosted and watched the documentary: Canada: Apartheid Nation - see the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFSj7QZb6qM

These have been tremendously helpful in situating my own teaching. A recent CBC series (8th Fire) is another good place for resources:

http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire//2011/11/its-time.html

How can we be effective in educational leadership training in Haiti?

This question has been at the forefront of my mind since I've been working in Haiti. I've tried to be responsive to localized needs and provide support for what principals have identified as areas of need. I've also supplemented this with ideas and skills which are based in research from the "west" but which I've contextualized for my colleagues in Haiti. This, of course, comes with making some mistakes along the way. One of my first times in Haiti, a principal took me to task for my "hard-line" approach to corruption. As we engaged in dialogue, I had a better sense of the struggles which he dealt with on a daily basis. A good article looking at how mistakes can lead to improvement, can be found in today's Globe and Mail:

Globe and Mail "Wiith Foreign Aid..."

As the educational research base develops in Haiti, a comparative and international perspective will help us refine each others practice and knowledge base.

Global wall planner (complements of The Guardian, UK)

Check out this great resource which provides different international days/weeks of significance. This would be a great resource for the glocal classroom!

Global Wall Planner

Peru and Canada: Making Glocal Connections

One of our Laurier teacher candidates lived in Peru and developed a knowledge of a group of kids who made and sold cards as a way to support their families and their schooling. We purchased 200 of these hand-made Christmas cards a few weeks ago, had them shipped to Canada, and have sold just about all of them. We'll be sending approximately $800 back to their co-op in the next few days!

It's neat to see the glocal connections made here: a student in a Canadian university, previously living in Peru, utilizing digital technologies to re-connect with a group of young people in Peru who provide Canadian students with an opportunity to support their future education. Even further, the cards that were made in Peru meet local Canadian "demand" (Christmas cards) and serve a niche market since they are hand-made. This seems like a solid, sustainable relationship which builds economic and educational capacity. in very authentic glocal way!

School Culture and Change: Comparative Perspectives

This winter I am teaching a Master of Education course on school culture and change. As I've developed the syllabus, I've tried to incorporate two perspectives which might not normally be seen in such a course in other universities. First, I've built in a focus on 21st century learning - one that focuses on shared building of ideas and new technologies. Second, I've incorporated perspectives from different contexts, including international (e.g. articles from different countries) and local (superintendent and principal guest speakers from local school boards). This comparative perspective will be interesting as we consider what school culture (or climate) looks like and feels like in different contexts. I am also hoping to examine whether there are common elements to healthy school culture which go beyond national boundaries.

Christmas Cards for Peru: Glocal Community Building

This week our Laurier teacher candidates have the opportunity to sell handmade Christmas cards made by a cooperative of students from Peru. One of our Laurier students lived in Peru and developed a relationship with the group. She coordinated the opportunity to ship cards here and sell them. All of the funds that our students raise will go back to support the work of the cooperative in Peru.

It's been great to see the ways in which our Laurier students have actively looked for ways to make a difference in glocal communities. It takes extra effort, no doubt, but developing an active glocal perspective comes from consistently striving to make a difference in these types of ways.

Book on Educational Leadership in Comparative Contexts

I've been asked to co-edit a book (and write a chapter) on educational leadership in comparative contexts. The chapter I contribute will be on the Haitian context. It's startling when you compare how much literature we have in North America on educational leadership yet very little has been written in the Haitian context. I will draw on the work I have been doing in Haiti and on the action research (localized) that the principals have been doing with me there. The book will look at educational leadership in a variety of international/comparative contexts.

The glocal connections in such a book are remarkable. After all, educational leadership in/across different contexts shares much in common with our local experiences (e.g. operational and technical experiences, leadership expectations, teaching and learning, etc) although sometimes the level of sophistication and support are very different.