Last week, I gave two presentations at a conference which brought together 7,000 scholars from across Canada and around the world. The focus of my first presentation was on the significant difference between how universities and high schools conceptualize "internationalization" and what it looks like in practice; often our goals are lofty but our practices are market driven. The second presentation was based on research I did on how a professional development course on global education can impact classroom practice. I received good feed-back on the presentation and will be turning it into a paper to submit for publication this summer.
I was amazed at how many different times people talked about connecting the global and the local. I started counting references to this concept over the four days of the conference and stopped counting once I reached 20. It's evident that people are thinking along these lines - making the connection between what happens "there" with what happens "here" (t/here), understanding that traveling to other countries does not necessarily make you a global citizen (and that some can be global citizens while never leaving their local community), and recognizing that within local communities are injustices which mirror those which take place in more distant contexts. One of the draw-backs of a conference is that there is lots of talk. We need to continually be reminded that a changed mind/heart needs to be "operationalized" by a changed lifestyle.
About Me
- Steve Sider
- I have been an elementary and secondary school teacher and administrator. Currently, I am a faculty member in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. My M.Ed. and Ph.D. had a focus on the educational and linguistic experiences of children who moved from other countries to Canada.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
UNICEF and Free the Children
I've just finished some conversations with UNICEF Canada about working together to deliver workshops to our teacher candidates at Laurier regarding global citizenship. I'm meeting with Free the Children (founded by Craig Kielburger) next week to talk about how we might work together as well. One of the exciting things about global/glocal education is the willingness of people and groups to work together.
More on how we might work with UNICEF and Free the Children in future blogs!
More on how we might work with UNICEF and Free the Children in future blogs!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Haiti School Rebuilding Video
Emily put this video together from some of the video footage she captured while in Haiti. It includes snapshots of a school which was rebuilt through funds raised in Canadian schools and video footage from some of the schools we visited while there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJJLqLWLdkg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJJLqLWLdkg
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Some more Haiti pics - Carrefour Tin Tin
Emily at Carrefour Tin Tin:
The road to Carrefour Tin Tin:
Teacher at Carrefour Tin Tin:
Final Thoughts on the May Haiti Trip
There were a number of key outcomes of the trip:
1. Five M.Ed. students completed their project presentations and now have final editorial changes to make before completing their Masters of Education. Key message: there is a new generation of school leaders in Haiti which is desiring to build strong schools.
2. The opportunity to see a number of schools and communities, some of which have been re-built following the earthquake. Key message: people's donations to earthquake relief ARE making a difference, particularly amongst the smaller NGOs.
3. Discussions around the new digital mentoring project were met with great enthusiasm and interest. Key message: we have the opportunity to equip and engage school leaders in Haiti and Canada in a way not done before.
Next Steps May-October:
1. Complete the supervision of those who are doing M.Ed. degrees.
2. Continue the digital mentoring pilot project.
3. Return to Haiti in mid-October for meetings with Cap Haitien University, the Ministry of Education, and the Haitian Institute for Studies in Education as well as delivering a M.Ed. course.
4. Prepare for a major grant proposal around digital mentoring and capacity building in Haiti.
1. Five M.Ed. students completed their project presentations and now have final editorial changes to make before completing their Masters of Education. Key message: there is a new generation of school leaders in Haiti which is desiring to build strong schools.
2. The opportunity to see a number of schools and communities, some of which have been re-built following the earthquake. Key message: people's donations to earthquake relief ARE making a difference, particularly amongst the smaller NGOs.
3. Discussions around the new digital mentoring project were met with great enthusiasm and interest. Key message: we have the opportunity to equip and engage school leaders in Haiti and Canada in a way not done before.
1. Complete the supervision of those who are doing M.Ed. degrees.
2. Continue the digital mentoring pilot project.
3. Return to Haiti in mid-October for meetings with Cap Haitien University, the Ministry of Education, and the Haitian Institute for Studies in Education as well as delivering a M.Ed. course.
4. Prepare for a major grant proposal around digital mentoring and capacity building in Haiti.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Madame Dudu & Chef Jean-Claude
Emily:
Today we started off the day with yummy Haitian cinnamon buns and Haitian coffee (which I've really come to enjoy!) for breakfast and a surprisingly warm shower for me. Dad supervised the first of five Masters' presentations while I stayed back and read/attempted some more homework.
Dad took a break between presentations this morning and we visited the day care located right outside Baptist Haiti Mission, where we were quite literally swarmed by more than fifty preschool aged Haitian children, who all wanted their picture taken and to hold our hands. Dad returned to his presentations after a very difficult escape from the sea of children.
We ate a lunch of rice and beans cooked by Madame Dudu, the cook at the mission. She prepares amazing meals over a wheel drum (a stove made from a tire rim). Today's added bonus was that we each got a hot dog with our rice and beans!
Dad spend the rest of the afternoon supervising the rest of the Master of Education presentations - each one was an hour so it kept him busy. The day was concluded with every principal giving a ten minute summary of their Masters presentations for everyone to watch (about 60 or 70 people). After officially finishing their presentations, everyone celebrated with h'orderves prepared by Chef Jean-Claude. It was an incredible spread he prepared. As he confessed later, he had to travel "far and wide" in the Port au Prince area to find all the special ingredients he needed. We got an autographed copy of his cookbook so we're pretty excited about trying some of his recipes. All-in-all, it was a very exciting end to an incredible week.
Today we started off the day with yummy Haitian cinnamon buns and Haitian coffee (which I've really come to enjoy!) for breakfast and a surprisingly warm shower for me. Dad supervised the first of five Masters' presentations while I stayed back and read/attempted some more homework.
Dad took a break between presentations this morning and we visited the day care located right outside Baptist Haiti Mission, where we were quite literally swarmed by more than fifty preschool aged Haitian children, who all wanted their picture taken and to hold our hands. Dad returned to his presentations after a very difficult escape from the sea of children.
We ate a lunch of rice and beans cooked by Madame Dudu, the cook at the mission. She prepares amazing meals over a wheel drum (a stove made from a tire rim). Today's added bonus was that we each got a hot dog with our rice and beans!
Dad spend the rest of the afternoon supervising the rest of the Master of Education presentations - each one was an hour so it kept him busy. The day was concluded with every principal giving a ten minute summary of their Masters presentations for everyone to watch (about 60 or 70 people). After officially finishing their presentations, everyone celebrated with h'orderves prepared by Chef Jean-Claude. It was an incredible spread he prepared. As he confessed later, he had to travel "far and wide" in the Port au Prince area to find all the special ingredients he needed. We got an autographed copy of his cookbook so we're pretty excited about trying some of his recipes. All-in-all, it was a very exciting end to an incredible week.
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