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Visions for the future: towards a national strategy for the global dimension in ITET
7th - 9th May 2004
UMIST Conference Centre, Manchester |
The 2nd Annual Conference of the World Studies Trust Global Teacher Project: Visions for the Future: towards a national strategy for global dimension in ITET, was held in Manchester on 7th-9th May. |
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The conference opened with a keynote speech from Professor Simon Lee, Vice Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University. Professor Lee brought a senior management perspective to the debate about change in HEI's, and in particular the role of lecturers in bringing about change from the bottom up. He also contributed thoughts on teaching about ethical issues in the 21st century. |
| Cathie Holden of the University of Exeter presented results of a research project entitled: Educating children about the real world and real issues: trainee teachers' understanding and motivation to teach about global issues. The research provided a spring board for discussion on student experiences, attitudes and knowledge. |
 The workshops illustrated some of the ways in which lecturers arepromoting and incorporating global dimensions into their teaching and illustrated with examples of activities:
Critical thinking and the global dimension: Cathie Holden, University of Exeter
This workshop focused on how we can help pupils and trainees to develop an informed and critical approach to controversial global issues. A brief overview of both children’s and trainees’ knowledge of global issues was followed by two participatory activities.
Networking to Promote Global Perspectives: Yasmin Valli, Leeds Metropolitan University
This workshop illustrated the potential of using web based communication tools to share good practice, and promote global perspectives, using the website TeacherWorld. |
 Global Citizenship, Geography and Sustainable Development: Fran Martin, University College Worcester
This workshop described some development work taking place at University College Worcester where student centred approaches to curriculum development on the 3 year primary ITE course are being explored. Workshop participants were asked to do two collaborative activities that encourage students to think about (a) the concepts relating to global citizenship and (b) the key concepts for sustainable development within the context of the primary geography curriculum.
Global Citizenship and Teacher Education - The Indian Experience: Subbalakshmi Kumar, Centre for Development Education, Pune, India, and Jayashree Inbaraj, Kapila Khandvala College of Education, Mumbai, India The workshop sought to give an insight into the methodologies that have worked successfully to embed Global citizenship in teacher Education institutions in India.
Discussion groups on the Sunday focused on ways in which the global dimension could be promoted at institutional and policy level. Points raised included:
- Strengthening and developing partnerships between Initial Teacher Education courses and centres and projects providing global dimension resources such as development education centres and organisations such as Oxfam.
- Need for a clear statement of what we mean by global dimension as it relates to Initial Teacher Education and Training.
- Improved understanding of needs of ITET within organisations, leading to better resourcing and support for ITET.
- Audits of current practice
- Use of existing legislation to help promote the global dimension.
News of the 2005 conference of the World Studies Trust Global Teacher Project will be published here shortly.
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Out and about …….
Recent global dimension activity in Initial Teacher Education and Training
CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) provides resources for schools, teachers and ITE tutors. They have recently been working with Trinity and All Saints, Leeds, the Roehampton Institute, St Mary's in Twickenham, and Newman College, Birmingham.
Contact Frank Sudlow
CAFOD,
Romero Close,
London, SW9 9TY
020 7733 7900
The One World Centre in Northern Ireland have been developing their BigPic website and using the website in schools as part of their CPD training programme. The resource is also being promoted in ITE Courses throughout Northern Ireland. The OWC has also been working on an editorial group of the CCEA (N Ireland curriculum body) to write materials for citizenship studies.
Contact the One World Centre
One World Centre,
4 Lower Crescent, Belfast,
BT7 1NR
Tel / Fax: (028) 90241879
owc@belfastdec.org
DEED (Dorset Development Education Centre) have just begun work with SCITT schemes in Dorset, Poole and Bournemouth. They would be interested to hear from anyone else who is promoting the global dimension in ITET within SCITT schemes.
Contact Sarah Heyes
DEED
Dickinson Hall
C/o Parkstone United Reform Church
Commercial Road
Poole
BH14 0JW
01202 739422
deed@gn.apc.org
At Oxford Brookes University, tutors are continuing to develop the global dimension in the Professional Studies module, and are now focusing on more coherence across subject areas and courses. They have been working with RISC (Reading DEC) and LASER GD to develop this work.
Contact Geoff Anderson at Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Westminster Institute of Education
Harcourt Hill
Oxford
OX2 9AT
ganderson@brookes.ac.uk |
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