21st Century Global Curriculum - Invitation to Reflection

Terry Heick begins his article with a brief analysis of how the 21st Century society in all its facets strives to go global, while education seems to “lag awkwardly behind”. In an effort to help take the classroom further out into the world, he suggests the following ideas for improvement and change in current teaching practices and mind-sets:

1. Adapt to the learners
2. Rethink the learning spaces
3. Leverage the role of play

While reading Heick’s case for each one of these ideas, I was reassured to realize that the philosophy behind them falls in nicely with my own teaching beliefs and values. I was very lucky to start and to develop my career within an International Baccalaureate setting, which promotes internationalism, open-mindedness, open inquiry and teaching for the future. It was a welcome confirmation that I am on the right path in my professional journey.

However, rethinking the learning spaces seemed a bit challenging, despite its apparent simplicity. Honestly, I must admit that it requires a stretch of my imagination to picture myself teaching efficiently with no classroom at all, or in a classroom where the only resource is a concrete floor. A lot to think about and maybe a lot to change…

Heick believes that a “global curriculum can't be created or implemented sitting in a room, no matter the miracle of technology”. I found this statement to be quite thought provoking. So much is said about the power of technology, that we can easily come to believe that technology is the answer to all of our questions. But maybe the answer still lies inside each one of us, in our ability to connect with each other, in our creativity, in our amazing minds, in our human insight…Inside us, wonderful creations, which we fail to decipher and decode, no matter how developed our technology may be. Oh, and isn’t that where all technology has its roots, anyway?