Half Time Analysis July 2015: What Have I learnt And How Are We Doing So Far?

It’s hard to believe I am already half way through my temporary contract with CDEC – Developing Global Learning in Chester; yet the days of class teaching and micro-managing in a school seem a distant memory. I feel that I have learned a lot over the past 3 months and for your benefit and mine I thought I’d summarise this learning here:

1. Global learning is real learning about real people in real places, real problems and real solutions and on our doorstep as well as far, far away. It is current and relevant to us all, and especially to young people who will be the global citizens of tomorrow and can be (and are) the campaigners and activists for change today.
We have seen hundreds of local schoolchildren give mini cardboard models of world leaders to their local MPs explaining what they would do if they were in charge. These were then handed in to Downing Street in their thousands (Send My Friend campaign) with a view to influencing the resetting of the Millennium Development Goals from 2000-2015 in the summer by the world leaders. These will become the new Sustainable Development Goals for 2015-2030.
We have seen migrants attempting to enter Europe and the UK by the most dangerous means: an ideal opportunity to critically examine migration, poverty, war, injustice, human rights and culture. Our Global Teachers Award course helps teachers to understand these issues and how to approach them and open them up in school.
We have seen extremists attacking tourists and schools have been instructed to do more to tackle the risks of extremism. Schools have also been told to use their Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development policy to promote the four ‘British’ values. Several of our courses and staff training this term have focussed on understanding values and analysing school values (and in some cases Church values) with the British values alongside, finding commonality and providing examples of good practice in promoting these with children.
We have seen a General Election where one party got 12% of the vote but only 2% of the seats, another dip by around 5% but lose tens of seats and another rise a little in terms of share of the vote and take the majority of the seats. Plus the SNP taking complete control of Scotland and reopening the debate for Home Rule. All these also provided real life contexts for staff and their children to open up learning about democracy and culture in the UK today.
We have seen children engaging with the world and enjoying sharing their learning. We have seen schools sharing their global outlook and participation in displays and classrooms. We have shared learning activities designed to develop global knowledge and values with many teachers.

2. Philosophy in schools has been all over the news this week as research is showing that it helps develop pupils’ skills in many areas including academic achievement –especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. We have encouraged teachers to support their children in developing critical and thinking skills through training and staff meetings and CPD in the SAPERE approach known as Philosophy for Children (P4C). Please refer to my earlier blog if you are interested in this fascinating area. I have been lucky enough to trial some sessions in two schools and am about to apply for my Level 1 Teachers Certificate. I think it is the most inclusive, fair and interesting way to open up discussion and debate about global issues and philosophical concepts. I need a school to let me take a club every week!

3. Charitable Organisations and businesses need funding! DFID bids and grants dried up on the election of the Coalition in 2010. Oxfam have scrapped their education department completely and UNICEF UK now charge for everything. CDEC is one of about 23 surviving Development Education Centres across the UK – over 40 have disappeared in the last 5 years or so. We rely mainly on schools buying our services, and to a lesser extent than previously, Local Authorities. To stay afloat, with a team of just three part time staff, we need a minimum income. This is the part I find hardest: selling our services. Yet the work is so important. We are sure there are pots of money here and there, and we only need a few £10K projects, but it is how to access them and the time to do so that is hard. We believe that you have to build relationships with people, build up their trust. Our services are high quality, and well regarded by those who engage with them. We have worked tirelessly over the last few months to continue to build relationships with schools and teachers and Heads. We are sure that we can find a way of not only surviving but also of reaching even more schools, Headteachers, teachers and ultimately children. Every single one reached is another global citizen in the making. And every global citizen takes us all a step closer to equality, fairness and justice across the world. For example, as Malala Yousafzai (see earlier blog) said on her 18th birthday this weekend: if the world’s governments stopped spending on arms and weapons for just 8 days, every child in the world would be educated for the next 15 years. No-one’s asking them to do that, she was just saying how little it would cost in global terms. And just going to school equates to not smoking: it adds at least 10 years to your life expectancy.

So here’s to the next 3 months. I’ve a chance to recharge my batteries and reflect on my new life out of the classroom over the summer and do some other work, and then it’s back to changing the world (well Wirral and Cheshire) in September. I am really enjoying my new role and don’t want it to end anytime soon!