The document discusses developing capacities for global citizenship through education, including abilities like self-observation, understanding different perspectives, and balancing awareness of one's own and others' realities. It suggests cultivating habits of respecting feelings, pluralism, integrity, and wishing others well. Developing a sense of balance between dependence and interdependence is also key. The document argues for teaching approaches like comparative religions, communication skills, reflective listening, and theories of history to foster these capacities essential for humans as caretakers to ensure survival.
1. WHAT IF?Citizenship and Education in a World that is NOT Male Dominated Based upon: McIntosh, P. (2009). Gender perspectives on educating for global citizenship. In D. J. Flinders & S.J. Thornton (Eds.), The curriculum studies reader (3rd ed., pp. 399-424). New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
2. What if? Technology has allowed an interest and capacity for global interaction. McIntosh makes a good case that abilities for global citizenship need to be developed, and furthermore, that the American social and political reality are in some respects in direct opposition to the necessary capacity for global education.
3. What if? “teachers . . . bring wholeness of their emotions, capacities into classrooms, unafraid to develop plural capacities & the wide ranging awareness that caretakers absolutely depend on when they work for the decent survival of all.” (P. 398)
4. What if? We develop capacities of mind We develop habits of heart We develop habits of heart & soul
5. What if? We develop these capacities of mind: “Ability to observe oneself and the world around one Ability to make comparisons and contrasts Ability to ‘see’ plurality Ability to understand ‘reality’ and languages comes in different versions Ability to see power relationships and understand them systemically Ability to balance awareness of one’s own realities with the realities of others” (McIntosh, 2009, p. 385)
6. What if? We develop these habits of heart: “Ability to respect one’s own feelings and delve deeply into them Ability to become aware of others’ feelings Ability to recognize conflicting feelings without losing a sense of integrity Ability to experience affective worlds’ plurality while keeping a gyroscopic sense of one’s core identity Ability to wish competing parties well Ability to observe and understand how location affects power in the world Ability to balance being heartfelt with a felt knowledge of how culture is embedded in the hearts of ourselves and others” (McIntosh, 2009, p. 386)
7. What if? We develop these habits of body and soul: “a sense of balance between dependence and interdependence in the physical world are all elements in the development of a global citizen’s sense of inhabiting and using a body” acknowledgement of our mortality “respect for our own and other’s physical needs” acknowledgement that “a soul needs a certain sweetness” (McIntosh, 2009, p. 386)
8. What if? We teach a comparative curriculum – including comparative religions
9. What if? We teach semantics and other good communication skills
10. What if? We made use of a Serial Testimony technique (p. 392) - - similar to the Aboriginal sharing circle technique to teach reflexive listening
11. What if? We teach the theories of history: “pendulum-theories, spiral theories, progress theories and descent theories” (p. 390)
12. What if? We encourage student-led, empowering initiatives
13. What if? We implement coeducation policies (e.g. ensure both a boy and girl in leadership roles)
14. What if? We teach collectivism over individualism
16. What if? We resist standardized testing and develop real-life critical thinking and analytical minds
17. All of the above capacities necessary for global citizenship are consistent with the capacities that our society develops in women (generally speaking and as nurturing caregivers) whether biologically or socially based. (McIntosh, 2009, p. 386)
18. Developing these capacities is absolutely essential for humans as caretakers to ensure the “decent survival of all”. (McIntosh, 2009, p. 398)
19. References McIntosh, P. (2009). Gender perspectives on educating for global citizenship. In D. J. Flinders & S.J. Thornton (Eds.), The curriculum studies reader (3rd ed., pp. 399-424). New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
