I had two International
Studies (IS) lessons with 2 different groups this week. IS1 is a group of first
year high school students and IS2 formed by second year high school students. I
had very different feelings after finishing the lessons: frustrated V.S.
excited.
The topic of IS1 is “music
and globalisation” and we started with looking at our own connections to the rest of the world based on the recent music we listened to. Not surprisingly:
nearly half of the group listen to songs created by Americans; everyone listens
to music with either phone or computer, which are made in China mainly; everyone
listens to music via Spotify or YouTube; 4 out of 23 students paid for Spotify Premium.
We hastily considered Spotify is a Swedish company during the lesson.
To make some
corrections here: Spotify shouldn’t be simply defined as a Swedish company. If check
Wikipedia, then we would be surprised by the complexity of its history and its
shareholders situation. Same complexity applies to “made in China” products. But
we didn’t look at it, nor thought of looking at it. At least, it didn’t come
into my mind during the lesson. I was too much occupied by frustration.
The frustration came
from the indifference I detected from some students. The indifference to the
questions and the results. I am always not sure about the topics and methods I
bring to the classroom, to which extent students are interested in it. Not only
because this is an optional course which is supposed to be fun and interesting,
but also, I come from such a different context that I couldn’t imagine in which
environments my students grew up. With this uncertainty, I am hypersensitive to
different opinions coming from students, which in return, affects implementation
of the lesson plans.
To summarize the poor execution:
I should have first imagined the possible results and then plan the next steps
for different results. If ask myself now: what do I really expect them to figure
out from this activity at that moment? The answer would be: “I was not sure.
Maybe to see how much they are connected to the world?” Obviously, they knew some
of it already and that’s why I noticed the “indifference” among some of them. But
how to find out what they don’t know? How much can I help in the searching of
unknown world? Am I able to do it? – I am full of skepticism at this moment.
That’s exactly why I personally enjoyed the lessons with IS2 so much. The topics are mostly relevant. One reason
is that we have gotten to know each other very well that there are some unspoken
rules to achieve agreed topics or projects without even noticing it. Let’s take
topics of this week’s IS2 lesson as an example.
William and I briefly
knew that we would need to plan some Ireland FUNdRAISING projects. One of IS2
students sent a link about Nose Day Trip Application in WhatsApp group and
encouraged IS2 as a group to apply for it: make a fantastic video so that three
students and one teacher might get a chance to travel to Uganda with YLE next Spring.
I indeed feel enormously happy whenever they propose anything to do as a whole group,
which they always do. Because I firmly believe, whatever project students
decide to do, they will do it well or at least enjoy doing it. [1]It
comes from the initiative ability. I see the safe environment for most students
to speak up their opinions as the cornerstone of Project-Based-Learning.
In fact, we didn’t
really plan anything for the Nose Day Trip Application since we first need to find
out the traveling dates, which might be in conflict with our Dublin trip. We
went to plan the Kids’ Evening (ipanailta). We had “project managers” taking
over the rest of the lesson so I was happily to be part of the planning and
find my own role and place in this project.
I got excited in the
end of the lesson because it's really fun! However, William felt missing something. He thinks that IS2
is packed with planning and raising money for Dublin that we lost the sight of
being international. I didn’t agree and that’s why I decided to write this piece
of blog.
What should be “International”
looking like? What is “international” for? Why we are so eagerly to know the
outside world but not paying attention to things happening around us? If I couldn't first figure out the true reason of wanting the internationalisation or
globalisation among the group members, then my class would only stop at the frustration level.
I am not saying IS2
lessons are perfect. They are far away from what I expected. Taking another
finished FUNdRAISING project for example. I proposed to sell Chinese food with
me on the Kalajoki International Restaurant day while another student proposed to sell cakes on the local Plassi Market day. As I have mentioned before,
we have an unspoken rule to agree on what project to take: they chose the second
one and I am fine with it. They raised 200+ euros as a group and they were the
happiest sellers in the whole market.
Why didn’t they choose
the first one? It’s INTERNATIONAL restaurant day, when you get to meet most of
the foreigners in the town. Why doesn’t that “International” matter to our “International Studies”? How much are we, as IS students, interested in those International people’s life in our little town?
Talk back about the Nose
Day Trip. To what extent they were participating Nose Day events (during their
Middle School study time) for the sake of helping millions of children in Africa, Asia
and South America? Why do those kids need help from us? What is “HELP”? What
can we really help, as a group of privileged young people traveling to Uganda?
Like always, I am
going to finish my blog with questions. ‘Coz I am always searching for answers.
[1] I later on found the deficiency of this argument.
If one student proposed something, he or she would need to persuade the whole
group to execute it with him or her. This person has power in the group. However,
in previous paragraph, I mentioned that: I am uncertain with the topics I brought
up because I am not sure whether students are interested as well. I don’t have
the power in this group. Of course, the precondition of these 2 statements
coming from 2 different groups. Still, I see the “desired” power relationship in
my classrooms. Seems that I do not want the power of being a teacher.
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