Although this is opening ourselves to the world, this is not authentic international mindedness. Instead, we are talking about opening our minds to different experiences that bring about intercultural connections of understanding. This is going to mean something different for every person based on their unique backgrounds and exposure to other people’s ideas. I guess that is the point. Are we open enough to listen to other people’s ideas and be willing to change our own. This is much deeper than trying a plate of paella while holidaying in Spain. Possibility #1: Local and Global ContextsWhen I think of the specialist and supporting roles, the easiest thing for me to do is make connections to the local and global issues that matter. In each of your roles, you are going to be exploring how to do something whether it be hand-eye coordination, keyboarding, sketching, or sequencing pictures to create a story. One of my favorites is making local and global connections. It’s a lot easier than it looks, but that’s from my perspective. So bear with me as I try to make this mental image. Here are two examples... 1. For the Science Lab Teacher As you are trying to connect to climate patterns, have them look at trends around the world. Try to determine the climate of certain areas based on their location to the equator. Usually, the more northern you are, the colder the weather and more severe precipitation. While the south is usually warmer with more balmy weather with mild winters. This trend is usually happening at the same latitude. Then, examine areas that defy the climate patterns and assess the reasoning. Below is a picture of the United States last week. Notice how the most southern parts received snow storms, including my home in Houston, Texas. This weather pattern is defying what we usually see during this time of year in the southern part of the United States. This type of investigation my pose these questions:
 Why study these patterns? It helps learners to identify trends that impact the human experience. This is the entire reason that we learn in school. We are trying to determine the rules and see where they apply to all, many, and a few. When the rules change, we are seeking to determine the cause, so we can be prepared in the future. 2. For the PE Teacher My brain naturally went to PE. I think the PE teacher is the most left alone in the school. This can be good and bad. You are given the autonomy to teach however you want, but you also have to create everything on your own. Oftentimes, I hear PE teachers tell me that they struggle to authentically connect with the PYP. I get it, your curriculum is so different that it’s hard to connect. BUT, there are ways that you might have not considered. One possibility is through local and global connections. What do I mean by this? Imagine you are talking about team sports and why it’s important that everyone has their role. You go through several types of sports that play with their feet and compare and contrast their features. Something you can do next is survey your learners to discover the most played sport or game at recess. Depending on the region, it might be football or what we Americans call soccer. This makes sense, because it requires very little equipment. You can show images and videos of different places around the world and the conditions they play in. This can help to shape the idea that no matter where you come from, you still have the opportunity to play the game. Next, you can chat about games that have similar features, but don’t necessarily follow the same outcome, such as baseball and cricket. I’m not going to break down all of the features, but this would be an interesting exploration for learners to go through.  By exploring different ways that people play with similar equipment, we get learners to compare and contrast between regions to discover why they are the same or so different. This is the type of thinking that we want learners to go through as they connect between two similar sports, exercises, or experiences. How can you take what you are doing and apply it with your content or curricular focus? Possibility #2: Projecting Across TimeIf you have listened to my podcast, you will know that I am obsessed with Projecting Across Distance, a visible thinking routine by Project Zero. Just pop over to my website: thinkchat2020.com and complete a search. I’m sure you will see it in several posts, because I absolutely love it. In preparing for this episode, I decided that I needed to branch out and find another visible thinking routine that would allow for local and global exploration without it being the same routine. Variety is the spice of life or so I’m told. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered Projecting Across Time. I instantly became fascinated and eager to get my hands dirty. Let’s unpack this visible thinking routine and see how it might look in practice. Pick a topic . Then, consider it using the following prompts:
What do we know about bullying already? It is a power imbalance between someone stronger/weaker; not always physical There is fear involved by the weaker party Demands are usually placed that can be uncomfortable or dangerous The person being bullied can feel isolated and alone in dealing with the issue 10 years ago We had bullying in school, but the kids were a bit more physical and not quite so emotional. It was usually in search of lunch money, snacks, favors, etc. Now, it’s about friendship groups, mean girls thinking, and isolating people. It feels more psychological. 100 years ago When I did some research, because I don’t know off the top of my head, bullying in the 1920s was generally physical (or verbal) harassment that usually related to a death, strong isolation, or extortion in school children. Yikes, it feels like the bullying of today is much lighter compared to death threats. I’m glad I didn’t live back then. 1000 years ago In medieval times, people mostly lived in small villages and farmed the land. There were only a few big cities, so everyone knew the comings and goings within the community. There was only one way to live, which was usually directed by the ruling lord and the church. If anyone was mysterious, strange, or unconventional, they were often labeled by society either through outcasting or putting them to death. 10 years from now We will see the surge of cyber bullying with the full power of AI technology ruling our lives and governing how we live. There will be much more surveillance by our comings and goings by the government. There will be little or no secrets in our public life, similar to 1000 years ago. Bullying will be even greater with people having access to technology where they can simulate events into photos and videos that never existed. 100 years from now People will have full integration between AI, robotics, and human life. There will be no hiding in the world. Everything will be up for scrutiny. Bullying will come in the form of societal conformity and the lack of personal identity. Society will judge how we act, think, and feel. 1000 years from now I have no clue. I’m just glad that I grew up in the 1980s to remember when life was unplugged and bullying was emotional or physical. Should I be glad for this? I know I went deep on this issue, but you can see how this might challenge your learners to think deeper about content. Get them to make predictions based on the trends in the present day. There are so many possibilities. How might you adapt these two ways to your practice? How might this stretch the learning in your classes?
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