C27: Connecting the Learner Profile with International Mindedness

by Lu Gerlach

International Mindedness

Many moons ago, I received a one year Rotary Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship to study abroad for one year in Melbourne, Australia.  This was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received, because I found myself in Melbourne and began the process of discovering the wonder of international mindedness.

​I was fortunate to finish my bachelor’s degree at Melbourne Uni and I had an internship/work experience in St Kilda 2-3 days a week.  On the way to my internship, I passed the most amazing place called Wesley College.  I was fascinated by the grounds and buildings and imagined what it’d be like to go there instead of Melbourne Uni.  The thing that perplexed me every day as we stopped, tons of children would get on in purplish blue and white gingham uniforms.  I must have kept my head down in winter, because I don't remember it, but I knew a blazer was involved somehow. 

Each day, the fascination with the place grew to the point that I began researching Wesley College.  I quickly learned that it wasn’t an American version of college, but a preparatory academy for college.  It was private and IB.  At that time, I wasn’t remotely interested in education, but I heard of the IB through my many foreign exchange friends through high school. 

Wesley College is an example of building international mindedness. I don’t think of it as a singular action, but an openness to the ways that people do things differently around the world. International mindedness is seeing differences and responding through wonder, respect, and questions.  We are so curious about this new thing that we want to explore every nuisance to compare and contrast to our own experience.  Then, look at the merits of it on its own.  Finally, we make connections how this difference influences the beliefs and values of another. Wow, imagine if everyone in the world lived like this and how it would change the way we look at power, freedom, and equity. 

Building International Mindedness

​This was definitely not my first experience with international mindedness, but merely an aha moment.  My entire life was built on internationally minded experiences from my South Korean mother who learned to speak English by watching American television and my American father who explored the world to find himself. 

We become more internationally minded by the little things we engage with during the day and how we choose to react.  It builds over time to create a disposition about how we think and how we react to the world around us. Living abroad will not make you internationally minded, but being open to other cultures and ways of doing things will. We will explore more about how we do this in our next podcast and blog. 

Using the Learner Profile

​The learner profile has a magical relationship with international mindedness.  It is through the language of the learner profile that we are able to express our feelings and ideas about international mindedness. 

Here are some possibilities of how to use the learner profile to build more connection with international mindedness. 

• Open-minded:  “Thank you so much for comparing between Islamic and Christian ideologies.  It has definitely opened my mind to many of the similarities, rather than, the differences.”

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• Caring:  “How do community helpers show caring behavior by doing their jobs?”

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• Knowledgeable:  “We are going to expand our knowledge by learning about the commonalities of revolutions and why people risk so much for change.” 

Using the language of the learner profile to discuss deeper issues about cultures and values will help your students to see beyond the superficial level of food, music, the arts, and traditions.  Culture has been compared to an iceberg, where we must go beyond the superficial level to discover some of the richer components such as beliefs and values, norms, roles, relationships, and so much more.  It takes intentional planning to scratch beyond what we can see. 

The learner profile helps us to explore the richer characteristics and systems of most concepts and ideas.  What are ways you can embed the language of the learner profile to build up international mindedness in your classroom or school?