Meeting+Minutes+10-24

__ARC Global Committee __

10/24/11

9 AM-12 PM

-Emily directed us to the wiki, where people had put up definitions/thoughts about global education

-"Being aware of the world and being prepared to engage in it" was the definition offered by Rebecca Pollard.

-Nancy Dimitriades commented on her link, and it was viewed by the group.,

-Emily Mawhinney commented that the term "transformative learning" was particularly powerful; this was seconded by John Thorpe.

-John Thorpe distributed the IB Diploma Programme. Noted that one of the primary components of the mission statement is to create "a better and more peaceful world." John also distributed a monograph from Phi Delta Kappa about international education/IB. He noted that IB uses the term "international mindedness" rather than "global education."

-Emily Mawhinney noted the four elements listed in the Phi Delta Kappa monograph: emotional intelligence, cultural understanding, communication, and collaboration.

-John Thorpe: "Looking at just the curriculum is a mistake, because you have to look at the kid as a whole." He noted that just __tolerance__ of different cultures is not the goal, but understanding.

-Emily Mawhinney: Interaction with the world is the important phrase.

-Rebecca Pollard: I want to get the boys past being amazed/disgusted by, say, the living conditions of those in other countries who are poor. We don't do a lot in the middle school with service learning outside the school.

-Patrick Walsh: the middle school service learning trip didn't happen this past year because no one signed up for it.

-Nancy Dimitriades: lunches for the homeless (2nd graders make, deliver, serve, and clean-up are some of the things we do in LS.

-Matthew Byars: tie in advisory to service learning? Each advisory adopts an organization, interviews them to see what they need help with, develops a plan to help them, implements it. They make trips to the organization once every couple of months to do work on-site?

-Emily Mawhinney: let's get back to defining global education.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Kaoru Kimura: distributed/discussed a handout on global education from various sources.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney noted elements of the Center for Global Education's goals (fostering cross-cultural awareness, cooperation and understanding, and preparing students to live in a modern, global society.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Rebecca Pollard: I've been focusing on fluency and being conversational with the guys in my class because I want them to be able to speak the language if immersed in it rather than just understand the grammar.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-(A discussion ensued about the umbrella term for languages: modern, foreign, world?)

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Rebecca Pollard: how about just "Languages"?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe: letting students use their "first" language is a requirement of IB, but we're limited in how we can let students of foreign descent engage in their native language--we don't have the resources.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: let's look at the initial bullet points we had for defining global education (went through list).

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Patrick Walsh: we're defining global education, but who for? Parents? The other faculty? Just us? The audience changes the message.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: we need to have a common idea amongst ourselves first before we present to other groups. Ultimately, it will be for the whole community.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Susan Kearney: we need to start with a definition everyone agrees with and understands. The definition was something

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: Here are the main ones: 1) change towards interconnectedness/tools for interconnectedness (collaborative learning); 2) transformative learning; 3) start local/act local but think global; 4) not just focused on developing curriculum; 5) preparing students to be global stewards; 6) the guiding principles of the IB as noted on the SP site.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe: it might helpful to look at the IB learner profile. Susan Kearney pulled it up on the overhead.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Rebecca Pollard asked John Thorpe about service learning requirements for the US; John detailed them (60 hours in total).

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: should service be an essential part of our definition?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Nancy Dimitriades: service learning should be more integrated and embedded in everything what we do. We should look at other schools and visit: NDP, Loyola.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe: we should talk to Sanford as well. We have an US Service Council run by students.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe: we don't have a need to move to IB officially throughout the school because we've already embraced the IB principles throughout the school.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-(It was noted that we should put the IB principles from the website on the wiki so they can serve as guidance for us).

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: should we compile a list of everything we already do?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Nancy Dimitriades distributed a handout that listed the current global practices in the Lower School (it will be posted on the wiki, as well). Document was discussed and questions asked.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: did you compile a middle school list?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-(MS teachers: no).

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: asked if we could compile a list like was done by Nancy for the LS (yes).

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney listed what they're doing in the US, which will be posted on the wiki.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">BREAK

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Susan Kearney walked us through how to upload/post things to the WikiSpace.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe distributed login info he'd created for each committee member for the IB site; we logged in and explored. He suggested we look at the Middle Years Program to get a sense of what's done with the IB for MS.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: should we transition to thinking about our wish list?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-(Watched TED video about the importance of international education--brief and funny, made the point that there are vast differences in the way things work in the US and how they work in other countries).

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe: if we could identify very effective TED talks such as this for use by teachers, it would be helpful.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney/Patrick Walsh: let's post the wish list to the wiki, but let's keep it private until it can be vetted.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Rebecca Pollard started the wish list with mentioning international service learning trips for MS students. Cambridge School and Gilman have done these types of trips.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Kaoru Kimura: SPSG has a trip like this; could we coordinate with them?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Rebecca Pollard: I'd also like to explore Matt's idea about advisory-based service learning.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe: housing for international students; an ESL teacher needs to be hired for this.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Patrick Walsh: how about tuition breaks for families willing to host exchange students?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe: host families already get a stipend from the parents of the kid.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Patrick Walsh: it'd be nice if there was more incentive for the families.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: this would be for hosting international students, not exchange students?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Patrick Walsh: yes, international students. Having a house designated for international students seems lofty, so this might be more feasible.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: how about international teacher exchanges?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Nancy Dimitriades: maybe we need a coordinator position who oversees exchanges/welcoming/budget for service learning? If we're committed to this, we need to provide the resources to support international/exchange students.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: your point about having a coordinator for this initiative is great; that would be essential.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Susan Kearney: the coordinator could also make the presence of the international student beneficial to the whole campus, rather than us just hosting a student from another country.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Nancy Dimitriades: the Dwight School in NYC had an exchange program; fourth and fifth grade students take a trip to London and study there for a short period of time. We need to find an international school to partner with--that seems to be the key.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Patrick Walsh: We've got to keep in mind how expensive this will be.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: Philanthropy needs to be involved to help finance this.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Nancy Dimitriades: coordination between the three divisions would be essential. Also, how about a school/ecumenical center for members of our community and our international guests to use as a place for speakers, artists, etc.?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Susan Kearney: do you feel this requires its own space?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Nancy Dimitriades: Yes. If we could get partners involved, that would help with funding.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe: the St. Paul's International Center?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-(Discussion of arts/performance possibilities were discussed).

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-John Thorpe talked about concerts he used to host in Brooklandwood. Logistics of hosting performances was discussed.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Patrick Walsh: I'd like to see the return of International Day in the MS. Patrick excused himself for a History Dept. meeting.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: we could do that International Day school-wide.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Kaoru Kimura: we need more male teachers in the LS. Gave an example of a LS Korean student who left in order to be with more Asian students. Could we do some basic fundraising as part of a school-wide International Day to raise funds for an international cause?

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: International Week efforts in the US are focused on helping UNICEF. A wish I have is full IB spectrum: LS, MS, and US. Also, greater funding for Model UN, and a MS Model UN. Also, I'm working on the potential for online courses, and it'd be great if that was an international consortium. There's an existing IB online community that I'd like for us to plug into. I'd also like to see more field trips to "international" destinations (African Art Museum, for example).

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-(General links between divisions could be taken advantage of/created, and a coordinator position would help with that).

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Emily Mawhinney: Next steps: define categories for the wish list so we can prioritize/get more specifics. Think about what you'd like to work on next. Matt/Rebecca: Service Learning through Advisory. Susan/John/Nancy: St. Paul's International Center. Kaoru: will handle international exchange, looking into SPSG trip. Patrick/Nick: bringing in international students. Emily: looking into redoing how we do Model UN.

<span style="font-family: "ArialMT","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">-Ideas: have STEM/LS students create internationally-themed Christmas decorations? Open up an Etsy store and sell them, any funds go to one of our international initiatives. Have STEM students design the International Center?