Internationalising Learning Pilot – Materials by Teachers

In preparation for our series of ‘Internationalising Learning – On the Global Stage’ courses - organised by the NUT’s CPD Programme and funded by the Department for International Development - a ‘pilot’ course for secondary teachers was organised at Stoke Rochford Hall. At the final seminar of this two-part course, participating teachers contributed short presentations about some of the projects, lesson plans and teaching strategies that they had developed in their schools. The ‘resources’ prepared by the teachers to illustrate their presentations can be adapted for use in other classrooms and schools.

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Document	Summary
1. Internationalising Learning PowerPoint report back to CPD participants	A pair of teachers incorporated “…global issues into the KS3 English curriculum…” to encourage students to “…become more globally aware and to understand and embrace other cultures and traditions.” Year 9 pupils focused on “…prejudice, journeys, political and religious tolerance/intolerance, racial issues, fair trade and responsible travel.” The peer coaching took place between pupils of different learning abilities, which “…enabled them to question their own prejudices and develop confidence.” One pupil noted that: “…challenging my pre-conceptions was a really good way to learn.”
2a. Internationalising Learning PowerPoint report back to CPD participants	The presentation shares learning of raising awareness of the global dimension in lessons. It discusses a teacher’s and her pupils’ learning objectives, the lesson observations, feedback and structured encouragement from her peer, and some pupils’ remarks on the style of learning and their increased awareness of the global dimension. There is also discussion of the other teacher’s lessons.
2b. Internationalising Learning A participant’s Lesson Plan	A lesson plan created by a teacher to increase pupils’ awareness of global interdependency.
3. HVC; The Global Dimension PowerPoint report back to CPD participants	To add a global dimension to their teaching, the paired teachers from the Geography and English departments investigated children’s rights and the international coffee trade with Year 8 and Year 9 pupils. They noted that using the global dimension “…did allow stereotypes to be challenged…” and “…encouraged an open debate within students and between students.”
4. How English Is Our Trifle? A PowerPoint presentation informing the class	The presentation asks pupils to research a trifle’s ingredients, discover their origins, and investigate how healthy these ingredients are: “link the ingredients of the trifle with the global issue of food production and distribution, compare with locally produced food, alcohol production and consumption and healthy eating.”
5. How English Is Our Trifle? A look at Palm Oil – Pupils’ PowerPoint group work	This PowerPoint was created by a group of pupils following their teacher’s presentation of global dimension issues around trifle making. The pupils’ work discusses the origination of palm oil used in making trifle, what it is used for in the food industry, and how the planting and harvesting of the crop affects the rainforest habitat it replaces and the species living there. There is also a discussion about the origins of other trifle ingredients.
6. The Effect of Palm Oil Pupils’ PowerPoint group work	This PowerPoint was created by a group of pupils following their teacher’s presentation of global dimension issues around producing a trifle. The pupils’ work discusses palm oil. It investigates palm oil plantations and how their expansion effects climate change, the rainforest habitats they replace, and the species living within them: “Not only are defenceless animals and whole ecosystems being destroyed, the workers aren’t being paid and only the rich people in these countries are making the profit and the poor are getting poorer.“
7. Pupils’ Feedback on Global Dimension topics covered in class	A compilation of specific pupils’ comments concerning the global dimension topics taught during the Spring term. For example: “Learnt lots about the environmental impacts/habitats affected by palm oil.” “Would like to know what I can do to stop rainforests being destroyed.”
8. Healthy Eating A pupil’s PowerPoint presentation	Inspired by the teacher’s lesson, this pupil studied the diets of UK and African young people and produced a well-researched PowerPoint presentation which highlights poor eating habits and obesity in the UK. The presentation also outlines how UK young people can reduce their consumption of unhealthy foodstuffs through investigating an African diet: This piece of work also considers how unhealthy trifle is and ends with a song specially written by the pupil, listing the advantages of eating a more healthy diet.
9. Food Glorious Food – PowerPoint report back to CPD participants	The paired teachers from the Geography and MFL departments used the global theme of food to internationalise learning. They looked at what food pupils ate and where it came from and, consequently, how this was impacting on global warming. They also investigated other cultures. The teachers hoped to develop “...links with the lives of children in our partner schools.” Through group work the teachers aimed to “…develop students’ image interpretation, empathy and linguistic skills.” Finally, this work linked into the school’s Fairtrade Fortnight. The pupils’ evaluations of the food project were mainly positive and they commented on “…how their awareness of other cultures had improved.”
10.Teacher Peer Assessment of Lessons	Teachers’ reflections of implementing the global dimension in their lessons. These illustrate how the support of a colleague through lesson observation can strengthen effective teaching practice. The feedback also discusses the growth of positive relationships between pupils and teachers and how these can improve and strengthen effective teaching practice: “The peer observation process has played a significant part in professional reflection for two teachers… It allowed one teacher to consolidate and confirm a belief in student-focused learning and its benefits.”
11. Refugees: Dispelling the Myths	The paired teachers created a computer programme around the issue of human rights. There is an introductory unit: What are Human Rights?, followed by two further units (Refugees: Dispelling the myths and Tackling Racism) which delve in greater detail into two human rights themes: refugee status and racism. The format is similar for all three units – an introductory presentation which pupils watch and listen to, whilst thinking about the questions posed on screen. They are then asked to complete a number of exercises to test their understanding of the issue.
12. United Nations Day Lesson Ideas	Advice for teachers to assist their pupils to produce a booklet and presentation about a developing country. To be delivered to the year group during United Nations Day. Also included is a pupil task sheet.
13. International Week South Africa Lesson Ideas	Advice on teaching about South Africa that can be used during a school’s international week. A number of ideas are given to add a global dimension to subject areas. For example, interpreting South African statistics in Maths and trade links with South Africa in Geography. Web-links to useful NGO websites are also provided.
14. Secondary Citizenship; Know the score – An article about a set of global issues lessons	A series of six Citizenship lessons for Year 8 were based around the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). They helped to raise the pupils’ awareness of global issues and developed their five Rs: responsibility, resilience, reflectiveness, reasoning and resourcefulness. The pupils worked in groups and “…were asked to create an advertising campaign about one of the eight MDGs.” The advertisements that were produced “…ranged from the visual, to the written, to those using technology.” See: http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6004264.