the classroom as a space for global...

Número Siete (Mayo 2015) Página 88 Issue Seven (Mayo 2015) Page 88

Miguel Ardanaz Ibañez1

THE CLASSROOM AS A SPACE FOR GLOBAL LEARNING. THE WORLD AS A CLASSROOM FOR TRANSFORMATIVE

LEARNING: Twelve paths and one perspective

Abstract This article presents twelve paths that constitute some of the main points of observation that we should find in a classroom in which a global dimension has been introduced. It also provides "scaffolding" (according to Jerome Bruner) for teachers and educators in any field to be able to assess their curricular approaches or educational practices, both in reviewing the planning as well as when assessing and evaluating the results. This is the so‐called "global learning perspective", which, from the perspective of educational innovation, aims to deepen the idea of global citizenry, focusing on learning through diversity, for an inclusive school and a world with social Key words Global learning, citizenry, classrooms, curriculum, perspective, scaffolding, active methodologies, social transformation, utopian competence.

1 Miguel Ardanaz Ibáñez is a member of the Pedagogical Department at FERE‐CECA Madrid (ECM). He has run the postgraduate course "Education for Solidarity and Global Development" at ECM and Comillas Pontifical University. His areas of interest are related to pedagogy and research in educational processes on a global scale, focusing on social justice and the transformative utopia. He has been working in DE since 1992, developing projects and running workshops and other training programmes in different social and educational organisations. He has been the manager of this journal. As well as other training, he holds a Master's Degree in Psychology and is an expert in Cooperative Learning. Contact: FERE‐CECA Madrid. c/ Hacienda de Pavones 5, 2º, 28030 Madrid (Spain) Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

The INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL for GLOBAL and DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION RESEARCH REVISTA INTERNACIONAL sobre INVESTIGACIÓN en EDUCACIÓN GLOBAL y para el DESARROLLO

THE CLASSROOM AS A SPACE FOR GLOBAL LEARNING. THE WORLD AS A CLASSROOM FOR

TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING: Twelve paths and one perspective. EL AULA COMO ESPACIO DE APRENDIZAJE GLOBAL. EL MUNDO COMO AULA PARA EL

APRENDIZAJE TRANSFORMADOR: Doce pistas y una óptica.

Número Siete (Mayo 2015) Página 89 Issue Seven (May 2015) Page 89

"(…) People live poised between each individual moment and the greater, brighter horizon of the utopian future as the final cause which draws us to itself. Here we see a first principle for progress in building a people: time is greater than space. This principle enables us to work slowly but surely, without being obsessed with immediate results. It helps us patiently to endure difficult and adverse situations, or inevitable changes in our plans. (…) One of the faults which we occasionally observe in sociopolitical activity is that spaces and power are preferred to time and processes. (...) Giving priority to time means being concerned about initiating processes rather than possessing spaces. (…) What we need, then, is to give priority to actions which generate new processes in society and engage other persons and groups who can develop them to the point where they bear fruit in significant historical events. Without anxiety, but with clear convictions and tenacity." (Taken from the Spanish version of Evangelii Gaudium, numbers 222‐223, Pope Francis)

This article is based on some intuition from the teachers' perspective who, because of how obvious it is, will not be able to forget that: if our desire is that the education that we provide to our student body helps them to be happy, to engage with their world (and subsequent generations) and feel able to dream and think of how to make it better and more inclusive... we must put forward a teaching‐learning process which includes those characteristics. Theory alone will not work. Just talking about values will not work either. It is not enough to remember or become aware of marginal realities or situations of injustice. For our students to perceive the importance of improving their world, they have to see us tackle the "danger zone" that is improving our learning for the whole of our lives and, therefore, the education we provide. They need to feel that we are out in the open. Even then, we must have "clear convictions and tenacity". This change requires a process with these features, which can have different speeds, but which has to be realistic while remaining bold. Most of the ideas were already put forward centuries ago, remaining relevant to this day (Rousseau, Dewey, Giner de los Ríos, Freire, Stenhouse, Robinson, Herver…), and have resulted in proposals, laboratories, plans, programmes, learning communities... which even today, after so long, move forward with a great deal of effort because they require major mental and structural changes. These are still minority views and we do not really know why if we analyse it from purely pedagogical perspectives. From this pedagogical viewpoint, we look through the window of an imaginary classroom where we have been told that Global Learning is happening. It may be Primary or Secondary Education, Early Childhood Education or Vocational Training; it may be at a school or at an association that provides support, at an adult school or in a scout group... there is not much difference. Over several days or over a longer period, we observe what is happening there and take note of what we see. We are alert especially concerning the processes that are being carefully and lovingly carried out with tenacity and clear convictions. We pay special attention so that we can see when the classroom or establishment extends beyond its walls, while still existing within






them, and this translates into the world itself, with people and their complex situations, their challenges, their contexts and their realities, other living beings and the interrelationship between us all. Everyone can learn this way, whether adults or children, educators or students. What can we see? We found these paths: 1. The contents are at best one of the many initial building blocks, but they are not

the end result. Following the Enlightenment, our minds are organised into "drawers" and we still live immersed and trapped by the great human capacity to classify reality. The pinnacle of this capability is seen in the biological classification resulting from Carl Linnaeus' taxonomy from the eighteenth century (which Aristotle had foreseen many centuries before), a system which he devised to name and classify all living beings on the planet. Its success impressed the society of his time so much that Rousseau sent him a message that said "I know no greater man on earth". In the nineteenth century there was a similar breakthrough in the field of chemistry when Dmitri Mendeleev devised a system to classify all atoms using the periodic table, which took into account all known matter at the time. But in reality, this has been the great quest of the physicists of the twentieth century who were trying to describe the particles that make up matter and their interactions through what is called the "standard model" and they are still trying to complete it today with the famous Higgs boson. The other great success story of this capability was the creation of "L'Encyclopédie" or the "Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers", in which the authors, also from the eighteenth century, attempted to collate all the knowledge from that time. The curious part is that what all of these authors sought was not to restrict or limit knowledge or to put it away in drawers, but rather to actually bring it closer to the whole of society. If they had heard Paulo Freire speaking a few hundred years later about the "banking" concept of education and knowledge, they would probably have been saddened, given that the spirit of the Encyclopaedia stemmed from a critical reflection of the institutions and social structures that were taking over knowledge. The fact is that this model of thinking has been so successful that it would now appear difficult to build knowledge in other ways. Among teachers this is shown in schooling; strict monitoring of the programme and curriculum designs based on big topics, definitions and classifications. And especially in the memorisation of techniques and mainly of information, lots of information. Is what we see when we look through the window of our classroom far away from all of this? Not at all.






However it is not a dominant strategy. We see that this type of knowledge comes in different ways and not just from the explanation or study of content. Through the window I see a class that is decorated as if it were an Egyptian pantheon. The students have decorated the classroom with the help of several of the educators that accompany them, following historical, but also social criteria. Today they are doing an exercise in which they are comparing the Egyptian society from back then with today's. They will come across many ideas and concepts such as the Rosetta Stone, the Book of the Dead and the Arab Spring. Their teachers are, however, very attentive to a more wide‐reaching scaffolding, regarding their ability to compare, the type of analysis of reality that they carry out and how they cooperate with each other. The content is, therefore, not an end but rather a set of tools that we use to be able to have critical and creative thinking experiences. They are important because any thought process has a key moment in its insertion into reality, in its incarnation in a world that is constantly changing and in which there are lots of opportunities to be heard. In our classroom, the content helps us to listen out for those opportunities better because it prepares us to tear down its walls and go out into the real world and challenge preconceived ideas and structures in a pure exercise of responsibility and commitment. Out there, our critical and creative thinking is left to soak up empathy and positive cooperation. This experience is when you become aware that if everyone is not socially included, then neither are you.

2. Assertions and, even better, questions that are thought‐provoking and suggestive are the starting point. From what I see in this classroom, affirmations are used as a starting point before calling them into question or looking at different ways of addressing them, with the aim of working on the diversity or variety of approaches. But mostly it is questions that are used. And not just any questions. It is curious to see 10‐year‐old children working on the multiplying effect that the subjects they are looking at could potentially have. Some people call them "flexible questions" because they help you to see further (I hear one of them remember the day that the teacher brought a portable trampoline to show how it feels to change your way of looking at things when you keep jumping...). On one of the days when there were many absentees due to flu, the expression "contagious questions" cropped up. That is a question that expands to such an extent that many more come from it. On one of my visits to look through the global windows, I found them working on the question "Do we need to have a home?". From there they began to create a mind map and found that there were lots that "suffered from it": Peter Pan (because he didn't live in a house); The Little Prince (because he lived on a planet); Human Rights (which enshrine the right to one); houses in different parts of the






world and in my neighbourhood; what constitutes a house and why; rents and mortgages, evictions (and if you they are of any benefit) and a lady called Ana, who had her home taken away from her; ways of life; rural and urban life; the ecological impact of houses; their ecological footprint... This force, this "generativity" of questions, helps us to build a type of learning that is more integrated and embedded in reality. The content will help us to ensure that it is not lost in the quagmire. The evidence that our question is open enough is that we could keep adding connections (not details) almost indefinitely. Once this is done, it is curious to see how we change the question and work on another that stimulates us more: "How can Ana be protected?"

3. More than answers, the result of the classroom session is to come up with good questions. Therefore, the methodologies that produce them are the most appropriate. Therefore, the learning experience in a classroom in which a global way of thinking is present fundamentally involves asking good questions and training to be able to master this. I have already mentioned some of the features of these: their generativity or, in other words, their potential, their possibilities and especially their ability to shed light on a part of reality that was hidden, invisible or forgotten. But there are more components that make good questions. We will mention some of them in more detail when we talk about critical thinking. Looking through the window, we can see that there is no special effort made to formulate good questions. It is rather that the context in which they are being formulated facilitates the process. Specialists say that it is difficult to do without this if it has been done since the first classes. Meaning that a different approach to knowledge cannot be understood. Today we look through the window of a secondary school class where the biology teacher is talking about genetics. Here we can see how the subject is being worked on classically using "DNA and genetics" and it is now a question that has been worked through classroom research: What does it mean to have a "rare disease"?. Other classrooms are working through problem‐based learning and projects or with lots of other methodologies, such as "design thinking". Through the next window I see a class working with this technique. They use this technique with a topic that has been called "Revoluciona‐té" [a play on words meaning both "revolutionise yourself" and "tea stirring"], which is being used to study the concept of revolution throughout history by comparing these with the French Revolution (Sánchez, Torres and Díaz, 2015). Consequently, we can say that there is a group of methodologies, (usually categorised as "active") which facilitate this culture of "questions" and which has,






more broadly speaking, become known as "Culture of Thinking" (www.ronritchhart.com). As I look through the window, it is interesting to observe how the Culture of Thinking is not a purely rational exercise but it also has an inescapable emotional aspect. This means that we can approach genetics as a purely technical matter. In that case, an example is found in the most recent Spanish curriculum which describes a standard of learning as "Recognising the parts of a chromosome using it to build a karyotype (Official Spanish State Gazette, p. 211, 3.1.)". But we can also (without deleting the previous one) build standards to study their impact in reality: "Critically interpret the consequences of current developments in the field of biotechnology (Official Spanish State Gazette, p. 211, 15.1.)". Unfortunately such standards are hard to come by; even if we note empathy in certain situations: "connect and empathise with people...". So, the choice of "appropriate methodologies" so that these questions may widen the walls of our classrooms and other educational spaces so that they become those of the planet must be carefully noted and there must also be a specific ethical understanding of them. There are many intriguing options along these lines (www.edutopia.org) but the most important thing is to have the perspective of a consistent way of doing things, which affects the methodologies and the many other aspects involved in the educational context.

4. The scope of perception is opened, different connections and realities regarding

the question are studied, locally and globally. Through this window today I can see how the students in the classroom are working on their questions in such a way that they convert reality into something three‐dimensional, with many nuances and approaches. It is the effect of diversity for the purpose of enriching our minds. This way we see a grasp on reality by trying to avoid single, simplifying or colonialist views. To do this, in researching them we include the search for different ways to approach an issue, either because it has different models of analysis, different ideologies or different cultures. Just because different approaches are studied, it does not mean we validate them all, but we manage to contrast their basic elements and establish our position (below) about which contribute to generating societies with greater inclusion and participation. This approach certainly makes a number of assumptions that we could summarise with Adela Cortina's contributions in relation to "educating in deep‐rooted cosmopolitanism". This involves, on the one hand, balancing local and community dimensions with global and universalist dimensions (Cortina, 2005, ch. 8) and, on the other, those of societies that can exert real citizenship and in turn share a minimum civic ethics (ch. 9).






Indeed, in a society with these features, the civic ethics that support it is dynamic and enriched by these different approaches and because of such diversity. Each of these brings discoveries to improve the civic ethics throughout history (among other possible "steps back" and detours...). Essentially, it is exciting to think that we are working with these children so that in the future they will be able to discover new Human Rights (and beyond that, to include animals and ecosystems...). And of course, that the means to observe and safeguard the ones we already know are provided.

5. Preconceptions based on misconceptions and affecting our own way of seeing the world and reality are identified. The clearest example of a preconception that I know and which often comes to mind is that of slavery. This is a concept that was considered a part of Natural Law and deemed, for thousands of years, to be, to put it mildly, a necessity (Vidal, 2011), so I will not be mentioning it this time round. However, it is important that this practice is carried out with some frequency and always with a view to improving our society and to counteract potential injustices. By acting as a "window spy", today I can see how a group in a classroom performs an exercise in migration, another concept on which preconceptions are rife. They did not stop working on the subjects of the curriculum to take this on, but rather they are working on a modified "thinking routine" (www.visiblethinkingpz.org) called "I used to think and now I think", where they take news articles from the press and from their own textbooks in order to challenge preconceived ideas. In this case, the teachers do not engage in teaching; instead, they take on an advisory role. Each one has, from their own subject, sought a story, a tool or a process that helps their students to call into question various issues. So, Copernicus and Giordano Bruno come up during the session. In addition, some will come to understand how to make logical propositions and also when two mathematical terms can be compared. This advisory role, which some call "learning companions", completely redefines the classic role of Development Education in its application in the classroom. It is no longer a matter of proposing topics in the classroom, but rather the subjects are open to the world and the students practise different ways to see and live them. Trying to find connections to challenge preconceptions, I see another classroom working with mind maps. Maps tell us precisely that our minds are not naturally set up as if they were a chest of drawers, but rather that they are neural networks or spider webs (Buzan, 2013). These maps show connections yet to be established and others that do not make any sense. Unlike concept maps (which are essentially






nothing but a "chest of drawers" to organise our drawers), mind maps challenge the idea of expanding our knowledge network indefinitely with a certain degree of chaos, but also with a critical perspective. We have an "appropriate methodology" which helps us to "harness" creativity and our ability to analyse reality.

6. The structure of reality at different levels (social, economic, environmental...) is analysed, taking into account the evolutionary psychology of each person and group in the classroom. We often work with different learning contexts around the world, with other realities normally hidden from view... This aspect would seem to be for "outstanding" or very mature people, but it is not the case. Indeed, doing so with skill takes training over a period of time, but the important thing is to get started and practise with what you have. The examples and paths described above are an example of this, and they can be used to introduce the analysis of reality as a daily practice. And, as a result, there is a social structure that seems to have a life of its own. It is curious to see that the topic of structures also stems from the natural sciences, through the works of Darwin, Galileo or Newton, who began to decipher the structure of physical nature back in the sixteenth century. Inspired by their success, many social scientists began to think that, metaphorically speaking, societies had a more or less visible structure that made everything work like a gigantic cogwheel‐like structure. Eventually, the idea of complexity and of how it disguised structures that, at times, naturally worked against human dignity came up (González‐Carvajal, 1997). The current challenge is to find evidence of these structures (and of the people who argue them whether consciously or not) to try to reverse them and turn them into structures of solidarity and cooperation. This means seeking strategies that help us become seekers of such structures and that encourage us to go out and find them. Through the window today I take a look across the ocean and see how a group of Mexican children in the Chiapas jungle approach it. From their tiny little corner, they connect with the world and gain strength, following the slime trail that a snail leaves behind:

Box 1 "For several hours now, these dark‐skinned beings with a big heart have drawn, with their ideas, a large snail. Starting from an international viewpoint, their eyes and thoughts have been going deeper and deeper, subsequently going through the national, regional and local perspectives, to become what is known as "Votán. The defender and beating heart of the people", the Zapatista peoples. Thus, from the outermost curve of the snail spiral, certain words come to mind, such as "globalisation", "war of domination", "resistance", "economy", "city", "field", "political situation" and others which are removed from the draft version once





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fundamental questions such as "Is it clear or are there any questions?" have been asked. (…) Then, there are proposals, and our thoughts and hearts draw windows and doors that only they can see (among other things because they do not yet exist). Words like "disparate" and "dispersed" begin to make way in the group. Someone asks "Are we in agreement?". "Yes, we are" someone else replies representing the group's view. Once again, the snail trail is left, but now in the opposite direction, from inside out. The draft version also follows the reverse path until there is only one phrase on the old chalkboard, which for many may be absolutely delusional, and, yet, for these men and women, it is a cause worth fighting for: "a world where many worlds can coexist". A little while later, a decision is made."

(Source: "Chiapas: La Treceava Estela" Sub. Marcos, cited by De la Riva, p. 73).

7. Work is carried out on critical thinking, especially focused on human rights. It

renders hidden reality visible, highlighting the processes leading towards social justice, happiness and love that are in place and that denounce opposing views. Many of the above elements can be grouped under critical thinking: working with questions, good ones that is, looking to find connections... all of this is part of a set of skills, which in some educational systems have been considered a subject or topic of study, and there are even textbooks about them (Lally, Matthews, Rowe and Thwaites, 2008). Through their lessons, we can learn to identify the criteria of credibility, to assess and identify arguments, developing many elements of our own as well as other elements. If we go further we can evaluate inferences, make deductions and draw interpretations, analogies, hypotheses and, generally, make decisions... (Fisher and Scriven, 1997; Fisher, 2009; Van den Brink‐Budgen, 2010a; Van den Brink‐Budgen, 2010b).

From global to local. From local to global.






However, our global classroom not only shows technical skills, but these are, moreover, geared towards a perspective we could call humanistic and which we have specified before from the viewpoint of a participative, committed and transformative citizenry. Then we saw that our minimum threshold is human rights, understood not as a static set of dogmas, but as a charter of the discoveries about human dignity; as a story about the "victories" we seek and those that remain to be secured. From this perspective, the approach is based, in my view, not so much on raising awareness, which is used in a classic way, but rather on active empathy, which encourages us and makes us act, when we have the possibility to become involved and commit in different contexts and situations. How to do this and how to choose from the multiple causes in which to become involved in our world, it's all a matter of training and learning (Alvarez, 2012) while making choices and sometimes experiencing a certain degree of frustration. Therefore, in the classroom, we are able to find opportunities to participate in great causes such as the Global Campaign for Education (www.cme‐espana.org) or the Millennium Development Goals (Global Cities/YPOGS project, www.globalstageproject.net), and even in causes closer to us, in our neighbourhood association, concerning evictions or environmental issues. In this way, we take part in various causes or consolidate our own (www.carrodecombate.com). What we are talking about is precisely developing a classroom atmosphere where there is awareness and respect, as per Freire's views on education, who states that the political dimension is present in the classroom, whatever we do. With or without our involvement, whether as educators and learners, we are building a present and future "polis", in a certain way, which is never neutral.

8. We employ creative thinking in order to work out how to ensure that these rights and other positive processes are in place. The process of analysing reality and the structures, preconceived ideas and shifts of it where we can intervene is not an end in itself, but part of the path towards an imagery of society as key to the three‐fold end consisting of social justice, happiness and love. I have already mentioned this in other sections (Ardanaz, 2014) but today I want to stress that although I have spent several days watching through windows in search of learning initiatives related to social justice, I am also finding others that have to do with happiness and love. Today I can see a classroom working on some different social structures. Today they are addressing the issue of "dependence on others" (and dependants) and how to build a society where everyone can have an acceptable degree of






happiness, starting with the key aspects of love. Creating a society based on these key aspects means, in my opinion, creating a series of interconnected points to come together where there can be room for each of us to develop based on our individuality and characteristics (the specific field of happiness) but in a way in which collective actions and situations constitute an opportunity to better ourselves and not to blend into the crowd. Thus, being different is not contrary but complementary. And in coming together, the individualistic areas of happiness overflow and intermingle in a colourful tapestry, where cooperation, empathy and commitment converge into love. I am not talking poetry here (although it would certainly be a very appropriate way of expressing it) but a process of constant ascertainment throughout history. Love intertwined with social justice has built the best elements of our societies and all that is present in global classrooms. The boys and girls that I can see through the window today who are working on the subject of dependence tell of how impressed they are by the love of the dependants and that of the carers. It makes them think that it is worth building structures and being people who give out such love, despite the daily news constantly reminding us otherwise.

9. A utopian approach is employed, to develop the skills and convince ourselves that we are capable of social transformation, and of imagining new rights and social models that are yet to be discovered. In the previous section we imagined shortly after empathising and acting to improve reality. Under the utopian approach, we set ourselves up to carry out acts of folly, especially collective ones, which are those that fall within the realm of love. A few years ago, we had the audacity to outline what we called "utopian competence".

Box 2 Utopian Competence is supposed to be able to cooperate in a transformative way with various local and global environments, and to develop an overview from the perspective of interdependence, thereby imagining and generating a present and future society with social justice, happiness and love at personal and community level. Therefore, the skills being developed include: ‐ Transformative cooperation, understood as the human socialisation ability understood from a perspective of solidarity, fraternity, responsibility and prosociality, leading to involvement with and commitment to diverse and plural societies and people.






‐ Global interdependence, understood as the vision and deep understanding of the complexity of and between people and ecosystems, both present and future, in all their dignity, from a point of view of social justice and human rights. ‐ Utopian thinking, understood as that of the metacognition on the above capabilities, with emotional, critical and creative thinking, expressed in the imagery of an improved society and the commitment to the alternatives for social justice, happiness and love.

Ardanaz and García‐Rincón, 2012

From this utopian perspective, today I observe teachers at work through the window. They use visible thinking techniques for their students to become aware of how they are progressing in developing a capability that will be improved throughout their lives. The indicators are on the classroom walls. Today the subject we are working on is English, to boost some aspects of utopian thinking and put them into practice. We will contact a Dutch cooperative company whose work is based on the economy for the common good. We will speak in English and ask what this initiative, steered by a group of people who took an idea that seemed impossible to carry out, consists of (Felber, 2012). It was exciting because we asked the cooperative to tell us what the "economy for the common good" is as if these were children in year three. And they were surprised to hear the questions (as they were actually students in this course). Their teachers were not at all surprised since they have been working in a global classroom format since Early Childhood Education.

10. It makes more sense in cooperative learning environments and in contact with different networks of people and organisations. The way in which we group students and distribute space in the classroom is significant: equitable teamwork is a key path. Again, the "unspoken" aspects play an important part in any kind of learning and especially in this. The key here is the "space" and the "way in which we relate with each other". It is an exercise in consistency of globality and ethical approach that provides specificity. With everything that has been said in previous points, the key is not helping (which always entails a vertical relationship) but cooperating in a complementary manner (which involves a horizontal relationship). Both the approach of cooperative learning and of networking seek to leave behind (when in appropriate conditions) the idea that help in the classroom is given by the most gifted students to is the least talented ones, or from the North to the South, by operating through two fundamental ideas: "when applying






complementarity, we all better ourselves" and "if you do not succeed, I cannot succeed". Through the window today I see an educator located in Nicaragua teaching a class to his pupils who are located in Brazil. Through another window I see a group of students in Morocco who are working with another group in Canada on a topic of genetics and rare diseases. All of this has a direct impact on classroom arrangements. Of all the groups that I have seen today through windows, I have seen no rows of desks and chairs. They are always arranged in groups of 3, 4 or 5 tables. However, I have also noticed that these are not mere groupings of boys and girls working together. I can see that they all have clearly defined social skills to truly collaborate with one another. The walls are decorated with posters that remind them of the roles, skills and capabilities they have been acquiring. In schools where this has been the case since Early Childhood Education, this form of group dynamics has become second nature. Sometimes, the absence of the educators has no effect on the classroom atmosphere. There is such a thing as self‐regulation. In more complex groups, being more inclusive is clear. Some teams express the importance of their participation in different neighbourhood networks: neighbourhood associations, scouts...; NGDO mediation as a guiding force and a voice in many social processes and situations in sites both known and unknown. I see schools and other organisations excited about contact and integration in global networks. The sense of belonging has an irreplaceable role in education. When I look through the window I see that the classroom is empty. Then I hear that they are outside doing one of the stages of the social transformation game called Oasis (institutoelos.org/en/jogo‐oasis), in a square near the school. The classroom group has been connecting with the neighbourhood and analysing their capabilities and needs. It is now implementing an "oasis" space in its open neighbourhood environment. The party is getting nearer and so is re‐evolution. The best part of it is the connection being established between the school and the neighbourhood.

11. It makes no sense and it is inconsistent if it does not take place in inclusive

environments, where everyone can have access to, participate in and be successful at learning, especially those facing more difficulties. It becomes clear that diversity is an element that helps and not one that hinders. Perhaps at some point we can ask ourselves: why have a classroom the size of the planet? Is it not enough with the personal worlds of each of us?






These questions could give rise to several types of answer. Nevertheless, I prefer the one that has to do with the fact that all this is done with the goal of educational and social inclusion, anywhere on the planet and for the future generations. The concept of inclusion itself can be put to the test if we ask ourselves the question "what kind of social dynamics do we want to include?". But I believe the idea may be clear, with that caveat, if we understand that in our classrooms and educational spaces we generate learning processes that are connected, among others, with the need to fight against exclusion and to make a firm commitment to inclusion. This inclusive outlook for the citizens of tomorrow has to gain "momentum" if we intend to commit to a future of social justice, happiness and love.

>>>>> INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IS… >>>>>1. A PROCESS… >>>> 2. SO THAT THE ENTIRE STUDENT BODY

‐ Appreciate diversity as a positive thing.

‐ If it is a process, it needs time.

‐ If it is a process, during such time, there will be

difficulties, contradictions and advantages, which

are worth experiencing from the point of view of

changes and learning curves.

‐ It is a dilemma‐based process, given that there

are no perfect solutions.

‐ Being PRESENT (2A): >>>>

Being present at school, but not just in any way...

‐ PARTICIPATING (2B): >>>>

This refers to our position in the classroom, with

regard to the voice of the students... ‐ And being SUCCESSFUL (2C): >>>>

In terms of learning outcomes, not only with

reference to exams.

4. ABOVE ALL THOSE WHO ARE THE MOST 3. NO BARRIERS… <<<< ‐ As ethical responsibility.

‐ Identifying groups at risk of marginalisation,

exclusion or dropping out.

‐ Looking primarily into all the elements and

groups that we can not only measure, but that

need to be measured.

‐ Barriers that prevent the exercising of rights.

‐ Barriers to the beliefs and attitudes that can be

seen in school culture, policies and practices.

‐ This is so that we can identify and remove them.

‐ We look at those affected, ascertain the areas or

sections of the school where these are found, and

consider the improvement plans that can be

implemented...

Table 1: Elements constituting inclusive education (Echeita and Ainscow, 2011, prepared by author).

None of this is easy and it poses a great challenge. School experts make comprehensive proposals, such as the one put forward by Mel Ainscow and Tony Booth through their "Index for Inclusion" (www.csie.org.uk). This "index" introduces






a process and some indicators used for developing an inclusive school seeking to create an "inclusive culture" underpinned by "inclusive policies" and implemented through "inclusive practices". I can see elements of this kind when I look through the window and these are the ones that make everything happen. I see a group in the classroom working. In this group, a student with "Asperger's Syndrome" talks over everyone else, repeating the same phrase. The group continue working. A few moments later, some classmates speak to him and explain what is needed of him. He settles down. They continue working. His classmates do not feel they have done anything special. What they do comes naturally. They have done this since they were in Early Childhood Education. They appreciate their classmate for who he is and for what he contributes to the group.

Through another window I see a group in a classroom who are completely unfocused. Half of the members of this group are constantly disrupting the class.

The teachers use specific techniques to try to include them. Suddenly one of them, sat in a corner, addresses the educator. –"Why do you care about me? No one gives a dime for me...". – "I am concerned only about you. I have confidence in you..." ‐ said his teacher.

Figure 1: Work dynamics scheme according to the Index for Inclusion (Ainscow and Booth).






12. A classroom where global learning occurs does not imply additional efforts or more work than is usually required. In fact, it changes the way in which the teaching‐learning process is approached. Now it is true that all changes require hard work and a positive attitude... It is a matter of reorganising our minds. This is paramount for teachers to be able to add a global dimension to their everyday tasks. This is the hardest aspect when incorporating it into our planning. Different types of efforts can be made, but they are unrelated to the model as such, at least not directly. One of the most common examples of this is how to conciliate the various models: especially the traditional model with educational innovation models such as this one. Unless it becomes clear that it is a short‐term transition process, it can turn out to be quite an exhausting one. Up to this point I have only spoken from a classroom perspective, since, if I look through windows in other spaces, I can see that the dynamics that I have described above are visible also in terms of the School's general organisation. Once again, if such consistency is not present, our scope of action is very much limited. I look through the window once again, this time it is the Staff Room. I see a group of teachers going through their lesson plans as a first step in the inclusion of a global dimension in their classrooms. To do so, they use "scaffolding for thinking" that we have devised, which we have called THE GLOBAL LEARNING PERSPECTIVE. I wish to mention that the concept of scaffolding was introduced by educational psychologist Jerome Bruner and was proposed in 1975 as part of its psychosocial theory, closely associated with Vygotsky's concept of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). When learners (adults and children) "climb" this "scaffolding", they are able to begin reorganising their minds. This is a two‐fold action: first, we come down from the scaffolding that restricts us; and second, we climb the scaffolding that helps us boost our perspective. The scheme in table 2 aims to show this. It expects us, educators and teachers... to make this transition and for our students to see us out of our comfort zone and going beyond our restrictive scaffolding. The next step is when our pupils begin to take on the scaffolding and use it naturally (and even begin to own it!). This is not just another technique. The properties of the global dimension have effects on areas of particular social risk (Mateos, 2003; Mateos, 2008). Their potential is interesting and still pending further research.






THE GLOBAL LEARNING PERSPECTIVE

CONTEXTS

More questions than answers. Open content.

Critical and creative thinking. Appropriate methodologies. Collaborative and

equitable spaces.

Reflective practice. Towards inclusive education.

VISIBILITY/INTERDEPENDENCE

Does CD prompt these questions?

How does this affect my reality?

And in other places?

What are the connections?

What have I observed?

Which technique did I use to analyse/engage in critical thinking? How can I enhance it?

How is it being conveyed?

DIVERSITY/CONVERGENCE

(Of approaches, viewpoints, cultures, values…).

Do I employ any of these techniques?

Deliberative and dialogical practices.

Networking (local and global).

Active listening, tolerance and dispute resolution.

Regarding the student's learning...

Is there cognitive and emotional acquisition? Are they clear about...?

What it means by support between people and societies?

MOBILISATION/UTOPIAS

Does CD prompt these questions?

How can I change inequitable realities? How do I take part in equitable ones?

Do I foster an imagery of social transformation?

How are my learning experiences associated with social justice, happiness and love?

What is its role within the international community? And in my neighbourhood or town?

Table 2: Scaffolding for analysis of curricular designs (CD) and the presence of the Global Dimension in them

(Design of the Social Area of the DPPI of ECM, Miguel Ardanaz, 2014).






Finally, the scaffolding scheme is not absolute, it is a horizon. The four images need to be internalised by our mind: ‐ The magnifying glass represents non‐implied things. That is, the closer we look

at it, the more detailed it becomes. Methodologies, human relations, organisation, space, types of communication, choices, types of evaluation... all of this has an impact on the subconscious mind and answers our questions regarding whether what you tell us is words or passion.

‐ Looking into the microscope is an exercise in paying attention to things that are really hidden, either because of their complexity or because someone is responsible for concealing them. It is also not only a question of seeing reality, but also of analysing what lies behind it. It is important to understand that any curricular content is behind (or leads to) a way of understanding reality, consequences, questions and connections. When we ask ourselves about it, we discover uncharted territories that come to form part of real life.

‐ 3D glasses help us discover the different ways of seeing the world we live in: diversity, as we mentioned before. This is not to validate relativism (and least of all fundamentalism), but rather to generate inclusive spaces that encompass cognitive and emotional axes. Other major axes include justice and care (from the points of view of Kolberg and Guiligan), and help us understand and share coexistence and cooperation. Much of any curricular content entails such diversity. When we forget that perspective, we show a world without volume, without all its dimensions.

‐ Lastly, the telescope encourages us to look even further. Through it, we consider how to intervene in reality, with all our limitations, yet aware of them. When we work this aspect since Early Childhood Education, we find that our commitment to the world is on another level. We are co‐authors of a world with social justice, happiness and love.

What I have described is only a partial view. There are many more windows through which to observe classrooms and educational spaces. There are even many more ways to look attentively. Today we start with these, bit by bit. I think it might be interesting, especially in the field of formal education, where changes are so slow to be implemented in general. We can begin by integrating elements of them progressively into our teaching programmes, in order to build this global citizenry towards inclusion, and social justice, happiness and love. With time, without anxiety, but with clear convictions and tenacity. So, shall we climb the scaffolding?






To live/ in a constant transient state. To learn/ to be here without knowing where we will be next/ to throw ourselves into chance encounters, into the unforeseeable predictions of amazement/ to embrace storms with open arms. To do away with the shackles of time/ and the certainty of routine. To talk about what has been seen. To pay attention to what we see. To remember that there are only backwards steps if we are following in the footsteps of others. To walk.

(Laura Casielles, 2014)






BIBLIOGRAPHY ‐ Álvarez, E. Política Pública y Participación Ciudadana: Ocho tensiones para la incidencia

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‐ Ardanaz, M. and García‐Rincón, C. (2012). Reflexionando sobre la competencia utópica. Madrid: FERE‐CECA Madrid (ECM).

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