We have heard a lot recently about Scotland’s place in the international PISA rankings. ‘Toxic mediocrity’, ‘shocking failure’ and ‘shameful neglect’ are some of the more colourful phrases being bandied about. While all research about how we are doing is welcome and should be addressed, it is important to remember that the PISA results are based on a one-off, two hour test with under 2% of 15 year-old pupils. They are produced by the OECD who also recently carried out a much wider review of Scottish education. In this review they made it absolutely clear that PISA “cannot be taken as a proxy for the full spectrum of knowledge, skills and competences that is relevant to Curriculum for Excellence” . Indeed they highlighted the need for evidence that considers and reflects progress against all four of the Curriculum for Excellence capacities – as responsible citizens, effective contributors and confident individuals as well as successful learners.
Teachers in Scotland believe very strongly that learning about global issues is important for young people
An entitlement for all
Global Citizenship education has been embedded across Curriculum for Excellence since its inception, and under Learning for Sustainability it is now an entitlement for all pupils. It is aligned with the four capacities, most clearly with responsible citizens and effective contributors. How do we go about assessing its effect on learners given that it addresses pupils’ values and skills as well as their knowledge and understanding and given that the issues it addresses – things like global interdependence, migration, climate justice, inequality – are challenging and contested? IDEAS’ new report Understanding the Impact of Global Citizenship – using a Theory of Change approach offers a framework for approaching this.
Theory of Change
A ‘Theory of Change’ is simply a means of looking at the direct and indirect effects of any intervention over time. In this context, it lays out the various ways in which IDEAS and its members support the development of Global Citizenship education in Scotland and the impacts we expect to have on teachers, pupils and whole schools, as well as more widely on parents, communities and the general public. The IDEAS ‘Theory of Change’ stands alone as well as forming part of the report.
Teachers can have transformative lightbulb moments where they see their whole teaching approach in a different light
Insights
The report itself provides some specific insights. For example, we have found overall that teachers in Scotland believe very strongly that learning about global issues is important for young people. Even before any training, the most common rating for this was 10 on a 10 point scale, with an average rating of 8.84. Their confidence, though, in delivering global citizenship education tends to be only around 5 on a 10 point scale.
For pupils, it pinpoints effects such as enhanced motivation and engagement and increased confidence in expressing opinions
We have also seen that teachers differ in their ‘readiness’ to respond to professional development in this area. This can range from those for whom Global Citizenship education is conceptually and practically entirely new, through individuals who have preconceptions that lead to resistance or hesitation to those who have become confident and professionally committed pioneers. Progression can be slow and steady, led by the positive responses of pupils, or teachers can have transformative lightbulb moments where they see their whole teaching approach in a different light. One teacher, for example, noted, “I sort of realised that I coach the pupils into getting them to say what I think that they need to learn and not letting them be critical thinkers”. Some enthusiasts are stymied by competing priorities within their schools and local authorities and we consider how this can be addressed.
For pupils, it pinpoints effects such as enhanced motivation and engagement and increased confidence in expressing opinions, as well as deeper awareness of their place in the world and the relevance of learning to their lives.
Widening the discussion
The main point of the report though is to stimulate a much wider discussion about why and how we measure progress in this area. It highlights the potential for a narrow definition of attainment to undermine the broad progressive ambition of Curriculum for Excellence and argues for broader, more inclusive drivers such as pupil engagement to be foregrounded in addressing the attainment gap. It proposes a continued development of supported practitioner enquiry in this area. Embedded within teachers’ everyday work, practitioner enquiry can ensure that impact research does not lie in unread articles but becomes directly relevant to the development of practice.
Overall the report seeks to ensure that we assess the impacts of education in an enriching, genuinely informative way and in relation to its societal, cultural and environmental benefits as well as its economic ones. Using it as a framework, IDEAS aim to build our capacity to demonstrate what we’re told everyday in our work – that Global Citizenship education results in more rounded, curious and engaged citizens who are adaptable, empowered and intrinsically disposed to learning. And that’s just the teachers!
Global Citizenship education results in more rounded, curious and engaged citizens who are adaptable, empowered and intrinsically disposed to learning.
