As a future Primary Teacher, it is very alarming to hear that so many of our pupils fail to see the relevance of our learning. Learning in my opinion, and in line with the aims of the PYP curriculum should be fun, engaging and relevant. If our pupils have the view that it is in fact the opposite, we must be doing something wrong.

To suggest that all learning is useful, is naive. Of course we can’t teach content which is useful to every pupil, all of the time; it wouldn’t be possible. But what we absolutely can do is make sure that all of our pupils are catered for by offering a broad range of activities, allowing personalisation and choice to provide the best learning opportunities for our pupils.

It’s our job as educators to dispel any misconceptions about the irrelevance of learning. But what we first must do, is fully understand the relevance ourselves. Once we are confident about the purpose of what we are teaching it is absolutely vital that we convey this to all pupils by applying it to real life situations.

If you had presented me with the above statement when I was thirteen years old, or in fact this time last year, I most definitely would’ve agreed with it. To some extent, I still do. It isn’t a waste of time, but when taught without context, it is difficult to understand its purpose. It does matter, but without teaching them why it matters, it’s useless.

International mindedness needs time to develop. It is not a lesson that can just ‘be taught’ but instead an outlook which you can choose to adopt and build on.

Much like I already thought, this blog post confirms that there are different degrees of international mindedness, and that when you’re thirty-years-old, you’ll most likely look at it very differently from when you were six. At such a young age, it can be tricky to comprehend why countries work together for a mutual benefit, or to appreciate a foreign film or TV show. It is therefore important that us as teachers give them the opportunity to adopt this mindset in a different way. This could be through a class discussion about their home countries or even through looking at the nationalities of famous people, for example. It is then important that they use this information to build on each other and create a sense of togetherness.

Once children get a bit older, teachers can begin to explore more complex ideas such as trade, similarities and differences between countries, and of course modern languages. This is an easy concept to embed in lessons, or even explore through the viewing of newsround in the morning. Watching something similar to this will more-often-than-not spark conversation which encourages inquiry-based learning whilst simultaneously delving into the idea of being internationally minded.

The local as well as the global. Whilst exploring content about other areas of the world, it is vital that teachers don’t forget what is right there on their doorstop. To develop international thinking, it is helpful to begin with information about the host country and their culture. We need to give our children the opportunity to immerse themselves into their own culture, and develop their knowledge and awareness of the things directly around them.

In my opinion, being internationally minded comes with many benefits. Children (and adults alike) will have ease finding friends from different backgrounds, they’ll be able to see themselves as responsible and global citizens and above all will increase their self-awareness and empathy. Language skills are becoming ever more important in the world, and many employers seek those with an additional language. I really can’t find any disadvantages and I am fully confident that by encouraging our children to adopt this mindset, we are contributing to creating an interconnected world.

It’s about doing everything on their level. By doing this we should successfully achieve an international education which gives our pupils the best chance in the interconnected and globalised world in which we live.