International School Magazine - Spring 2018

Features

International education in early childhood – what does it look like? Nicola Weir on the importance of the early years Much of the research and literature on ‘international education’ or ‘international mindedness’ indicates the importance and value for learners of displaying a mindset and disposition of ‘global mindedness’, if they are to be successful and positive contributors to a world that is increasingly a global village (Haywood, 2007). For our children, the expectations from parents, school and society as a whole are high; parents want their child to be skilled and intellectual, while possessing qualities such as cultural understanding, good communication, people skills, multiple languages, and so much more. At Yew Chung International School (YCIS) Kindergarten in Hong Kong, we constantly reflect and ponder on what ‘international education’ means for an early childhood setting. We ask ourselves: can young children experience education that enables them to develop understanding Spring

Autumn |

| 2016

and a disposition of ‘international mindedness’? We discuss and question: how does a child who is still developing the very basics of ‘cultural identity’ also develop ‘intercultural understanding’? Is it possible for a young child not only to develop a personal identity of who they are as an individual, but also to develop the ability to connect with another individual who possesses different language, looks, and mannerisms? Working in an early childhood setting, looking at ‘international education’ and linking it to well-known theories of early childhood education, we explored the theories of Erikson (1980) and Vygotsky (Daniels et al, 2007) whose research suggests that young children learn from both the physical world and the social world around them. They explain that children are ‘imitators’, learning and mimicking the behaviours, thinking processes, and experience-related

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