Last week's News Round-up from NAEE had a feature on the new Connecting Classrooms for Global Learning programme which has now been launched. The details are here and their website says:
“The new Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme supports schools internationally to learn about and collaborate on the big issues that shape our world. Connecting Classrooms is a flexible journey for schools around the world of learning, knowledge sharing and international collaboration."
We can be sure, of course, that these big issues will overwhelmingly be those with a social justice theme – inequality / poverty / discrimination / misogyny / neoliberalism /racism / capitalism / etc – and pretty sure that issues such as species, habitat and biodiversity loss / global warming / ocean acidification / etc, will be minority themes. That is, the Connecting Classrooms programme will cherry pick which of the SDGs it focuses on because that's what global learning enthusiasts do.
The writer of the NAEE asked why there wasn't a Connecting Classrooms for Environmental Learning programme as well, which is a good question which has no answer from Defra which has been captured by the wellbeing industry whose motto seems to be: Climate change (etc) will not be a problem provided we feel good about ourselves.
The NAEE news item then says: "much better, perhaps, [a programme] that brings these two sets of ideas together into a sensible synergy.
What a good idea! Someone should tell the DfE ...
Hi Bill, we had a positive meeting with British Council in Nepal about this programme and are hoping to help facilitate some connecting classrooms for global and environmental learning between UK and Nepali schools in the coming years. Will keep you updated.