Hannah Bradley • 07/10/2024  •  3 min read

cultural understanding | DP core | empathy | IB Diploma Programme | international-mindedness

This framework was first presented by Hannah Bradley at the IB Global Conference, Dublin 2023.

International-mindedness is a holistic approach that promotes empathy and cultural understanding, encouraging students to consider and address global challenges.

As an IB educator looking to foster international-mindedness in your school, it can be hard to find the most effective way to address such a complex concept.

That’s where Hannah Bradley’s framework comes in. To help you find the right starting point, Hannah recommends that you take some time to think about nine key questions in three areas: student self-awareness, international-mindedness during lessons, and international-mindedness across the wider school community.

Try it out for yourself! To find the right approach for fostering international-mindedness in your classroom or school, ask yourself the following questions:

Developing students’ self-awareness

• How can we nurture our students’ self-awareness in relation to their own cultural backgrounds?
• What impact do our students’ backgrounds have on their thoughts and decisions?
• How can we help students to recognise and appreciate cultural diversity?

International-mindedness in lessons

• Where in the curriculum are the clearest opportunities to bring in examples of international-mindedness?
• How could the subject matter in the syllabus be applied to address global challenges?
• How can we stimulate students’ creativity and encourage them to address global challenges proactively?

International-mindedness across the school

• Where are the clearest opportunities for students to gain insight into and celebrate various cultures?
• How can the school provide structure and motivation for students to take action on global issues?
• How can students be empowered to come up with their own initiatives to promote international-mindedness?

Recommended reading and listening

• International-mindedness and the DP core (IB resource for teachers)
• The International-mindedness journey: school practices for developing and assessing international-mindedness across the IB continuum. Barratt Hacking, Blackmore, Bullock et al., 2017.
• Episode 8 and 9 of MYP Decoded Podcast: What does international-mindedness look like in an IB school?. Kitson & Vaughan, 2023.

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