Global Dimension Blog

As part of International Education Week, Teachers TV is looking in detail at the situation in India and how the challenges and rewards of teaching there vary from or resemble those we may be more familiar with.

Picks of the week include:

Going to School In India
Millions of children in India go to school in classrooms, fields, or tents, and get there by whatever means possible. This programme reveals how important teaching and learning is to India's children and families.
» Find out more or watch online at: www.teachers.tv/video/29288.

Teaching Empire - How Do They Do It in India?
As the British Empire becomes a set topic at Key Stage 3, this programme looks at the other side of the coin and explores how the subject is taught in India.
» Find out more or watch online at: www.teachers.tv/video/29387.

» For a full list of India programmes, including Action! Teacher videos made by teachers from four schools in India and the UK which showcase examples of their own classroom practice, go to: www.teachers.tv/india.

This useful little booklet has been published by DCSF to support their Sustainable Schools Strategy, and is the latest in a series of 'Top Tips' for sustainable schools. The ten tips include suggestions like "Explore local, topical issues from a global perspective", "Find out what impact your school's buying has on other countries" and (maybe best of the lot?) "Promote optimism and action".

You can download the booklet as a PDF from Teachernet or order hard copies from DCSF Publications at Prolog (email: dcsf@prolog.uk.com, tel: 0845 60 222 60) quoting the reference number DCSF-00683-2008LEF-EN.

 To coincide with World Food Day on 16 October, Oxfam have produced a series of lesson plans examining and explaining the role of food in our lives and the problems that, for many people, surround it. The rising cost of food and fuel is impacting on people all around the world and, sadly, we are on the brink of a humanitarian crisis – with up to 1 million people, who live on the edge of poverty in 30 countries, at risk of hunger because of food shortages. You can download Oxfam's resources and get further information at www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/world_food_crisis/.

This Geography & Food slideshow might also be useful for World Food Day - you could adapt it for discussions about food in your local area. It's aimed at primary but could be adapted for other age groups.

Slideshare is a potentially a great web resource for teachers - lots of slideshows to browse through and share.

A free copy of the little book Teach Your Granny to Text & Other World-changing Ideas is being sent to every maintained school in England this week. The book has been produced by We Are What We Do, a social-enterprise charity which aims to get people to change the world through their everyday actions. It features children's entries from We Are What We Do's 'Small Actions x Lots of People = Big Change' competition that was held last year, and they have worked hard to ensure that the book works as a practical resource for use in the classroom, as well as publishing Teaching Ideas on their website.

Sadly I don't have a Granny that I can teach to text but the particular action that strikes a chord with me is Don't Charge Your Phone Overnight. Oops! I often do this, but I won't anymore... and here's the little video that shamed me:

Teachers TV this week are asking what it means to be British in The Big Debate - Britishness broadcast on 8 October hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy. The debate looks at the role of schools in teaching Britishness and includes the panellists Douglas Murray, right-wing writer and academic; Sir Keith Ajegbo, author of the Government’s report on citizenship and diversity in schools; Baljeet Ghale, the first black president of the NUT, and the Paralympic medallist Ade Adepitan, MBE.

More 'Britishness' programmes on the channel this week include: a three-part series, Brit Camp, starting today, 6 October at 8pm, where six children from very different backgrounds head off to the Lake District to discover what it means to be British; and Bobby Friction - Generation 7/7, 8pm on Thursday 9 October, which explores what young British Asians think about race and identity.

Meanwhile, over on the History Channel there's a new five part series called: 50 Things You Need To Know About British History, with teaching packs and video clips available to use in class. To whet your appetite, try out their fun 'Britology Challenge' below. Do these questions - and these 50 Things - fit in with your ideas of British history? What other 'things' would you add?

There's a great, simple, secondary resource for Black History Month (that's October, ie now!) on the TES website.

The Black Scientist Trail has posters featuring 11 black scientists, with basic information about them. The idea is that pupils read each poster then do internet research to find out the scientists' names. It's downloadable as a PDF and includes the posters, a pupil sheet and the answers. Schools could organise it as a competition, with a prize for sheets filled in with correct answers.

You can download the resource at: www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6003163. You will have to register on the TES website, but it's free.

These awards celebrate the 10th anniversary (in September 2008) of Sir Bernard Crick's report proposing citizenship education in schools. They're being run by the Association for Citizenship Teaching and CSV Education and there is one award for each region of England (two for London).

They are open to primary, secondary and special schools in England, who could win £500 to fund a citizenship project led by young people for young people and their community - and community could mean the school itself, its local community or the wider global community. Applications need to demonstrate that the young people involved "see themselves as agents of change" and that the project "incorporates issues of diversity and cohesion". That looks like a great vehicle for active global citizenship to me!

The deadline for entries is 14 November. Further details and application packs are available on the CSV Education website.