Intercultural Education, Vol.

11 Supplement, 2000

Intercultural education, co- operative learning and the changing society

PIETER BATELAAN & IEVA GUNDARE
If we were to take a cursory glance at the state of education across the globe we would see that schools everywhere are facing many problems. To mention just a few of these: students are not interested in what the school has to offer, which sometimes leads to disruptive behaviour, vandalism and violence; students, particularly from the more socially disadvantaged groups, are not nishing their education. Instead they are dropping out of school; students (teenagers) are feeling rejected by society; teachers are burnt out, overworked, and underpaid; business and industry are complaining about the quality of education; public opinion demanding from the education sector of society the solutions for all kind of problems: health issues, environmental issues, moral issues, etc. Society has changed in the last decades, but have schools followed these changes? In spite of all the rhetoric about change , a person from the past would easily recognise the same procedures and settings taking place in classrooms and in schools. This would not be the case if somebody were to enter an office, visit a hospital, a bank, a factory, a farm, or try to find one s way in traffic, or make sense of the ways in which we communicate with each other. That same person would be totally disoriented. Most teachers are still repeating what their teachers were doing: giving information, explaining the content of a textbook, letting students (sitting at small tables, placed in rows in the classroom which face the teacher s desk) read texts and answer questions about the texts. Compared to many other professions, such as manager, doctor, manufacturer, bank employee, farmer, etc. not much has changed in most European educational settings yet. However, to solve the problems mentioned in the first paragraph and to meet the challenges of a changing society, schools will need to change. What are we talking about when we talk about a changing society ? The main changes include: the change in Central and Eastern Europe from a more (the East) or less (the West) state- controlled economy into a market economy; the change from a more or less centralised society into a decentralised society; the change from a society based on the national state as organising principle, to a society based on multinational networks; the change from an industrial society into an information society; the change from a mono- cultural/egalitarian society in terms of values (particularly with reference to religion, family, and social relations) into a multicultural society, diverse in terms of values. Such changes are even more dramatic in the post- socialist nation states. Changes here are
ISSN 1467- 5986 print; ISSN 1469- 8489 online/00/0300S31- 04 2000 Taylor & Francis Ltd DOI: 10.1080/14675980020010854

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also more complex. The Baltic countries, for instance, which have just become independent after decades of being Soviet republics, find themselves in a situation where they both want to develop a national identity and want to join intergovernmental networks such as the European Union and NATO. The transition from a state- controlled economy to a market economy was not a more or less gradual process as it was in Western Europe, but a revolutionary change. The democratic tradition of Western European nations had always valued individual responsibility, whereas the Soviet system emphasised collective responsibility and collective values. Cultural and language rights of minorities are in Western societies protected by legis lation. National minorities are citizens, but in countries which have just recently (re)gained their independence, it is not self- evident that minorities have the same status as the majority population, particularly when the largest minority is of the same descent as the former occupiers . This raises controversial issues in education. Let us take a closer look at some examples in the Latvian situation. The most controversial issue is perhaps that history teachers had to change their interpretation of the past. As the Soviet system started to collapse it seemed that everything that used to be interpreted as good now needed to be interpreted as bad, and vice versa. The consequence is that many teachers no longer believe what they are teaching. Teachers of Russian origin tend to identify more with the previous Soviet regime and feel guilty. In mixed classes or teacher groups you always see segregation. People from different backgrounds do not like to mix. Sometimes there is clear evidence of resistance to co- operate with each other. Russians feel uncomfortable speaking Russian with Latvians (even if they know that these people speak Russian). Russian history teachers are even afraid to teach about Russian history (they are afraid that somebody might accuse them of being Russian nationalists!). Latvian society is going through economic hard times, and education is not a high priority. Consequently, teachers often have to deal with unmotivated students, working students, and uninterested parents. In Western societies democracy is not only a political system. It is also a system which is based on a democratic tradition and culture, whereas in post- socialist countries this culture has yet to be developed. Education is together with the media one of the main instruments for this cultural development. It is, therefore, important to be aware of the democratic conditions that are needed to implement change in a democratic manner. These conditions include: provision of equal opportunities, social protection, fair competition, access to information and technology, integration and inclusiveness, a global perspective, decentralised decision making, legislation according to human rights, access to various cultures, and the guaranteeing of fundamental freedoms. How can intercultural education, co- operative learning and Complex Instruction (CI) contribute to the solution of these problems? What can the contribution of CI and co- operative learning methods be to fulfil the needs of a changing society? Let us have another look at the various changes and issues that are necessary. What knowledge, skills, and attitudes are required to meet the challenges of change in a democratic context? In Table 1 we would like to provide an overview of the changes that are needed, as well as the conditions required for these changes and concomitant skills and attitudes.

Co- operative Learning and the Changing Society

TABLE 1 Conditions (from a democracy perspective) Equal opportunities Social security Competition Access to information Required skills and attitudes

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Change from

Into

State controlled Market economy economy

Open minds Initiative Creativity Critical thinking Decision making Imagination Responsibility (including social responsibility) Responsibility Multiple perspectives Communication Co- operation Empathy Con ict resolution skills Awareness of identity issues Respect for human rights, including language rights International orientation Information management skills Learning to learn Learning to live with uncertainties Understanding processes and strategies Problem solving skills Technology skills

More or less centralised society

Decentralised society

Integration and inclusiveness

National State as an organising principle An industrial society

Multinational Globalisation networks as Decentralisation in organising principle decision making Regionalisation An information society Access to technology Access to information

Mono- cultural/ Multicultural egalitarian Diverse in terms of society in values terms of values (with reference to religion, family, social relations)

Legislation according to Respect/tolerance (learning human rights to live together) Access to various cultures Awareness of human rights, Fundamental freedoms including cultural and language rights Learning to see reality from different perspectives Learning to live with uncertainties Learning to live within various networks

Intercultural education comes with a host of requirements: open minds, critical thinking, responsibility, communication, co- operation, empathy, awareness of identity issues, awareness of and respect for human rights (including cultural and language rights), an international orientation, respect/tolerance, learning to see reality from different perspectives,

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Classroom School culture Goals Content Organisation

School

Society

Research

FIG 1. Areas of school development.

learning to live with uncertainties, and learning to live within various networks. Such an educational orientation provides teachers with the principles for dealing with controversial issues. CI aims explicitly at the development of essential skills and attitudes, including creativity, critical thinking, decision making, imagination, responsibility, communication and co- operation, and the ability to deal with conflicts. It provides equal access and equal opportunities for learning, as well as providing opportunities for teachers to get adjusted to their new roles. However, intercultural education and co- operative learning, particularly when based on CI, can only be implemented as part of whole school development. This requires clear policies and strategies at the level of the classroom, the school, and the relations between school and community, including parents. It is not a simple matter of implementing and developing new curriculum materials or new classroom strategies. Whole school development is aimed at the development of a school culture and school goals, and the development of content and an organisation that are compatible with the school s culture and goals (see Fig. 1). Address for correspondence: P. Batelaan, Sumatralaan 37, 1217 GP Hilversum, The Netherlands.