An Inquiry into the Internationally Minded Curriculum

Abstract

This qualitative curriculum study was an inquiry into the development, application, and assessment of a curriculum for international mindedness in an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme school. The participants included one teacher and 11 students. The influence of teacher beliefs, intentions, and actions regarding international mindedness; student perceptions of the curricular activities; and possible implications for international mindedness in U.S. schools in general were of particular interest to this study. I used Eisner’s (1994b) educational connoisseurship and criticism methodology and two additional frameworks: Eisner’s (1988) ecology of schooling and Uhrmacher, McConnell Moroye, and Flinders’ (2017) instructional arc to explore planning for, teaching about, and assessing an international mindedness unit of inquiry. This process led to identifying four themes: passion, intentionality, modeling, and reflection, as well as the development of a tool for others to further explore becoming internationally minded for themselves or with others. Implications could influence future hiring practices and professional development practices by asking higher-order questions through a framework of the what, the how, and the why. A consideration of these questions helped inform the creation of a tool for reflective practice.