Abstract:

Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, educators in New EU member states have addressed subjects such as Democratic Citizenship in their curricula. Decline in democracy in several established European countries is calling for renewed emphasis on teaching subjects of citizenship education. Yet, the public sphere is very different than a quarter of a century ago. The ideals of free and open societies that lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall are no longer universally adhered. The politics of nation states is ravaged by populist and nationalistic slogans calling for the reinstatement of walls and fences. For the first time the humanity is exposed to unprecedented level of access and interaction between markets. This could encourage citizens to embrace universal values instead of abandoning them. Yet, it seems that global knowledge does not in itself lead to global awareness.

Educational institutions have a vital role to play in implementing new education directions to narrow this gap. Global education (GE) or development education is one of such directions. Although countries have adopted variety of approaches and use different definitions of GE the consensus seems to be that the citizenship today goes beyond the borders of national interests. This means that the content and organization of education has to reach out to the global community of nations, respecting citizenship rights and responsibilities within an interdependent world. Key skills for the 21st century involve complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, multiple (mental, physical, emotional and spiritual) intelligence, judgment and decision making, service orientation, negotiation, cognitive flexibility.

This paper examines the internal and external factors that contribute to the transformation of education curricula to fit the realities of globalised world. By using the experience of Latvian primary and secondary schools we show that the management of contemporary education institution must follow multidimensional and integral principles to produce truly transformative learning environment.

Our study design is based on integral theory formulated by Ken Wilber and Sean Esbjörn-Hargens. It examines four complementing dimensions - teacher's personal and social values as well as the role of institutional and management practices in the implementation of GE. The control group of 135 Latvian secondary school teachers who have participated in global education training project, and a general survey of general Latvian population provides the empirical data.

We find that the motivation of teachers to use elements of GE in their work is positively affected by their personal values, beliefs and attitudes. The social values are not so favourable for the implementation of global education but they do not seem to have a significant impact on the professional activity of the teachers. Important role of integral education management is to align the values of teachers, parents and pupils. The pupils of millennial generation have come of age during a time of technological change, globalization and economic disruption. That has given them a different set of behaviors and experiences than their parents. Increasingly and collectively, they have the potential to change the world around them and take care in international problems.

Keywords:

Global education, integral education, values, teachers.