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Globally Minded Preschoolers: Playful Investigation of the Interdependence Between Self, Others, and Society

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Abstract

This study focuses on the early years program at International School Hong Kong (ISHK), a school with an explicit mission towards global mindedness. The program aims to move beyond narrow conceptions of us/them, north/south, and east/west binaries. Instead, ISHK urges children to view the world holistically through a range of perspectives. Within the context of ISHK, the early childhood program encourages children to understand the concept of interdependence through strong relationships and caring for others and the environment. The school draws from both Deweyan and Confucian philosophies in an effort to blend ideas of the East and West. Confucian ideals, in particular, support the need for a child to become junzi (君子, an exemplary person) through harmonious relationships, respect and appreciation of differences, coexistence with others, and compassion for the natural world. Deweyan views of democratic relationships support children in learning to work together and find common ground with others. Findings from this study suggest that children at ISHK learn to engage with and challenge peers, encounter and respect cultures other than their own, and investigate ways to conserve the planet. Through this program, children appear to be building early competencies for long-term global engagement.

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Notes

  1. 人而不仁, 如禮何?

  2. 吾日三醒吾身.

  3. 三人行必有我師焉.

  4. 孔子曰: 能行五者於天下, 為仁矣。請問之?曰: 恭、寬、信、敏、惠。恭則不侮, 寬則得眾, 信則人任焉, 敏則有功, 惠則足以使人。

  5. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.

  6. 士不可不弘毅, 任重而道遠。

  7. ISHK uses 'Chinese' for local teachers and 'Western' for international teachers.

  8. 但其施教,則必因其才而篤焉.

  9. Jei Jei is the term that children at ISHK use to refer to the classroom helper. They perform tasks such as cleaning the classroom, setting out meals, preparing the room for naptime, and toileting the children.

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  1. Department of Curriculum and Instruction College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

    Kutasha Bryan-Silva, Stephanie C. Sanders-Smith & Sylvia Ya-Hsuan Yang

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  1. Kutasha Bryan-Silva
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  2. Stephanie C. Sanders-Smith
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  3. Sylvia Ya-Hsuan Yang
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Correspondence to Kutasha Bryan-Silva.

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Bryan-Silva, K., Sanders-Smith, S.C. & Yang, S.YH. Globally Minded Preschoolers: Playful Investigation of the Interdependence Between Self, Others, and Society. Early Childhood Educ J 51, 1145–1155 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01357-8

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