Midweek Connect: 3/31/21 ~ Teachable Moments
Greetings and Happy Midweek,
As I prepare to do an informal presentation for a gathering of colleagues next month, I’ve been reviewing intercultural teaching and learning theories and methodologies. And then the World presented us all with such a compelling drama this past week which unfolded after a giant ship got stuck in the Suez Canal. Which brings me to today’s reflection...on cross-cultural teachable moments!
Drawing from Global SKILLs’ PROACTive learning strategies*, and from the plethora of components this stuck super container ship’s dilemma poses, I’ll focus today on Applications and a few ideas of how lessons learned from this incident, and its global ramifications, might be applied to our intercultural journeys.
As it all unfolded, one lesson I learned, and plan to apply more rigorously, is to listen to both children and the experts (perhaps in that order!) in any given learning context. Culturally, the array of international experts collaborating on remedies was impressive and proved effective, combined of course with Mother Nature’s remedy of high tides. In addition however, interviews (link is below) with children ages 3 to 8, who were asked what needed to be done, proved (at least for me) most insightful - and delightfully creative!
In many cultures, the wisdom children bring to any table is not regarded as worthwhile. And often, delightful creativity is not considered as a theoretical or pedagogical necessity. However, in light of this Suez Canal teachable moment and how it played out on the global stage, I suggest that we all would do well, in any context, to listen to and learn from the young…
“Out of the mouths of babes...” as ‘they’ say - well worth our attention, in any culture!
How about you ~ what teachable moment might you cull from this historic Suez Canal incident?
Share about that with a friend or note it here.
And check the Global SKILLs LINKs below for incident details and more thought-provoking information...don’t miss this teachable moment!
Until next week,
Betsy
* PROACTive Learning Strategies: PROfile, PROcess, PROgram and ACT - Applications, Collaboration and Transitions
Global SKILLs LINKs
The kids: https://www.djournal.com/news/national/we-asked-kids-what-they-would-do-to-free-the-ship-in-suez-canal/video_3a864b2d-784b-5559-85f3-adfe8363371e.html
The “experts”: https://apnews.com/article/suez-canal-ship-freed-live-updates-48f856c9afed58feb908878c2a495287
The role the size of the ship played: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/business/economy/container-ships-suez-canal.html
The role Mother Nature played: https://www.space.com/full-moon-helps-free-stuck-ship-suez-canal
The global importance of the Suez Canal: https://qz.com/1989788/why-the-suez-canal-is-vital-to-global-trade/
Until next week!
Betsy
2021 ~ Celebrating 40 years of working in
intercultural communications and global community building
Connecting, Collaborating, Cultivating Community