A case study of implementation of
international mindedness in the IB
Diploma Programme in a Hong Kong
second language Chinese classroom
AIE Conference in DOHA, QATAR
Research Report
Faculty of Education,
The University of Hong Kong
LAU Kwok Ling
PhD candidate, Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong
Supervisor Dr. Mark Shum
21 October 2012
1
Abstract
 This study aims at examining the concept of
ʻinternational mindednessʼ as it is evidenced in the
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
(IBDP) in a Chinese as a second language classroom
in an international school.
 The research methodology includes in-depth semistructured
interviews,
classroom
observation,
classroom discourse analysis (Christie, 2008), and text
analysis of studentsʼ work by using Systemic Functional
Linguistics (SFL) (Halliday, 1994), Appraisal Theory
(Martin and White 2005).
2
Abstract
 The findings show how the teacher in this study could
be said to have demonstrated ʻinternational
mindedness’ in her teaching, and how students
expressed ʻinternational mindedness’ in their
representations of values and knowledge. The study
concludes that IB curriculum officers and educators
should consider how to effectively promote international
mindedness in IB curriculum and assessment
development.
3
Statement of the problem
 There are very few in-depth studies on
examining the concept of ʻ international
mindedness ʼ in Chinese as a second
language in the IB Diploma Programme in
Hong Kong, thus this study will fill the gap.
4
Research questions and Methodology
Research Questions
Research methodology
•
Classroom observation,
In-depth interview teachers
with semi-structured
questions.
Classroom discourse
analysis (Christie, 2008) ,
Systemic Functional
Linguistics (SFL) (Halliday,
1994) and Appraisal theory
(Martin and White 2005) will
be used.
How do the teachers
of Chinese as a
second language of
the International
Baccalaureate
Diploma Programme
implement
international
mindedness in
teaching?
5
Research questions and Methodology
Research Questions
Research methodology
•
Classroom observation,
In-depth interview students
with semi-structured
questions.
Classroom discourse
analysis (Christie, 2008) ,
Systemic Functional
Linguistics (SFL) (Halliday,
1994) and Appraisal theory
(Martin and White 2005) will
be used for student text
analysis.
How do the students
of Chinese as a
second language of
the Diploma
Programme learn
international
mindedness in
learning?
6
Literature Review
What is international mindedness?
 Haywood (2007:86-87) suggests these
components are essential to the process of
international mindedness:
 Curiosity and interest in the world around us,
based on knowledge of the earth and on its
human and physical geography.
 Open attitudes towards other ways of life and a
predisposition to tolerance as regards other
cultures and their belief systems/
7
Literature Review
What is international mindedness?
 Knowledge and understanding of the scientific
basis that identifies the earth’s environment as a
common entity of value to everyone
 Recognition of the interconnectedness of human
affairs (in place and time) as part of the holistic
experience of life.
 Human values that combine respect for other
ways of life with care and concern for the welfare
and well-being of people in general.
8
Literature Review
What is international mindedness?
 Skelton (2007:380-388) defines international
mindedness as international cultural
understanding, the cultural connection, leaving
the self and institutionalisation, the awareness of
self in the West and East, and the awareness of
others co-existing in the world, the highest form
of good. He suggests that understanding,
appropriate knowledge and sharing these skills
with other subjects by authentic activities of
global issues.
9
Literature Review
What is international mindedness?
 Walker (2005) summarizes six important
characteristics of international education as
follows:
 Communication: knowing how to access
information
 Negotiation: the skills of persuading people to
comprise or change their minds
10
Literature Review
What is international mindedness?
 Political awareness: understanding why nations
have particular priorities
 Cultural understanding: recognizing that different
groups have different mindsets.
 Global issues: studying issues that impact across
nations
 Criteria for truth: how do we judge what is right or
wrong? (p.1)
11
The core values and attitudes of IB
School Curriculum
 The core values and attitudes of IB School
Curriculum for enhancing Education for Peace
include:
 1. Human Rights and democracy
 2. Cooperation and Solidarity
 3. Preservation of Cultures
 4. Self and others
 5. Internationalism
 6. Protection of the Environment
 7. Spirituality

International Education Bureau, p.4
 http://www.ibe.unesco.org/publications/Innovation/inno100e.pdf
12
The core values and attitudes of IB
School Curriculum
 Values related to Self and Others
 · Self awareness, reliance, esteem, and
discipline
 · Respect and empathy in our relationship with
other; loving and caring
 · Moral courage
 · Open-mindedness, trust truthfulness, tolerance,
equanimity and reconciliation
 · Inquiry and creativity
 International Education Bureau, p.4

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/publications/Innovation/inno100e.pdf
13
What is international mindedness?
 The definitions of international mindedness can
be summarized as communication, negotiation,
knowledge, intercultural understanding, political
awareness, curiosity and interest in global issues,
open attitudes, criteria for truth, human values,
critical thinking and problem solving skills,
collaboration and creativity.
14
Research Methodology
 3.21 Choice of the Case Study
 School C was opened in 1983. School C has been
authorized as an IB school and it has been authorized to
offer the IB Chinese B Diploma Programmes beginning in
1991.
 Since the choice of the representative cases contributes
much to the external validity of the case study, it is
important to show that the school in question is typical
example of the implementation of an IB Chinese Diploma
Programme. I shall focus on Christie Classroom discourse
analysis Curriculum Macrogenre in the Year 12 Chinese
curriculum IB Diploma classroom. The average of
students age is 17 year old.
15
Curriculum initiation
 In the preparation, teacher gave an orientation
of the unit plan objectives in the first lesson.
Teacher set the task and gave the instructions
about the aims of tasks, students were
expected to listen and understand the focus on
the task by group discussion and research and
group presentation of their findings and then
they have to write an exposition essay by
independent construction.
16
Curriculum initiation
 Teacher: Have you even pay attention……other
than Hong Kong, we have discussed the events in
Japan, Middle East, what is the name of this land in
North Africa? Libya, very good, just Libya? What
has happened in Libya?
 A male student: Civil war
 Teacher: The political situation in Libya? Political
turmoil…this means the situation of the political
system. Unrest. What is the meaning of unrest?
Turbulence. What is the meaning of turbulence?
Stable or not stable?
 Student: Unstable.
17
Curriculum initiation
 Teacher: I think one of the reasons that were being
mentioned earlier has slightly affected the oil price. One
reason. Anyone know? OK. But I know you must be
aware of the instability of political situation in Libya is
associated with the rise of oil prices, so Japan's nuclear
radiation also related to the rising oil price, how?
 Is that any relation between these three points (one, two
and three) that I just mentioned and rising oil prices?
 Teacher: In fact, the events in this world tend to
correlate with each other. One, two, three, yes , you
three just say that these three events are correlated with
each other. So what makes them correlate with each
other?
 A male student: Disaster.
18
Curriculum initiation
 Teacher:
 Very good! After this nuclear radiation accident, Japan's
nuclear power plants, nuclear radiation, what causes
nuclear radiation in this accident? Since the nuclear
power plant has been demanded and it has to be closed
after it is demanded. It cannot produce electricity any
longer. Because of this event, other countries that have
nuclear power plants have to take some measures to
prevent the same type of accident occur to them and
some of them even have to consider closing down their
nuclear power plants.
19
Curriculum initiation
 Teacher: This is why so many countries such as America, European
countries, those NATO countries, China pay attention to Libya even
they are so far away from Libya. That is due to their ulterior motives
(別有用心的), right? Well, after the political unrest in this country, he
is...
 A male student: China has nothing to do with this issue. No, China
has something…
 Teacher: China has something to do with this issue.
 (Teacher indicated the Libya civil war affected the oil production.
Western countries had sent military troops to Libya. Students were
not sure whether the Libya civil war has impact on Chinese. Thus,
the teacher indicated that Chinese had relationship with Libya and
Chinese workers worked in Libya.)
 Teacher: Has someone from China even been to Libya? Yes…
 A male student: Yes.
20
Curriculum initiation
 Teacher: Right, OK. Therefore, How does rising oil
prices related to those three issues mentioned earlier?
What do those issues mentioned earlier have in
common? All of the issues are energy issues. Energy
issues, well, energy issues cause a lot of other
problems, including: what are the problems that nuclear
radiation will cause? Is that any effect on the society?
 A male student: This is due to the desire (-ve judgment)
of that person in Libya. He wants to seize power. He
believes (-ve judgment) that he could control the
resource in Libya.
 Teacher: Yes. After he gains control of the resource in
Libya, then he will do business with other countries.

21
Curriculum initiation
 Teacher guided the students the correlation of the world
events. Students give the possible suggestions about the
oil prices and civil war and the impact on the world
because of the impact of globalisation.
 In the further discussion, teacher guided the students to
make a judgment and evaluation on America, European
countries and NATO countries in Lybia’s civil war
because of economic interest rather than fighting for
social justice because of the impact of nuclear accident
on energy crisis around the world.

22
Scaffolding in Curriculum Negotiation
 Teacher: I also want to show you Greenpeace and the oil spill in
Gulf of Mexico. In these websites, the problems and solutions for
energy and environmental issues are being included. Some of the
special reports in this website are very useful. The terms are also
available here. …Climate change, energy crisis and the solution to
those issues, what we can do to help?
 Teacher: This is the file that contains information about the food
pollution as a result of Japan earthquake. Look, the threat of
radiation is an impact. (-ve judgment) Then, in addition, the feeling
of various countries (-ve AF) in regards of the earthquake in Japan,
the situation after the earthquake and the panic buying of supplies
are also contained in the file. Can all of you see those?

(Teacher scaffold the students to analysis energy crisis
reasons and made the negative judgment and feeling,
interdisciplinary of Greenpeace and the oil spill in Gulf of
Mexico in the group discussion. )
23
Curriculum initiation
 Rose (2007:8) indicates that teacher guided the students to
learn by discussion in an unfolding interaction in the
scaffolding learning cycle. Teacher probed the questions
about the current social issues at the beginning of the
discussion in order to arouse students’ interest in the
classroom interaction. The classroom learning atmosphere
was opened and positive with mutual respect and mutual
trust. Teacher encouraged students to express their
opinions and make judgment in the discussion. Teacher is
opened minded in the discussion and she affirmed the
students in the discussion in order to encouraging and
helping students to broaden international mindedness.
24
Collaborative learning
 In the regulative register, teacher divided the
students into groups after the discussion.
Teacher indicated students have enough ideas
to start the discussion by collaborative learning
in order to cultivate students’ confidence and
abilities in developing inquiry skills and critical
thinking skills.
25
Curriculum Negotiation and Co- construction
 Group discussion:
 Male student C: When radiation accident occurred in a place, the
food that is produced from that place can be polluted by radiation
as well. This causes people to lose confidence towards food from
Japan. (-ve judgment) Therefore, after Fukushima‘s environment
has been polluted by radioactive, Japanese cannot live in
Fukushima, the agricultural industry in Fukushima is also
influenced…as well as some gene transformation, for example,
physically disability and intelligent disability.
 Female student A: We can also try to use technology to solve the
problem of radiation.
 Male students E: We should have more research in order to find
the solution, because currently, this is the second nuclear issue
that is impacting the whole world. So, the current technology is
not really that advance. (-ve judgment)
26
Inquiry based learning
 Then, the teacher applied inquiry based learning to
explore the information and seeking truth by questioning.
She used open-end questions and open mindedness
strategies in the students’ discussion which can
encourage students’ engagement and critical thinking in
the evaluation of Libya civil war, and nuclear power plant
and making judgment on social justice. Teacher is a role
model of students as a researcher and life long learner to
pursue the knowledge and truth by research.
27
Interdisciplinary knowledge
 Teacher also guided the students to analysis energy
crisis reasons, and interdisciplinary knowledge in the
group discussion. Students learn how to elaborate
the reasons of energy crisis and then linked the
issues and transfer the knowledge.
 Students explore and elaborate more problems of
relationships among social issues such as air
pollution, health issues and the environmental issues
caused by nuclear radiation. They were guided to
develop organisation, elaboration and evaluation
skills in the discussion.
28
Self-reflection on personal beliefs and moral values
 Teacher has open mindednenss to encourage students
to learn from the peers through discussion and critical
thinking. Teacher uses probing questions to engage
students in self-reflection on personal beliefs and values.
29
Individual Construction
Independent writing:
First, the economic system in many countries is based on
energy, such as Arab countries and Russia. If the energy
resources in these countries are used up, economic
depression will occur and cause unemployment as result.
Social and health care services will be lost and schools will
be close. (negative appreciation)
Students analysis the reasons of overuse the natural
resources, which caused social and economic problems. A
causative process indicates the energy crisis caused
economic recession, unemployment, and cut the funding of
social services and medical care services, school closed. It
also caused global food crisis which caused violent protests
and riots.
30
Individual Construction:Independent writing:
Secondly, crisis will also occur in agricultural industry. People's
ability to survive will be threatened as well. The excessive use of
water and fertilizers will lead to a lack of food. If the lower class
of the society unable to cope with those problems, there will be
riots, looting, and so on. During the global food price crisis
occurred in 2007 to 2008, we have already seen the occurrence
of countless turmoil. The future energy crisis will lead to more
riots and more looting. The world will not be stable.
Students analysis the reasons of overuse the natural resources,
which caused social and economic problems. A causative
process indicates the energy crisis caused economic recession,
unemployment, and cut the funding of social services and
medical care services, school closed. It also caused global food
crisis which caused violent protests and riots.
Essay Analysis of Student A
31
Curriculum Closure
Peer Assessment
 Teacher had marked the student essays before
the lesson and gave some essays to students for
peer assessments by groups. Students have to
explain the assessment reasons. Teacher
explained that student had shown different
opinions on social issues with good organisation
by using a lot of key words in exposition essay.
32
Curriculum Closure
Peer Assessment
 Male student A: I think that for the language that he uses
for this essay, we give him 9 points because he uses the
appropriate word, the flow of the sentences in his essay
is good. I really love some of the sentences that he uses
for his essay.
 Teacher: Good! What about the second one?
 Teacher: The writer’s presentation and structure for the
entire essay?
 Male student A: The flow of the essay is very good.
 Teacher: Appropriate, work well with his topic?
 Teacher and students gave feedback on the
assessments in curriculum closure.
Curriculum Closure
Peer Assessment
 Teacher: This is normal, right?
 Secondly, I think he does better in the aspect of cultural
interaction for his essay since he has some questions for
each topic that he discussed in the essay. +[Apprecn] He
also thought about the solution for these issues. When he
was doing this essay, he was able to present it in a very
structured manner (first, second, third and conclusion)
and his final conclusion of the essay is very convincing.
Good. So what about message at the end of his essay? I
think that he gave enough information for his essay . He
also used many professional terms to support his essay,
so I give him 9 points, ok? Yes, if I say it like that, do you
think that our conclusion for paper 2 today is clearer?
34
Results and discussion
 In curriculum closure, students and teacher
give feedbacks
Students have:
 global views to compare energy crisis with
different countries.
 makes negative judgements on social sanction in
ethics.
 positive recommendation: caring and
understanding.
35
Results and discussion
 Student 3:
 For many of us, I think our daily discussion includes like
reading the news and what’s going on in the world being
aware of what’s going on globally and so I don’t think we put
extra time than be for our IB studies to do this learning but
definitely I think the IB encourages us to do it or for Chinese
it’s one thing. I think we have to do research about global,
we have the tools to expand our knowledge about that
subject.
36
Results and discussion
 Interview with students:
 Do you think it does try that promote the feeling of like
sharing our values or making the world a better place.
Because we don’t have an opportunity showing like as
in exam paper, but then they still just like the idea
behind the IB during program is to teach you how to
think and so maybe by teaching individuals how to
approach concerned global issues like you empower
the students to analyze different problems in our world.
37
Results and discussion
 Interview with teacher:
 Teacher: I think the meanings of mission statement are
very extensive. I hope children has international
mindedness and open-minded and has courage to
express their own views in the classroom discussion.
 It is very important that teacher to be a role model to
promote international mindedness. She encourages
students to learn and respect different point of views on
social issues. As teacher is open-minded which will help
students to develop international mindedness and
critical thinking by inquiry based learning.
38
Results and discussion
 It is very important that teacher to be a role
model to promote international mindedness.
She encourages students to learn and respect
different point of views on social issues. As
teacher is open-minded which will help
students to develop international mindedness
and critical thinking by inquiry based learning.
39
Results and discussion
 Vogotsky (1978: 86, Christie 2000, 125 )
indicated that “Zone of proximal development as
follows: is the distance between the actual
development level as determined as by
independent problem solving and the level of
potential development as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers.”
40
Results and discussion
 Christie (2006:166-167) indicated that
teacher and students shared the
judgment on the significant of the event in
the pedagogic device.
 Halliday points out (2007:187) that the
second language learning likes the first
language learning is a problem solving
activity and information processing.
41
Results and discussion
 In quality assurance, the IBO has to make sure
that all IB schools follow the mission statement
and promote the spirit of international education in
the school authorization and evaluation processes.
One IBO curriculum officer said,
 “The school must have a mission philosophy that
lies well with IB mission philosophy. When we go
into a school for the authorization and evaluation
processes, we talk to the school and ask them the
questions. How do they ensure that the mission
statement is included in the school mission
statement? Are the schools promoting
internationalism? ”
42
Results and discussion
 How do we promote international mindedness in
the school in teaching and learning?
 The classroom learning atmosphere was opened
and positive with mutual respect and mutual trust.
 Teacher and students need the ability to:
 think globally;
 cultivate intercultural understanding;
 supported by the school leaders and parents
 work co-operatively and take responsibilities in
society;
 think in a critical and systemic way.
43
Results and discussion
 How do the sensitive political social issues can
be assessed in the assessment?
 I hope this study will contribute to promote
effective implementation of international
mindedness in teaching and learning Chinese as
a second language in IB curriculum.
44
Reference












Christie, F. (2006). Pedagogy and the Shaping of Consciousness. London.
Continuum.
Christie, F. & Derewianka, B. (2008). School discourse. London: Continuum.
Halliday, M.A.K. (1978). Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation of
language and meaning. Australia: Edward Arnold (Australia) Pty Ltd.
Halliday, M.A.K. (1994). An introduction to functional grammar. Australia: Edward
Arnold (Australia) Pty Ltd.
Hallilday, M.A.K. (2000). An introduction to functional grammar. Beijing: Foreign
Language Teaching and Research Press.
Haywood, T. (2007). A Simple Typology of International Mindedness and Its
Implications for Education. The SAGE Handbook of Research in International
Education, London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Page. p.86-87.
IBO (2009). IB Learner Profile Booklet. http://www.ibo.org./mission (July 2, 2009)
Martin, J.R. & Rose, D. (2002). Working with discourse. Beijing: Beijing University
Press.
Martin, J.R. & White, P.R.R. (2005). The Language of Evaluation: Appraisal in
English: New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Morris (1996) The Hong Kong School Curriculum: Development, Issues and Policies.
Second edition. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, p123-128.
Skelton, M. (2007). International Mindedness and the Brain: The difficulties of
“Becoming”. The SAGE Handbook of Research in International Education, London:
SAGE Publications Ltd. Page. p.380-388.
Walker, G. (2005). What I have learned about international education? Biennial
45
Conference of IB Nordic Schools. Stockholm: 9 September 2005. (p.1-p.8)