TEACHING GLOBAL UNITY
THROUGH PROVERBS, METAPHORS, AND STORYTELLING

A Trip to Bogota

Vision and Purpose
Global Unity
PD Workshops
Catalogue Descriptions
Table of Contents
Published Articles
Order Information
Theory and Research
Evolution of the Project
2004 IATEFL Conference
A Trip to Bogota
A Trip to Santa Marta
Fundraising for Colombia
2005 Colombian Calendar
Upcoming Events
Author's Bio
Contact

Vivian was invited by the British Council to be a tutor and presenter at The A.S. Hornby Educational Fund Regional Latin American School, June 21- July 2, 2004. The focus of this two-week seminar was "ELT and Citizenship." It was directed by Stefan Colibaba, with Ruxandra Popovici, Ricardo Romero, and Vivian Chu as tutors and presenters. The following are pictures of the seminar which took place at Hotel Bogota Royal, and of the evening and weekend cultural excursions in and outside of Bogota.

Participants of the seminar include: Rosynella Cardozo Rodriguez, Ricardo Rosario, Maria Luisa Mu Hoyos, Arturo Field, Aidee Armenta Ortiz, Sergio Luis Dorado Ramirez, Jenny Patricia Narvaez Ceron, Ana Mercedes Roldan, Carlos Eduardo Moreno Romero, Carlos Alberto Franco Bello, Maria Cecilia Liliana Gonzalez, Luz Esperanza Jimenez Mesa, Maria Paula Gonzalez Baquero, Nury Lara Niebles, Sandra Torres, Cesar Nunez, Javier Rojas Serrano, Wilder Nieto, Angela Patricia Benjumea Rosero, Maria Victoria Sema Osorio, and Luz Matilde Guevara.

Vivian would like to say a wholehearted THANK YOU to the British Council and the administrators of the A.S. Hornby Educational Fund (http://www.britishcouncil.org) for this most inspiring and memorable educational and cultural experience, and the opportunity to share her work in Latin America.
For a detailed article on this trip to Colombia, "A Discovery Journey to Colombia: Internal Resonance
and External Connections," please scroll down to the bottom of the photographs.

A Diverse Group

Just about everyone at the lobby of the Hotel Bogota Royal

The Seminar Team:
Ruxandra, Stefan, and Vivian

Workshop on Citizenship

Vivian and Ricardo

In the main seminar room

Aidee, Sergio, Ruxandra, Matilda, and Angela

Nury, Stefan, Vivian

Nury and Maria Paula presenting their work

Charlie, Vivian, and Javier

Taking a break

International Night

Monserrate

A Llama on the way to Monserrate

Lunch at Monserrate

Ricardo and family

'Sleepy' flowers

Ricardo doing Tai chi

Vivian isn't much of a shopper …

The view from Monserrate

Catedral de Sal

On the way to the Salt Cathedral

An optical illusion

Inside the Salt Cathedral

Visiting El Ranchero

Bonanza

Matilda's ranch

Catedral Primada de Colombia

Near Catedral Primada de Colombia

Ricardo and Rosynella from Venezuela

On the way to Monserrate

Vivian in the hands of Botero

Roxie at Catedral Primade

"Dog Zone" - near the government buildings

Last Day in Colombia

Last day: certificates and farewell

Farewell songs: the love never changes

A Discovery Journey to Colombia: Internal Resonance and External Connections

Two weeks is not a long time to grow attached to a country, but when I returned from Colombia I experienced something that is unusual for me after being away from the comforts of home. It took some time to find words to describe the internal shifts in my awareness that have further illuminated my vision of language learners and educators …

During a two-week visit to Bogotá, Colombia early this summer, I experienced Colombia as a nation of passionate citizens who strive for solutions and professionalism, as a land where luscious tropical fruits proliferate in the lush countryside and international cuisine sizzle in bustling urban neighborhoods, and where dignified, humorous, and witty men and women go about their lives with an undeniable charm in their affectionate mannerisms with one another. Although Colombia is often portrayed by the media as a country fraught with drug cartels and guerilla warfare, Bogotá is in fact a welcoming and functional city with dazzling flower markets, fashionable shops and shopping centers, vibrant salsa nightclubs, well-curated museums and art galleries, as well as quality local arts and crafts to delight any seasoned traveler. My own perceptions and process of relating to Colombia and its people have left a cherished and lasting imprint in my heart. It is an imprint that moves me to dispel stereotyped views of Colombia and its people, and to continue planting seeds to actualize a vision of fostering global understanding and unity through foreign language education and cross-cultural relations.

Some time between the first cultural experience of receiving friendly greeting kisses on the cheeks upon arrival in Bogotá and standing atop Monserrate a week later at 3,130 meters high after a superb lunch in a gazebo-like restaurant with affable company and panoramic views, I knew that all I had been sharing, learning, and experiencing in and outside of the Fourth Latin American Regional School organized by the British Council and supported by the A.S. Hornby Educational Trust would have profound effects on my identity as an educator, as a human being, and as a global citizen. The British Council leads initiatives around the world to foster cultural relations, internationalism, and professionalism in the fields of education, arts & culture, science, and governance. How I got invited by the British Council in Colombia to be one of the tutors/presenters at their two-week seminar on “English Language Teaching and Citizenship” in Bogotá was inspiring in itself, and a testament to the power of personal commitment. Goethe's poem sings to my soul - “ …that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too...”

Supportive colleagues asked me, “How did you manage to get invited on a trip to Colombia ?” Others who were less curious and more susceptible to the dictates of the media asked, “Aren't you afraid of going there? Do you have to go? You'd better get a hidden money belt, and don't wear any jewelry…never go anywhere alone… it's the 40 th anniversary of the FARC…” I found these mixed reactions challenging and perhaps indicative of a decline in autonomous thinking in this age of instantaneous mass communication via high speed technologies; yet, nothing could dampen my feeling that it was a blessing to be given the opportunity to share my work in Latin America . What happened was that I had presented my workshop and book, “Teaching Global Unity through Proverbs, Metaphors, and Storytelling” at the 38 th IATEFL Annual Conference in Liverpool , on April 17, and Ricardo Romero from the British Council Colombia had attended my presentation. After I finished the presentation, he invited me to submit my CV and professional biography so that I could be selected for the post. I never imagined that exactly two months later, June 17, I would be flown to Bogotá for a very stimulating and rewarding professional experience, to work with and learn from a group of teachers, teacher trainers, directors of studies, university professors, school principals, government administrators, and education consultants from five countries in Latin America. Plus, the opportunity to work on a team with very well-respected professionals in the field: Dr. Stefan Colibaba, Course Director at the seminar, and Ruxandra Popovici, a well-known author and educator in the area of human rights education, both from Romania, who were co-authors of “Rights in Deed,” a textbook for human rights and language development, available from the British Council in Romania ( www.britishcouncil.ro ). And, of course, Ricardo Romero, ELT Consultant at the British Council in Colombia , who had several roles that included being a tutor/presenter at the seminar as well.

A diverse group we were, and all of us synergized naturally to create a very open and respectful environment for intercultural exchange, learning more about citizenship education and all that it entails, and sharing our professional experiences and case studies. It was truly fascinating to learn about the diversity of work environments from the participants, their focus and concerns, accomplishments, challenges, as well as future goals and directions. The spread of ELT is indeed global and multi-faceted, a fact that is commonly known, yet the scale of its impact on the world and how people orientate themselves around acquiring skills in the English language is not realized until one experiences and relates to it directly though live international exchanges. It is then that the reality of the power we can have as language teachers becomes vivid: the enormously restorative power we can manifest in the world, from the rippling effects of teachers working together on their belief in facilitating language lessons that foster global understanding, equality, and unity while engaging learners in acquiring skills in English.

Backtracking in time, in the six weeks before going to Bogotá in June, in addition to email communications with the Director and other tutors, I talked with some local colleagues about the subject area of “ELT and Citizenship,” and initiated an online discussion on IATEFL's Global Issues SIG. It wasn't surprising to hear that many teachers had not encountered this subject area in their language teaching experience. Some asked, “What do you mean by English Language Teaching and Citizenship? What is citizenship? Why would we get involved in teaching citizenship in English language classes?” Some poignant questions and points that came up were, “Isn't teaching the values and ideals of democracy another form of imperialism?” “Maybe teachers don't want curriculum handed top-down by ‘policy makers' and ‘those in power.”

After reflecting on my language teaching experience and reasons for being in the field of ELT, I gathered my thoughts and responded: Even though initially some teachers have a tendency to comment that ‘citizenship' should be a subject covered in Social Studies classes in the K-12 school system, I've seen ‘citizenship education' touched upon in various ways under different labels in foreign language classes.  In the private language schools I have taught at in Canada, aspects of "citizenship" have been explored through upper intermediate lesson material on social justice, human rights issues, politics, environmental sustainability, and current events, etc.  However, in the environment of Canadian government funded immigrant settlement service organizations that offer subsidized English language classes, "ELT and Citizenship" has a direct focus on citizenship rights & responsibilities and political literacy. These classes have an objective of preparing immigrant language learners to pass their Canadian citizenship tests in English, which entails having knowledge of Canadian history, geography, the 3 levels of government and its processes, Canadian values, rights and responsibilities of being a citizen, etc.

In the broader spectrum of 'citizenship education' and 'civics education' (the terms appear interchangeable), it includes development of civic knowledge, understanding of issues, concepts and values in democracies, development of participatory skills for active democratic self-government, and 'civic virtues.'  Issues, concepts and values include peace, truth, justice, human rights, equality, individual dignity and freedom, environmental preservation, and sustainable development.  Participatory skills include critical thinking, non-violent conflict resolution strategies, ability to use various communication channels to exercise self-government, democratic decision-making, and of course, political literacy and participation in voting.    And, civic virtues include respect for diversity, civility, tolerance, empathy for others, abiding by the rule of law, and so forth.

From my somewhat limited research on the progression of interest in integrating citizenship and human rights education in language teaching, it appears interest in civics education / education for democracy grew after the collapse of communist/authoritarian regimes, and various international networks of civic educators have been active and on the increase since the 1990's.  For those interested in more details relating to Civic Education and Democratic Citizenship, visit: “The Centre for Intercultural Education and International Understanding” ( http://www.csdm.qc.ca/CEE/ceici/pdf/cadrce.pdf ) and the   "Center for Civic Education" site ( http://www.civiced.org/articles.php )  And, of course, the British Council ( http://www.britishcouncil.org ) works actively in partnership with countries around the world to strengthen good government and human rights that are based on universally agreed standards.

As I read more on the topic, it was enlightening to know there have been several projects that aimed at developing an international and cross-cultural framework for teaching democratic citizenship - in Europe and Asia - and they are not all connected to or directed by the U.S. government. So, the critical view that teaching the values and ideals of democracy may be another form of imperialism could well be founded on generalizations and needs re-examining. The truth, from a bottom-up point of view, is that teachers have the most power in guiding learners in their development of values and ethics in the light of good citizenship.  Curriculum aside, both sides can begin with themselves, develop deeper awareness of who they are and what they value, and then reflect critically on their own values and explore others' identities and values.  Curriculum may be passed down by the 'policy makers' and 'those in power,' but ultimately it is the teacher who has the 'power' to adapt and teach a curriculum to make it relevant to the students' needs, interests, and environment, and to the world at large. This reality turned out to be a central focus of our seminar – to make the process of citizenship education personally relevant for individual learners. In addition, some of the other objectives of the “ELT and Citizenship” seminar were:

In summary, there was a good balance between theoretical input, practical applications, and the cultural program over the two weeks. We also made visits to NGOs to have direct communication with people actively involved in advocating citizenship values and human rights in the community. Other highlights of the seminar were face-to-face dialogues with university students in Colombia, who were invited to the seminar to voice their views on a variety of issues, as well as an “International Night” where all the participants shared their talents in music, dance, and poetry, and of course, the weekend cultural tours that provided greater understanding of the lives of Colombian people. Towards the end of the seminar, substantial time was spent on curriculum and task design, and on supporting the participants to produce a project plan that implements the content of the seminar.

With so much openness, sensitivity, goodwill, and mutual respect for what each person had to contribute to the seminar, everyone interrelated very well, regardless of professional status and academic credentials. Friendships blossomed naturally, especially during the cultural program and the generous coffee breaks when it appeared we were served supplemental gourmet meals. The cultural tours organized by the British Council included a variety of local places of interest. Most memorable were the square with the Catedral Primada de Colombia, the Museo del Oro (gold museum), Museo Botero, courtyard markets with great varieties of locally made crafts, clothing, and musical instruments, the Catedral de Sel (a cathedral built inside a 2 km long salt mine), a nightclub where our Colombian friends taught us Salsa, and superb lunches at ranch-styled restaurants in the countryside, and of course, Monserrate with its spiritual presence and breathtaking views.