Globally Minded Preschoolers: Playful Investigation of an East and West Interdependence

• In Event: Relationships, Locations, and Critical Questions in Early Childhood

Abstract

This study focuses on the early years program at International School Hong Kong (ISHK), a school with an explicit mission toward global mindedness. 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.
At ISHK children 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 are building early competencies for long-term global engagement.

Authors

• Kutasha Iliana Silva, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Stephanie C. Sanders-Smith, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Sylvia Yang, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign