By:

The need for educational theories that are relevant to the social-cultural contexts in which desired changes are to occur and the utilization of teaching-learning practices that are compatible with these theories are becoming evermore apparent in this day and age. As we face the goals for this millennium (United Nations, 2005), diverse groups within a nation and people of different backgrounds among countries of the world are entering into conflicts of seemingly irresolvable proportions. This is evident in the recent furor around the globe in reaction to the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed and cultural differences and misunderstandings such as this contribute to the outbreak and escalation of war. Increased cultural awareness among individuals and nation states is considered by the authors as an important ingredient in transforming societies and humanely addressing differences that could reduce or overcome clashes of cultures and resultant conflicts. The significance of the role of education in transforming the self and society cannot be underemphasized if current and future generations are to live in peace in an interdependent, global community.

The purpose of this presentation is to examine theories and approaches that contribute to the transformation of the individual in and outside of educational settings and the impact this can have on the favorable transformation of society. This exploration will lead to the identification of elements of culture such as attitude, language, religion and values as defined by Spradley and McCurdy (1990) and others and how they can constructively be utilized by the educator. Multicultural education as a transformation (Gorsky, 2004), other scholarly conceptualizations (Gay, 2004) as well as experiential perspectives of the presenters (O’Neil, 2005) will be explored. Reference will also be made to the works of Hall (1973, 1990) on cross-cultural awareness, Cardenas and Cardenas (n.d.) on “The Theory of Incompatibilities”, Fletcher (2000) on education and emancipation theories and practices, and others. In describing the processes of transformation of the self and society, the presenters will spell out a list of down-to-earth promising steps that might be taken to contribute to the transformation of education with illustrations on how successful practices in one location can serve as lessons elsewhere around the globe.

The presenters will provide a copy of the complete paper, practical references and related suggestions to each participant in the form of a CD in an attempt to initiate a dynamic network or special interest group composed of individuals and institutions around the world. It will be proposed that the network take on a continuous dialogue and carryout resultant steps to promote cross-cultural awareness for the well-founded transformation of oneself and our societies, resulting in a more peaceful world that respects diversity and utilizes it for the mutual benefit of all communities and nations.

Stream: Community, Culture, Globalisation

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

Dr. Ernest O’Neil is the Chief of Party of the Academy for Educational Development/Basic Education Strategic Objective (AED/BESO II) Project which is a joint initiative between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Education in Addis Ababa. He has served in similar positions in Jamaica and Bolivia. He has extensive experience in Ecuador as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Research Associate with the Ministry of Education and College Director. He has been a teacher, teacher educator, university professor and college dean in the various states and within the University of Texas System for over four decades. His holds a BS from the St. Bonaventure University, MS from The State University of New York at Albany and a Ph.D. in International and Development Education from the University of Pittsburgh.

Teshome Nekatibeb is a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Policy Analysis technical advisor of AED/BESO II in Ethiopia. He received his Ph.D. in International Comparative Education from Stockholm University, Sweden. Prior to joining AED, Dr. Nekatibeb served as an Assistant Professor and Chairman of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction of the Faculty of Education, the Addis Ababa University. He has been a consultant and advisor to several international institutions including UNICEF,UNESCO-IICBA, NORARD and UNFPA. His research covers a wide range of areas including educational media and information systems, gender and education, school leadership, educational policy and innovations, student learning assessment, educational theories, curriculum theory and practice.