International mindedness: what does it really mean?
Being an international school doesn't automatically make us internationally minded
A school can have students from 40 different countries, celebrate international festivals, teach an international curriculum and provide opportunities for students to connect with schools around the world. But does that necessarily mean that its students are becoming internationally minded? Is it about knowing about other countries? Understanding different cultures? Speaking more than one language? Being open-minded? Becoming a global citizen?
There is no single activity or programme that makes a student internationally minded. Nor is international mindedness something that happens simply because students are surrounded by people from different backgrounds.
International mindedness is about how we understand ourselves, how we engage with difference, how we respond to different perspectives and how we participate in an interconnected world.
Start with the IB Mission
The IB is not simply a collection of curricula. Its programmes are driven by a mission to develop young people who will help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
This gives international mindedness a particular significance. It is not an additional feature that we add to an IB programme. It connects directly to the purpose of the education we are providing.
So a useful question for schools is:
What are we doing deliberately to help students develop the knowledge, dispositions, skills and behaviours they need to engage positively with a complex and interconnected world?
International mindedness is more than knowing about the world
Students can know a great deal about other countries without necessarily being internationally minded.
They might know the capital cities of different countries, study global issues, learn another language or participate in an international celebration. These experiences can all be valuable, but they do not automatically develop the deeper qualities associated with international mindedness.
International mindedness involves learning to:
- recognise that our own perspective is not the only possible perspective
- understand how our experiences and culture influence the way we see the world
- listen to and engage respectfully with different viewpoints
- question assumptions and stereotypes
- appreciate both differences and commonalities
- navigate cultural and linguistic differences
- recognise the complexity of global issues
- engage with issues that extend beyond our immediate community
- move from understanding to responsible action.
"I work in a US public school where the majority of students come from underprivileged backgrounds. Bringing international mindedness into the daily learning experience of these students, expands their horizons to the world beyond their neighborhood and helps them create/identify their story as members of a global society. They learn to care for their community and appreciate the perspective of others; they are exposed to a different language and learn about other cultures; they understand and appreciate the gifts diversity offers and become aware of the collective needs of humanity and the planet.” (Frangiska Lewis)
“Thinking of others, for others, and with others: International mindedness in the IB is not simply learning about other cultures; it is the ongoing practice of thinking with, for, and alongside others through empathy, reflection, dialogue, and responsible action. It requires learners to engage openly with diverse perspectives while remaining grounded in their own identity and values, translating understanding into meaningful choices within classrooms, communities, and an interconnected world.” (MYP Coordinators in discussion)
“International mindedness is about much more than knowledge of the world or speaking multiple languages, though both of these are of great value. It is a term that describes how people think about the world and how they see, react and respond to it. It is deeper and more profound than knowledge; it is about attitudes and values, mindedness or consciousness. It seems an enormous responsibility for teachers to have to develop international mindedness in their students, to maybe have to change the way that some students see the world, but that is what the IB is calling for in its programmes, and that is what schools buy into when they become IB World Schools. Through its programmes, the IB is aspirational and idealistic in a way that few other educational programmes or national curricula are today.” Fabian, J. Pedagogy for international education in International Schools: current issues and future prospects, Hayden, M & Thompson, J. (2016).
In this video IB student Teon Smith explores the question 'Why IB?' It can be used as a short introduction to the subject of international mindedness. As Teon explains: "it makes you think in ways you never thought before ... it helps you be more open to know that you can always be wrong... it helps you think in different ways ... you can never look at things in just one way. It helps me to expand my mind and my thinking ... to think outside the box."
The IB's definition of international mindedness has evolved and matured. The 2009 definition largely equated it to global and intercultural understanding. Today the IB definition has incorporated two more dimensions, namely global engagement and multilingualism. These three dimensions are embedded in the IB Learner Profile. An internationally minded learner is one who is a competent communicator, open-minded and knowledgeable. The IB recognizes that their original definition of international mindedness arises out of 'western knowledge' and they are mindful of the influence of non-Western linguistic, humanistic, scientific, mathematical and artistic cultures.
A question for your school
Imagine that someone visiting your school asked: "How do you know that your students are becoming more internationally minded?"
What evidence would you show them? Would you point to your student demographics, international day, curriculum documents and international partnerships?
Or could you show evidence in the thinking, language, interactions, decisions and actions of your students?
International mindedness is not simply something a school has. It is something a school develops.
From international school to internationally minded school
An international community creates rich opportunities for learning from different languages, cultures, experiences and perspectives. But diversity does not automatically create intercultural understanding. Students can spend years alongside people from different backgrounds without exploring how those experiences shape different perspectives. Equally, a school with few nationalities can deliberately develop an international outlook.
International mindedness is therefore not about how many nationalities a school has, but what students learn from difference.
Move beyond food, flags and festivals
International celebrations can be enjoyable and can provide opportunities for students to share aspects of their identity. But if international mindedness is reduced to food, flags, festivals and cultural displays, we risk turning culture into something superficial. The deeper questions are more challenging:
- What assumptions do we make about other cultures?
- How does our own culture influence what we consider normal?
- What happens when two people interpret the same situation differently?
- How do we respond when another person's perspective challenges our own?
- Can we understand a perspective without necessarily agreeing with it?
- Can we hold our own values while remaining genuinely open to the possibility that others may see things differently?
These are the kinds of questions through which international mindedness becomes a way of thinking rather than a collection of activities.
Reflect: Think about your own school
Complete this sentence: In our school, international mindedness means...
Try to complete it without using the words international, global, diverse or open-minded. What would you say?