Yalla gets in depth about the importance of character education and global learning in the 21st century education with naked diplomat Tom Fletcher.
Former UK ambassador and current author and visiting NYUAD professor Tom Fletcher CMG campaigns for better diplomacy, global education, the UK’s creative industries, and the power of social media to create positive change. Yalla caught up with Tom to discuss the value of a global education and its implications.
What led you into the foreign service?
Looking back, I realize that travel was in my DNA, and a sense that public service was important. But I remember being very pessimistic about my chances of getting in to the UK Foreign Office. I had a lot of preconceptions about the kind of person they were looking for, which thankfully proved to be wrong. Even when it was tough, I never regretted a single day.
What are the most important skills to have to be a diplomat in the 21st century?
They are the same as in previous centuries. Be kind, curious and brave. Empathy and emotional intelligence remain vital, and an ability to put yourself in the shoes of others.
Tell us about your book The Naked Diplomat: Power and Politics in the Digital Age.
I can reassure you that there is no actual nudity. I wanted to explain the history of diplomacy, and why it matters so much to people’s lives. Without good diplomacy, more people die. So, I also wanted to set out how technology will change power and politics. One of my hopes was that more world leaders would join Twitter. I slightly regret that one now.
What do you feel is the biggest problem with global education and how can we fix it?
We are really fortunate with the schools in UAE. But I worry that most young people on the planet learn the wrong things in the wrong ways. Too often we fail to spark the delight and magic of learning. We force feed kids what we ourselves learnt; without recognising how different their lives will be. Content and assessment persistently focus on classic academic knowledge rather than character and skills. And the league tables that compare education quality continue to focus on conventional exam results. On the current trajectory a generation on the move will therefore not be equipped with the skills they need. Polarisation, extremism, inequality, drift, intolerance and distrust will increase.
Why is a global education important?
75 million are still out of school, which is terrifying. And with automation replacing so many jobs, we need to ensure that the robots work for the next generation, and not the other way around. With globalisation accelerating, the people who will thrive will be those who can understand and adapt to different cultures.
What is a “global citizen?”
I heard one comment that a global citizen is a ‘citizen of nowhere’. I disagree. It is someone who is open to other cultures. You can be a global citizen but still be strongly rooted in your own community. You can feel that your town or country is brilliant. Just not uniquely brilliant. The citizen part is as important as the global part.
How does a teacher build global citizens in the classroom?
We have been working with many pioneer educators who are doing just that. You can give young people a sense of other people’s history, not just the wars your country won. You can give them the chance to really learn new languages, but also to develop an understanding of the culture behind those languages. Ultimately there is no substitute for meeting people, and truly connecting with them.
What should be the role of technology in today’s education?
It is important to have a range of digital skills. But the answer to the challenges of the 21st century is not simply to learn coding. Much more important is adaptability – our kids will have to move between jobs and learn crafts that don’t yet exist. And creativity – ultimately that is one of the last attributes that can be automated. Our kids will have to be brave enough to master technology rather than be mastered by it. To be kind enough to reduce inequality rather than widen it. To be curious enough to invent new ways of living and organising themselves.
Easy access to information does not guarantee that students will think critically. What can help students?
It is vital to encourage and nurture critical thinking. Our kids need to be able to challenge ideas, including – maybe especially – ours. They are deluged by information, much of it extraordinary. But they will need to work harder than us to avoid apathy and distraction. We are all trying to crack the screen time challenge, and there are no easy answers. But I was struck visiting Silicon Valley by how much the people who understand the tech try to ensure that their kids put the gadgets down.
Do you feel it’s the role of the school to develop a pupil’s character?
I think it only works if both parents and schools are working together. Our kids’ development does not start or end at the school gates. Every parent wants the best for their kids. But we often become sidetracked by test results and exams. As new assessments of character emerge, I hope that parents will support them. And we should get behind schools that focus on developing character.
Over 75 million kids aren’t in formal education at all. How can this problem be fixed?
Much of the answer lies in money — governments and international institutions make many promises and then fail to deliver. We are working to deliver new sources and new ways of funding. Much depends on diplomacy – con ict is of course a huge driver of poor or no education, and refugees always tell me that they want to get their kids back in school. And much depends on governments reforming education systems to put more emphasis on education of the head, hand and heart. Technology can help in all these cases and will give our kids access to more information than Steve Jobs, let alone Einstein. But we should also beware of thinking it is all about the next gadget. The role of teachers remains vital. The best ones will use tech as a tool, but we cannot replace teachers with tech.
Do the benefits of social media outweigh its negatives?
On balance, yes. It depends on whether you are a pessimist or optimist about humans. I’m an optimist, despite seeing some of the worst of what we can do to each other. With social media, I think we’re in a phase like the decades following the spread of the printing press. It takes a while for society to catch up. But for every troll on social media, there are hundreds of individuals quietly getting on with living together. The coexisters need to shout louder than the rest. There are many risks to being on social media. But the biggest risk is to leave it to the wall builders.
Learn more about Tom at tomfletcher.global
