Tropical Writer

International Schools and Breaking the Cocoon Effect

Published in: Kabar Magazine, Vol.II, Issue 11. 2007. Jakarta, Indonesia

International Schools and Breaking the Cocoon Effect

by

Bruce E. Pohlmann

The Kabar article on international education raised a number of important questions for students, teachers, parents and administrators who are involved in international schools. Rather than addressing all of them, I’d like to restrict myself to the question about the possibility that an international school acts as a cocoon that insulates students from the realities of the host country.

International school students often come from wealthy families, or families in which the parents have some specialized knowledge that enables them to command a relatively large salary. Accordingly, international students often live in gated, closed communities, or they live in similarly isolated communities built by mining or oil companies. Thus, these students tend to be physically isolated from the life of the community both because of security and/or geographical needs.

 If students are not engaged with the host country, they are losing a unique educational opportunity to understand their own culture better by learning about another at the experiential level.  I believe that international schools can, and should, teach their students as much as possible about the host culture, and to insure that this is done, that needs to be codified within the curriculum. In addition to that, the role of teachers and parents are key to a student developing an understanding and appreciation of Indonesian culture.

First, the curriculum. Out of the four international schools that I’ve worked in, three followed a United States oriented curriculum. While there were international elements interlaced through the curricula, they were predominately American. An example would be the school in which I worked in Pakistan. Most of our students could get through the elementary and middle school years with a minimum knowledge of the local culture. Even though the student population was predominately Pakistani, the intellectual paradigm was based on U.S. cultural norms. Our students had a greater understanding of United States history than they did of Pakistani history. Some teachers were obviously more interested in the local culture than others, and they tended to find ways to introduce this in their classes. A curriculum that was weighted more heavily towards Pakistan would have given our students a more thorough understanding of, and appreciation for, Pakistan.

The school where I am currently teaching has what we consider to be an international curriculum, and Indonesian Studies is a large part of that; science, social studies, and, of course, Bahasa Indonesia classes all support giving our students a strong academic understanding of the Indonesian culture. Students from Kindergarten through Grade Eight take a one term course each year in Indonesian Studies as one component of our Social Studies curriculum. This is in addition to their Bahasa Indonesia courses. Additionally, our students join together with students from the national school in sporting activities. On a local level, that is outside of the mining community, we have had several cultural exchanges focusing on dance and music. We continue to work on ways to integrate our students, as much as possible, with the Indonesian culture, both nationally and locally.

The role of parents is vitally important as well. If students pick up a negative tone about the country from their parents (“I can’t wait to get back to the U.S., Australia, etc,” or “these Indonesians…”), then it’s going to be difficult to break through that, as the result is often students who live in a little world of their own. Parents who take their kids on vacation within the host country to see the sights, sample the food, and learn about the culture are sending a message to their children that the local culture should be valued. By being supportive of the school curriculum including Bahasa Indonesia classes, parents help work against the cocoon effect. 

Teachers are obviously also a key factor in combating the cocoon effect. This is done in several ways. First, by effectively delivering the curriculum, teachers can help students develop an understanding of the host culture. Most of our teachers bring local resources and cultures into their classes so as to broaden our students’ exposure to the wide diversity of Indonesia. For example, our art teacher has brought in local potters and weavers to instruct students on how Indonesian artisans develop their crafts. These types of experiential activities are powerful forms of cross-cultural interaction.

It is by breaking through the cocoon effect that international schools help develop citizens who will have a more global outlook than their parents’ generation, and that should be a vital part of every international school’s mission.