A Global Teacher Education Vision for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence

This paper invites consideration of the role of global teacher education provision in developing global citizenship and social justice aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 10. It explores how global teacher education resources, with and for social justice, can influence knowledge, skills, attitudes and habits to support and strengthen initiatives for the prevention of gender-based violence. Through an autoethnographic research approach, the paper reflects on the extent to which an inclusive learning design, shared across different country contexts, can contribute to a process of empowered learning for the prevention of gender-based violence. The findings and results of this study suggest that inclusive learning design can enhance the process and practice of creating spaces for developing collaborative awareness and communities of practice to prevent gender-based violence through education.


Introduction
There are different visions of global teacher education emerging in an increasingly interconnecting world.Mulvihill and Martin (2021, p.1) aptly ask the question: "What do teacher educators need to know, and what resources do they need, in order to actively build community among teacher educators around the world?"Innovative educational strategies that engage young people in creating norms which address intersectional inequalities, support nonviolence, promote social responsibility, and foster equitable relationships are crucial for achieving lasting social change (World Health Organisation, 2019).Gender-based violence, as a global phenomenon, has its roots in gender-based inequalities (Ferrari et al., 2022).It perpetuates patriarchy and heteronormative socio-cultural norms that enable different forms of discrimination and human rights violations (Devries, 2015).Inclusive learning design approaches and resources can contribute to developing knowledge, attitude, skills and habits (Griffiths & Burns, 2014).Educators can build their capacity to engage young people by undertaking continuing professional development through global teacher education programmes such as the International Postgraduate Certificate in Education (an international distance learning teacher education award offered by diverse higher education institutions in the United Kingdom).Situating the International Postgraduate Certificate in Education in a global teacher education vision that embeds the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 3, 4, 5, 10, 16 and 17 (United Nations, 2015), can create space and opportunity for educators to develop and strengthen processes and practices to engage young people.It can contribute to developing young people's critical awareness, empathy and collective agency for constructively challenging gender-based violence.For example, SDGs 3, 4 and 5 (United Nations, 2015) invite educators to support the holistic development of young people.This involves the enhancement of young people's skills, knowledge, attitude, and capability rooted in their lived experience.Through an autoethnographic vignette, this study explores and reflects on the author's own design and creation of inclusive teacher education resources for the prevention of gender-based violence.These resources are shaped by an interdisciplinary youth-centred approach that combines critical pedagogy (Freire, 1995;Giroux, 2010;Hooks, 2003) with creative and performing arts (Boal, 1995;Cohen-Cruz, 2010).The design is informed by an ecological framework for human development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979;Johnson, 2008) and draws on integrative and intercultural therapeutic practice (Ababio & Littlewood, 2019).

Methods
The qualitative research approach applied in this study is an autoethnographic exploration of the author's experience as a gendered subject and teacher educator.The purpose of this autoethnographic study is to enhance reflection on inclusive learning design practice as a global teacher educator committed to education for social justice (Holman Jones, Adams & Ellis, 2013).Chang (2008) defines autoethnography as a qualitative research method that applies "cultural interpretation to the autobiographical data of researchers with the intent of understanding self and its connection to others…[leading] to self-transformation through selfunderstanding" (pp. 56-57).This research approach is process-oriented and situated in an interpretivist paradigm (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2007).Ontologically and epistemologically, knowledge is presented as a subjective construction.This position shapes perceptions of one's own and other people's experiences of gender-based inequalities that require transformation to enable equitable and inclusive global teacher education practice (Kincheloe & McLaren, 1994).The autoethnographic writing draws on self-observational data, personal memory data and self-reflective data (Muncey, 2010).It consists of a dominantly interpretive style (Chang, 2008).

Results and Discussion
As a teacher educator, the author works with diverse secondary and primary school educators for their continuing professional development.The educators are different in varied ways such as teaching experience, age, gender, ethnicity, religion, first language and socio-economic background.They work in diverse types of schools and are based in Brazil, Jamaica, India, the United Kingdom, China, Russia, Luxembourg, Uganda, the Cayman Islands, Denmark, France, Myanmar, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bangladesh.Their synchronous learning, meetings and collaboration occur online.The author identifies as a heterosexual woman of Indian origin and is in her mid-fifties.The author has been working in education as a teacher, teacher educator and researcher for more than two decades with extensive periods of time lived in India and the United Kingdom.Over the past few years, the author has also been working as a qualified integrative volunteer therapist with minority groups of women who have experienced violence.
As curriculum development lead for the None in Three Global Challenges Research Fund Project (2017-2020), the author developed resources for educators to use in schools for the prevention of gender-based violence.More specifically for the prevention of child sexual abuse in Jamaica (responsive to the Jamaican National Health and Family Life Education Policy); gender bias in India (aligned with the Indian National Education Policy 2020); child marriage in Uganda (connected to the Ugandan National Sexuality Education Framework 2018); and abusive behaviour in relationships in the United Kingdom (associated with the British National Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education Statutory Guidance).The design of learning activities were framed in schemes of work that can be integrated into national curriculum for secondary schools and flexibly adapted as standalone education for social justice resources.The resources are designed for educators and teacher educators globally.These resources also accompany the None in Three Global Challenges Research Fund Project prosocial games for the global prevention of gender-based violence.Subject to the completion of ongoing trials of the prosocial games, all resources can be downloaded for free from the None in Three website (The Games -None In Three).The resources were used to explore and evaluate inclusive learning design activities with educators from different countries on the distance learning International Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme.
These resources have drawn on critical pedagogy (Freire, 1995;Giroux, 2010;Hooks, 2003), to build critical awareness and enable reflection and action for change within self and others.This is based on a range of factors such as recognising stressors and is intertwined with a focus on developing young people's emotional resilience, coping strategies, help-seeking behaviour, problem-solving skills, and care for self and others.The learning design integrates creative and performing arts (Boal, 1995;Cohen-Cruz, 2010) to offer educators ways for enhancing young people's self-expression and co-creation.It creates opportunities for multimodal ways of noticing, expressing and challenging lived realities.This can facilitate building of awareness, reflection and potential for transformation.An ecological framework for human development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979;Johnson, 2008) is applied to the learning design to strengthen space for the exploration of interconnections, interdependence and independence in challenging gender-based inequalities through the activities.Integrative and intercultural therapeutic practice (Ababio & Littlewood, 2019) is drawn on to enable sustainable wellbeing and develop empathy as well as enable exploration of working and living in constructive and fulfilling ways within diversity.These resources were developed through an iterative process of stakeholders' consultation to ensure that the activities were transferable, sustainable, replicable, adaptable and maintained purposeful context relevance for educators and teacher educators.The activities are costeffective and rooted in democratic and social justice principles that are centred on strengthening the voice, visibility and agency of young people in an empowering and enabling process of learning.The objective is to contribute to conditions for developing an inclusive, equitable, ethical provision of education practice in a safe and contained learning process.Extracts from feedback comments received from a range of educators and teacher educators who engaged with activities in the resources are outlined below.
"The activities you have mentioned are very thought provoking …We have been toying with the idea of creating board games and card games…Reading the activities listed, we think we can most definitely translate it into an attractive tangible game.The activity where you mention 'Tutor Selected' clips, we were wondering if … such material and links can be made available on our website.The cards, can be designed to be attractive and thought provoking, encouraging students to explore them.These tangible (along with board game versions of activities) can be made available for free download that can be printed…These can also be distributed freely to schools as a resource...When we make these using strong visuals, we are also hoping to transcend the language barrier…" (Educator, India).
"The activities provide students with the opportunity to be active participants while the teacher acts as a facilitator…Collaborative learning is employed throughout the document that provides the opportunity for students to work both in small and larger groups.
Communication is also evident throughout the document as students are allowed to speak freely and to share their experiences.Opportunities are also created for students to reflect on the learning process and to…present their thoughts and feelings.Critical thinking becomes evident also in the use of reflection and in activities such as the one that requires the identification of key themes and words that are used to present images of change and survival.Creativity is encouraged through expression both orally and written" (Teacher Educator, Jamaica).
"The issues that you are raising…are vital to be discussed with young people, getting them to recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships as well as signs of abuse…I particularly like the way in which you are planning to deliver your topics and how this will be managed in a sensitive way but consequently promoting personal development.I also feel this will be very empowering for young people to be able to speak openly in a safe place" (School Teacher, United Kingdom).
"The activity is inclusive of men/boys as it facilitates self-reflection around their relationship behaviours to help them develop healthy, caring and equitable dynamics with partners…To implement authentic learning, case studies would be generated/selected to reflect the age, context and lived experience of learners.They could therefore include use of relevant technologies (internet, smartphones, social media) and recognisable scenarios (school, home, and social gatherings)" (International Postgraduate Certificate in Education Candidate).
Liaising with educators across different country contexts enabled reflection on the transferability and sustainability potential of inclusive learning design processes and resources for teacher education provision.Collaborating with educators, in varied formal education contexts, contributed to ascertaining its effectiveness in retaining adaptable context relevance and replicability potential.It also helped to determine relevance for a variety of lived experiences and realities.In a global context for lifelong learning, further exploration is required regarding its integration in global teacher education provision that places an emphasis on collaborative online learning and embedding of wellbeing, self-care, justice and social responsibility issues in teaching and learning practice.

Conclusion
Through an autoethnographic vignette the context and impact of developing global teacher education processes and practices to support the prevention of gender-based violence is exemplified.Contextualising global teacher education to create inclusive international communities of practice for the prevention of gender-based violence is aligned with national policies and global frameworks aiming to strengthen inclusivity, equality and equity.This study considers how teachers and teacher educators can work across diversity to build individual and collective agency to prevent gender-based discrimination and violation of human rights through education.

Figure 1 :
Figure 1: Facilitator's guide activity to support the awareness and prevention of intimate partner violence