Global Citizenship Education: Lesson Objectives

After this section, participants should be able to meet the following objectives:

• Discuss the importance and relevance of global citizenship education
• Describe the knowledge, values, and skills needed for global citizenship 
• Understand how to practically implement global citizenship education in the classroom

 

Guiding Questions

As you read this section, consider the following questions: 

• What does it mean to be a citizen (national or global)? What are the qualities, duties and responsibilities of a citizen?
• Why is the idea of global citizenship important today? 

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Introduction: What is a Global Citizen and Why Should We Educate People to Be Global Citizens?

Education for global citizenship has taken on an increased importance due to the interconnected nature of the world resulting from globalization.  However, this does not mean that education to promote global citizens is a new phenomenon that is inherently linked to the globalizing world.  The belief behind this education is that education which promotes nationalism or patriotism to a specific country is limiting.  Rather, children and adults should learn how to become citizens of the world.  Global citizenship education incorporates elements such as environmental sustainability, social justice and nonviolent conflict resolution.  All of these elements work together with skills such as critical awareness and respect, to shape students to be well-rounded and conscientious citizens of the world.  This means that students will be able to understand the impacts of legislation and actions on populations around the world and want to fight for change that promotes the greatest good for everyone, not simply for those of their nation-state. 

 

Compassion and Global Citizenship

In the Buddhist faith the bodhisattva is an important figure.  The bodhisattva is a person who embodies wisdom, courage and compassion and whose goal is to make others happy.  All three of these qualities are essential to a bodhisattva.  A person who is compassionate but does not have courage will not be able to engage in changing the situation.  Wisdom and compassion are also intimately linked and work to enforce one another.  Compassion, as defined by the Buddhist tradition, is the belief that every person has something good to offer.  Those who embody compassion and wisdom seek the good in all people.  Compassionate people also search to embody good within themselves as well as to help other see the potential for good. 

 

A woman named Srimala is considered a powerful example of a bodhisattva as well as a global citizen.  She professed that her goal was to never abandon those who experienced unjust circumstances, such as an unfair imprisonment, illness, disaster or poverty.  She believed that through spiritual and material comfort she could nurture the potential for good within every person.  To achieve her goals she adopted four main mechanisms.  These were engaging in kind and concerned dialogue, giving alms, taking action on the behalf of others and working together with others.  All of these principles are important to Buddhism and represent the fact that a bodhisattva is an ancient manifestation of a global citizen, an idea that is becoming increasingly popular today (Ikeda, 1996). 

 

Key Theorists

John Dewey (1859-1952)

One of the most important theorists in the area of education to promote global citizenship is John Dewey.  John Dewey's plan for Peace Education was a result of the destruction that he saw during World War I, which he believed to be caused by rampant nationalism.  Therefore, Dewey proposed an education that was designed to teach people to be global citizens rather than citizens of a specific nation. The traditional pedagogies that Dewey applied throughout his educational philosophy are important in his theory for educating global citizens as well.  

 

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944)

Makiguchi was also influential in developing a philosophy for global citizenship combined with education.  Makiguchi was a Japanese citizen who was influenced by the period of modernization in Japan.  He was a geography teacher and created Soka Gakkai, which is today the largest lay Buddhist organization in Japan and has 12 million members worldwide.  He strongly believed that religion and education should serve to create happiness in the human population and therefore should serve the needs of human beings.  Makiguchi started his career as an educational reformer through his work in elementary schools, as a principal and a teacher.  He took copious notes of his experiences, which eventually led to the creation of his doctrine, which he constructed with Jogai Toda, his disciple.  During his time in the educational system he saw the change in the Japanese system towards a model that promoted militarism and blindly following of orders from above.  Beyond being a by-product of Japan's political transformations Makiguchi also believed that students and society accepted this change because they had previously been taught rote memorization and had not learned the skills necessary to think for themselves.  This influenced his belief that education should equip the learner to conduct personal inquiry and research and to answer questions of personal and societal interest.   He believed that most of the changes that were occurring in Japan, which he saw as being detrimental, were a result of the people's belief that they had to blindly follow the emperor, regardless of what he said or proposed.  He supported education that connected with the day-to-day realities of children, much like what Dewey believed.  Teachers should take on the role of guide or helper, rather than imparter of all knowledge.  He strongly supported educational research to ensure that students were benefiting from the best tactics available.  He also advocated for a shorter school day in which students would spend their afternoons engaged in meaningful community activities, such as apprenticeships or service work.  When Japan began to take offensive action against other countries in the region Makiguchi stood up in opposition.  His opposition was based on his internal Buddhist beliefs as well as the idea that the culture of militarism was negatively impacting students and learning.  In 1943 he was jailed for his opposition to the Japanese government.  In 1945 he died in a prison hospital.  However, his work lived on through his disciple, who was released with the end of the war (Soka Gakkai International, 2010). 

 

Core Ideas

Since education for global citizenship encompasses a multitude of ideas that span a large amount of ground it is difficult to limit what is global citizenship education.  Oxfam has provided a comprehensive framework that outlines the knowledge, skills, and values/attitudes that global citizenship practices and ideologies promote.  The aspects of each of these areas come from the Oxfam definition and are supplemented by information from other curriculums.  From an educational psychology perspective, each of these areas has their own importance.  Currently, teachers are following a method, which combines teaching content knowledge and teaching skills.  Knowledge is important so that students have a contextual knowledge to use and understand the skills.  However, without skills students will not be able to use their knowledge in a meaningful and impactful way.  Finally, moral education is incredibly important from an educational psychology perspective.  Students need to learn and practice important values to ensure that they are able to transfer these ideas in future situations (Woolfolk, 2007).       

 

Knowledge

In Global Citizenship Education, students should develop knowledge in the following areas in order to have a greater understanding of what it means to be a citizen of the world:

 

Social Justice is defined as a working knowledge of fairness and equity.  When focusing on this area students are expected to have understandings of inequalities around the world and what can be done to fight for equity via the eradication of poverty. The extent to which they undertand this is somewhat dependent on their developmental level. Oxfam views the fight for social justice to relate mostly to issues of income inequalities and poverty.  However, inequalities and the fight for social justice, can also relate to relations of power, which may connect to poverty, but are not exclusively tied with wealth. See the section on Paulo Freire for more on pedagogies for social justice.

 

Ideas about diversity relate to both the recognition of the simple fact that there are similarities and differences between all people and understanding issues of prejudice and discrimination, how to combat these issues and how students can ensure they live a life that is deeply committed to diversity throughout the world. 

 

Globalization and interdependence refer to the phenomena in which the world is becoming increasingly and more rapidly interconnected.  While many debate whether or not this is a new phenomenon, it is certainly an important one in present day.  This interconnectedness impacts numerous aspects of life, such as economics, culture, politics, technology, linguistics, and ideas.  This interconnectedness also means that the world is interdependent.  One manner in which this interdependence can be seen is via the number of countries who have been impacted by the economic collapse of 2008 that started in the United States.  Education about this area looks at general power relations between various countries and specifically focuses on trade relations.  Its goal is to teach students about the various interconnections throughout the world and what impact they have on justice. 

 

Sustainable development refers to meeting the needs of present generations, while preserving the environment to ensure the needs of future generations can also be met (Brudtland Commission, 1987).  While sustainability can also refer to promoting sustainable relations around the world, this idea is incorporated into the other categories that have been explained.  Therefore, students who learn about sustainable development focus on learning about living things and the relationships between humans and nature and therefore how humans can lead sustainable lifestyles. 

 

Peace and conflict studies is designed to teach students about past conflicts and how they have been dealt with.  Students are also taught the skills of peace building and conflict resolution and are encouraged to think through the various, complex realities that exist and complicate conflict resolution.  

 

Skills     

In Global Citizenship Education, the following skills should be promoted:

 

Critical thinking involves learning how to listen and ask questions.  Students use these skills to then understand different viewpoints and biases that are present in everything they encounter.  They then use these skills to critically evaluate issues that are important but also debated and multi-faceted.  This skill is important to Friere, who believed that we must look critically at what is presented to us to see the influence of power relations.  This skill is also important in the theory of Makiguchi, who believed that people needed to be educated global citizens to not blindly follow abusive governments.

          

Debating effectively is based on being able to express a view and to support your view with evidence.  When students have mastered this skill they can then move into participating in political processes, since they are now able to articulate clearly and effectively their opinion and why they believe what they do.  Since being a global citizen requires participation in political processes, this is a key skill to being able to effectively take part. 

          

Challenging injustice and inequality requires of students the ability to recognize when aspects of the world are unfair and which perpetuate systems of injustice.  When students are able to recognize the existence of inequality they then must learn how to fight against it.  Much like arguing effectively, this skill is key for students to be active participants.  Therefore, students must learn not only what is injustice but also what they can do about it so they can truly be active members of the global community.   

 

Respect for all people and things means that as a global citizen, one has respect for not only people but also all things that are part of this earth.  Students must first learn how to care for others and other things.  When this has been mastered students must begin to think from the perspective of someone/thing else.  Finally, students should develop a personal lifestyle that emphasizes sustainability.  Sustainability is typically, in today’s world, thought of as an environmental concept.  However, here the term is used to encompass all aspects of life. The student should work to ensure that they are not purchasing products that destroy the environment.  However, the student also must ensure that his/her relationships are sustainable, by ensuring that peaceful, non-violent relations are an aspect of everything he/she does.  Developing skills for respect necessitates that students learn to live in a way that is respectful to all life on the planet.

 

Cooperation and conflict resolution are necessary skills for students to learn in order to solve problems in peaceful ways. Students start by learning about cooperation through sharing and how to include others in decisions.  They prepare to accept the decisions of the majority even if they do not agree with what has been decided.  Later, students should learn how to negotiate, mediate and resolve conflict peacefully.  For more information on conflict resolution, please see the section.

 

Values/Attitudes

Global Citizenship Education explicitly seeks to promote the following values and attitudes:

 

Identity and self-esteem need to be nurtured since they are necessary building blocks for open-mindedness.  Only students who have a sense of personal worth and value will have the capacity to have the open mind that is needed for the success of global citizenship. In global citizenship education, teachers should allow students to explore the different facets of their identity, such as gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, ability, etc. In understanding that their own identity is made up of many different facets, they will be less likely to perpetuate stereotypes, or create a sense of "us vs. them" that is so often a source of conflict, as they will have a better understanding that each person belongs to many different groups in society.

 

Empathy is learned gradually by first focusing on concern for those they intimately know, and moving this outward to concern for all people around the world.  This leads to a sense of the common humanity that unites us all.  By cultivating this sense of empathy for those around the world, students will want to be global citizens and see why it is important. 

 

Commitment to social justice and equity begins with incorporating equity and fairness into play.  As students grow older they become more interested in the world around them and in seeing justice (or the lack there of) in daily events.  Finally, they are willing to take action to fight against the injustice that they see, specifically via the eradication of poverty. 

 

Diversity means that students learn that there is value in difference and learn to respect the experiences and opinions of all.  Students will grow to believe that everyone has a right to a point of view and that despite whatever differences occur, all people are equal and different. 

 

Concern for the environment means students begin to see how their behavior impacts people and the environment and are concerned about the future of the planet.  They therefore make a commitment to support sustainability in their lives. 

 

Belief that everyone can make a difference is key.  Without the belief that everyone can make a difference students will simply become disenchanted by what they have learned in the other areas.  Therefore, students need to believe that they can do something to change what they have learned about.  To achieve this students must learn to make mistakes and recover from them and that all actions have consequences.  Next they must take a position on global issues and then to put it all together by acting on their beliefs and opinions. 

 

Ideas in Practice

Teaching Global Citizenship at various developmental levels

As with any educational practice it is important to make sure that the developmental levels of your students are understood and respected.  The wonderful thing about education for global citizenship is that it is appropriate for all developmental levels.  The Oxfam curriculum, that has been discussed earlier, breaks its categories further down by defining age groups (younger than five, 5-7, 7-11, 11-14, 14-16 and 16+).  Within each developmental level, as defined by age, students learn different concepts.  For example in the category “Belief that everyone can make a difference” students who are younger than 5 learn about making mistakes.  It is not until students are older that they are considered ready to learn to take positions of global issues and act on these beliefs.   Students can even learn about global citizenship at the University level.  One of several examples is at Macalester College, where the Institute for Global Citizenship plays a prominent role in the college's culture.  This institute includes academic perspectives on global citizenship (such as a course called Paradigms of Global Citizenship), an experiential learning component (the Study Abroad Office) and a service based component(the Civic Engagement Center).  The Institute also provides grants for students to enact their vision of global citizenship.  Therefore, although at a different developmental stage, students still learn the concepts of global citizenship and put them to use in their daily lives.  This is the key for global citizenship education; that students, regardless of their developmental level, incorporate the concepts of global citizenship into their daily lives. 

 

     Stories of Schools that have successfully incorporated global citizenship education

A success story from Oxfam (2010):

“Creating happy, healthy, responsible and confident citizens

An inner-city primary school, praised by Ofsted for its creative approach to teaching and learning, decided to develop a curriculum which would inspire and empower pupils as part of its school improvement strategy. It wanted to make teaching and learning more cohesive and to create a curriculum that would be ‘relevant, responsive and engaging’. After some research and consultation with parents and pupils, the school decided that creating a curriculum framework based on the principles of Education for Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development would help it achieve its aims. The school used Oxfam’s Curriculum for Global Citizenship, as well as information from the QCA and other sources, to identify what concepts, skills and values it wanted children to learn in addition to statutory requirements; then it integrated these into cross-curricular, thematic units of work. For example, in one unit, pupils study conflict resolution through role play while learning about the Tudors.  The informal curriculum was also carefully addressed. The school grounds offer a safe and secure space for pupils: the School Council manages the playground and oversees a rota of activities; playground friends and peer mediators support children; and gardening teams care for the garden. Circle time and assemblies are used to discuss issues of concern to pupils, and the results of these discussions are fed back to the School Council. The school is happy with the outcome of this change. The deputy head says, ‘Our curriculum has been a powerful tool in enabling us to achieve our strategic aim for pupils: to become happy, healthy, responsible and confident citizens in a rapidly changing environment.’”

 

 

     Teaching Controversial Issues

Many of the issues presented when teaching education for global citizenship will be controversial.  This is good, and in fact essential, since students need to learn how to navigate in the real world and to build their own opinions.  However, teaching controversial issues is not easy.  Therefore, the following is a list of general guidelines that can support you in presenting controversial issues.  First, as a teacher you must always be prepared for a controversial discussion to arise, even if you yourself do not believe the issue to be controversial.  You should have some classroom guidelines that establish respect and positive conversations for all circumstances.  Second, as a teacher you need to decide what role you wish to take.  There are various roles, such as presenting your own opinion, presenting all options or being the devil’s advocate, that can be taken.  Therefore, you need to be prepared to adjust your role to the present situation.  Finally, teachers need to ensure that they avoid didacticism and telling their students what is right or wrong.  Activities that open up discussion, such as the use of photos, or that promote the skills necessary for informed discussion, are good choices to ensure that all students can share their opinions.

 

 

 

Sample Classroom Activities for Global Citizenship Education

Education for Global Citizenship can be integrated into all areas of the curriculum. The following activities develop some of the skills and values that are central to Global Citizenship. They can be adapted for use in many different curriculum areas with a wide range of age groups and ability levels. Although they are used here to examine particular issues, they could be used to extend pupils’ thinking about many other issues associated with Global Citizenship.

     Using photographs (Foundation stage/Early years)

Visual representations are integral in how we form our attitudes towards other cultures.  Therefore, activities that use photographs can be important for teaching diversity, respect, challenging stereotypes and supporting empathy.  The following is a list of activities that can be done with photographs.

1) Changing situations:This acitivity asks children to say what they think is happening in a photograph as well as before and after the picture.  Teachers should encourage students to use evidence from the picture to justify what they say. 

2) Putting yourself in the picture:   As its name says, children need to put themselves into the scene of the picture.  This can be done orally or by creating a visual representation.  In taking part of this process students should notice similarities between themselves and those in the photograph.   

3) Beyond the frame: In this activity students are asked to extend the photograph.  The photo is placed in the middle of a large peace of paper.  Students are then asked to, working together, determine and draw what is happening around the photo. 

4) Links and commonalities: Show the children a picture of someone in another country. Ask them to think of all the commonalities and links between their lives and the life of the person in the picture.

 

     Water for all: from local to global thinking (age 7+)

The purpose of this activity is to promote the skills of communication and critical thinking as well as to make global issues real for students.  First students will be asked to think about how they use water in their daily lives and to then imagine that they no longer have water.  Students should think about how this would impact them.  Ensure that students are thinking broadly and see the relationships between the various areas, such as how the lack of water can lead to diseases.  Students can then, in groups, work through various consequence chains, based on not having water.   

 

     Investigating Conflict, Interrogating the Media (Ages 11+)

This activity teaches students about conflict and the media while promoting critical thinking skills.

To start students need to watch or listen to a news programme that portrays a conflict.  All students can be exposed to the same program or find their own programs.  Students should think about how the conflict, heroism and neutrality are portrayed.  When thinking about the program students should also determine which statements are facts vs. opinions, what is the point of the news piece, what is the language used and what messages does it portray and who has a voice and who does not. 

 

(Oxfam, 2006)

 

     Letter/E-mail Exchange

A great way to promote global citizenship is via getting to know students from around the world. One way to do this is through a letter or email exchange. If you live in the US or a country where Peace Corps Volunteers serve, you can become involved in the World Wise Schools Program, which links schools in the US to schools where Peace Corps operates. There are also many internet portals that allow students from schools across the world to interact with one another. You can also seek to develop a relationship with a sister school on your own, and build a relationship between your classes.

 

Useful websites:

http://allafrica.com features links to newspapers from all over Africa.

http://www.newslink.org

http://www.newsdirectory.com

http://www.worldpress.org contain links to newspapers from all over the world.

 

Questions for Comprehension and Reflection

 

• What are the core ideas of global citizenship education?
• Why is global citizenship education important for peace?
• What are some ways that you can integrate global citizenship into your current curriculum.  

 

 

References

Brundtland Commission. (1987). Our Common Future. Retrieved from http://worldinbalance.net/intagreements/1987-brundtland.php

 

Oxfam. "Education for Global Citizenship: A Guide for Schools." Oxfam Education. Oxfam GB, 2006.

     Web. 2 May 2010. <http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/gc/>. Can be accessed via link to a

     pdf at the bottom of the page.

 

Latham, Andrew A. "Liberal Education for Global Citizenship: Renewing Macalester’s Traditions of

     Public Scholarship and Civic Learning”." Project Pericles. Macalester College, Feb. 2003. Web.

     2 May 2010. <www.macalester.edu/pericles/discussionpaper.pdf>.

 

Andrzejewski, Julie, and John Alessio. "Education for Global Citizenship and Social Responsibility

     ." Progressive Perspectives. The University of Vermont, Spring 1999. Web. 2 May 2010.

     <http://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/monographs/glomono.html>.

 

Ikeda, Daisaku. "Thoughts on Education for Global Citizenship." Daisaku Ikeda. N.p., 13 June 1996.

     Web. 2 May 2010. <http://www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/resources/works/lect/lect-08.html>.

     Speech delivered at the Teachers College of Columba University.

 

Oxfam. (2006). Education for Global Citizenship: A Guide For Schools.      Available at: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/gc/files/education_for_global_citizenship_a_guide_for_schools.pdf

 

Soka Gakkai International (2010). Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2010. <http://www.tmakiguchi.org/
 

Woolfolk, A. E. (2007). Educational psychology (tenth edition). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.