Romy Friedman

With the current wave of increased globalization and global migration made possible by various technologies, it is safe to say that we are becoming increasing interconnected. Events that happen at one location have the potential to affect many other locations, if not the world as a whole. New terminology has arisen from this situation; for example, you might have encountered the term “global citizen”. It has become a buzzword of sorts for universities and schools, especially those with a diverse student body.

On the website of the IBO, under the tab of ‘Professional development’, a book published in-house in 2009 entitled, Educating for global citizen, is on offer. The University of British Columbia (UBC) sees fostering global citizen a major part of their vision for the University.

In a class last week, I got the chance to observe and take part in an amazing discussion, as we posed the question to first year science students of just what exactly is a global citizen?

As you can see from key comments summarized on the board, students had some great ideas. There were two follow up questions where students were asked if they felt themselves to be a global citizen, and could anyone be a global citizen? Some students said it was as easy as stating you believe in ideas such as the three tenants listed by N. Dowever in ‘An Introduction to Global Citizenship: (1) All beings are worthy of respect; (2) We exist as citizens of a global community; (3) The world can and should become one. However, a consensus seemed to arise that this isn’t a yes or do question. There is a sort of sliding scale, where yes, most of us are, and can be, global citizens but there will always be more that we can do.

So what does this mean for education and for us individually as educators? As seen from the image below, taken from UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, there are many things we can easily do at the classroom level. Just by reading this blog, you are participating in a community of inquiry. As a teacher, you can create a deeply inclusive and supporting learning environment for your students. We can be a reflective practitioner, taking the time to contemplate what we are teaching, what this means, and how can we improve. I firmly believe, that as teachers, we are able to become a capable change agent of change at the primary and high school level.

I highly suggest that anyone interest in global citizenship read the article, Wanted: Global, by Marcelo M. Suarez-Orozco and Carolyn Sattin in the journal, Educational Leadership (2007). They claim that the world needs young people who are culturally sophisticated and prepared to work in an international environment. I agree with their belief that the first thing schools need to do is restructure curriculum and pedagogy, to place student engagement at the center of learning. Yes, reforming education to be more in tune with new global reality, as stated by Orozco & Sattin, will require focused energy, creativity, political will and a commitment of resources on the local national and international levels. Yet, there is much us teachers can do to aid in the process. From adopting frameworks for our planning that use this philosophy, to using a student-centered teaching methods, where the focus of the activity shifts to the learner, from the teacher as in more traditional methods. In this way, we can each do our part to raise awareness of issues that affect us all, such as climate change, and help produce students ready to face the challenges of both today, and whatever tomorrow might bring.