Global Citizenship Education

Knowledge

Global Citizenship Education is about really getting to the root of inequality and injustice in the world today and doing something about it! When teaching and learning about Global Citizenship the root causes of how the world works are essential. Remember, the most important question in GCE is ‘Why?’. While many will identify with issues of unfairness, digging deeper for the reasons why and the root causes is essential. There are a myriad of themes and issues relating to Global Citizenship Education that you can explore with your students. You may choose these based on issues covered in the curriculum, an issue you are interested in and feel confident exploring with your students, students’ interests, and/or what is happening in the news. Please see below for a range of themes/issues that can be explored:

Approach

Your approach is key when taking on global issues:

  • It is so important for students to make connections between the local and global. This should be a key focus, regardless of the GCE theme(s) you are exploring.

  • Ensure you are exploring the root causes of the theme(s) you have chosen and examining it from a global justice perspective.

  • Ask questions that investigate the root cause. It is so important to ask questions when exploring global issues, injustice and inequality…WHY? Ask Why 5 times and you should get to the root of the problem. Here are some other questions you might consider e.g. Who does this issue affect?, What are the root causes of the issue? What are the consequences?

  • You will come across a range of viewpoints and perspectives on the theme(s) you are exploring. It is vital that time is given to exploring multiple perspectives, as it allows you and your students to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of these themes.

  • It is important to reflect on your GCE work. For example, what have you learned about yourself, your communities, and the wider world as a result of this learning process?

Have you heard of the Global Goals?

In September 2015 World Leaders committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (or ‘the Global Goals’ for short). They consist of 17 goals to achieve 3 extraordinary things by 2030: to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change. Many schools involved in the WWGS programme choose to examine the Global Goals and focus their work on one or more of these goals. The goals are very broad so we’ve put together guidelines on the global justice themes that emerge from the goals to focus on Click on the Goals for Global Justice themes here

For other resources on the SDGs-see globalgoals.org for more information Click here for a video animation of the Global Goals.


More info

Where do I find more information on the themes/issues mentioned above?

WWGS recommends the following websites:

Contact a member of the WWGS staff for advice on the global themes and issues you are focusing on.