As teachers, weÌýallÌýwant ourÌýstudents toÌýwork toward making the world a better place. Through focusing onÌýglobal citizenship,Ìýthis drive to change the world is something we can help foster every day in the classroom.ÌýIn this post, we’ll explore how.
What are global citizens?
ÌýA global citizen is someone who knows that they are part of a worldwide community. They understand that there are people who have completely different lifestyles, appearances, cultures and routines but with whom we share common values and responsibilities. Global citizenship encourages tolerance and understanding, and learning about it helps children become open-minded adults.ÌýÌý
In a primary English classroom, helping students become aware of themselves as citizens of the world will introduce them to a global way of thinking. We can do this while also helping them become familiar with, and proficient in, English.ÌýÌý
How can we introduce the concept?
BeforeÌýstudents put themselves in a global context, they should get to know themselves as individuals. But they should also get to know themselves as people whoÌýare part ofÌýtheir immediate communities.ÌýÌý
In the classroom, this can be done by encouraging students to think about something personal, such as their likes and dislikes. We can then encourage students to look a little further: What kinds of homes do they see in their communities? What makes a house a home to them? What about people working in their communities — what important jobs do they do, and how do they make an impact?Ìý
For language teachers,Ìýthe idea is toÌýcombine vocabulary and grammar structures with a slowly widening view of our world.ÌýSimply by introducing the conceptÌýthat we are part of a worldwide communityÌýcanÌýtake the children out of their own experiences and help them start to consider others.
Tips and activities
Social media makes it possibleÌýforÌýteachers to contact each other across borders and to collaborate between their schools. Something simple, like organizing a class video call for students after lunchtime and encouraging students in different countries to discuss what they ate in English,ÌýcanÌýhelp learners become more globally aware.Ìý
