Education for Global Citizenship
Education for Global Citizenship:
The Needs of Teachers and Learners
1. Introduction
In today's global environment, social studies educators have the opportunity to expand their students’ vision of the role of citizenship in developing a democratic understanding by adopting multiple perspectives on citizenship. Global citizenship education is becoming an important component in citizenship education in many countries.
While global education or world studies has been advocated and practiced in schools and colleges across the world since the 1970s, global citizenship education is a relatively new concept. The insertion of ‘citizenship’ into global education implies something more than, or different from, previous conceptions. The linked question is whether global citizenship education is not simply more informed local citizenship education. In fact, global citizenship education is usually directly concerned with social justice rather than the more minimalist interpretations of global education that focus on ‘international awareness’ or being a better-rounded person. Neither is world citizenship education only about being economically active and technologically literate in a world system. Citizenship clearly has implications in terms of rights and responsibilities, duties and entitlements, concepts that are not necessarily explicit in global education. One can have emotions and multiple identities without doing much about them; citizenship implies an active role.
2. Causes and Influences
2.1 Tension between local, national, and global forces
Many elements seem to spawn global citizenship, but one is noteworthy: the continuous tension that globalization has unleashed between local, national and global forces. An interesting paradox of globalization is while the world is being internationalized, at the same time it’s also being localized. The world shrinks as the local community (village, town, city) takes on greater and greater importance noted this feature and
The Needs of Teachers and Learners
1. Introduction
In today's global environment, social studies educators have the opportunity to expand their students’ vision of the role of citizenship in developing a democratic understanding by adopting multiple perspectives on citizenship. Global citizenship education is becoming an important component in citizenship education in many countries.
While global education or world studies has been advocated and practiced in schools and colleges across the world since the 1970s, global citizenship education is a relatively new concept. The insertion of ‘citizenship’ into global education implies something more than, or different from, previous conceptions. The linked question is whether global citizenship education is not simply more informed local citizenship education. In fact, global citizenship education is usually directly concerned with social justice rather than the more minimalist interpretations of global education that focus on ‘international awareness’ or being a better-rounded person. Neither is world citizenship education only about being economically active and technologically literate in a world system. Citizenship clearly has implications in terms of rights and responsibilities, duties and entitlements, concepts that are not necessarily explicit in global education. One can have emotions and multiple identities without doing much about them; citizenship implies an active role.
2. Causes and Influences
2.1 Tension between local, national, and global forces
Many elements seem to spawn global citizenship, but one is noteworthy: the continuous tension that globalization has unleashed between local, national and global forces. An interesting paradox of globalization is while the world is being internationalized, at the same time it’s also being localized. The world shrinks as the local community (village, town, city) takes on greater and greater importance noted this feature and