How to teach students to be global citizens

Jeanne Perrett
Children working together outdoors picking up litter
Reading time: 4.5 minutes

As teachers, we?all?want our?students to?work toward making the world a better place. Through focusing on?global citizenship,?this drive to change the world is something we can help foster every day in the classroom.?In this post, we¡¯ll explore how.

What are global citizens?

?A 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.??

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.??

How can we introduce the concept?

Before?students put themselves in a global context, they should get to know themselves as individuals. But they should also get to know themselves as people who?are part of?their immediate communities.??

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 ¡ª what important jobs do they do, and how do they make an impact??

For language teachers,?the idea is to?combine vocabulary and grammar structures with a slowly widening view of our world.?Simply by introducing the concept?that we are part of a worldwide community?can?take the children out of their own experiences and help them start to consider others.

Tips and activities

Social media makes it possible?for?teachers 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,?can?help learners become more globally aware.?

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How can we teach students to be proactive?

Once students know something, they can progress to putting their knowledge into action. Teachers can foster this?by encouraging good habits ¨C?a simple example is?how we?teach?very young?children to throw their litter in a bin. As they grow older, we can?¡®unpack¡¯ these habits. That is,?we can help?children?look deeper into why?they're so important.?Using the example of litter again,?this?could mean?making students aware about how their civic responsibility has a real environmental impact.?

Let¡¯s look at how we can?go from knowing to doing, in simple stages, with a range of topics?that are common in the?language?classroom:?

Food

  • Ask students to think about what they like and dislike.?
  • Ask students to name foods that are good for us and what we should eat more of.?
  • Teach about school lunches in other countries.?
  • Teach about dishes eaten on special occasions around the world.?
  • Have?a?food festival?or ¡®munch day¡¯ where students make snacks from around the world.

Buildings

  • Ask students to talk about their own homes.?
  • Teach about types of homes in other countries.?
  • Discuss eco-architecture ¨C such as solar panels, living walls, wind turbines on roofs, and local materials that might be used in building processes.??
  • Venture outside as a class to plant?potted?flowers and improve the school yard or make a container to collect rainwater for the school garden.?

Jobs

  • Teach about the jobs people do at school ¨C such as cleaning, cooking, or driving.?
  • Think about jobs within?the community?and why they are necessary.?
  • Think about what skills each child and their parents have and how these skills are needed for different jobs.?
  • Have a skill-sharing day where?students?teach?each other?something new.??
  • Host?a?¡®kids take over day¡¯?where students?get to?do an important job?at?school (such as?cleaning the classrooms?or?serving lunch).?

Technology

  • Discuss the different types of technology used at home and school.?
  • Think about how to use this technology responsibly.??
  • Talk about different households?and find out?how and when?tablets, laptops and phones are used. For example, who is allowed to watch videos while eating??Who can read on their tablet in bed??
  • Make your own set of technology rules for the classroom and discuss why they¡¯re important.?

Holidays

  • Ask students what they like to do on holiday.
  • Teach about how to stay safe at the ocean or in the countryside.
  • Talk about other countries students have travelled to or would like to travel to and learn about interesting landmarks in those countries.
  • Discuss eco-tourism efforts and why they are important.
  • Have a?¡®Let¡¯s go to?[name of a city or country)?day.¡¯?Make posters about famous sights, learn some phrases of the language spoken there?and?have students?imagine?they?have gone abroad for the day.

Sharing the message?

The United Nations?has set out a collection of?17?global goals, called the??(SDGs), which aim to create a better future by 2030. They address issues like gender equality, hunger and poverty and can be an excellent resource for teachers to use in the classroom when discussing how global citizenship can help to improve our world. ?

Teachers can encourage students to spread the message about?SDGs in?various?ways. For example, students can:??

  • Give speeches?¨C at school or in the local community.?
  • Begin a fundraising?campaign.?
  • Write letters to politicians.

Teaching students to be global citizens may sound like a big task. However, through weaving these ideas through language lessons, teachers have the opportunity to plant an important seed in students. Because who knows, they may really grow up to change the world.?

About Rise and Shine

Rise and Shine?is a 7-level story-based primary course that combines language learning with global citizenship. It is built on the?Global Scale of English, which helps students to understand exactly what they are learning and why.

The course?inspires learners to become?confident explorers?¨C they learn English and aim to become responsible global citizens. The series is also designed for use in inclusive and mixed-ability classrooms and supports every learner to achieve and shine.

Learn more about Rise and Shine

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    1. English

    Speakers: Approximately 1.5 billion

    Native speakers: Around 360 million

    Regions: Widely spoken in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

    Highlights: English is the most widely spoken language worldwide when combining native and non-native speakers. It's the primary language in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. English is the dominant language in international business, science and technology.

    2. Mandarin Chinese

    Speakers: Over 1.1 billion

    Native speakers: About 920 million

    Regions: Mainly in China, Taiwan and Singapore

    Highlights: Mandarin is the language with the largest number of native speakers. It's one of the six official languages of the United Nations and has a significant cultural and historical importance.

    3. Hindi

    Speakers: Around 600 million

    Native speakers: Approximately 341 million

    Regions: Predominantly in India and Nepal

    Highlights: Hindi is predominantly spoken in India and Nepal, with approximately 341 million native speakers. It is one of the official languages of India and is spoken by a large portion of the Indian population. It has numerous dialects and is written in the Devanagari script.

    4. Spanish

    Speakers: Approximately 560 million

    Native speakers: About 460 million

    Regions: Spain, Latin America and parts of the United States

    Highlights: Spanish is the official language in 21 countries and is widely spoken in the Americas. In many of these countries, Spanish serves as the national language, playing a crucial role in government, education and media. It¡¯s known for its rich literature and cultural heritage.

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    Speakers: Around 280 million

    Native speakers: About 77 million

    Regions: France, parts of Africa, Canada, Belgium and Switzerland

    Highlights: French is another of the six official languages of the United Nations. It's widely used in international diplomacy and has a significant number of speakers in Africa due to France's colonial history.

    6. Arabic

    Speakers: Approximately 270 million

    Native speakers: Around 310 million

    Regions: Middle East and North Africa

    Highlights: Arabic is a central Semitic language that is the liturgical language of Islam. It has many dialects, with Modern Standard Arabic being used in formal settings and media. Arabic has numerous spoken forms, with significant variations in dialects across different regions.

    7. Bengali

    Speakers: Around 265 million

    Native speakers: About 230 million

    Regions: Bangladesh and parts of India

    Highlights: Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and the second most spoken language in India. Alongside other languages like Hindi and Urdu, Bengali plays a crucial role in the cultural and linguistic landscape of the region. It¡¯s known for its rich literary tradition.

    8. Portuguese

    Speakers: Approximately 220 million

    Native speakers: Around 220 million

    Regions: Brazil, Portugal and parts of Africa

    Highlights: Portuguese is mainly spoken in Brazil, which is the largest Portuguese-speaking country. It has a growing number of speakers in Africa.

    9. Russian

    Speakers: Around 258 million

    Native speakers: Approximately 154 million

    Regions: Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia

    Highlights: Russian is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and is widely spoken in the former Soviet Union countries.

    10. Japanese

    Speakers: Approximately 128 million

    Native speakers: Around 128 million

    Regions: Japan

    Highlights: Japanese is predominantly spoken in Japan and is known for its three writing systems¡ªHiragana, Katakana and Kanji. It has a rich cultural history and is influential in technology and entertainment.

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