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 — 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.?

Get in touch and learn about how 蜜桃app can help your language teaching

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 –?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 – 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 – 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?– 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?– 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

More blogs from 蜜桃app

  • A woman standing at a whiteboard in a office with two others sat down.

    How to bring soft skills into the business English classroom

    By Richard Cleeve

    Anyone who’s ever taught a business English class knows that their students are busy people. Sometimes they get sidetracked by their other tasks - even during class. This means we have to make the most of the time we have with our learners and focus on what they really need.

    How you do this depends on the sector your students work in (or plan to work in), their previous experiences studying English and their own strengths and weaknesses.

    Teachers often focus on teaching hard skills, such as writing reports or running meetings. We do this because it can be challenging for many business students to do these things in English and also because hard skills have an immediate and positive impact on their workdays.

    But, if there’s one thing that all business people can benefit from, it’s soft skills.

    Soft skills are interpersonal or people skills. They include things like active listening, teamwork, decision-making and influencing skills. Mastering these skills will help students progress more rapidly and become more independent learners. However, isolating the specific vocabulary or grammar structures that these skills use is complex and they often get overlooked in language learning classes as a result.??

  • University graduates in robes taking a group photo

    How an education degree can help you work anywhere in the world

    By 蜜桃app Languages

    Are you thinking about embarking on a career in education? If so, you’ll be opening the door to an entire world of possibilities. An education degree can help you to work anywhere in the world, making it one of the most rewarding career paths you can choose. In this blog, we’ll delve deeper into just how this field of study can broaden your horizons more than you ever thought possible.

    Why choose an education degree?

    Without teachers, there are a lot of valuable life lessons that we just wouldn’t learn. Of course, learning isn’t just limited to the classroom, but educated teachers seem to consistently have the most impact on young people all over the world. This potential to change young lives is what makes studying for a teaching career desirable for many.

    Studying education will also enable you to work from anywhere that you like, as teaching jobs are widely available across the world. The opportunity to teach English to second-language learners in particular can be found in even the most remote locations. Teaching abroad frequently comes with perks, too, , and the chance to meet people from all walks of life.

    Where can I work with an education degree?

    In short: almost anywhere. Some of the most popular places people immigrate to with an education degree include Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. The latter is particularly attractive, as international school teachers are paid well here, and frequently awarded free accommodation and travel.

    Saudi Arabia is also known for its vast riches, which they invest in building beautiful, gated communities for their expats. These often include air-conditioned housing and community pools. If you choose to relocate here, you’ll usually find yourself teaching a mixture of fellow expats and locals – most people find the exposure to such vastly different cultures particularly exciting.?

    Teaching schemes and programs are available to people with relevant education degrees and overseas teaching roles are always in demand, so it's not uncommon to see new programs pop up over time. Make sure to check out relevant embassy and government websites for up-to-date news on schemes that are running.

    If you find a program that interests you, make sure to do your research and find out from others who've participated to ensure its the right program for you. One person's experience teaching can be a lot different from someone else's. The kind of wage, accommodation and benefits can differ greatly depending on the scheme and where you work so its a good idea to research that, comparing it to the area's cost of living.

    What should I study alongside my education degree?

    If you’re choosing to study education you’re already on the right path to an enriching international career – however, you may wish to study other subjects alongside this to make sure that your future job applications stand out.

    An English degree complements education studies nicely. The English language teaching market created approximately , and this number continues to grow. Alternatively, subjects such as maths and computer science continue to be popular choices for hiring companies abroad.

    Education is generally seen as the precursor to a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education), which enables you to work abroad. In the UK alone as of 2023, so when it comes to getting started on your academic journey, the options are endless.

    Education: the key to the world

    Studying education at degree level will give you the key to the wider world, and is the first step towards a rewarding international career. If you choose to go down this route academically, you’ll have the opportunity to submerge yourself in vibrant global cultures. So, choosing to study for an education degree is sure to be the start of an exciting journey.

  • Two young girls sat at a school desk reading a book

    8 first lesson problems and solutions for young learner classes

    By Joanna Wiseman

    The first class with a new group of young learners can be a nerve-wracking experience for teachers, old and new. Many of us spend the night before thinking about how to make a positive start to the year, with a mixture of nerves, excitement, and a desire to get started. However, sometimes things don’t always go as expected, and it is important to set a few ground rules in those early lessons to ensure a positive classroom experience for all throughout the academic year.

    Let’s look at a few common problems that can come up and how best to deal with them at the start of the school year.