Defining and mapping global citizenship education in early childhood and primary education

• In Event: Building the foundations for global citizenship in the early years

Proposal

What does education for global citizenship in the early years look like? How can primary schools ensure they are implementing global citizenship education (GCED) effectively? In this presentation, I will discuss the process of research and development that a small child-focused international NGO underwent to create a global citizenship education assessment program for primary schools. The program, called Global Schools First, helps primary school leaders and teachers systematically assess their progress on integrating global citizenship education throughout their entire school. Schools also have the opportunity to be recognized for their commitment and excellence in global citizenship education, share and learn about the innovative practices of other schools, and be inspired by a global community of educators. The aim is that this new model, designed exclusively for primary schools, will improve schools’ capacity to implement an integrated, whole-school approach to educating young children as global citizens.

First, I will present our “Six Dimensions of Global Citizenship Education Framework,” and show how the dimensions align with UNESCO’s three domains of learning (cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioral). The Six Dimensions are: 1) Discovering Ourselves & Others, 2) Understanding Global Ethics & Shared Values, 3) Building Relationships Through Diplomacy, 4) Making Informed Choices, 5) Exploring Our Interconnected World, and 6) Embracing Innovative Thinking. I will then share how we translated UNESCO’s GCED learning objectives for pre-primary and lower primary (ages 5-9) and upper primary (ages 9-12) into school-level inputs. The inputs are organized into five areas of the school: 1) leadership practices, 2) teaching and learning, 3) extracurricular activities, 4) school culture and environment, and 5) school and community relationships. Assessment questions were developed for each dimension and area of the school combination. In total, the GSF Assessment is comprised of 42 open-ended questions.

I will then discuss the process by which primary schools use the assessment. Each school forms a team of 3-5 teachers, school leaders, and other members of the school community who work together to reflect on their school’s approach to global citizenship education and complete the GSF Assessment. They develop narrative responses to the assessment’s open-ended questions and collect supporting evidence, as required. Finally, each school team submits their completed assessment for review by the program team and a panel of global education experts. In additional to receiving a custom analysis, teams are encouraged to use their findings for school improvement, either by integrating them into an existing school improvement plan or using them to create a new schoolwide global learning strategy

The Global Schools First assessment program is currently being pilot tested is five schools, and we expect to add ten more in the next few months. As each school completes the program, all participants will complete a survey on their experiences with the program and select participants will be interviewed. I will conclude the presentation by discussing the results from our pilot schools in Pakistan, India, Indonesia, and beyond and discuss plans for scaling up the initiative.

Author

• Adrienne Henck, Independent Consultant