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The Conundrum of Global Citizenship
I recently had the pleasure of giving a lecture on Global Citizenship Education to International PGCE and MA students at Oxford Brookes University. It is worth noting that there are seven staff members from the Wellington family of schools (Pune, Shanghai, Nantong and Hangzhou) undertaking the IPGCE this year under the expert and personalized guidance of Dr. Jo Skelton. This is a strong, truly international programme and we are hoping to see this collaborative relationship continue to grow. If you would like more information, please contact ktaylor@wellingtoncollege.org.uk
Why Global Citizenship matters
Given the dynamics of the global economy, increased mobility and the ongoing challenges posed by cultural and political conflicts, few would dispute that Global Citizenship, Intercultural Learning or Intercultural Understanding is an essential focus in education. Yet it is also a contentious one—hence the “conundrum.”
A Journey through Ideas
In the lecture I shared my evolving thinking about global citizenship, tracing a line from Aristotelian ideas on the virtuous citizen to the virtue ethics that underlies much of the current discourse on global citizenship and related educational issues. Aristotle’s legacy shapes many Western assumptions about citizenship and moral education. But applying virtue ethics in a global context raises difficult questions:
- How do we define the collective today? Local community, nation-state, continent, planet, by economic status or social class…? All of the above?
- Where do our rights and responsibilities lie in a globalised world?
- Do we have a duty to act or to modify our actions for the collective good?
There are no simple answers to these questions.
Power, Privilege and the Hidden Curriculum
Another layer of complexity lies beneath the surface. Whether we look at the work of Oxfam, UNESCO or any number of other curriculum frameworks, GCE content is often organized into three domains: cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural. But it is important to ask whether these frameworks
carry with them assumptions about pedagogy that reflect dominant cultural norms in education, whether national or international.
Paolo Freire’s concept of critical consciousness is particularly relevant here. Freire argued that emancipation begins when we become aware of the systems that sustain social inequalities. He encouraged educators to question dominant ways of thinking—often embedded in the written, taught or
hidden curriculum. This, I believe, is central to GCE, but also one of its most challenging aspects.
When Theory Meets Practice
The students attending the lecture work in diverse settings around the world, and our conversation soon turned to the classroom realities of GCE. Many described moments of tension when students express views on global issues that conflict sharply with one another or, potentially, with the teacher’s own values. We discussed the importance of creating space for productive disagreement and empathetic listening and reflective dialogue. These practices are essential, but far from easy.
In response to these ongoing challenges, Dr. Jo Skelton, Dr. Eowyn Crisfield and I have recently launched a new research project: “Teacher identity, pedagogy and practice in contextually-situated Global Citizenship Education.” Our aim is to understand how educators working in different international contexts interpret, define and enact GCE. By exploring the assumptions, tensions and opportunities that arise in varied settings, we hope to contribute to a more nuanced and context-sensitive understanding of global citizenship in schools.
An invitation to participate in research
We warmly invite you to contribute to this study. Your insights into the teaching and learning of global citizenship—wherever you are in the world—will help us build a richer picture of how GCE works in practice. Here is the link to the survey, and we would be grateful to learn from your experiences.
