Global LearningState of the Planet Awareness

Kathleen Wilson

What is Global Learning?

• "The global dimension explores what connects us to the rest of the world. It enables learners to engage with complex global issues and explore links between their own lives and people, places and issues throughout the world. The global dimension can relate to both developing and developed countries. It helps learners to imagine different futures and the role they can play in creating a fair and sustainable world."  (The National Curriculum)1

• 1 Globalfootprints.org

Importance of Global Learning

• The inclusion of the global dimension in teaching enables links to easily be made between local and global issues and empowers young people to:

• Critically examine their own values and attitudes

• Appreciate the similarities between peoples everywhere, and learn to value diversity

• Start to understand the global context of their local lives

• Begin to develop skills that will enable them to combat injustice, prejudice and discrimination

The “Big Picture”

• “Global education should be about improving teaching quality; getting values of mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation across cultures into the curriculum; and inspiring students’ curiosity to explore beyond their borders and boundaries.” Bales, 2005

• “You are a human being; your home is planet Earth; you are a citizen of a multicultural society; and you live in an interrelated world.”

(Anderson, Nicklas & Crawford, 1994)

State of the Planet Awareness

• State-of-the-planet awareness Children need to be made aware that what affects the world affects them as well.

• Empowering children to help conserve and preserve the limited natural resources available in our world is crucial for helping to sustain limited natural resources worldwide.

Current Issues

• A World at Risk: Water SecurityThe issues of water and food security are timely and important to the discussion of the future of sustainable development. Students today need to be made aware that resources are finite and have to be preserved in order to have sustainable resources available in the future.

Classroom Resources for Global Learning

• There are several websites that provide valuable tools for teachers who need resources for teaching Global Learning. A few of them are:

• http://www.theglobaleconomy.com/ which gives statistics and information on countries rankings internationally.

• http://www.gapminder.org/ which shows important global trends.

• http://globaledge.msu.edu/ provides tools to answer international business questions.

• http://www.statsilk.com/ provides interactive maps of world data.

References

• http://www.globalfootprints.org/globallearning/ Retrieved November 10, 2013.

• http://global-learning-wsu.ning.com/profiles/blogs/what-is-global-learning

Retrieved November 10, 2013.

• http://think-global.org.uk/pages/3857 Retrieved November 10, 2013.

• http://www.philaglobaled.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=81 Retrieved November 10, 2013

• CANADIAN SOCIAL STUDIESVOLUME 38 NUMBER 3, SPRING 2004www.quasar.ualberta.ca/css Special Issue: Graduate Work in Social Studies Education