Teaching Global Citizenship in the World Language Classroom

The world we live in is becoming more and more interconnected every minute of every day.  No longer are people only citizens and residents of  the place they live, but rather we all inhabit the planet together.  For this reason we are responsible for the issues and dilemmas that face everyone.  This requires being a Global Citizen.  What better place to teach about being a Global Citizen than in the Foreign/World Language Classroom?

What does it mean to be a Global Citizen and how can we teach this to our students and learn more about it ourselves?  Global Citizens:

• understand that we share the world with other people, and that events in one part of the world affect people in other parts of the world.
  
• engage in active service learning to better understand and  meet the needs of  people in their community and abroad.
• seek to deepen their own ability to make a difference.
• learn about people from other cultures and show respect for diversity.
• demonstrate compassion for people from around the world and seek to understand issues related to social justice, equality and interdependence.

This concept of Global Citizenship lends itself to Project Based Learning.  You can read my previous post on Project Based Learning in the Foreign/World Language Classroom HERE and see some tips for implementation in the classroom HERE.  These projects give students opportunities to engage in Global Citizenship while using the target language authentically.

You can find resources for engaging students in global issues on these websites: