Developing Global Citizenship In Education

By Russell Peagram

Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Learning and Teaching blog. I wanted to share some research that reflects a good deal of the international experience I have gained in education about Global Citizenship in Education (GCE). I found an article about the Global Citizenship Compass written by Nicolas Palmer and published by researchgate.  

Objective: Can schools implement COMPASS as a framework for further developing Global Citizenship in Education?

Summary: 

• The author sets the scene for the global need for a framework citing Article 4.7 of the UNs Sustainable Development Goals.  Further to this, the author reminds us that UNESCO explained in 2012 that “The world faces global challenges that require global solutions. It is not enough for education to produce individuals who can read, write and count. Education must be transformative and bring shared values to life. It must cultivate care for the world and for those whom share it.”

• The author conducted research into schools for a six-month period interviewing staff, students, parents, and support staff about their understanding of what Global Citizenship is and how they are developing future global citizens. 

  
  

Conclusions of the study:

• Staff can be confused as to what Global Citizenship in Education should and could look like in the curriculum and, in general, “school life” for students and staff. 

• To develop better GCE, schools can follow the newly developed COMPASS model to improve the development of Global Citizenship. 

1. Co-Creation: All stakeholders can be given the chance to talk about what Global Citizenship means in their school, subjects areas and classrooms.

2. Orientation:  Explore what unique perspectives the student body can bring to the school. 

3. Mapping: Evidence of Global Citizenship can be mapped from the written curriculum and the school can identify learning opportunities that can be improved.

4. Pathfinding: The school can promote and develop activities that promote international mindedness at the school and in the classroom that are practical, and students can engage in. 

5. Allocentrism: The school and teachers can look for opportunities to make global connections with organisations, schools, and events from around the world. 

6. Substantiating: Global Citizenship can be evidenced in the future from students and staff who can discuss and debate issues from multiple global value systems with confidence. 

7. Sustaining: Schools can continue the development of GCE which may change over time. 

   
   

How does this impact me and my practice?

• How am I currently supporting global citizenship in my classes by exploring the unique attributes of my students?

• Do I allow time to frame globally minded questions in class to allow students to think about and explore global problems and solutions?

• What elements of global citizenship can work well with my subject(s)?

• Are elements of global citizenship explored within the written curriculum and are there some opportunities to really develop some learning activities.

• Do I have any opportunities to connect with other schools to widen the scope for students to make more global connections in their learning. 

  
  

Please do get in touch if you would like to talk further about this - I’d love to hear from you!

CPD Reflections: Curriculum Development & Planned Skill Progression

By Michelle Chen

I was fortunate enough to attend a CPD session on Science curriculum development called "How to work scientifically". Although this post is heavily science-focused I find that this topic can be adapted for all disciplines. One goal in working scientifically is to help students feel more confident in applying their skills to any discipline. The scientific process allows students to become open to critical thinking in light of new evidence. Curriculum Progression: What it means to get better at Science. What makes a great scientist? Is it the ability to recite all of the elements in the periodic table by heart or understanding all of Newton’s laws? No! The skills students use to work as a scientist stretch across multiple disciplines, which make it an important feature for teachers to consider in their lessons. Two types of knowledge are needed to work scientifically; The first is substantive knowledge, which is the knowledge that is produced by our academic subject. The second is disciplinary knowledge, which teaches students the skills they need to work scientifically. The two types of knowledge work cohesively together in order for students to learn effectively.

Why is planned skill progression important?

• Developing confidence and a growth mindset- We know that from a young age children are natural inquisitors; “Why is the sky blue? Why is the speed of light faster than the speed of sound?”. The big question is how can we, as educators, continue to encourage this behaviour? The implementation of planned skill progression plays a key role in encouraging students to develop a growth mindset and gain confidence in their learning. Ensuring the curriculum is well-sequenced also ensures that learning is accessible.

• Creating deeper understanding and connections- By breaking down and sequencing the curriculum into conceptual frameworks we are able to build students’ knowledge of science concepts. Pupils fail to develop any conceptual frameworks of understanding if the curriculum is structured in arbitrary collections of topics. If students build upon their existing knowledge they are able to make connections when new information is presented. A strong curriculum begins with a few of the most fundamental topics of science to support student learning. For example, I find the States of Matter Topic to be the most successful for Y7s as they have a strong foundation of substantive knowledge from KS2 that can be extended upon. It creates the opportunity for new knowledge to become part of an emerging conceptual structure to deepen their understanding of the material. 

• Application of knowledge to practical situations- A high-quality science curriculum should be sequenced carefully to showcase the interconnectedness of substantive and disciplinary knowledge. In doing so, our students will not only understand the world around them but can apply this knowledge to practical situations, without overwhelming their working memory.

How to design a curriculum that focuses on building skills:

The first step is to identify what are the skills that you are hoping to build within your curriculum.

For Working Scientifically these include the following:

• Asking questions
• Making predictions
• Carrying out an enquiry
• Use equipment effectively
• Take measurements
• Record data
• Present their findings
• Draw conclusions
• Evaluate results

Then you need to consider the role of the following seven elements of your curriculum, to ensure you are able to effectively build these skills across a period of time:

1. Build on their prior learning and meet the needs of pupils from all starting points
2. Develop and apply their knowledge
3. Apply mathematical concepts
4. Apply their literacy skills
   
5. Engage in practical learning activities Working Science skills
6. Cultural capital
7. Future study/careers

For example, considering "Apply their literacy skills", you might consider the vocabulary students are introduced to in the early stages of your curriculum. By ensuring a wide range of vocabulary is introduced and consolidated through these lessons, you provide "seeds" for developing scientific concepts that can be built upon later.

Key points to remember:

• Substantive knowledge is sequenced so that pupils build their knowledge of important concepts such as photosynthesis, magnetism, and substances throughout KS3/ KS4
• Knowledge is sequenced to make the deep structure of the scientific disciplines explicit. This allows for both students and teachers to see how the knowledge is connected across disciplines and subjects.
• Disciplinary knowledge is sequenced to take account of:
• Hierarchical structure
• The best substantive contexts in which to teach it
• Once disciplinary knowledge is introduced, it can be used and nurtured in a range of different substantive contexts
• Planning for progress takes account of what is taught in other subjects, ex. Mathematics

Bitesize Research: Sustainability & Climate Change In Secondary Schools

By Jaya Carrier

Welcome back - I hope everyone had a lovely Easter break, and that you’re having a good first week back. 

This week’s bitesize is a little bit different and I’m using it to highlight a really exciting research project that we at WA are taking part in. One of the most pressing global issues facing us and our students is climate change and sustainability. In light of this, we were delighted to be approached by the new Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability at the Institute of Education to take part in their research into how this issue is embedded into schools and education.

For this work, researchers from this centre will be coming into WA for two days in May to speak to our staff, to look at our current approaches to this issue, and to support us with devising future initiatives. 

Objectives:

To examine how climate change and sustainability are approached by schools in the UK currently, and then to devise and disseminate best practices on how to educate about these issues going forward

Summary: 

• The new Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability is reporting that a significant proportion of teachers feel underprepared to teach about climate change and sustainability.
• They acknowledge that effective education on this issue may also require a change in values education, careers education as well as better knowledge. They also acknowledge that this work is likely to be cross-disciplinary to be most effective. 
• They are looking to work with teachers across the UK to develop their work in tandem with teachers.
• The need for better support for teachers is also acknowledged in the Department for Education’s recent Climate and Sustainability Education draft strategy 

How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflection questions arising from this that might be helpful to consider are: 

 

• What is the value of climate change and sustainability education?
• What am I currently doing to promote sustainability to my students?
• What would I like to do to support sustainability and climate change education?

 

If you would like to discuss this further with me or if you’d like to take part in some of this research - please let me know! I’d be delighted to hear from you!