Abstract
This chapter reports on a case study that aimed to understand how global citizenship education (GCE) can be integrated in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum. In order to do that, the authors analyze the practicum reports of two pre-service teachers, which included the GCE projects they developed in a primary or in an upper secondary school, and the personal reflections they wrote at the end of the academic term. The first analytical procedure consisted in the identification of the topics, goals, methodologies, activities, and resources outlined by the pre-service teachers for their projects. Then, the authors analyzed the personal reflections to pinpoint learning outcomes, limitations, and recommendations. Finally, using a grounded theory approach, which drew on the data and on literature review, the authors propose a theoretical model for GCE pedagogies that provides possibilities for concrete EFL practices and teacher education programs.
TopIntroduction
Preparing children and youth to live and work in globalized societies poses new and complex challenges to education systems. Schools and universities, created to perpetuate national values, are currently requested to prepare students to understand the world outside their own country, communicate accurately and respectfully across cultural distance, commit to social justice, and act towards more inclusive and sustainable communities. Within this context, global citizenship education (GCE) has emerged as a central theme linked to pedagogical principles to empower students as critical beings to see the relevance of global issues in their own lives and to understand their “glocal” responsibilities (Gaudelli, 2016), something which is often captured in the phrase “think globally, act locally”.
Despite the rhetoric surrounding GCE (Lourenço, 2018b) and the undeniable need to empower students to become engaged citizens acting towards sustainable development, issues of global citizenship are still not major components of the curriculum and are often absent from textbooks worldwide or dealt with in “softer” terms (Andreotti, 2006). This is often the result of unclear representations of GCE by teachers and policymakers, and lack of pedagogical preparation to teach about these issues, which prevents teachers (and teacher educators) from integrating them into their professional practice and identity (Andrade & Lourenço, 2019; Goren & Yemini, 2017; Lourenço, 2018a).
Still, there are already many “good” GCE learning practices in all education levels scattered across the globe which deserve broader dissemination. Some of these practices have been developed in the foreign language classroom, often portrayed as “an optimal space for GCE” (Lourenço & Simões, 2019). Indeed, for a very long-time research has been reporting the role of language education in fostering intercultural and democratic citizenship (Byram & Wagner, 2018; Simões, 2018), in promoting global understanding (Tochon, 2009), and, more specifically, in contributing to GCE (British Council, 2008; Lütge, 2015). The English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom, in particular, has been depicted as an opportunity for learners to explore issues of identity and diversity while analyzing similarities and differences between people, places, cultures and languages; develop an awareness of global interdependence in a world where English(es) evolve and influence each other; explore global issues while developing written communication skills, critical thinking, and empathy; and appreciate a range of perspectives, exploring how texts from different social and cultural contexts influence values, beliefs and a sense of identity (Lourenço, 2017; Oxfam, 2015b).
In Portugal, the context of this study, GCE has gained momentum in recent years, not only as a response to international calls to educate critical and responsible citizens, but also as a result of a favorable climate to integrate citizenship issues in the curriculum, in agreement with the National Strategy for Citizenship Education, in force since 2017. According to a review of the GCE literature published in Portugal in the last 10 years (DERC, 2020), the number of articles, chapters and thesis covering this topic has risen sharply. The expansion of the field is also visible in scientific events that have started to include GCE as a strand, as well as in the growing array of resources and guides that teachers have at their disposal to implement GCE (see, for instance, Neves & Coelho, 2018).
Addressing this background, this chapter reports on a case study, which included grounded theory analysis, conducted with two pre-service teachers in Portugal who developed GCE projects in a primary or in an upper secondary school during their EFL practicum. The broader research question was defined in the following terms: How can GCE be integrated in the EFL curriculum? In line with this question two objectives were set:
Key Terms in this Chapter
Pedagogical Framework for GCE: A comprehensive set of pedagogical principles that are specified to enable practitioners to integrate GCE in their professional practice and to support teacher education programs.
Upper Secondary Education: Subject-focused programs designed to prepare pupils for tertiary education, or to provide skills relevant to employment, or both. It usually requires more specialized teachers for each subject area. The end of this level often coincides with the end of compulsory education. In Portugal, upper secondary education corresponds to ISCED level 3 and is aimed for pupils aged 15-18.
Global Citizenship Education: An educational perspective that aims to empower learners to assume active roles to face and resolve global challenges and to become proactive contributors to a more peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable world.
Pre-Service Teachers: Student teachers without a prior teaching qualification enrolled in a teacher education program in a higher education institution. In Portugal, pre-service teachers are required to complete a professional master’s degree (two years after a three-year undergraduate course) to qualify for teaching.
Grounded theory: A qualitative research method that uses a systematic set of procedures to develop an inductively derived theory about a phenomenon. The primary objective of grounded theory is to expand upon an explanation of a phenomenon by identifying its key elements, and then categorizing the relationships of those elements in order to propose a theoretical model.
Primary Education: Programs generally designed to give pupils a sound basic education in reading, writing and mathematics, and an elementary understanding of subjects such as history, geography, natural sciences, social sciences, and arts. In Portugal, primary education (also known as the first stage of basic education) corresponds to ISCED level 1 and is aimed for pupils aged 5-10.
Foreign Language Education: The teaching or learning of a nonnative language outside of the environment where it is commonly spoken. A distinction is often made between “foreign” and “second” language education. The latter implies that the learner resides in an environment where the acquired language is spoken.
English as a Foreign Language: English instruction that occurs in countries where English is not widely used for communication among the nation. In Portugal, EFL is mandatory for seven years (starting at age 8/9), occupying a prominent space in the curriculum.
Globalization: The opening up and coming together of business, trade and economic activities between nations, leading to greater homogenization of fundamental political, ideological, cultural and social aspects of life across different countries of the world. Such processes have been taking place for a long time but have been accelerated and intensified in the past few decades because of developments in technology.
Global Competence: The set of knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions that will allow an individual to understand and act on issues of global significance.