GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
Spreading the word on sustainability
Global citizenship and
making, believing you can make a difference, an 11 to 16 school in Craigavon, Northern
and trying to make students see the bigger Ireland. The school was found to have a clear
sustainability are two key
picture in understanding how they can action plan with identified targets to improve
impact on their communities in the global the physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing
issues in schools today. We
perspective.” of pupils and teachers. Pupils have organised
A study published in Spring 2008 by studies into the best methods of
look at how the curriculum
educational charity DES, however, found travelling to and from school
that teachers needed more support and better and considered the safest
reforms happening now resources to deliver effective lessons on options – all as part of
could provide schools with
global issues. The report accused schools a wider programme of
of, albeit unintentionally, turning out a action about how to
the opportunity to further
generation of “globally illiterate” children. reduce their carbon
DES found that one in five of the 2,000 footprint.
inspire the next generation
11 to 16-year-olds questioned said they had The school
not discussed any world news stories, such as has a drop-in
of global citizens
climate change or conflict between nations, centre where
in the previous year. And worryingly for the parents as
UK, only half of young people thought that well as pupils
R
aising the next generation of global living in a multi-racial society was a good can talk in
citizens is becoming an increasingly thing. confidence
important role for schools. The charity said that global learning was about
But it remains a relatively new part of an effective solution to the problems, personal
phenomenon. It is only really in the past because children who experienced this were
decade that a mass of the population has far more open to people from different
become actively involved in recycling, and backgrounds and felt more responsibility for
aware of the importance of energy-saving. their actions in the way they can impact on
Schools, of course, are ideally placed to the wider world around them.
promote sustainability and “green” issues. There is hope for the future, however. The
Whole-school policies on saving water, practical side of implementing a “green”
recycling plastics, metals and paper, and curriculum has perhaps so far met with greater
planting and cultivating gardens on school success in primary rather than secondary
sites have become increasingly common. schools, where whole-school activities tend
Stuart Lunn, OCR’s qualifications group to be easier to organise, co-ordinate
manager for arts and media, life and work, and manage and where
said the issue would assume ever greater sustainability
future importance in the national curriculum. can be more
“There has been a greater focus on these readily
issues in the last 10 years or so because absorbed
climate change, for example, is something we into
can see happening virtually from one year to themed
the next. It has suddenly become something work in the
that affects our lives directly,” he said. curriculum.
“Environmental issues, and in particular As these
sustainability, are something we have to children grow
look at practically when looking at subject older, the hope
specifications to show there is a link across is they will
all areas of the curriculum, ranging from carry the
geography and biology, to citizenship and message from
economics.” their earlier
So in future, when tackling green issues, years into
schools will have to look at the role of secondary
the individual, as well as the role of the school
community, and the place of both in the and onto
global context. adulthood.
“It will be a multi-layered approach, For the
looking at the whole notion of community. second year
No country exists in isolation any more, running, the
because we all get our food, fuel and energy Teaching Awards
from a variety of sources. So there is a notion have recognised
of dependency and inter-dependency. the work done in
“Active citizenship is a really important sustainability by
part of the curriculum. This is not just about individual schools, with
learning about aspects of sustainability, but the majority of winners
doing it, as well as being an active participant coming from the primary
and understanding how our actions impact on sector.
others. One of the few secondary
“It is about being involved in decision- winners was St John’s Junior High,
12 SecEd
DELIVERING INNOVATION IN QUALIFICATIONS
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