Teaching for a Better World: Global Issues and Language Education

Abstract

As language teachers in the 21st century, we live in critical times. Our world faces serious global issues of terrorism, ethnic conflict, social inequality, and environmental destruction. How can we prepare our students to cope with these problems? What is our responsibility as language teachers in a world of war, poverty, prejudice, and pollution? “Global education” is a new approach to language teaching that attempts to answer these questions. It aims to enable students to effectively acquire a foreign language while empowering them with the knowledge, skills, and commitment required by world citizens to solve global problems. Global education has been defined as “education which promotes the knowledge, attitudes and skills relevant to living responsibly in a multicultural, interdependent world” (Fisher and Hicks 1985: 8). Another definition states that “global education consists of efforts to bring about changes in the content, methods and social context of education in order to better prepare students for citizenship in a global age” (Kniep 1985: 15). Global educators emphasize that global education is a pedagogical approach, not just a new “teaching technique,” and usually designate peace, human rights, development, and the environment as the four content areas of global education. The goals of a “global” approach to education are generally divided into knowledge, skills, attitudes, and action: • Knowledge about world problems is the first goal. If we want students to work for a better world, they must know the nature of world problems, their causes, and viable solutions. • Acquiring skills—communication, critical and creative thinking, cooperative problem-solving, nonviolent conflict resolution, informed decision making, and the ability to see issues from multiple perspectives—necessary to solve world problems is the second goal. • Acquiring global attitudes—global awareness, curiosity, an appreciation of other cultures, respect for diversity, a commitment to justice, and empathy with others—is the third goal. • The final goal of global education is action—democratic participation in the local and global community to solve world problems.