Australian Journal of Teacher Education - Vol 43 - Issue 4 - Article 4 - Maintaining Global Citizenship Education in Schools - A Challenge for Australian Educators and Schools

Oct 15, 2026

Teaching students about global citizenship is a critical challenge for schools and communities, particularly in developed countries such as Australia. Intensifying national and international pressures and the marginal curriculum position create urgency to sustain support for global citizenship education. The paper identifies challenges and limitations and outlines practical ways to raise its profile through appropriate pedagogies, alignment with the Australian Global Education framework, curriculum opportunities, quality resources, relevant teacher education, and partnerships with key non-government organisations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Global citizenship education definitions and core learning domains

Key challenges for educators in Australia

Political, economic, and policy pressures affecting GCE

Need for global cooperation and student learning outcomes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 43 | Issue 4 | Article 4 | | --- | --- | 2018 Maintaining Global Citizenship Education in Schools: A Challenge for Australian Educators and Schools John Buchanan University of Technology, Sydney, [john.buchanan@uts.edu.au](john.buchanan@uts.edu.au)[ ](john.buchanan@uts.edu.au)Nina Burridge Andrew Chodkiewicz Recommended Citation Buchanan, J., Burridge, N., & Chodkiewicz, A. (2018). Maintaining Global Citizenship Education in Schools: A Challenge for Australian Educators and Schools. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43 (4). Retrieved from [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss4/4](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss4/4) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss4/4](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss4/4) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Maintaining Global Citizenship Education in schools: A Challenge for Australian Educators and Schools John Buchanan Nina Burridge Andrew Chodkiewicz University of Technology, Sydney Abstract: Teaching students about global citizenship remains a critical challenge for schools and communities, especially in a developed country like Australia. With increasingly difficult national and international contexts and its marginal place in the school curriculum, there is an urgent need to help maintain support for global citizenship education. Recognising the challenges and limitations, key ways to raise its profile include considering available pedagogies, drawing on the existing Australian Global Education framework, taking up existing curriculum opportunities, accessing quality educational resources and relevant teacher education programs, and working in partnership with key Non-Government Organisations. Key Words: global citizenship education; schools; curriculum; pedagogies; teacher education. Introduction Educators in developed industrialised countries, such as Australia, face significant challenges in maintaining education about global issues and citizenship in schools. This is despite a tradition, dating back to the 1960s, of teaching about global issues in Australian schools, and the emergence of a specific focus on global citizenship education (GCE) since the early 2000s (Tudball & Stirling, 2011; Sigauke, 2013) . Global citizenship, according to Education Services Australia (ESA, 2011) is about “knowing that we are all citizens of the one globe and behaving in a way which demonstrates a respect for that globe and all people on it.” For UNESCO (2015) it “refers to a sense of belonging to a broader community and common humanity, it emphasises political, economic, social and cultural interdependency and interconnectedness between the local, the national and the global”(p.14) . The main values and attitudes that a student, who acts as a global citizen, needs to demonstrate are“empathy; a commitment to social justice and equity; a respect for diversity; a concern for the environment and sustainable development, and a belief that people can make a difference”(ESA, 2011). At its core, it involves three domains of learning-cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural. The emphasis here is on our interdependency and interconnectedness, a specific set of values, and a focus on domains of learning. This offers a useful starting point for teachers in considering what and how to teach about global issues in schools. Throughout the paper we mention global learning, global education, global issues, global citizenship as aspects of GCE to consider. Vol 43, 4, April 2018 51 Australian Journal of Teacher Education Among the challenges for teachers in Australia are the increasingly difficult political and economic contexts that impact on schools and their ability to offer students opportunities to learn about and act on global issues (Barrow, 2017; Flitton, 2015; Lowy Institute 2016) . This is evident with the rising and vocal opposition t

FAQs

Why is maintaining global citizenship education in schools considered urgent in Australia?

Because teaching global citizenship faces increasingly difficult national and international contexts and its limited position in the school curriculum, creating a need to sustain support for global citizenship education.

How does the paper describe the concept of global citizenship?

It explains global citizenship as knowing people are citizens of one globe and acting with respect, drawing on definitions such as belonging to a broader community and common humanity, with interdependence across local, national, and global levels.

What practical approaches does the paper suggest to strengthen global citizenship education?

It recommends considering available pedagogies, using the Australian Global Education framework, taking curriculum opportunities, accessing quality educational resources and teacher education programs, and working in partnership with relevant non-government organisations.

Oct 15, 2026

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