A call to place global learning at the heart of the education system

DERC joined parliamentarians, educationalists and civil society organisation in advocating for swift, meaningful action to support global learning approaches at the launch event of ‘The Case for Global Learning’ report. 

The event, co-organised by DERC, featured contributions from teachers, young people and policymakers on the significance of global learning in education, particularly its potential to help educators address a growing roster of complex, global issues, including the climate emergency, conflict, inequality and extreme poverty. 

In doing so, global learning hopes to prepare young people for the realities of the future. 

The event encouraged attendees, including nine MPs, to explore the report’s recommendations, contact their local MPs and amplify the call for government action to support global learning. 

‘The Case for Global Learning’ report showcases the wide-ranging benefits of global learning approaches, which includes a boost in motivation for both teachers and learners, improved behaviour, attendance, and social and community cohesion, as well as higher academic standards. 

The report was developed by a coalition of more than 30 educational organisations from across the UK, including DERC, Oxfam, Christian Aid and Friends of the Earth. 

Global learning is defined as an approach that enables students to reflect critically on the world and their place in it. It builds students’ respect for human rights, diversity and inclusion and fosters global understanding through shared learning and dialogue. 

Jessica Bailey, an alumna of UCL’s Global Learning MA and Education Coordinator at the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development said, “senior leaders, teachers, and young people are all receiving and reacting to the world around us, all the time. Global learning empowers teachers and young people in that pedagogical process. It’s always been needed, but it desperately needs reprioritising now”. 

Fabian Hamilton, Member of Parliament for Leeds North East and the event’s host, said, “the Case for Global Learning project exemplifies the spirit of international cooperation that our world so urgently needs. Education is not only a tool for individual empowerment – it’s a bridge between nations and communities.” 

Doug Bourn, Professor of Development Education at DERC, says, “children and young people have a thirst for knowledge about the wider world, but they are also anxious about their own future. 

“There is an urgent need for UK government to provide a strategy on global learning so that educationalists, schools, colleges and universities have the guidance and resources to ensure all learners can become active global citizens”. 

Links 

• The Case for Global Learning
• Development Education Research Centre
• Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 

Image

Permission from Kester Muller, DERC.