Book review: Global Citizenship Education: Curious teachers, critical classrooms, edited by Brighid Golden

Book review: Global Citizenship Education: Curious teachers, critical classrooms, edited by Brighid Golden

Kildare: Dice Project/Irish Aid, 2023, 232 pp.; ISBN: 978-1-7394706-0-9 (ebk)

As the title suggests, Brighid Golden’s book, Global Citizenship Education: Curious teachers, critical classrooms, engages with the discourse surrounding global citizenship education (GCE) and considers primary school teachers’ points of view.

Over the past decade, the scope of publications in the academic field of GCE has grown, covering a range of concepts (see the Global Education Digest published by ANGEL, 2023). Many of them focus on approaches related to GCE conceptualisations (Pashby et al., 2020). However, a gap has been noted in the literature regarding the absence of approaches relating to GCE and how teachers (Sant et al., 2018), both pre- and in-service, implement GCE in practice.

This book aims to fill this gap. Presented as a practical guide for student teachers and in-service primary school teachers seeking to adopt GCE in their practice, the book emerged through the DICE Project, an education strategy in Ireland that brought together four institutions of initial teacher education at the primary school level and that centred on intercultural and development education. The chapters are written by academics from the aforementioned institutions, and also teachers, activists, representatives from non-governmental organisations and members of the Traveller community (Ireland’s Indigenous ethnic minority). This enriches the edition with a variety of perspectives in practically embedding GCE in the daily practice of teaching. As noted by the editor, this project should support and inspire teachers to ‘use their privileged position in education to be an activist and contribute to changing the world’ (i).

The book, made up of 41 chapters, is divided into three sections. Each section provides a brief insight into various topics which the authors consider to be GCE-related. In the first section, GCE is conceptualised as a framework with four key foundations, namely, global citizenship, critical thinking skills, antiracism and interculturalism, and action. Each foundation is presented in a chapter of it own, which identifies the main definitions of the terms and then frames the theoretical basis of the GCE approach. This defines GCE as an ‘umbrella term’ covering multiple fields through a critical and transformative lens. This perspective, consistently maintained throughout the book, underscores its positionality on the topics while reaffirming the critical foundations of GCE. However, while this first section introduces key concepts effectively, it does not cite foundational theories, allowing a more accessible overview, which was the aim of the editor.

Having framed the field, the second section moves on to the concept of global social justice. The chapters in this section provide examples of various issues pertinent in the field of GCE, such as migration, Irish Travellers, human rights, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, active citizenship, climate change inequalities, trade justice, sustainability, gender issues and conflict management. There is an attempt to explore these through a critical lens, which helps to lay the foundation for young students to understand and engage with global challenges from an early age. Introducing these themes to primary school pupils fosters critical awareness, empathy and a sense of shared responsibility, which are core to developing informed, compassionate global citizens. Although each topic has a distinct focus, the section highlights their interconnections as elements of global justice. By approaching these issues from a theoretical perspective, the authors provide educators with a solid conceptual foundation, supplemented by numerous links to additional references and documents for deeper exploration. For instance, Chapter 10 outlines the different forms of citizenship (national, European and global), and discusses people without citizenship. This chapter introduces the concept of collective responsibility and explores the potential tensions that individuals may experience between global and national citizenship, mainly when values and rights conflict. The aim is to provide a broad understanding of the various topics and to foster teachers’ development of this knowledge, which will help them to become more informed citizens.

The third and last section, which is the most extensive, focuses on how it could be possible to implement and develop the concepts presented above pragmatically. It provides examples and recommendations for embedding GCE in one’s teaching and learning practice through the suggestion of teaching methodologies which bring these concepts to life. Suggested strategies, among others, include approaches such as the use of photographs and images related to global issues, picture books and narratives, as well as games about the topics presented. It is argued that the combination of GCE practice with the suggested teaching approaches could enable reflections and values-oriented discussions. For example, Chapter 20 examines how structured classroom discussions help students engage with complex global justice topics, fostering dialogue and critical thinking. Signposting to the book’s appendices helps the reader to explore further practical guidelines when unpacking these issues, for instance, the use of tools such as the compass rose, which explores global issues through various perspectives, representing guiding directions such as natural, social, economic and decision-making perspectives. Chapter 22 offers practical examples of novels that can give voice to the ‘hidden curriculum’, avoiding tokenism and questioning the literary canon critically. These activities engage with issues of power, identity and communities by incorporating drama education, walking debates, cross-curricular projects and online resources for novels that address GCE. Furthermore, Chapter 33 underscores the value of encouraging meaningful activism in schools using Andreotti’s (2016) HEADS UP framework to move beyond simplistic, charity-based approaches. Through practical activities such as role-playing and letter writing (detailed further in Appendix 6), the methodologies and resources encourage both teachers and students to engage critically with global issues, promoting a reflective, context-aware approach to the values and challenges of global citizenship, as advocated by Andreotti (2014a).

Combined with resources throughout the book, these teaching practices and approaches embody Andreotti’s (2014b) idea of providing the space to reflect, equipping teachers and learners with tools for critical engagement and reflection. In this way, the book offers a pathway for both teachers and students to question assumptions and ‘think otherwise’ (Andreotti, 2014b). Valuable inputs are given by researchers, activists, teachers and expert consultants in the field. Additionally, the book concludes with a glossary and a summary of links organised by chapter to enhance navigation, making this interactive PDF particularly accessible to educators seeking both a comprehensive overview and immediate, practical resources to integrate GCE concepts into their teaching.

While this resource summarises the empirical work of the Irish DICE Project well, it lacks detailed descriptions of the processes and research experiences that underpin these practices. Although the book has its roots in the Irish context, the insights provided would be beneficial and adaptable to other national settings, such as the Italian context, which lacks a structured integration of GCE. However, the framework presented is not entirely in line with the contemporary debate in the UK, where GCE is seen as distinct, and separate from the broader educational themes presented, as expressed by Bourn (2020) in his analysis of the topic within the anglophone world educational landscape.

Additionally, as an Italian primary school teacher and researcher in the field, I believe this is a unique resource in its essence, since it speaks directly to teachers, who are the primary audience for the book. It is essential to have a structured and evidence-based publication that supports teachers in the classroom. However, as mentioned above, readers should be conscious that the book does not have the space to explore the depth or complexity you might find in a more conventional academic work, both theoretically and methodologically.

In conclusion, the book is well structured in a unique format. It guides the reader through a general understanding of GCE, giving a variety of overviews about the broader themes, and providing practical teaching methodologies and tools. This comprehensive structure ensures that readers can confidently take their first steps in GCE, supported by practical and interactive tools. This free downloadable book, supported by Irish Aid, is a must-have for teachers interested in GCE who want to start introducing some of its pillars in their classrooms.