Framework of Global

Education
Australian Schools
 Building a framework for global education

 There are five learning emphases which reflect recurring themes in global education.
 Interdependence and globalization – an understanding of complex social, economic, and political
links between people and the impact that changes have on others.
 Identity and cultural diversity – an understanding of self and one’s own culture, and being open to
the culture of others
 Social justice and human rights – an understanding of the impact of inequality and discrimination,
the importance of standing up for our own rights and our responsibility to respect the rights of others
 Peace building and conflict resolution – an understanding of the importance of building and
maintaining positive and trusting relationships and ways conflict can be prevented or peacefully
resolved
 Sustainable futures – an understanding of the ways in which we can meet our current needs without
diminishing the quality of the environment or reducing the capacity of future generations to meet their
own needs.
In addition, each learning emphases has a spatial as
well as a temporal dimension which teachers need to
take into account when teaching with global
perspective.
 Spatial dimension – overlapping local and global; social and
natural communities which describe interdependence, influence
identity and ability to make change.
 Temporal dimension – connections between the past, present and
future in the dynamic and changing world which influences identity
and interdependence of people and their ability to respond to global
issues.
By exploring the learning emphases and dimensions of
global education, students will be provided with
opportunities to develop the values, knowledge, skills and
capacity for action to become good global citizens.

The framework for global education outlines the values,

knowledge, skills, and opportunities for action within five
interconnected learning emphases and their encompassing
spatial and temporal dimensions.
Values and attitudes
 A sense of personal identity and self-esteem.
 A sense of community with the people around the world.
 Caring and compassionate concern for others.
 A recognition of shared responsibilities and a willingness to cooperate with others
in fulfilling them.
 A commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of all people.
 A positive attitude towards diversity and difference.
 A willingness to learn from the experience of others.
 An appreciation of and concern for the environment and a commitment to
sustainable practices.
 Knowledge and understandings
 An awareness of self as a member of interconnected and overlapping communities
and how these influences response to global issues.
 A recognition of social, political, economic and environmental links between people
and between communities.
 A recognition and assessment of a range of perspectives and the temporal and
global dimensions on a global issue or event.
 An understanding of the interdependence of all living things and that each has value
and the imperative of sustainability.
 An awareness of the role of economic development in overcoming poverty and
raising living standards.
 An appreciation of diversity and the contributions of different cultures, values and
belief systems.
 Knowledge and understandings
 A discernment of the nature and impact of prejudice and discrimination, and capacity to
challenge these positions.
 A familiarity with the universal and inalienable nature of human rights.
 A knowledge of causes of poverty, and inequality and ways to address it.
 An understanding of the causes and consequences of change and strategies available to
manage change.
 An appreciation of the causes and effects of conflict , and the importance of conflict
resolution and peace building.
 An appreciation of the importance of good governance.
 A recognition of the contested nature of global issues, and the importance of seeking an
informed and balanced understanding.
Skills and processes
 Cooperation, sharing, tact and diplomacy, negotiation and compromise, mediation and
conflict resolution, and the capacity to relate newly acquired knowledge to an existing
framework of understandings.
 Critical literacy skills, including a capacity to consider different points of view; a
critical awareness of bias, opinion and stereotypes; a developing capacity to be a critical
consumer of media, analyze information, make judgments and deal with contentious
and complex issues.
 Research and inquiry skills, evaluating and organizing information, extrapolation and
prediction and problem-solving skills in order to take personal or group action.
 An appreciation of the need for stewardship of our natural resources – balancing our
right to use them with our duty to protect the environment.
Skills and processes
 The ability to express views, formulate an argument, use
evidence and develop and change one’s views.
 The ability to identify unfairness and opportunities for action
to redress it by applying equity principles.
 An empathy for others, the ability to see connections between
one’s own lifestyle and actions and the consequences for others
and for the environment.
Action and participation
 The ability to identify and investigate different opportunities for action and
participation.
 The ability to consider the consequences, positive and negative, for oneself and
for others of particular actions.
 A willingness to be involved in action to support desirable outcomes.
 A capacity to identify possible barriers to successful participation and ability to
devise strategies to overcome these.
 A willingness and capacity to cooperate with others and to foster, encourage and
value the participation of others.
 A capacity to reflect on and evaluate forms of action, to review progress and to
reconsider forms of action.
The five learning emphases of
global education
Interdependence and globalization
 Interdependence describes the relationships of mutual dependence
between all elements and life forms (including humans) within and
across cultures, environments and social systems. It means that decisions
taken in one place will affect what happens elsewhere.
 The dynamic nature of globalization, when people, goods, money and
ideas are moving around the world faster, more easily and more cheaply
than before, means that an understanding of the interdependence of
cultures, places, environments and social systems becomes vital for
peaceful, just and sustainable development.
Opportunities to Learn
In this key concept, students at different stages of schooling identify and explore the ways that
individuals and communities increasingly depend on each other. They recognize that
interdependence has a number of features:
 Cultural (e.g. arts, media, advertising, food, sport)
 Economic (e.g. global consumerism; changing patterns of trade, investment and debt; struggle for
development and human rights; development cooperation)
 Environmental (e.g. global climate change, energy security, pollution, population growth, species
conservation, protection of oceans)
 Geographical (e.g. the spatial interactions between people and places and how they change over
time – the growth of urban areas; resource distribution, use and management)
 Political (e.g. international governance; bilateral and multilateral relationships; peace and security
issues; regional and global governance; civil rights)
 Religious (e.g. values, fundamentalism; interfaith cooperation)
 Social (e.g. multiculturalism, migration, tourism, education, public health, people-to-people links)
 Technological (e.g. impact of new technologies in different communities and countries; global
communications and the movement of goods; the digital divide)
They learn to identify and analyze both positive and negative effects of
interdependence and globalization, such as how:
 Increased trade may lead to more wealth for many, but also to more inequality
 The spread of new technologies may make life easier and healthier and
promote new industries but it may destroy traditional livelihoods
 Tourism brings economic benefits but may cause environmental harm and
damage local cultures
 Foreign investment can help industries to grow, but may lead countries and
local communities to lose control of their own affairs
They are able to identify ways in which interdependence and
globalization are accompanied by other, contradictory trends, such
as:
 The exclusion or marginalization of some communities from global
processes
 Rising awareness of, and resistance against, some of negative effects
of globalization
 Fragmentation within societies and states, including the break-up of
some nation-states and movements for regional autonomy or
independence in many parts of the world
 Identity and cultural diversity
 Understanding and valuing ourselves is the first step to valuing others. If
we have a positive sense of self, we are able to be more open and
accepting of diversity. By exploring personal identity and cultural
diversity, students learn about and connect their own cultural identity and
heritage with those of others in different times and places.

 Universal Declaration on Culture Diversity

 The UNESCO declaration of 2001 includes articles on identity, diversity and
pluralism, human rights, creativity and international solidarity.
 UNESCO’s cultural development program covers heritage, living cultures and
sustainable development

portal.unesco.org/culture/en
Opportunities to Learn
In this key concept of learning, students at different stages of schooling will:
 Promote a positive sense of identity and high self-esteem, together with a positive
regard for the rights and identities of others
 Recognize that people have different belief systems, values and attitudes that result in
different actions and behaviors
 Appreciate the contributions of diverse groups of people to their community and
contribute to intercultural understandings through participation in appropriate events
 Develop a sense of shared identity with others, as a member of a community at the
local and national levels, as well as a part of global society
 Identify and critically analyze narrowly nationalistic or ethnocentric views, developing
tolerance of the views and lives of others, and understanding of and empathy for
people, regardless of their cultural or ethnic background
 Identify and value the contributions of all peoples, in fields such as the arts, science, technology,
religion and philosophy, humanitarian action, business and education
 Develop awareness of similarities and differences of beliefs and practices in various cultures, and
learn to detect and avoid cultural stereotypes and prejudices
 Explore different ways in which media and information and communication technologies can
portray a global event or story and how these can affect one’s beliefs and attitudes
 Communicate effectively and sensitively within and across cultures
 Recognize that increased migration, communication and economic interdependence, blur the
boundaries between ethnic and national groups
 Explore the changing nature of national boundaries which may lead to either the multiple nature of
identity in society, or to the establishment of cultural differences.
 Develop understandings to contribute to, and benefit from, reconciliation between indigenous and
non-indigenous (Australians)
Social justice and human rights
 Social justice supports the fair and equitable treatment of all people
and aims to protect them from discrimination because of race,
gender, age and ability etc.
 The concepts of social justice are codified in the form of human
rights, international commitments to protect civil and political
rights, economic, social and cultural rights.
 Education about social justice and human rights allows students to
understand the importance of treating people equitably and the
responsibilities we all have to protect the rights of others.
Millennium Development Goals
The international community has set the following eight goals to be achieved by
2015.
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality.
5. Improve maternal health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
8. Build a global partnership for development.

United Nations Millennium Project

www.unmillenniumproject.org
Opportunities to Learn
 Recognize the importance of equity, justice ad fairness for all within and between
societies, cultures and countries
 Investigate the impact of inequality within and between regions and nations, an efforts
to reduce these inequalities
 Understand how past injustices affect contemporary local and global politics and how
our understanding of this has changed over time
 Inquire into the powerful and powerless
 Examine progress on addressing poverty and inequality through case studies and
statistics, for example assess progress on the Millennium Development Goals
 Appreciate the distinction between equality and equity and evaluate the role that
international organizations play in protecting human rights
 Identify unacceptable forms of discrimination, such as racism and sexism, and devise
strategies for challenging and avoiding these attitudes and practices
 Emphasize the inherent and universal nature of human rights (i.e. human rights apply to
everyone, as a consequence pf being human) as encapsulated in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the two international covenants on Civil and Political Rights, and
Economic and Social Rights
 Consider the social rights of groups, including the rights of minority groups such as indigenous
people, as well as individual civil, economic and political rights
 Understand that there may be competing rights and responsibilities in different situations that
require conflict resolution
 Explore different concepts of rights, each person’s responsibility to allow others to enjoy the
same rights as oneself, and to uphold the rights and freedoms of individuals and communities
that are disadvantaged or oppressed
Peace building and conflict resolution
 Inner peace is an important aspect of an individual’s ability to respond to conflict
situations which affect them and others around the world.
 Students who develop good communication to avoid violence and negotiate solutions
to problems such as sharing scarce resources, differing values and exertion of power
are able to build more peaceful futures.
 Conflict has occurred in the past, is happening in the present, and will occur in the
future.
 It can occur globally, as well as regionally, nationally, communally, within the families
and among individuals.
 Peace building is designed to address the causes of conflict and the grievances of the
past. It must involve justice to promote long-term stability, human security ad equality.
 Opportunities to Learn
 Explore different concepts and examples of peace, security and cooperation
 Understand that there are choices and consequences for others in conflict situations
 Explore parallels between international conflict and conflict at a classroom or school level
 Identify and investigate different types of conflict and the causes of conflict, as well as the
effects of conflict and violence on people and the environment
 Recognize the difference between negative and positive conflict and explore examples of each
 Identify and discuss how individuals, groups and states can build and sustain positive and
trusting relationships
 Develop an understanding of ways in which conflicts can be prevented or peacefully resolve,
including advocacy, negotiation, reconciliation and mediation
 Explore the role of development and poverty eradication in creating the conditions for peace
and cooperation
 Understand that international conventions aim to protect adults and children from torture and
other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
 Acquire knowledge about multilateral initiatives to build peace, disarmament and the role
played by the United Nations and its agencies
 Explore how place and change impact on peace and human rights
 Understand how regional differences in economic and social wellbeing need to be addressed in
order to reduce impact of conflict on individuals, communities and governments
 Investigate particular historic and contemporary conflicts, and come to understand that there are
differing and contested perspectives about resolving conflicts
 Examine and discuss specific United Nations and Australian involvement in and contributions
to peace building
Sustainable futures
 The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development is from
2005-2015. Its vision states that ‘Education for sustainable development
is about learning to respect, value and preserve the achievements of the
past; appreciate the wonders and the peoples of the earth; live in a world
where all people have sufficient food for a healthy and productive life;
assess, care for and restore the state of our planet; create and enjoy a
better, safer, more just world; be caring citizens who exercise their rights
and responsibilities locally, nationally and globally.’ (UNESCO, 2005)
Opportunities to Learn
 Develop a sense of optimism about the future, balanced with a realistic understanding of
the difficulties and challenges ahead
 Understand the relationships between humans, living things and the natural environment
 Investigate the spatial relationship between global phenomena and their impact on natural
and human environments using spatial concepts (such as distribution, region, movement,
spatial association and maps to investigate resource use)
 Explore resource use and environmental sustainability and relate knowledge and action to
country and regional contexts
 Identify and explore opportunities to participate in and influence decision-making locally,
nationally, regionally and internationally.
 Explore how indigenous peoples (in Australia) and internationally relate to their
environments and use scarce resources in order to live more sustainably.
 Explore the direct contribution of (Australian) governments and people to
sustainable development in developing countries
 Examine ways that governments, communities and responsible companies
cooperate to protect local environments around the world
 Investigate the ways that people, governments and international organizations
contribute to sustainable futures locally and globally
 Recognize and discuss the relationships between ecological, economic, cultural,
political, and social aspects of sustainability
 Examine and predict the consequences of unsustainable practices
 Investigate polices in the management of sustainable places
The Earth Charter
 The Earth Charter is a widely recognized, global
consensus statement on ethics and values for a sustainable
future. Developed over 10 years, the Earth Charter has
been formally endorsed by more than 2,500 organizations,
including global institutions such as UNESCO and the
World Conservation Union.

The Earth Charter Initiative

www.earthcharter.org/
Course Requirement:
 From the model presented by Australian schools,
formulate a contextualized framework for global
education considering your school’s location, culture,
environment and economic situation. Explain the
components of your framework and the benefits the
students as well as the entire stakeholders will get from it.