A Teacher’s Role In Making A Global Citizen
Today’s dynamic world requires us to be global citizens. A global citizen is aware of the wider surroundings beyond the immediate and his/her role in the same. Teachers play a key role in moulding a student into a global citizen. The initial knowledge that is required to become a global citizen is given by educators. An individual should be knowledgeable, caring and inquisitive to achieve this. A person who is always ready to learn becomes a better global citizen. This desire to learn must be instigated in early childhood itself. A child with such a personality will facilitate co-existence and make the world peace as an adult. Global citizenship requires an inclusive attitude that is tolerant and appreciative of everyone. Let us look at some methods teachers have been using to make every child a global citizen.
Provoking A Chain Of Thoughts
Teachers promote critical thinking at an early stage. Instead of feeding the child with their perspectives, they motivate the child to think by himself/herself. Kids are exposed to various social, political and cultural situations, which enables them to think differently. Out-of-the-box thinking will make them open-minded and artistic. Children will grow up to be rational thinkers. They will hone skills that the current global market needs. This habit will make them better individuals who consider every possible perspective before taking a decision.
A Child-Centric Approach
Teachers in the contemporary world know the importance of child-centric education. They believe in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of children before giving them the knowledge they possess. Allowing them to make mistakes is the idea behind such a teaching approach. It is applied at the early stages of a child’s development and continued through high school. Teachers have now taken a collaborative strategy leaving behind the authoritative one. This approach gives children what they need instead of leaving them confused about the area of academics that needs attention.
A Part Of The Group
To focus on group living forms the centre of modern teaching. The shaping of global citizens requires blending with the group. It is the teachers who inculcate values of sharing and cooperation. By rewarding cooperative behaviour, teachers help kids understand the ideal way forward. Sharing, caring and combined problem solving are best understood at a young age. Since children spend a big share of their time in school, teachers can mend their behaviour accordingly. They provide ample opportunities by putting them in ideal situations to learn better and faster.
Technology-Assisted Teaching
Teachers and their teaching methods are further empowered with the intervention of technology into education. By introducing technology-driven learning, teachers update the students to keep up their pace with the dynamic world. They not only make teaching and learning easy but make it interesting. Their innovative methods of using technology, make concepts come alive. This facilitates better learning among children and ensures longer retention periods. While saving ample time with technology, teachers ensure that the right message is conveyed to students.
The Learn and Teach Strategy
Contemporary teachers constantly learn about and upgrade themselves about the latest teaching methods. These are changes adopted by teachers across the length and breadth of the world. These updated methods assist the teachers in keeping the kids up-to-date. In most schools today, it is mandatory for teachers to undergo on-the-job training. This is insisted upon so that they can learn better and in turn teach better. These training generally involve knowing new techniques to keep children engaged. They are trained to assist kids in exploring various concepts spread over a number of subjects.
Two-Way Communication
Instead of pouring out all the information on a class of passive students, teachers have set a new trend. Two-way communication is the need of the hour. In making a global citizen out of a student, a teacher ensures that concepts being taught are also being understood. Two-way communication is an effective way a teacher finds out if the goal has been reached. Also, the new-age teacher is a good listener. He/she listens to what students have to say and responds accordingly. By projecting this behaviour, the teacher is also telling the kids to be good listeners. Students learn a lot by imitating the methods and values of their teachers. The imitation will take them a step closer to being global citizens who are good communicators and listeners.
A Global Curriculum
A global curriculum is a major ingredient in the making of a global citizen. To be a global citizen a child must be aware of the various cultures and values around the world. Knowing this, the present-day curriculum includes stories and activities that introduce cultures to students and test their understanding. Teachers often observe commonly occurring biases and attempt to clarify them. This clarification is important at the instant of bias formation. It might become a part of the child’s personality if it is ignored. A well-trained teacher can identify this better than anyone else. Apart from providing theoretical knowledge of togetherness, teachers encourage group activities. These activities give children a chance to mingle with each other. It is also an opportunity for them to practically implement what they have learnt from their books.
A teacher’s role is most significant in giving the world its global citizens. They have the power to create leaders who will give the world a new direction to follow. The direction provided by such leaders is sure to lead to progress.
