Introducing GCED
Guided and supported by UNESCO APCEIU and Habi Lab, I was able to designand implement a workshop for introducing teachers to the idea of global citizenship education. I conducted an offline workshop on 20th June 2022, with 30 pre-service teachers in Bengaluru, India.This workshop was conducted with pre-service teachers because they will be soon stepping into the classroom, and it is necessary that they understand the context we live in and the kind of education that is needed to address the challenges we face.
The workshop began with a discussion about what are the perceptions of the trainee teachers regarding the challenges we are facing in the present context and what is that one thing they want to solve through their work, in their classrooms. The trainee teachers did their research about the issues we are facing, made their charts and presented to others. Then they were introduced to the idea of global citizenship education and its relevance in the present context.
As a part of the workshop, the participants learnt about the need to shift to transformative pedagogies and also created their own short lesson plans integrating GCED with their own specific subjects including Mathematics, Science, English and Social Sciences. The participants were introduced APCEIU, the courses and resources available on GCED online learning campus through this workshop. They also played GCED boards games and solved worksheets which made the process engaging.
The Space and Pedagogy
The entire workshop was designed keeping in mind the learner’s perspective. We made sure that teachers felt safe and engaged in the learning process. The space for the workshop was such that there was differentiated sitting, the participants could decide how they wanted to sit and be. The workshop started with classroom contracting and we decided the guidelines of the workshop together instead of a teacher imposing those on the learners. The workshop was entirely activity based so that the participants felt connected and engaged.
We included think-pair-share, board games, chart and poster making, role plays and other such activities. This was a safe space for them to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas. They were not restricted by their language, English speaking skills or any other fear of being judged. This encouraged them to think about the kind of learning space they wanted to create as educators. In the feedback, the participants mentioned that they really felt connected to the learning process, and they felt motivated to take these ideas to their classrooms.
The participants mentioned that through this workshop, they could see themselves as agents of change, and that as educators they had the potential to bring about a desirable change in the society and that was one of the most important accomplishments. This feedback and the dream to build a community of change makers encouraged me to come up with this educational project titled, Sattva- A Space for lifelong learning.