Understanding global citizenship education

In the first half of 2025, I delivered introductory lectures/workshops on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) for GCED Lead teachers in the Gyeongbuk and Jeonnam regions.

It has been 10 years since GCED was introduced in Korea’s national curriculum and educational policies in 2015. Consequently, teacher training programs and workshops have been held in all 17 provinces.

Over the years, I’ve noticed the changes in teachers’ interest or major challenges in relation to GCED. Each time I facilitate training sessions, I can sense that the focus areas are no longer the same as they were in the earlier years.

At its core, GCED is about recognizing the complex issues of our society and striving to address them through education, with the ultimate aim of building a better world together. Because of this, GCED naturally responds to global and societal changes in real time.

Since GCED should be rooted in the curriculum, it is essential to examine how it is incorporated into the revised national curriculum and what directions it may take.

In recent years, one of the biggest topics of interest has been AI and digital citizenship. Teachers are deeply interested in these issues, but concrete strategies for helping learners grow and live as global citizens in the digital age still need to be explored further.

Among the three dimensions of GCED—cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral—I have noticed that teachers’ interest in the socio-emotional aspect grows every year. Most teachers already understand and agree on the importance of GCED, and there is now a substantial pool of high-quality resources (lesson plans, case studies, etc.) accumulated over the past decade, particularly in the case of Korea. As a result, many teachers feel more familiar with the themes and content of GCED. Today, many emphasize that the socio-emotional component is critical: how students become aware of global citizenship, recognize its necessity for themselves, internalize its values, and ultimately translate them into action.

Personally, I believe GCED should go beyond topic-based approaches and be connected to socio-emotional learning (SEL). To make this possible, learners need opportunities not only to learn within subjects but also to experience and practice global citizenship across their (school) life as a skill and a lived experience. Within classroom learning itself, it is equally important to give students opportunities to experience GCED values not only through content but also through the learning processes and approaches, as well as relationships they experience.

Looking back at my experiences since 2015, meeting numerous teachers through GCED training, there have always been challenges and limitations. While we may never overcome these instantly or find perfect solutions, thanks to the teachers who have continuously reflected, experimented, and persevered, the points of struggle have gradually shifted, and in some cases, shared experiences have opened up better pathways forward.

The questions, reflections, and conversations I had with teachers this year reminded me that I need to think more deeply, and that I should be able to bring together teachers’ insights and reflections so I can share—not necessarily answers, but at least better-informed perspectives—next time.

One elementary school teacher’s question has stayed with me, because I couldn’t respond adequately at the moment. In summary, the teacher said:“When we talk about concepts like equality or justice, all students agree. But when it comes to concrete or sensitive issues—for example, ‘How should we treat refugees coming to Korea?’—some say, ‘We should be kind, but it wouldn’t be fair to treat them exactly the same as us.’ As a teacher, how should I respond in those moments?”

Of course, this was raised in a specific context, so it can’t be simplified, but I think it reflects the gap between students agreeing with the values articulated in GCED and actually living out those values in their own lives. I could feel with the teacher’s dilemma. I hope that one day we can create more spaces to unpack such challenges that teachers face in their classrooms and explore ways forward together.

For reference, the introductory lecture/workshop on GCED consists of an introduction to the background and concepts, understanding of the main content, exploration of practical methods, and case studies.

​Introductory Workshop:Understanding Global Citizenship Education