This document summarizes a presentation about global issues in education. It makes three key points: 1) Global issues provide meaningful content for language learning by addressing topics that are personally relevant to students' lives and promoting cultural understanding. 2) Teaching approaches for global issues focus on reflective, inquiry-based learning where students research topics, make connections, and present their own perspectives. 3) Examples of activities presented include virtual collaborative projects, classroom debates on war films, and quizzes to assess students' knowledge of global problems like hunger and debt.

1. APLE International Conference,
April 20, 2013
Presenter:
Olga Morozan,
MA, PhD student,
Institute of Educational Sciences,
American Councils, Moldova

2. What are GLOBAL ISSUES?
• Every aspect of our life as human
beings!!!
The FOOD we eat
The WATER we drink
The AIR we breath
The GOODS we buy
The HOLIDAYS we take
The INFECTIONS we contract…

3. • “-The primary aim of language teaching is to communicate
with people from other cultures. It is a natural extension of
this to challenge cultural and racial stereotypes, promote
tolerance, and work to reduce conflict and inequality.
• -Language teaching has no defined content. Global Issues
are one area of concern which provides ready-made content.
• -This content has obvious personal relevance for the lives of
the learners. Language acquisition is meaningful only when it
is viewed as part of human condition.
• -Global Issues expand the narrow scope of language learning
to a wider educational perspective, developing intercultural
competences. “
• Ricardo Sampedro, Susan Hillyard
•

4. The goals of a “global” approach to education
are generally divided into:
knowledge, skills, attitudes, and action:

5. Teaching approaches:
Reflective learning
(think time)
Inquire-based learning
(student research):
plan, search, skim & scan,
read &comprehend, sift &
select, make connections,
evaluate, summarize in
their own way using their
own expressions, apply,
present

6. How?How?
• Virtual Collaborative Projects
• Classroom Activities
__________________________________

7. Virtual Collaborative Projects
3 iEARN projects within Learning Circle “Computer Chronicles”:
a. “Words Govern the World” (Chisinau)
b. “In God We trust” (Balti)
c. ‘People Who Make the History” (Ungheni)
www.iearn.org

9. One Day on Earth Eventshttp://www.onedayone

10. Chisinau
Varnita/Bender
Ungheni Cahul
Balti
Comrat

11. Other Online Collaborative Networks
Connect All Schools
Making the Connection
World Affairs Council
Global Collaboration,
Exploration and Innovation
TIGed
FLAT Classroom

12. Other Online Collaborative Networks
SKYPE in the Classroom
IREX
CIESE
ICONS Project
Around the World
with 80 Schools
ePALs
Five TAG alumni were invited by UNDP to train political party represen-
tatives in online communication tools and video editing software. TAG
trainer Svetlana Sheiko commented, “I’m only 16 years old, but I had an
opportunity to work with politicians of our country. This is very impor-
tant for me… I was convinced that… women in politics are a strong force
for the country.”
TECH AGE GIRLS (TAG)
http://www.irex.org/project/tech-age-girls-tag
TAG Provides IT and leadership training for future leaders. In 2010,
97 girls were trained. On average, they have trained and passed on
knowledge to another 10 people — reaching almost 1,000 people.
» Giving Youth a Voice
» Creating an ICT Education Ecosystem
Youth are catalysts of change, but Kyrgyzstan’s schools lack the tools to empower them to
take on this role. GCE gives youth a voice through:
Online dialogue and free expression
Self-led community projects, including 90 projects for Global Youth Service Day
Training in modern, relevant skills
» Connecting Schools to the World
Youth and educators in remote areas are isolated and lack opportunities and space for
dialogue within and beyond Kyrgyzstan. GCE connects them to the world by providing:
Access to educational information for student-centered learning
Cross-cultural online exchange, in-country and internationally
Training which brings together youth and teachers from the across the country
Equipment without training and support fails. GCE helps Kyrgyzstan incorporate information
communication technology (ICT) into education by working at all levels of the education system.
Administrators, teachers and students all receive training, ongoing support, and reinforcement
GCE partners with the Kyrgyz Academy of Education and the Ministry of Education to disseminate
best practices with technology in education
Teachers take control of their new skills by contributing lesson plans for national use
improves and modernizes education in
Kyrgyzstan. Students and educators use technology to participate in national dialogue, gain
valuable and relevant skills, and take a leading role in their communities.
Global Connections Exchange
“Before, our school
director used to yell at
us if the computer lab
was open for too long.
Now she yells at us if
the door is locked for
more than five
minutes!”
- GCE teacher
During parliamentary
el ections in June,
teachers from an Uzbek
community school used
the Internet to access
information on the po-
litical process, hanging
printouts in schools for
others to view. Parents
asked their children to
bring home informa-
tion, knowing their kids
had access to outside
sources.
A d m i n i s t e r e d b y I R E X , G C E i s a p r o g r a m o f t h e B u r e a u o f E d u c a t i o n a l a n d C u l t u r a l A f f a i r s o f t h e U S D e p a r t m e n t o f S t a t e .
Five TAG alumni were invited by UNDP to train political party represen-
tatives in online communication tools and video editing software. TAG
trainer Svetlana Sheiko commented, “I’m only 16 years old, but I had an
opportunity to work with politicians of our country. This is very impor-
tant for me… I was convinced that… women in politics are a strong force
for the country.”
TECH AGE GIRLS (TAG)
http://www.irex.org/project/tech-age-girls-tag
TAG Provides IT and leadership training for future leaders. In 2010,
97 girls were trained. On average, they have trained and passed on
knowledge to another 10 people — reaching almost 1,000 people.
» Giving Youth a Voice
» Creating an ICT Education Ecosystem
Youth are catalysts of change, but Kyrgyzstan’s schools lack the tools to empower themto
take on this role. GCE gives youth a voice through:
Online dialogue and free expression
Self-led community projects, including 90 projects for Global Youth Service Day
Training in modern, relevant skills
» Connecting Schools to the World
Youth and educators in remote areas are isolated and lack opportunities and space for
dialogue within and beyond Kyrgyzstan. GCE connects them to the world by providing:
Access to educational information for student-centered learning
Cross-cultural online exchange, in-country and internationally
Training which brings together youth and teachers from the across the country
Equipment without trainingand support fails. GCE helps Kyrgyzstan incorporate information
communication technology (ICT) into education by working at all levels of the education system.
Administrators, teachers and students all receive training, ongoing support, and reinforcement
GCE partners with the Kyrgyz Academy of Education and the Ministry of Education to disseminate
best practices with technology in education
Teachers take control of their new skills by contributing lesson plans for national use
improves and modernizes education in
Kyrgyzstan. Students and educators use technology to participate in national dialogue, gain
valuable and relevant skills, and take a leading role in their communities.
Global Connections Exchange
“Before, our school
director used to yell at
us if the computer lab
was open for too long.
Now she yells at us if
the door is locked for
more than five
minutes!”
- GCE teacher
During parliamentary
elections in June,
teachers from an Uzbek
community school used
the Internet to access
information on the po-
litical process, hanging
printouts in schools for
others to view. Parents
asked their children to
bring home informa-
tion, knowing their kids
had access to outside
sources.
A d m i n i s t e r e d b y I R E X , G C E i s a p r o g r a m o f t h e B u r e a u o f E d u c a t i o n a l a n d C u l t u r a l A f f a i r s o f t h e U S D e p a r t m e n t o f S t a t e .

13. EXAMPLES of Projects from www.stevens.edu/.ciese

15. Classroom Activities
• Your Footprint on the Earth
a. A. Define “Our Footprint on the Earth”. Give some examples of how we can reduce his impact.
b. b. Complete the following chart for TRANSPORT/ FOOD/ WASTE/ ENERGY, relating to your
everyday life activities (whether they are OK or harmful) . Use the Prompt box (see the next slide)
.
c. In pairs discuss your results and try to list a few ideas on how to reduce your “footprint on the
planet”.
Transport Food
OK Heavy impact OK Heavy impact
Waste Energy
OK Heavy impact OK Heavy impact

16. Classroom Activities
• Your Footprint on the Earth (Part 2 ) Prompt Box
Transport
How do I go to school? (by bike / motorbike / bus / car / other)
What method of transport do I regularly use?
Food
Do I eat a lot of products of animal origin? Do I eat a lot of vegetables? Do I eat organic food? Do I eat locally
produced fruit or (exotic) fruits grown on the other side of the world? Do I eat free-range or battery eggs? Do I eat a lot
of processed food?
Waste
Do I buy things in bulk? Do I buy things with a lot of packaging? What do I do with the waste I generate (organic,
paper, plastics, cans, etc.)? Do I re-use things? Do I throw away many re-usable things? Do I recycle on a regular
basis?
Energy
Are the home appliances and light bulbs I use energy-efficient? Is my home insulated? Do I turn off the lights and
other appliances when I don’t need them (such as the television, the radio, etc.)? Do I turn down the heating at home?

17. WAR FILMS
a. Write down the names of the films and the countries fighting in them.
Which of the two sides in each film is shown as more humane? Put an
H next to that country’s name.
b. Which side appears to suffer more? Put an S next to that country’s
name. If there is any evidence in the film to support this, give
examples.
c . How do the films show the feelings of both sides?
d . Is the viewer informed as to why the war was being fought? When?
e . Explain why that war—if it really happened—took place.
f .Are the sides depicted as ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’? If so, who are the
‘goodies’ in these films?

18. Group Work:
• 1. Working in 5 groups make up 3-4 tasks for the
following worksheets (from handouts) :
• Group 1: Looking for Headlines
• Group 2: Reading the Labels
• Group 3: Global Bingo Sentences
• Group 4: Making the Pieces
• Group 5: Springboard Statements
• 2. Each group presents the activities.

19. GLOBAL ISSUES QUIZ
1What percentage of all processed foods contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs)?
 10 %  30%  60%
2 How many of the 6,300 million people in the world are hungry?
 50 million  100 million  1,300 million
3What percentage of the money the world spends on weapons a year (800 billion US dollars) would be
needed to put every child into school?
 less than 1%  10%  50%
4 How many children die each year as a result of debt repayments?
 500,000  7 million  20 million
5 How much money do developing nations spend on debt repayment for every $1 they receive in grants?
 $1.5  $5  $13
6 How many of the nearly 1,000 million illiterate people in the world are women?
 30%  50%  65%
7 How many Iraqi children died as a result of the sanctions imposed by the United Nations on Iraq after
the first Gulf War (1992)?
 1,000  50,000  500,000
8 How many people were killed in the terrorist attack on the New York Twin Towers on September 11
2001?
 500  3,000 10,000
9 How many African children under 15 suffer from AIDS?
 50,000  500,000  over 1 million
10 How many countries used the death penalty in 2002?
 less than 10  nearly 90  over 100

20. Answers:Answers:
1. 60%
2. 1300 million
3. less than 1 %
4. 7 million
5. $ 13
6. 65 %
7. 500.000
8. 3.00
9. over 1 million
10. nearly 90

21. Group Work:
• 1. Working in 5 groups make up 3-4 tasks for the
following worksheets (from handouts), trying to
combine them all into a single instructive content :
• Group 1: Out and About in the Shopping Mall; Made of
What; Supermarket Detectives
• Group 2:The Colour of Your Coffee; Many Cultures, One
World; Let’s Imagine How you Live
• Group 3:AIDS Today; Questioning GMOS; Group
• 4: Our Campaign Against the War; The Classroom for
Peace; Say No to Racism
• Group 5: What is a Home? ,Child Labour in Focus;
Gender Roles and You
• 2. Each group presents the activities.

22. Additional worksheets on Global
Issues :
www.oup.com/elt/teacher/rbt

23. Chants
• 1. Banana Song
• 2. Baby Shark
• 3. Kentucky Chicken

24. Thank You for Your
Attention!!!!