DEFINING GLOBAL CITIZENS

IRED Institute of Education (IRED Institute) is an independent education organization, with various activities in many forms, in order to contribute to promoting the formation and development of Liberal Education in Vietnam. With the topic “Defining global citizens” as one of IRED’s regular academic seminars, the speaker – the educational activist Gian Tu Trung presented research on global citizenship from the liberal education perspective to participants including educational administrators, university and school leaders, academics and researchers, teachers as well as parents. 

According to OECD PISA’s framework published in 2018, “global competence is the capacity to examine local, global and intercultural issues, to understand and appreciate the perspectives and world views of others, to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with people from different cultures, and to act for collective well-being and sustainable development”. Therefore, preparation for global competences will assist individuals to meet the demand of the constantly changing labor market and transnational collaboration, to live harmoniously with people from other cultures, and to develop the world sustainably by addressing environmental, social, and political challenges at the local and global scale. 

The educational activist Gian Tu Trung shared his viewpoints with participants

As proposed by the speaker Gian Tu Trung, everyone living in this world is inevitably global citizens. Nonetheless, not everyone is well-equipped with global competences. At the time of our country’s opening the door to international integration, Vietnamese people should acquire the capabilities to be both Vietnamese and competent global citizens. 

The educational activist Gian Tu Trung shared his viewpoints with participants

Based on UNESCO’s 2014 document “Global citizenship education – Preparing learners for the challenges of the twenty-first century”, educational leaders and teachers, who participate directly in the educational process, are suggested to transform their  pedagogical strategies to advance the global competences for the next generation by adopting learner-centered approach in which teachers become “facilitators” rather than “doer” for students; focusing on inquiry-based learning and process-centered learning; encouraging dialogic teaching; fostering awareness of local challenges and social responsiblities; building knowledge of cultural norms, national policies and international frameworks that affect value formation; promoting critical, creative and problem-solving thinking; and developing resilience and proactiveness to make changes. Schools and teachers can incorporate these competences into different disciplines, as well as implement extra-curricular programs or integrated lessons specifically targeting at them. 

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu - Vice President of Hoa Sen University shared and discussed with the educational activist Gian Tu Trung
in the seminar

IRED Institute of Education also introduced the Three-way Human Model comprising Human Way (Humanity), Home Way (Communality) and My Way (Individuality) as the characteristics of a global citizen; IPL Self-enlightenment Education Model to develop global competences and liberal leadership competences for young leaders (jointly executed by PACE Institute of Management and IRED Institute since 2007); and the Global Competence Model for K-12 students including learning how to Think, how to Live, how to Love, how to Lead, and how to Create. At present, the global competence model is applied for the first time in the programs of PLEMS Education established by IRED Institute.  

Three-way Human Model - Characteristics of  global citizens (by IRED Institute of Education)

Self-Enlightenment Education Model to develop global competences and liberal leadership competences for young leaders

In the exciting atmosphere of the seminar, not only the speaker but the participants also had open and constructive dialogues to discover the answer to what global competences are. The seminar offered many insights to educational administrators, university and school leaders, academics and researchers, and teachers and laid the foundation of developing a future generation who will have global competences, dare to dream, and turn challenges into opportunities to better themselves, their families and society. 

A recap by IRED Institute