Global Citizenship in the Young Learner Classroom

Speaker: Dr. Mónica Lourenço, University of Coimbra (Portugal)

Existing research underlines the relevance of nurturing global citizenship in early childhood to promote children’s empathy, respect, and appreciation for diverse cultures, as well as develop a sense of shared responsibility for the well-being of others. However, for many early childhood educators, global citizenship education remains an obscure and theoretical construct, revolving around complex and sensitive themes that are difficult to grasp by young children.

In this presentation, Dr. Lourenço demonstrates how Awakening to Languages, a pluralistic approach with a long tradition in Europe, fits especially well as a pedagogy for global citizenship in early childhood. She provides an overview of the evolution of Awakening to Languages in Europe and presents concrete examples from practice, which show how Awakening to Languages can develop children’s curiosity and respect for other languages, foster empathy towards otherness, and cultivate a broader sense of belonging. Finally, she offers recommendations for teachers and stakeholders concerning the integration of multilingual pedagogies into early childhood education.

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Name of sponsoring organization: Sharing Languages