Celebrating Peace: Connecting Observances to Global Citizenship

Like many international schools around the world, we celebrated the UN’s International Day of Peace last week. This event provided our PYP students an opportunity to reflect on what peace means to them and to consider its significance in our global community. We read “Peace is an Offering” by Annette LeBox, and students created peace pledges to cultivate a culture of peace in our community, connecting to this year’s theme.

It was a lovely celebration; students were engaged, and the heartfelt conversations about peace were important. However, as I reflected on the experience, a tension emerged. I worry that these types of celebrations can be viewed as one-off events, disconnected from larger conversations about being part of a global community. How can we intentionally connect these events to our curriculum in ways that enrich learning experiences and deepen our students' conceptual understanding?

Foundational Concepts of Critical Global Citizenship Education

To strengthen these connections, we need to identify the foundational concepts of Critical Global Citizenship Education (CGCE). While several frameworks exist for defining and exploring these ideas, many align with Chloe Blackmore's model, which identifies four interrelated dimensions that reflect the PYP's approaches to learning and its definition of international-mindedness.

1. Critical Thinking: At the heart of CGCE lies critical thinking. It involves questioning assumptions, analyzing information, and considering diverse perspectives. This concept emphasizes understanding the historical and social contexts of issues and challenging dominant narratives.

2. Dialogue: Meaningful and respectful dialogue is crucial for fostering critical global citizens. Engaging with diverse perspectives, challenging assumptions, and actively listening helps us find common ground despite our differences.

3. Reflection: Critical reflection is integral to CGCE, prompting individuals to examine their own assumptions, biases, and perspectives. It encourages a recognition of the interconnectedness of global issues and one's role and responsibilities in the world.

4. Responsible Action: CGCE emphasizes the importance of individuals taking responsible actions to address global issues and challenge oppressive structures. This requires a consideration of the complexities of power, privilege, and agency, alongside an awareness of the broader impact of our actions.

In addition to these skills and knowledge, we must consider attitudes toward difference and engagement with others. Nicholas Palmer refers to this as "mindful dispositions." Nurturing empathy, for example, helps students develop the capacity to understand and relate to others’ perspectives and experiences. Exploring concepts like interrelation encourages students to recognize connections between individuals and the world, promoting self-awareness, perspective-taking, and consideration of how our actions may affect others.

The IB’s documentation encapsulates these ideas well: “...schools demonstrate international-mindedness based on two interrelated concepts: ‘reaching out’ to consider how we interact with others, and ‘reaching in’ to understand ourselves in relation to others.”

When we consider the conceptual understandings, knowledge, skills, and dispositions tied to CGCE and international-mindedness, numerous opportunities arise to connect celebrations and observances to our programme of inquiry. As educators, we must be aware of these connections and be explicit about them.

From Events to Ongoing Learning

Creating a concept bank for global citizenship may be a productive step for our school, supporting teachers in planning for special events. If we develop a set of conceptual understandings linked to global citizenship, we could apply these across various units of inquiry and during special events, like International Day of Peace. This approach could facilitate transfer and help students draw connections between their experiences and their development as global citizens.

For instance, what if we connected our celebration of Peace Day to ideas such as: Advocating for equity, fairness, and human rights disrupts injustice and contributes to a more peaceful world, or Cultivating compassion and understanding for diverse lived experiences strengthens human connections and promotes peaceful coexistence? These concepts are already embedded within several of our units, providing opportunities for ongoing inquiry.

I believe one Grade 4 Sharing the Planet unit in particular has clear connections to themes of peace and global citizenship, as it investigates how finding peaceful solutions to conflict can lead to a better quality of life. This could be an excellent starting point. Looking ahead, next week the UN observes the International Day of Non-Violence. I wonder how our students might connect this observance to the International Day of Peace and their ongoing investigations into peace and conflict.

My hope is that by being intentional about the ways we integrate global citizenship into our curriculum, we can transform these observances from fleeting moments that may soon be forgotten into opportunities to develop enduring understanding and inspire responsible action.

Works Cited

Blackmore, C. (2016). Towards a pedagogical framework for global citizenship education.

International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning, 8(1), 39-56.

International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). (2018c). International-mindedness. From Principles into Practice: The Learning Community. Cardiff, Wales: International Baccalaureate Organization.

Palmer, N. (2018). Emergent constellations: Global citizenship education and

outrospective fluency. Journal of Research in International Education, 17(2),

134-147.