Foreign-language teaching: preparing world citizens through global education

Paulette  Ramsay, GUEST COLUMNIST

In the last decade, tertiary institutions have attempted to design different methods to meet the demands of globalisation as it relates to teaching and learning. Several educators concur that there is a need to develop pedagogy that prepares students to become global citizens in a world marked by diversity, interdependence and cross-cultural interactions. This new teaching/learning paradigm of global education fosters understanding of the multifaceted nature of 21st-Century life, individual and collective growth and success in a globalised space.

Global education develops students' awareness of the world, understanding of economic systems, literature, cultures and technological advancements. Content is designed for knowledge acquisition as well as to develop core values of integrity, civic responsibility, an understanding of human freedom, and of how the 21st Century will change human life.

The linguistic context of the Caribbean means that graduates will be better prepared for world citizenship through solid programmes that equip them to exhibit high levels of competence in English language, since English continues to be in a second-language position for many Caribbean students. These students need to regard writing and speaking in English as an indispensable intellectual activity that can enable them to participate in debates about the issues, ambiguities and complexities that affect the Caribbean postcolonial condition.

must be rigorously taught

English language must be rigorously taught, drawing on foreign-language teaching strategies to allow students to practise it in a wide range of contexts. The Caribbean graduate who will inevitably become a citizen of a world that extends beyond the Caribbean and CARICOM region needs to develop proficiency in languages that are increasingly important in the global economy such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese, in order to be competitive economically and socially.

The teaching of foreign languages has mainly been promoted for their personal, cognitive and general academic benefit, including enhancing reading abilities, promoting problem-solving abilities, and the ability to hypothesise. However, not enough is being done to signal the potential to help students discover societies outside of their own.

In the Caribbean, university graduates are expected to play central roles in the social, economic and political development of their respective countries. The unique characteristics of small Caribbean states tend to hinder the emergence of vibrant and active graduates. There is a need then for change and development using approaches shaped by concepts of global education, so that these institutions do not merely become microcosms of their local societies.

One important way in which foreign languages can be used as instruments of global education in the Caribbean is to align foreign-language/course-learning outcomes with university strategic planning, since more universities are developing strategic plans that reveal their desire to engage in internationalisation. This will aid the agenda of preparing students who understand and can live and work in different parts of the globe and understand how different societies function.

Global citizenship

Global citizenship involves understanding political rights and responsibilities. Foreign-language teaching can aid in this regard by expanding the course content beyond linguistic components to include issues such as climate change, HIV/AIDS, civil wars and how these affect people across the world. Reading experiences in foreign languages and activities such as dialogue production can also be used to inform students about global events and to expand their perspective.

Mention must be made of the Japan Association of Language Teachers, which has developed a course called 'Global Issues in Language Education'. In this course, students are given an opportunity to research and discuss the severity of many global issues and how they affect human beings. This is a commendable effort to make language learning serve the purpose of raising the awareness of citizens, who need to understand the world in which they live while improving their ability to express themselves in a foreign tongue.

cultural empathy

The university graduate must understand that the world is characterised by diversity and difference. Problems such as cultural prejudices, racism, classism and sexism can be explored in foreign-language classrooms. This kind of exposure can aid in the development of cultural empathy and an understanding of the inter-connections among people.

Foreign-language classes can be used to challenge students to engage with public matters. Citizenship involves understanding the public sphere. Students need to be presented with different languages to be able to discuss policies in the public domain. This can be encouraged through cultural links such as email correspondence with other persons living in countries of the target language. Guest lectures by native speakers involved in policymaking can also be done, as well as discussion sessions designed to help students learn about different types of policies and policymaking. This will not only help students to develop an awareness of world citizenship and its broad expanse, but also to appreciate policy issues on both the local and global levels.

University students who are being prepared for global citizenship must be able to operate in a global business environment. The offerings in foreign-language courses in English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese must include courses that will equip students with the language of business, marketing, economics and banking, enabling them to secure jobs and engage in important discourse on business-related matters in different world economies. Awareness of cultural practices, social customs and ethical practices across linguistic borders will facilitate integration and enhance success of business-related activities.

Finally, foreign-language teaching (FLT) has a multifaceted role to play in preparing students to be citizens of the world. Apart from equipping students with communicative competence in its different forms - linguistic, strategic and discourse - FLT also has a political agenda to fulfil. A radical transformation in the content of Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, English or any foreign-language programme can have an impact on the values and knowledge that students need to understand: tolerance for all people, human rights and ways of responding to international events and crises. A global education approach to teaching foreign languages will integrate critical policies into curriculum content and help students develop their social and personal responsibilities at both local and global levels.

Paulette A. Ramsay, PhD, is senior lecturer and head, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, UWI, Mona. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and paulette.ramsay@uwimona.edu.jm.