ICT and New Global Citizenship Education

2019/04/23

On February 19, 2019, the 4th SGH (Super Global High School) Research Presentation was held at Fujimigaoka High School, and I attended as a judge for the first time. The presentations by the high school girls were all conducted in English, and based on their experiences in domestic and international fieldwork, they identified problems and proposed creative solutions conceived from a broad perspective. Their expressiveness was very rich, and I noticed that most of the presenters were experienced participants of the "Global Workshop (GW)" program, which made me strongly feel the results of their participation.

Since being designated as a Super Global High School by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2015, Fujimigaoka High School has been working on developing an educational program themed "Global Society Created from Sustainability." Within this, the Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) Global Education Project (G-Edu) has been conducting joint research ranging from the design to the implementation of the GW.

This program is designed as a compulsory subject for approximately 100 first-year students, with eight participatory sessions held annually. With the help of ICT, it also aims to foster individual "global citizenship (awareness as a member of global society)" through the creation of an environment where students can learn together about a "global society" that transcends countries and cultures.

All sessions are designed with three elements. First, "global awareness" to deepen understanding of global issues. Second, "acquisition of 21st-century skills (global skills)" such as communication through dialogue, group work, creativity, and expressiveness. Finally, "acquisition of media literacy (global action)" to enable students to take action themselves, such as through online searches and video production. The same program is implemented in high schools both in Japan and abroad, and in the final session, they sometimes connect via the internet to present to each other.

G-Edu researches the design of "new learning" to solve global issues through "education" for a wide range of ages, starting from kindergarteners. As globalization progresses and more than half of the world's population now uses the internet, global citizenship education utilizing ICT is essential. I hope to contribute to the creation of new global citizenship education where we think globally and learn together globally.