ICT and New Global Citizenship Education

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 female high school students were all conducted in English. Based on their experiences in domestic and international fieldwork, they identified problems and proposed creative solutions conceived from a broad perspective. Their expressive power was very rich, and I noticed that most of the presenters had participated in a program called the "Global Workshop (GW)," which made me strongly realize the results of that program.

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 educational programs themed "A Global Society Created from Sustainability." Within this effort, 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, consisting of eight participatory sessions per year. By creating an environment where students can learn together about a "global society" that transcends countries and cultures with the help of ICT, the program also aims to foster individual "global citizenship (awareness as a member of global society)."

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 through online searches, video production, and more. The same program is implemented in high schools both in Japan and abroad, and in the final session, schools are sometimes connected via the internet to present to one another.

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.