Global education and teachers : the critical edge

The imperative to teach with a global focus is reiterated through curriculum statements in Society and Environment area in Australia that include 'global' in their rationale. Questions arise from this such as - What does this mean and how is global enacted in practice in the classroom? How do teachers prepare students to become teachers for a world which is global in its outlook and influences? It is not however curriculum statements, nor textbooks that are the carriers of global education, but teachers themselves through their own stories, and the meaning of these. The role of teachers' lived experiences in teaching global education is often silenced in school classrooms.

This paper will explore imperatives to teach global education as noted in Australia's curriculum statements alongside the importance of teachers' lived experiences in delivering such a curriculum.