Faculty of Education Partnerships:

UNICEF Canada’s Global Classroom invests in Canada’s children through new and enhanced partnership with university faculties of education.

UNICEF Canada is working with Faculties of Education across Canada, with funding provided by CIDA’s Global Classroom Initiative and UNICEF Canada. The goal of this partnership is to increase the number of Canadian teachers and students practicing global education, by enhancing teachers’ abilities to integrate curriculum-mandated teaching and learning for human rights, peace, social justice, cultural competency, environmental awareness, and global citizenship in their classrooms, while highlighting Canada’s contribution to sustainable international development.

Through this partnership and subsequent increases in capacity and reach, UNICEF Canada aims to ensure that Canada’s students develop the knowledge and skills they need to navigate rapidly changing and interconnected global social, environmental and economic systems while promoting respect for the rights of all people as a common system of values and action.

UNICEF Canada’s Global Classroom Managers are working actively with faculty staff members, pre-service and in-service teachers at the following universities:

• University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI): http://education.upei.ca/
• University of Ottawa : http://www.developingaglobalperspective.ca/teachers-resources/
• University of Toronto Ontario Institute for Studies in Education : http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/oise/
• Université du Québec à Montréal - Faculté des sciences de l’éducation : http://www.fse.uqam.ca/
  Département d’éducation et pédagogie : http://www.dep.uqam.ca/
• Université de Sherbrooke - Département de l’enseignement au préscolaire et au primaire: http://www.usherbrooke.ca/epp/
• University of British Columbia (UBC): http://educ.ubc.ca/
• Vancouver Island University (VIU): http://www.viu.ca/education/index.asp

How does UNICEF’s vision of Global Education through the lens of Children’s Rights support the goals of this partnership?

UNICEF Canada believes that education that incorporates an awareness of universal children’s rights has a significant role to play in preparing young people to reach their potential both on a personal level and as global citizens.

Children and youth are aware that we’re all facing new issues that are increasingly global in nature. Whether studying about climate change, health pandemics or socio-economic inequities, children know that global issues affect us all. They have real-life, local and global consequences that affect the lives of children, adults, and communities everywhere.

Both UNICEF Canada and our partners believe that as the world becomes more globalized and interconnected, it is clear that education must also prepare children for their roles as members within a global community.

To that end, when this partnership is complete:

• Over 7000 pre-service teachers and practicing teachers will have participated in workshops delivered by UNICEF Global Classroom Managers (all experienced classroom teachers in a former life!)
• New elementary and secondary teacher resource guides will have been created for use by future pre-service teachers at all 7 faculties
• One new course on Global Citizenship will have been piloted and added to the list of Faculty of Education courses at the University of Prince Edward Island
• Professors will have deepened their understanding of global education and children’s rights through self-directed learning and curriculum review

In addition to education through a rights-based lens, UNICEF Canada’s Global Classroom combines interactive, child/learner-centered and democratic pedagogies with global-oriented themes. We do not advocate for one type of education at the expense of others. Our approach, like an umbrella, incorporates multiple educational approaches including citizenship education, peace education, multicultural education, human rights education and learner-centered pedagogies. In addition, UNICEF Canada aims to highlight the many significant contributions of Canada to sustainable international development around the world.

Children and youth today need and deserve the opportunity to deepen their awareness and their understanding of global systems and structures as well as the confidence to make a difference. UNICEF Canada is striving to make this happen for every child here in Canada as we do around the world.

Opportunities to connect to learn more?

To learn more about this innovative partnership, please contact our team at globalclassroom@unicef.ca