Being a Global Citizen
As an IB World School, developing international-mindedness in our students is central to our mission. That mission states that we serve the students of Zhuhai and the Greater Bay Area in order to: “develop dynamic and principled global citizens” and so it is important that we have a living, breathing definition of what it means to be a “global citizen“. Not only are these points important for today – but we believe they are important for tomorrow as well:
At ZIS, a “global citizen” is someone who…
With over 20 nationalities represented on campus and creative and passionate teachers from across the globe, we work toward these 7 outcomes, purposefully learning from each other with open-minds and a desire to understand this world we call home.
- seeks an understanding of the wider world
- develops an identity that involves the capacity and responsibility to make positive change in their world
- collaborates with others to pursue equity and sustainability
- takes action to advance peace in the world
- practices service learning in their global engagement
- applies creative and critical thinking to world issues
- leads through empathy, values diversity, and respects otherness
In practical terms, developing as global citizens means, for example:
- learning about our own culture and the cultures of others
- celebrating the cuisines of other parts of the world (we’re very excited for our upcoming Korean lunch!)
- reading significant literature from different times and places
- using our multilingualism to our advantage in the classroom
- learning about the nature of conflict and strategies for resolution and peace
- exploring global current events and issues and appreciating the perspectives involved
- developing our IB Learner Profile attributes, including “open-minded”, “principled”, and “reflective”
- carrying out service learning in our classrooms and for our wider school community
Our commitment to teaching global citizenship involves:
- intentionally planning for curricular and co-curricular learning that is embedded in all programmes
- delivering age-appropriate global citizenship learning in relation to the above 7 outcomes
- maximizing the school’s cultural context to inform local and global citizenship
- seeking ways to measure, assess, and further develop student’s development of global citizenship and intercultural learning
- providing a culturally sensitive learning environment, employing culturally responsive pedagogy
- involving all stakeholders in adopting, supporting, and furthering our school mission to develop global citizens
