Teaching foreign languages in the context of globalization of education

Abstract

The whole world faces serious global issues of the use of violence, terrorism, intimidating the public in pursuit of political goals, ethnic conflict, social inequality and environmental destruction. The process of globalization has led to a growth in our awareness of the above mentioned problems. The natural questions arise of how we can prepare university education seekers to cope with the challenges of today’s world and help them become more resilient. The answers to these questions can be encapsulated in the term “global education” which has gained considerable importance in language teaching. The purpose of this article is threefold: to substantiate the urgency of incorporating global education into the teaching of foreign languages; to reinforce educational objectives such as fostering national pride and cultivating a sense of civic responsibility; and to further enhance education seekers’ competencies. During the research, the authors applied the following data processing methods: analysis, information synthesis, abstraction, analogy, and formalization of the theoretical and practical results on the topic of global education. The authors of the article look at the methodological strategies to foster global citizenship and education seekers’ competencies to be developed. They highlight the themes that can be used in the foreign language classroom. Also, they give examples of strategies that can be used in the language classroom to foster a sense of national pride, a desire to help a community and general global citizenship and competency. The authors of the article hope that their considerations will be found insightful and valuable for teachers of other languages and in training in other contexts. Prospects for further research which include improving research methods and analyzing the topic from a different perspective are mentioned.