Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education
Year: 2025
[PDF]
Inspiring Global Citizens Through Children’s Literature: Promoting Global Education, Global Competences, and the SDGs
Dr. Flavia Iuspa
ABSTRACT:
This presentation explores the transformative role of children’s literature in advancing global education, promoting global competencies, and aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Books offer a unique and impactful medium to engage young learners with critical global issues such as climate change, water conservation, equity, and social justice. Through storytelling, children’s literature can foster empathy, cultural understanding, and critical thinking while inspiring actionable learning. Drawing from two chapters I co-authored in the book Children’s Literature Aligned with the SDGs to Promote Global Competencies (2024), this session examines how educators can use books as a gateway to teach global issues and instill the values and skills needed for an interconnected world.
The session highlights innovative lesson designs that integrate children’s literature into curricula, directly addressing SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and other goals. These lessons provide practical approaches for educators to help students explore environmental and social challenges while connecting academic learning to real-world problem-solving. By reading and analyzing children’s books, students are encouraged to think critically about global issues, take ownership of their role as global citizens, and develop the skills needed to contribute to sustainable solutions.
Participants will discover classroom-ready strategies, including detailed lesson examples, for using children’s books to teach global learning and foster global competencies. This presentation will provide dynamic insights to make children’s literature a cornerstone of global education. It will inspire educators to nurture the next generation of informed, compassionate, and engaged global citizens capable of driving meaningful change in their communities and beyond.
Keywords: Global Education, Children’s Literature, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Global Competencies, Curriculum Design, Global Citizenship, Storytelling in Education, Education for Sustainability