About

Global Dimension brings together a calendar of global events and a vast library of resources exploring issues from climate breakdown, to migration and democracy, empowering educators to introduce global learning and compassionate values to their classrooms. It is also a space for teachers to connect and discuss the issues that matter the most.

The Global Dimension website is powered by Reboot the Future, a small foundation with a vision of a compassionate and sustainable world, with the Golden Rule at the core.

The Golden Rule is, at heart, a rule of compassion and connection, calling us to connect with ourselves, each other, and the world around us. By bringing Global Learning to our classrooms, we can encourage our children and young people to recognise the role they play as citizens of the global community, and give them the confidence to work towards an increasingly compassionate and sustainable future.

This website lists hundreds of teaching materials that support teachers in developing a global dimension to the curriculum. They are published by a range of organisations including commercial, public and not-for-profit publishers. All the resources listed are expected to meet a set of essential inclusion criteria.

The main criteria are that resources should:

• focus on education, not campaigning or fundraising
• relate to at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• promote the development of positive values and attitudes, and an outlook that encourages active participation, co-operation, respect for cultural diversity and democratic citizenship
• challenge stereotypes and discrimination, and promote social inclusion
• provide opportunities for active learning

Global learning can be described as an approach to learning about international development through recognising the importance of linking people’s lives throughout the world.

There are several definitions of the term ‘global learning’ and ‘development education’. In the context of the Global Learning Programme (2013-2018), global learning encourages critical examination of global issues and an awareness of the impact that individuals can have on them.

Get behind global learning from Think Global on Vimeo.

Global learning plays a vital role in sustainability, social justice, and building a better future. In fact, it is a key element of the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Education, Target 4.7: to ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including among others through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.

The best thing about global learning is that it's not just restricted to Citizenship or PSHE lessons; the resources on Global Dimension can be used across all subjects, from maths to art to PE. Any educator, no matter what they teach, can inspire and empower their students to develop their global understanding.

Global learning supports the long-term development and success of pupils, by enhancing their critical thinking skills and boosting their relationships with peers.

Incorporating a global element into teaching across the curriculum can help schools to:

• develop a richer, more interesting curriculum
• use real-world contexts to enthuse, inspire and engage pupils
• support raising standards
• deliver SMSC and respond positively to the current focus on British values

Through educating young people about their relationships to others and the planet, global learning teaches them to understand and respect difference, identify their rights and responsibilities, and think critically about their impacts as global citizens, providing the skills, values, and motivations to build a more compassionate and sustainable world. As social and environmental issues escalate, nurturing compassionate values stands out as a simple key to unlock a positive future for all.

The resources available on Global Dimension allow pupils to:

• make connections between local and global issues and communities
• develop the skills to combat injustice, prejudice and discrimination
• critically examine their own values and attitudes

Global learning also lends itself to a cross-curricular approach as the topics and themes within global learning are naturally cross-cutting, and also support wider school and community work, helping to realise links between different areas of school life.

The key curriculum benefits of a cross-curricular approach to global learning are:

• enrich and strengthen cross-curricular learning experiences
• enable teachers and pupils to link their learning across and beyond the curriculum
• motivate pupils and teachers to tackle big global issues in a more coherent way.
• global learning through cross-curricular approaches also supports more impactful global learning as it allows a wider range of subjects to consider global learning and it can support more in-depth and pupil-led active projects. This can demonstrate to students that global learning is valued and a whole-school priority that permeates the curriculum.

Global learning has the greatest impact when it is embedded into as many aspects of school life as possible. This is called ‘taking a whole-school approach’.

Taking a whole-school approach to global learning involves:

• having a vision for global learning
• using a reflective planning process to embed work
• connecting work across different spaces within school
• involving people across the whole community
• embedding global learning into general practice.