Global Citizenship Education (GCE) carries a powerful message of hope, especially in a time marked by global uncertainty. With the School of Education at the University of Galway, the Irish GET team is actively working to ensure that GCE is not seen as an optional add-on, but as a core element of teachers’ professional identity and their role in the world.
Dr Brenda Gallagher, Lecturer in the School of Education, has been leading this important work, fostering growing awareness and critical reflection among student teachers. This journey has also highlighted a key challenge. As Dr Gallagher openly shares: “While there is obviously increased awareness in this area, the majority of these students still struggled to suggest practical ways of seamlessly integrating GCE into their practice on a daily basis.”
Dr Gallagher and her team embraced this challenge as an opportunity for innovation. Developing the Top 10 Tips for Embedding GCE, a set of practical and encouraging pathways designed to help future teachers turn intention into meaningful classroom action. These supports strongly align with the Global Education Time Teaching and Learning Units, which demonstrate how global issues can be effectively and meaningfully embedded into everyday classroom practice across subjects. Through this, GCE equips young people with the understanding, skills, and values they need to engage confidently with an interconnected world — helping them recognize that positive change is possible and that they have an active role to play in shaping it. The TLUs in both English and Irish have also been welcomed by students and staff in the School of Education.
Dr Gallagher commented that “The resources for the GET project have been a welcome addition to the increasing amount of GCE resources available. The curriculum links ensure that teachers can embed the teaching of these global challenges into their work”.
TLUs have also been warmly received by Gearóid O’Brien, Lecturer in CPSE pedagogy, School of Education, University College, Cork “Global Education Time’s three teaching and learning units are an excellent resource for teaching CSPE; they are practical with clear guidelines for the teacher and engaging activities that are relevant to the students’ lives and that help them to develop their critical thinking about the big issues facing our world today”.
Over the last months in Ireland, the GET team has facilitated a youth action seminar for teachers in Athlone. This was addressed by youth workers, the students of Tullamore College and their teacher, Emma Bradley, who had successfully carried out youth action for global challenges.
Each February the annual GCE days are held in the University of Galway where first year student teachers take part in several GCE related workshops. The GET project is delighted to have been featured in this event in 2025 & 2026. A panel discussion is held in which experienced teachers discuss GCE in the classroom and invite student questions. The panel discussion in February 2026 is being co-hosted by the GET Ireland team. Teachers actively promoted the TLUs at several events including the History Teachers Association, Educate Together GCE conference the CSPE teachers association conference and the Connacht Youth Climate Assembly.
Through the GET project, we support all teachers across Europe in addressing global challenges by offering training opportunities, seminars, and freely accessible educational materials. As Dr Gallagher explains, “Our overall goal is to graduate teachers who consider GCE a central component of their professional identity and agency and who have the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to integrate GCE seamlessly into their practice.”
Discover all our resources in the dedicated section of our website and connect with us on social media to stay up to date with our activities.
