Page 59 - Diversity in Action

Global Citizenship Education and English

Learning through Picturebooks
in Multilingual Settings

Martina Irsara Barbara Caprara
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
martina.irsara@unibz.it bcaprara@unibz.it
Valentina Gobbett Bamber
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
vgobbettbamber@unibz.it

© 2025 Martina Irsara, Valentina Gobbett Bamber, and Barbara Caprara
https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-523-8.3

Chapter Objectives
• Discussing the role of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in English
Language Teaching (ELT) for Young Learners (YLs)
• Highlighting the value and importance of picturebooks as an effective
tool in ELT for YLs
• Discussing the use of plurilingual strategies in ELT, fostering language
development among YLs through multilingual approaches
• Exploring Montessori principles in the context of language education
through the use of picturebooks
• Presenting and analysing a transnational experience in teacher education
as a case study

Introduction
This chapter argues for Global Citizenship Education (GCED) as a transfor-
mative approach to language learning and teaching to respond more effec-
tively to current and emerging global challenges in an era of unprecedented
change. A combination of GCED and the teaching of English as an interna-
tional language has the potential to enhance language skills and also pro-
mote a deeper understanding of global interconnectedness and awareness.
By embedding GCED within the English Language Teaching (ELT) curriculum
for Young Learners (YLs), educators can facilitate the development of learn-
ers’senseofbelongingto awiderglobalcommunity,encouraginglearnersto
engage with different perspectives and to cultivate empathy, essential qual-
ities for responsible global citizenship.

Bratož, S., & Irsara, M. (Eds.). (2025). Diversity in action: Training teachers through
multilingual and multicultural experiences. University of Primorska Press.