Exploring global citizenship teacher education across Europe: A comparative analysis of Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland and Italy

While supra-national institutions widely promote global citizenship education (GCE) worldwide, its translation into concrete educational practice in national and regional contexts is increasingly challenging. Within this scenario, teacher education plays a crucial role in implementing GCE policy in school practice. This chapter aims to discuss the findings of an analysis of nine pioneering GCE teacher education programs across four European countries: Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland and Italy, run by different agencies, using a multiple-site case study design and ethnography as overall methodological approach. The research aimed at highlighting the pedagogical ideas behind the practices and exploring the link between teacher education practice and policy enactment. Results show that teacher education is important not only to provide teachers with knowledge and competences required to educate pupils in GCE, but also for GCE integration in school. Therefore, the predominant approach that emerged in the observed teacher education settings (a value-based pedagogy) can be regarded as a somehow political action to school change. Moreover, this chapter will explore the contrasting cultures involved in teacher education programs among different actors (school staff, NGOs, Universities). It will also discuss how, while tensions between the content, methods and broader philosophical positions of actors may present a challenge, collaborative and cooperative approaches to teacher education offer important opportunities in this field.