The participants were finally asked to share what they think their students’ attitude is towards activities with the aim of developing their global competence. The tutors generally agreed that most of the students are quite open, most of them “enjoy learning and sharing their opinions” (Ingrid, T/FG-TT-20). While mostly agreeing, Marcella mentioned that some students feel uncomfortable when it comes to discussing any controversial topic. As she argued, some of them believe that the English class should predominantly be fun, and they instinctively steer away from anything that is slightly darker or overwhelming. She went on by saying that some students do not read the news and

 

Ulrich added that the unease and tension the students experience are natural when it comes to discussing deep issues in the classroom. Sometimes a teacher will “really touch a nerve” (T/FG-TT-20) because it is impossible to have a nice discussion on some topics. He added that he learnt to accept the unavoidable tension because he believes that it is necessary to generate an emotional response from the students to make sure they delve deep and learn more about the issues.