What is
Global Education?
The 4 Domains of Global Competency
Investigate the World
Learners investigate the world beyond their immediate environment.
Recognize Perspectives
Learners recognize their own and others' perspectives on issues of global importance.
Communicate Ideas
Learners communicate their ideas effectively with diverse audiences.
Take Action
Learners translate their ideas into appropriate local action to improve global conditions.
"Global Competence is the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance." (Boix Mansilla & Jackson, 2011, p. xiii)
2020 was an exceptionally challenging year for students, parents and teachers. Our daily sense of security was ripped away from most of us. Every aspect of human life has been directly impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Almost simultaneously, there have been voices coming together through civil protests to end systemic racism on a global scale. 2020 aggressively made us take an inward look and an outward look, making us question the ways humans impact each other.
I began working with Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms prior to the Pandemic and I have always aimed for my students to see that daily human life is interconnected no matter where on Earth you call home. However, the events of 2020 really reinforced the need for all humans to strive for Global Competence and the need to incorporate Global Education into all classrooms. The common good and the future of humanity is going to rely on our ability to recognize events and issues that extend beyond nation borders and to take appropriate action that acknowledges our human connections due to globalization and migration while simultaneously celebrating our unique cultural diversities. This type of thinking needs to begin in the classroom.
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Global Education is an interdisciplinary approach to facilitate student growth so that students are able to be active participants in a future world that we as educators may not be able to envision at this moment. Global Education is based on academics but also improves upon the soft skills that students will need to be successful adults.
In a Globalized Classroom, students and teachers work together to practice the 4 Domains of Global Competence. These are nonlinear, interdisciplinary domains. Often, one classroom activity or lesson builds on more than one domain. These four domains are Investigate the World, Recognize Perspectives, Communicate Ideas and Take Action. It is very common for teachers to see Social Studies as an opportunity to incorporate these domains into their teaching. However, it is a misconception that this is the only place we can incorporate them into our teaching. Any lesson or subject area can be globalized using these four domains!