4 Indicators for Globally Competent Children

What Is Global Competence?

In a recently published book, Educating for Global Competence: Preparing Our Youth to Engage the World, (CCSSO/Asia Society, 2011) authors Veronica Boix-Mansilla and Anthony Jackson state it this way:

Globally competent individuals are aware, curious, and interested in learning about the world and how it works. They can use the big ideas, tools, methods, and languages that are central to any discipline (mathematics, literature, history, science, and the arts) to engage the pressing issues of our time.

Monolinugal parents that enroll their child into a language immersion program  want to raise globally competent children. Here are four important skills your child should have in moving toward this goal.

1. Opportunities to Investigate the world: Students are given the opportunity to design and research topics that impact our world and connect to one or more of the areas of the content for which they have responsibility. Whenever possible, students are given a choice of topics so their engagement becomes authentic and their interests are piqued.
2. Ability to understand and weigh multiple perspectives: Students will buy from the world and sell to the world as they become adults. They will work with a more diverse population than we ever envisioned. Their own school experience connects them with students from different ethnic and socioeconomic groups. It is important that they understand that others may come from a different worldview than they do and that seeing the world from multiple lenses may actually enrich their view of the world.
3. Communicate ideas: Making our thinking or ideas visible requires us to communicate effectively. Collaborating with others also requires an ability to communicate. Traditional literacies such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening continue to take center stage. We can’t neglect, however, the new literacies such as viewing, reading, and evaluating web content; and creating blogs, videos, and web pages since these are becoming core skills for the global world. In addition to incorporating strategies for students to utilize math and arts as a part of their universal language, as well as, adding a foreign language to their curriculum.
4. Take action: The fourth pillar engages students in authentic opportunities to make the world a better place. High-powered service learning grows out of classroom learning and allows students to feel empowered to take action.

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