By Meghan Edwards assistant head of Middle School for Academics and Global Education
As parents and educators, we are invested in ensuring that our students are poised for success in a VUCA world—one that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. While we cannot predict the specific challenges our children will face or the professions that will await them, we can say with certainty that Generation Z is inheriting local and global problems of an unprecedented scale. And while they did not create the issues, they will be tasked with solving or, at the very least, mitigating them. What is global competence, why is it relevant, and how can you ensure that your child has the tools to become an empathetic and informed global citizen who can think critically?
What is global competence?
According to Asia Society, an industry leader in global education worldwide, globally competent students can “investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas and take action” to make a difference. Global competence consists of more than content knowledge. It is a set of skills, attitudes and values that shape decision-making and inform problem-solving strategies.
Development of global competence is a lifelong process bolstered by opportunities to engage in face-to-face, virtual or mediated encounters with people belonging to different cultures around the world. The so-called “soft skills” of flexibility, resilience, creativity, collaboration and communication are routinely developed and assessed when effectively educating for global competence.
Why does it matter?
Technology continues to collapse geographic boundaries by facilitating instantaneous communication. As our world continues to become smaller, we must be cognizant of the risk of both generalizing and minimizing cultural differences. Intercultural relationships will define the lives of today’s students. Whether professional or personal, these relationships will each come with benefits, challenges and responsibilities. If we want tomorrow’s leaders to be empathetic and open to new ways of solving complex problems, we must educate them to be mindful of how they present themselves as well as how they interact with and respond to the actions and behaviors of others. This is imperative in educating for equity and a sustainable future.
How can we educate for global competence?
While there is no one way to “correctly” educate for global competence, there are best practices that LJCDS considers in its program:
Perspective-taking: Any globally-oriented curriculum must encourage introspection and critical analysis of both faculty and student lenses and personal biases. To understand and empathize with someone of a different culture, we must be able to assess how our personal history, background and values shape our reactions and responses.
Contextualized experiences: Whether in-person or virtual, students must have opportunities to participate in both local and global experiences. They should be primed with background knowledge but also be prepared to question and adjust initial assumptions and expectations. Each experience should be bracketed with preparatory curriculum and opportunities for reflection on the learning that has taken place.
“Classrooms without walls”: Parents and educators should seek out experiences that bring the outside world in, and to the extent possible, bring students outside of the walls of the classroom. When thoughtfully designed and managed, experiences rather than people can be our best teachers.
Person-to-person teaching and learning: We must arm our students with the skills to cultivate relationships that will allow them to learn firsthand from reliable sources. Students should learn through exposure to voices representing many perspectives in place of relying on a singular dominant narrative.
Shift from “doing good” to “doing no harm”: As students engage with communities outside of their own, it is imperative that we move from an antiquated model of providing aid. Rather, we should actively seek to provide support to communities in a way that leaves no disruptive trace of our presence. While student growth is certainly a primary objective, it should never be the sole factor, nor should it ever supersede the needs of the host community. Our focus should always be on what we can learn from a host community.
Meghan Edwards
Assistant Head of Middle School for Academics and Global Education
Meghan Edwards strongly believes that knowledge of a second (or third, or fourth!) language is a critical component to global citizenship, and that the study of world languages offers us a lens through which to better understand and connect with the communities around the world and at home who speak those languages. She strives to create an environment in which students feel comfortable and confident expressing themselves in Spanish and are equipped with the foundational skills they need to effectively communicate their ideas. Ms. Edwards is the Middle School world language department chair and currently teaches Spanish to seventh- and eighth-grade students, as well as serving as an eighth-grade advisor.
By Kristy Johnson, head of Middle School We all experience feedback daily in various forms throughout our lives. The type of feedback and how we receive it help us improve.
By Rachel Clouser Ed.D., assistant head of Upper School Our Upper School dean of academics and student life shares tips on the progression from eighth grade to high school.The transition from middle.
Importance of Global Perspective
By Meghan Edwards assistant head of Middle School for Academics and Global Education
As parents and educators, we are invested in ensuring that our students are poised for success in a VUCA world—one that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. While we cannot predict the specific challenges our children will face or the professions that will await them, we can say with certainty that Generation Z is inheriting local and global problems of an unprecedented scale. And while they did not create the issues, they will be tasked with solving or, at the very least, mitigating them. What is global competence, why is it relevant, and how can you ensure that your child has the tools to become an empathetic and informed global citizen who can think critically?
What is global competence?
According to Asia Society, an industry leader in global education worldwide, globally competent students can “investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas and take action” to make a difference. Global competence consists of more than content knowledge. It is a set of skills, attitudes and values that shape decision-making and inform problem-solving strategies.
Development of global competence is a lifelong process bolstered by opportunities to engage in face-to-face, virtual or mediated encounters with people belonging to different cultures around the world. The so-called “soft skills” of flexibility, resilience, creativity, collaboration and communication are routinely developed and assessed when effectively educating for global competence.
Why does it matter?
Technology continues to collapse geographic boundaries by facilitating instantaneous communication. As our world continues to become smaller, we must be cognizant of the risk of both generalizing and minimizing cultural differences. Intercultural relationships will define the lives of today’s students. Whether professional or personal, these relationships will each come with benefits, challenges and responsibilities. If we want tomorrow’s leaders to be empathetic and open to new ways of solving complex problems, we must educate them to be mindful of how they present themselves as well as how they interact with and respond to the actions and behaviors of others. This is imperative in educating for equity and a sustainable future.
How can we educate for global competence?
While there is no one way to “correctly” educate for global competence, there are best practices that LJCDS considers in its program:
Assistant Head of Middle School for Academics and Global Education
Meghan Edwards strongly believes that knowledge of a second (or third, or fourth!) language is a critical component to global citizenship, and that the study of world languages offers us a lens through which to better understand and connect with the communities around the world and at home who speak those languages. She strives to create an environment in which students feel comfortable and confident expressing themselves in Spanish and are equipped with the foundational skills they need to effectively communicate their ideas. Ms. Edwards is the Middle School world language department chair and currently teaches Spanish to seventh- and eighth-grade students, as well as serving as an eighth-grade advisor.
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Competency-based Learning
By Kristy Johnson, head of Middle School We all experience feedback daily in various forms throughout our lives. The type of feedback and how we receive it help us improve.
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Help! It’s Time For High School!
By Rachel Clouser Ed.D., assistant head of Upper School Our Upper School dean of academics and student life shares tips on the progression from eighth grade to high school.The transition from middle.
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