Global education is the type of education that prepares students for their future. Global education focuses on development of specific competencies that help students to fully engage in the world around them. These competencies in:
We live in exponential times and classrooms today need to as dynamic as the world our students live in. This means moving beyond the incorporation of technology in the classroom as innovation, to the use of technology as a collaboration, problem solving, creative and civic engagement tool becomes the innovation. A shift from static content focused learning to dynamic, flexible, growth mindset learning. The rationale to support global education is multifaceted and includes career readiness, national security, citizenship, and supporting cultural diversity. Already, one in five U.S. jobs are tied to international trade (Asia Society State Advocacy Statistics). The Committee for Economic Development reported that, “to compete successfully in the global marketplace, both U.S.-based multinational corporations as well as small businesses, increasingly need employees with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures to market products to customers around the globe and to work effectively with foreign employees and partners in other countries.” Students need global competencies to be career ready. Additionally, a 2007 report from the National Academy of Sciences warned, “The pervasive lack of knowledge of foreign cultures and languages threatens the security of the United States as well as its ability to compete in the global marketplace and produce an informed citizenry.” Global competencies are needed for nation building and the security of any nation state. Former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, believes a global ethic and national interests are not mutually exclusive ideas. He states that the problems in which a country faces today, are problem which cannot be solved by one nation alone. Thus, we must persuade people that it is in their best interest nationally to protect all people. In terms of cultural diversity, “A Roper Poll determined that nearly half — 48 percent — of Americans have at least weekly dealings with someone whose first language is not English, and the majority were 18- to 34-year-olds. -Washington Times, December 8, 2004.” Also, there is a rapid increase in the foreign-born population from 9.6 million in 1970 to 38.5 million in 2009 reflecting the high level of international migration during the past generation. –Place of Birth of the Foreign-Born Population: 2009, American Community Survey, October 2010 and in “ 2007, the foreign-born population accounted for 23.9 million, or 15.6 percent, of the total civilian labor force. The labor force participation rate of the foreign-born population was 66.8 percent, higher than the 64 percent for the native population. –The Foreign-born Labor Force in the United States: 2007.” Lastly and most importantly, global education is FUN! In the video, The World is as Big or Small as you Make It, Philadelphia students reflect on what collaborating and communicating with their global peers has meant to them. Throughout the film students demonstrated empathy, humanity and the joy of human connection. Bottom line, it made them think and smile, the essence of learning. The trends are crystal clear, we are and have been immersed in a globalized U.S. society and the need for our citizens to be globally competent is imperative for a successful and thriving economy, political system and social system. Whether people feel global education is an essential life skill or unpatriotic or elitism, the facts, statics and circumstances of an interconnected, interdependent world are too big to ignore and dismiss. The purpose of this guide is to help educators gain comprehensive access to the knowledge, skills and resources to become a global teacher. Under the “Study” tab educators will find:
Under the “Teach” tab educators will find:
Under the “Travel” tab educators will find:
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