Every teacher is a global educator. Global education refers to incorporating diverse perspectives, cultures, real world issues, critical thinking strategies, social-emotional learning, effective communication skills, and other various life skills into lessons while preparing students for an ever-changing interconnected world.

 

Students who are globally educated become globally competent adults. Those who are globally competent are able to examine local, national, and international perspectives, communicate effectively with those who may have different viewpoints, understand and appreciate diverse perspectives, are able to think critically, and take necessary actions to make positive changes within their community or on the global scale (Asia Society/OECD, 2018).

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Global education matters to me because my core values directly align with being a globally competent citizen. I strive to be a well-informed, problem solving, accountable educator who understands the importance of instilling global competence in our students and making them global citizens in this ever changing world. It is imperative it is to become a global citizen in this day and age as globalization is more prominent now more than ever.

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Global learning matters for a myriad of reasons, but I feel that being globally competent is especially important is it helps to better understand those around us. Understanding the challenges our students face, leveraging their experiences, and embracing their traditions, customs, and cultures helps us to connect with our students on a deeper level and make my teaching relevant to them. This resonates with me as I am an English Learner (EL) teacher and strive to understand my students and create a safe and culturally responsive learning environment for them.

 

In the United States, 4.5 million students are English language learners (Tichnor-Wagnor et al., 2019). These students come from every country and speak over 350 languages according to Tichnor-Wagnor et al. (2019). This means our students are learning how to problem solve, collaborate, and understand each other’s differences within the average American classroom. The world is not just out there in a far off distant land that we read about in books, rather it is within the walls of our own classrooms.

Global education is critical to the world as we become more interconnected by the day. Being able to appreciate differences, welcome change, and appreciate diverse perspectives is a crucial skill that all people should learn in order to be successful in this globalized world and promote sustainability efforts (Asia Society/OECD, 2018). By promoting global learning within the classroom, we can promote prosperity throughout the world.

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I hope that this website serves as a tool to deepen your understanding of global competence, incorporate global education into your classroom, and become a global educator with these specialized toolkits, artifacts, and resources.

 

Asia Society/OECD, 2018. 

Tichnor-Wagnor, Ariel, et. al. (2019).