I define global competency as-

“I define global competency as the knowledge and skills people need to understand today's flat world and to integrate across disciplines so that they can comprehend global events and create possibilities to address them”, (Leading for Global Competency, para 3).

1. Why is it important to employ active and inquiry-based learning in the endeavour to understanding global issues?

Globally competent students must develop capacity to “Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research”, (Mansilla, & Jackson, 2013, pp.2).

It wouldn’t be possible to investigate into anything unless we approach it with an open mind, ready to learn. “Globally competent students do not seek a pre-established “right answer”;

rather they engage intellectually and emotionally in searching for and weighing informed

responses”, (Mansilla, & Jackson, 2013, pp.21).

Consider today’s situation with covid19. It is easy to blame one or the other. This is a global issue as it affects the mankind. How would one deal with it in the classroom? Blame games would not lead anywhere. Inquiry is the only way to talk about it.

Inquiring into covid19 would be to gently explore the whole situation and probe into it without forming any opinion or judgment. The focus is not to get an answer, but to develop one’s own insight by probing into it.

Global issues are generally controversial and can lead to unhealthy arguments. Inquiry, a way that puts the effort to understand than explain, is a way to continue stay connected in a diversified classroom.

2. What skills and competencies do teachers need to flourish in a complex, interconnected world as a globally connected educator?

The teachers would be passionate and driven with a sense of purpose.

“Good teachers and principals, in the United States and elsewhere, know that good education begins with clarity of purpose”, (Leading for Global Competency, para 1).

“What's your purpose? What's your cause? What's your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care?”, (Sinek, 2009, 01:05)

Open minded ness

They would be open minded to diverse cultures knowing that each culture has something to learn from. They would be willing to be travelling teachers to multiple countries. reminds me of an American IB teacher who worked in 15 countries, and finally found Bangladesh closest to his heart and retired there.

Seeker

I don’t mean seeker as in seeker of truth. The teachers would be seekers of knowledge of their subject, teaching methods and how it connects with other disciples. They would deeply explore the big ideas that connect all diverse threads.

Empathy

Imagine someone from developed world in a developing country! The teacher could not possibly work without being empathic to the citizens of the developing country.

As I moved from IB teaching to working with teachers in India, this is the 1st lesson I had to learn – to be empathic to Indian public-school teachers, who were not exposed to the tools and techniques in teaching.

Interpersonal and Intrapersonal

To learn to be and work with others and to be with oneself, both skills are needed for global minded teachers. We need to be able to be with others and also be in our own silence, develop the capacity of reflection and stillness. Both feed into each other.

As we learn to work with others, we develop synergetic relationships. As we reflect over our day, we develop deeper understanding of ourselves.

Curricular framework

Teachers would be designers! They would be able to develop curriculum that integrates their subject with life skills such as needed for a global citizen. The life skill framework would be the design within which they would design the classrooms. The ‘intent’ of each class would be to focus on skills. For example, I may be teaching maths but if my class ir organized around collaboration, then I would use that as a method for students to learn.

Digital Literacy

Digitization is uniting the world globally as nothing did before. To build global mind-set, teachers would need to develop ‘rational expertise’ towards integrating digital world into the classroom. I emphasize rational for one needs to be grounded in pedagogy as the mainstay of a class and digital products as a support for the same.

It would also be needed to help students develop the right way to use information on the internet. For example, I may organize a class that is based on researching information on internet, however, to avoid blank copy pasting I could integrate into my rubric ‘rationale’ in order to make the students think about the material.



References

1. Leading for Global Competency, Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/Leading-for-Global-Competency.aspx

2. Mansilla, V. B., & Jackson, A. (2013). Educating for Global Competence: Learning Redefined for an Interconnected World. In H. Jacobs (Ed.), Mastering Global Literacy (5-27). New York: Solution Tree. Retrieved from http://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Educating%20for%20Global%20Competence%20Short%20HHJ.pdf

3. Sinek, S. (2009). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. New York, N.Y.: Portfolio. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action/transcript?language=en