When it comes to investigating the world, students must learn to ask questions about the world intuitively, using strategies like close reading to analyze and question text and other media. These skills are becoming increasingly important as we are seeing an increase of globalization in business, politics, and education. If students are not taught to use these skills, than we, as part of the educational system, are failing to adequately prepare them for a world where they will be working in globalized jobs that do not even exist yet. Similarly, if students do not learn to intuitively question what they are learning in classrooms, online, and in all other forms of media, we are setting them up to be deceived by the false claims and biases inherent to today’s global political climate, putting the nation and the world at risk.
It is also necessary to teach students the skills to understand and analyze perspectives. These skills put our students at an advantage – not only for the jobs they may have in the future, but as citizens who can create the conditions for peace as citizen diplomats.
For the local community in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the ideas of Global Education are especially important as we continue to attract globally diverse people and jobs. With the border of Mexico just three hours south, the national laboratories on the south-end of town, the air force base, and the budding film industry here, having our students know and understand the world and its diversity is more important to our economic security than ever.