What is global competence?

Global Competence- Global competence is the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance. (According to the Global Competence Taskforce comprised of members of the CCSSO-EdSteps & the Asia Society Partnership for Global Learning) 

It requires the mastery of 4 basic domains or competencies: Investigate the World, Recognize Perspectives, Communicate Ideas, and Take Action.

How can you assess global competence?

Global Competence Assessments Tools

• ASIA Society Global Competence Self-Assessment- this is a great place to start if you are new to global education as this self-assessment will give you an overview of where you rank on each of the four main competencies.

How to use it: You can use this only as a self-assessment tool for you as a teacher, but it could also be a powerful tool for your students. It can be used as a pre and post-assessment to gauge student's learning and growth on their practice of global skills.

• PISA 2018 Global Competence Questionnaire- this is a great tool to use with students as well as teachers and school administrators as it contains sample questions from the PISA 2018 student global competence assessment and the school assessment. 

How to use it: Since these are just sample questions I would suggest using these to start a discussion amongst your students as to what makes a person globally competent. You can use other tools such as the World Savvy Matrix to help your students compare their responses and develop their own global citizen profile. You can also host a dialogue with your colleagues using the school questionnaire sample questions and encourage teachers and administrators to think about ways they could integrate global education into their practice.

• World Savvy Matrix- this is a list of attitudes and values, behaviors, and skills that global teachers must master and foster in their students. 

How to use it: This matrix can be used to develop unit and lesson goals and incorporate global competency into your existing curriculum.

Next Steps:

1. Enroll in one of the free global education courses below offered by the Department of State and IREX to dive deeper.

2. Go over the glossary below to become familiar with some of the most important concepts in global ed.

3. Begin reviewing and incorporating some of the ready-to-use instructional tools from my Teach page in your lessons.

4. Learn more and find even more resources from the many organizations that are leading global ed around the world on my Resources page.

5. Bookmark my Travel page to stay up to date on blog posts with more resources and updates on my upcoming travel to Germany with Fulbright TGC.

6. Connect on social media with those organizations and other like-minded educators, start by following me and e-mail me if you have any questions.

Glossary 

Global Competence- Global competence is the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance. (According to the Global Competence Taskforce comprised of members of the CCSSO-EdSteps & the Asia Society Partnership for Global Learning)

The 4 Global Competencies- A set of 4 skills that globally competent students should be able to perform. These are: Investigate the World, Recognize Perspectives, Communicate Ideas, and Take Action. Learn More!

Social Justice Standards- The Social Justice Standards are a road map for anti-bias education at every level of K–12 instruction established by the Learning for Justice organization, formerly known as Teaching Tolerance. These include anchor standards that provide a common language and structure that teachers can use to guide their curriculum and help make schools more just and equitable. Learn More! 

Environmental Stewardship- According to the EPA it is the responsibility for environmental quality shared by all those whose actions affect the environment. 

Racial Justice- According to aecf.org, it is the systematic fair treatment of people of all races that results in equitable opportunities and outcomes for everyone. 

Equity vs. Equality- According to aecf.org, equity is defined as the state, quality or ideal of being just, impartial and fair. Equity involves trying to understand and give people what they need to enjoy full, healthy lives. Equality, in contrast, aims to ensure that everyone gets the same things in order to enjoy full, healthy lives. Like equity, equality aims to promote fairness and justice, but it can only work if everyone starts from the same place and needs the same things. 

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or SDG's- The 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. Learn More!