Educational Leadership - September 2009

requires us to experience that culture in context, rather than simply memorizing facts or imitating stereotypes.

Cross-cultural competency also means being able to live in different cultures and move across different societies fluently. In the globalized world, it is impossible to be competent in all world cultures, but it is essential to be open to new and different cultures. Proficiency in foreign languages is essential. Today, many education systems teach foreign languages for

courses, which typically have more of a linguistic focus. Language arts courses should familiarize students with literary works, film productions, and art from countries that have not traditionally been part of the curriculum. Science courses should address such urgent issues as global climate change and infectious disease (see “The Science Students Need to Know,” on p. 28 of this issue). Social studies should include content about economic globalization and its social and moral consequences

In the globalized world, it is essential
to be open to new and different cultures.

economic reasons, thus focusing only on competency in communication. Although this is important, language also serves as an insightful window into the “shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts” of a society. Foreign language teaching can shoulder the responsibility for helping students understand cultures.

What Global Education Looks Like To help students develop these understandings, schools and teachers must shift from a locally oriented curriculum to a globally oriented one. Foreign languages should be part of the curriculum for every student, and schools need to offer languages early, preferably starting in the primary grades. The content of those courses should be more culturally targeted than most of today’s foreign language

as well as the causes and dangers of human conflicts.

A globally oriented education should not stop at imparting knowledge. It should include significant experiences with “others.” Coursework should provide students with opportunities to interact with people around the globe to emphasize our interconnectedness. Schools could develop partnerships with schools in other countries to enable students to collaborate on global issues. Programs such as international study tours, student and teacher exchanges, and global cultural events are also excellent ways to help students develop global competencies. 1

Citizens Without Borders For the global village to be a happy and prosperous place for all its residents, all people must accept the fact that their well-being is intricately interconnected

To learn more about how globalization is changing education, see the online-only September EL article “Leading for Global Competency” by Fernando M. Reimers at www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership /sept09/vol67/num01/ Leading_for_Global_Competency.aspx EL online

with and dependent on others. They must understand and be willing to tackle common problems facing the village. They must treat one another as equals. They must try to understand and appreciate one another’s beliefs, values, behaviors, and customs. Finally, they must be able to talk to one another, using a common language.

This is not an easy task because schools have historically been local entities. They are locally funded, and they typically consider their students as citizens of their local communities, be those communities cities or nations, whose purposes they are asked to serve.

In this view, globalization becomes a force that brings competition to the local community. Thus, schools tend to work on ensuring that their students can compete with their foreign counterparts. So they pay much attention to how they stack up against other schools, particularly those in other nations, in the traditional subjects, such as math, science, and literacy. Moreover, the local view leads schools to reinforce the local mind-set, which asks students to judge events on the basis of their effect on the local communities or on themselves.

The task is not easy, but the stakes are high. The survival of the human race hinges on the degree to which we can learn to live together harmoniously in this tiny village where resources are limited and unequally distributed. We have invented enough tools to wipe ourselves off the surface of the earth many times over. We have also caused enough damage to this planet we call home that unless we take immediate collaborative action, we may soon be rendered homeless.

1The Asia Society provides guidelines for educators wishing to promote global competence in their students. Readers can find a number of helpful publications on this topic at http://internationaled.org.