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The reasons for educating for global competence cannot be emphasized enough.
- Students will need to compete for jobs in their future workforce. They must be able to communicate, think, and be ready to operate in markets that work on a global scale.
- Students must understand "key topics of global significance in areas like engineering, business, science, history, ecology and other domains that may constitute their future work." (Mansilla & Jackson, p.2)
- The flattening global economy will lead to unprecedented global migration. Students will need to be able to understand, empathize with and work among a diverse group of people.
- Our students will have the important job of "Managing the consequences of climate change and devising effective solutions for mitigation and adaptation." (Mansilla & Jackson, p. 5)
There are many barriers that will confront educating our children for global competence. Among them are:
- The lack of preparation our educators and policymakers have in terms of teaching students and providing support in this arena.
- Lack of interest on the part of families and citizens to support students or show that the need is urgent.
- Poor design of current assessments; SBAC testing and other standardized tests are not designed to assess flexible cooperative thinking.
- The perception among teachers that an emphasis on global competence is 'one more thing' the Department of Education (or fill in a similar institution) is pushing.
In my current opinion, the primary characteristics that distinguish a high-quality education for global competence from a low-quality education for global competence are opportunity and perspectives. Students must be given opportunities to engage in real-world, authentic problem solving that introduces them to cultures, religions, countries and regions that lie outside of their comfort zones. When skills are embedded in or teased out of these opportunities, students come to a better understanding of the context in which they are learning. Perspectives become recognized. Positions can be communicated.