Global Competency

The world is demanding citizens and workers have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to act creatively and effectively on issues of global significance.  Corporate America is ignoring this issue because they don’t see that it is in their best interest to be open and cooperate and share.  We, Americans, are competitive and closed-fisted by nature.  Global competence needs to become more of an issue for the American education system.  Dan Rather explains why:

(See the full, 71-minute Learning with the World video here.  Captured in NEW YORK, June 29, 2012)

Veronica Boix-Mansilla and Tony Jackson published a free book on topic of Global Competency called, Educating for Global Competence (4MB PDF).  Click here to order print version of this publication.  They define global competence as “the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance.” Globally competent individuals are aware, curious, and interested in learning about the world and how it works. They can use the big ideas, tools, methods, and languages that are central to any discipline (mathematics, literature, history, science, and the arts) to engage the pressing issues of our time. They deploy and develop this expertise as they investigate such issues, recognizing multiple perspectives, communicating their views effectively, and taking action to improve conditions. Here’s a 15-minute segment from a conference in March 2011, where Jackson introduces their book.  He argues that upon graduating from high school, students ought to be prepared for college and globally competent.

More Articles on Cultural/Global Competency:

• President Obama Calls for American Education System to Align with Global Economy
• Global Competence: The Knowledge and Skills We’ll Need to Succeed in an International World by Anthony Jackson
• NAFSA — Who Cares About Cultural Competency?
• Five Characteristics of a Globally Competent Student by Sandra L. Russo and Leigh Ann Osborne
• U.S. Global Competence: A 21st Century Imperative