A working library for educators who want to bring global competence into their practice — concepts, organizations, and the assessment tools I find most useful.
Global competence begins with a global education approach grounded in culturally responsive teaching that reflects students' identities, experiences, and assets. Through strengths-based instruction and restorative practices, educators create inclusive learning environments that develop empathy, effective communication, and critical thinking—the essential components of global competence.
Global Education strengthens students' ability to advocate for themselves in their school communities. Native language texts, translation services, and equal access to technology help to lessen the gap in educational resources.
Students are taught to think globally, act locally, to investigate the world, and to become flexible in thinking and actions. In the classroom, this means creating opportunities for students to engage in meaningful discussions about equity and justice, from examining whether school meal options meet diverse cultural and dietary needs to exploring disparities in food access and food security around the world.
At its core, global competence is empathy in action.
A short list of organizations I'd recommend to any teacher starting this work.
Developers of the Global Competence Matrix and a useful first stop for whole-school work.
Visit site →Their Center for Global Education runs a strong certification program and the International Studies Schools Network.
Visit site →Teacher and scholar exchange programs administered by the U.S. State Department. The route I took to the Philippines.
Visit site →A classroom-to-classroom network in more than 140 countries. Project-based and easier to use than expected.
Visit site →Primarily higher-education focused, but their research is consistently strong.
Visit site →Four assessment tools — two for measuring student growth, two for reflecting on your own practice.
A rubric for assessing investigation, perspective-taking, communication, and action across grade levels.
Self-assessment instrument from Tichnor-Wagner et al. for educators reflecting on twelve elements of practice.
International benchmark used to assess students' readiness to engage with a global, interconnected world.
Validated assessment of intercultural competence used in K-12, higher ed, and professional development.
A short reading list. If you only have time for one, read the OECD framework.
Tichnor-Wagner, Parkhouse, Glazier, and Cain · ASCD, 2019
Veronica Boix Mansilla and Anthony Jackson · Asia Society / CCSSO
OECD, 2018. The single most important document on this list.
Interviews with classroom teachers doing this work in real schools.
Edutopia. A good piece to share with a colleague who is new to the concept.
This website is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views and information presented are the participant's own and do not represent the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, the U.S. Department of State, or IREX.