What Is a Global Education and Why Is It So Important?
Homa Tavangar, author of “Growing Up Global” and “The Global Education Toolkit for Elementary Learners” explores the topic in her guest blog with Edweek.org for International Education Week titled “What Do We Mean When We Talk About Global Education?”
So, what is a global education? The exact definition of global education is challenging to pinpoint. Global competency, cultural literacy, empathy-building, study abroad, foreign languages and global mindset are among the list of terms that Tavangar found frequently come to people’s minds when asked about global education. Each of those answers certainly play a part in the definition, but none of them can fully define it on its own.
The world we live in is becoming increasingly interconnected and with that comes the challenges of managing diverse opinions, views and preferences. An IBM survey of over 1,500 Chief Executive Officers from sixty different countries and thirty-three industries worldwide found that CEO’s believe that creativity is the most important factor when it comes to “successfully navigating an increasingly complex world.”
At its core, global education means teaching students how to be flexible and creative when trying to understand and act upon issues of global significance. Homa Tavangar emphasizes the importance of global education and reminds us that “the best employers want graduates who can handle complex issues, navigate murky cultural differences, recognize diverse perspectives, and if possible, speak a second language, as teams are more globally dispersed than ever, solving problems that can’t be confined to one locality.”
In his message for International Education Week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s views of the importance of a global education evidently align with Tavangar’s. He ends his message by stating that “access to world language courses and overseas educational experiences are still considered luxuries rather than essential components of a well-rounded, world class education. Let’s work together, during International Education Week, and every week, to make global competence the norm and not the exception.”
International Education Week was November 16-20, 2015. What did you do in class to promote global education?