A Global Focus for the Virtual

Classroom
Marci Ward
iUniversity Prep, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
What is Global Competency?

Possession of the knowledge, skills, and

disposition to understand and act
creatively on issues of global
significance. (Source: Asia Society)

Brainstorm: What are some ways we are

already doing this in our school?
 What does
global
competency
look like?

Asiasociety.org
Why does global competency
matter?
“Even our “best” schools are
failing to prepare students for
21st-century careers and
citizenship.”
-Tony Wagner, Expert In Residence at Harvard University’s new
Innovation Lab
William Gaudelli, Associate Professor of Social
Studies and Education and Program
Coordinator at Teachers College, Columbia
University states in “A Call for Global
Citizenship”, “we are at a moment in time
where we face the paradoxical capacity to
destroy much of what the modern era has
achieved.”
 “if we train elites to be imbued with
higher esteem for the abstraction of a
global community than for the reality of
In his article “There’s No the particular group in which they live,
Such Thing as a Global we deprive our nation of the ability to
Citizen”, Jakub Grygiel, defend its interests and maintain its
Senior Associate Professor well-being.”

of International Relations
at Johns Hopkins argues How would you respond to this
that argument?
But what should Global Education
look like in the virtual classroom?
“Skills that globally competent students will require to successfully navigate
college, career, and life in the 21st century include:
● An appreciation for cultural differences
● An ability to understand and consider multiple perspectives
● Critical and comparative thinking skills
● Problem-solving abilities
● Comfort with ambiguity and change
● An understanding of globally significant issues”
Dana Mortenson, co-founder and Executive Director of World Savvy from “A Look Inside the Classroom of the Future”

Which of these things are we already doing?

Which of these things could we improve?
“This is great in theory, but I’m
already swamped with trying
to navigate the virtual teaching
world. Where would I even
start?”
Five Inroads of Globalizing our School

1. Content How can we look at

2. Instruction each of these through
3. Assessment the lens of global
4. Environment competency?
5. Professional Learning
1. Globalizing Things to consider:

Content 1. Modify, don’t add

2. Provide multiple perspectives and
narratives
3. Connect your content to current
issues
4. What does a student need to
How can you approach a unit you KNOW in order to transfer their
already teach with a global lens? knowledge from your class to the
real world?
 These are the current Sustainable Development Goals
from the United Nations. How could any of these relate
to your content area?
2. Globalizing
Instruction
How can you encourage global
competency through your day to
day instructional practices?
Things to consider:
1. How can you connect students to
the world outside of our
“classroom”?
2. What skills can you let students
practice in your class that will help
them be successful in a global
society?
3. How can give we our students
agency in the way that they learn?
All of these things can be globalized!
3. Globalizing Things to consider:

Assessment 1. What can our students create to

demonstrate global learning?
2. How can we combine assessments
with meaningful action?
3. In what ways will students reflect
on their growth as a global learner?
How can we measure global
competence alongside content and
skill mastery?
3Y reflection strategy from Harvard’s Project Zero
4. Globalizing our Things to consider:

Environment 1. Virtual classroom “environment”-

what can we influence?
2. Globalizing class norms and
expectations
3. Communicating a consistent school
vision
How can we communicate our 4. Learner profile- what do we want a
commitment to global competency graduate to look like?
to students, families, and the
community?
International Baccalaureate Learner Profile
5. Globalizing Things to consider:

Professional 1. Again, modify, don’t add!

2. Areas of need- where do we want
Learning to start?
3. Cost and investment- what FREE
resources are available to us?

How can we grow as globally

competent learners and educators?
What concerns,
hesitations, or
questions do you
still have?
Things to Remember:

● Start small
● Real change takes time.
● Focus on our WHY.
● This is not “one more thing”. It’s a
pivot, not an add-on.
One day, “global ed” will just be
what we know as “ed”

Don’t be the
guys on the
right...
Good places to start:
1. Choose ONE thing to look at through the global ed lens. One strategy,
one lesson, one assessment, one standard.
2. Check out global education resources. I recommend these:
a. Asia Society
b. UN Sustainable Development Goals
c. Teaching Tolerance
d. Harvard’s Project Zero
e. Twitter: #teachSDG, #globalgoals, #globaledchat