Global Competence

One goal of the Learning Studios program is to support educators as they develop globally competent students. The Council of Chief State School Officers’ EdSteps Initiative and Asia Society outline how globally competent students are able to understand the world through disciplinary and interdisciplinary study by:

1. Investigating the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research.
2. Recognizing perspectives, others’ and their own, articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully.
3. Communicating ideas effectively with diverse audiences, bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological, and cultural barriers.
4. Taking action to improve conditions, viewing themselves as players in the world and participating reflectively.

Rather than acting as independent skills, the above are interdependent in a process of investigation, evaluation and action. Mallory Wessel at World Savvy discusses this further in the webinar Making with Global Competence. Watch highlights below:

Opportunities to Develop Students’ Global Competence in the Learning Studio

The Learning Studios program invites an opportunity for teachers to engage their students in various global competence-building activities including:

1. Virtual exchange and collaboration across Learning Studio sites
   Virtual exchanges allow students and teachers in geographically distant locations to connect in real time or asynchronously. Students from different countries, regions, backgrounds, and cultures communicate their projects and ideas to one another, and also have the chance to solicit feedback from learners with different points of view. Virtual exchanges help build mutual understanding while giving students a space to consider and explore ways of engaging with the world that are different than their own. Read more about virtual exchange in the Learning Studios.
2. Social innovation challenges such as the Global Goals, Local Solutions Design Challenge
   Social innovation encompasses all of the skills that students acquire and develop in the Learning Studio. The Learning Studio social innovation challenges, such as the Global Goals, Local Solutions Design Challenge, motivate students to use their skills and abilities help society by developing innovative products and systems to serve their local and global communities.
3. Student-led affinity groups, such as a tech support group
   Some sites are using the Learning Studio to create student-led tech support groups for the entire school community. These groups encourage students to take initiative and use their knowledge to effectively problem-solve and communicate with diverse learners (which includes both students or teachers) throughout their school.