As technology connects us more than ever to people and places around the world, it is becoming more and more essential for children to be able to value diverse perspectives and cultures, understand how events around the world are interconnected, and empathize to solve international problems. Everyday students are shown images depicting these problems through the media, learning how to see both sides of that story is a very important life skill. Teaching global competency hopes to foster the attitudes, knowledge and skills necessary to engage as responsible global citizens. 

Global citizenship refers to the belief that we as individuals are members of multiple, diverse, local and non-local networks. With this we develop an understanding that we are not single actors affecting isolated societies. By promoting global citizenship in the classroom we are teaching our students to embrace their social responsibility to act for the benefit of all societies, not just their own.

Students need to be encouraged to investigate and question the world and its many aspects. In doing this they need the skills to view multiple perspectives, and question their sources in order to gain the insight needed to make educated decisions, communicate their ideas effectively and take action. In teaching these skills students gain so many others along the way; open mindedness, a respect and appreciation for diversity, empathy, an understanding of children’s and human rights, and an understanding of the impact of global events. 

By including global education, you’re creating multiple entry points for students to gain knowledge and connect with their learning through their past experiences and through experiences brought to the classroom. There is so much value in providing the opening for students to relate, question, analyze and evaluate the world they live in. Above that, they are also learning to empathize, communicate effectively and understand the impact they have on the global community. 

Moments in which teachers can learn with and from their students are very impactful in the classroom. In teaching global competency, we are also acknowledging humility. We are demonstrating that as teachers are not experts on every subject, and that we can seek the help of experts in order to ensure that cultural and religious material is covered appropriately and respectfully. In doing this we go above teaching the content, by demonstrating the protocol used to ask others to share their knowledge with you. This also provides the opportunity for students to be the expert and hold knowledge that even their teacher might not have. 

The knowledge, skills and understanding taught within global competency align almost effortlessly to the personal and social core competencies, as well as the big ideas, curricular competencies and content for social studies curriculum in British Columbia. Fitting so well with the curriculum aids in bringing these lessons to the classroom. The world is full of so many wonders, numbers, and histories that can be incorporated easily into our teaching. 

Reaching beyond the social studies curriculum, teaching our students to be globally competent works towards the engaged citizen who is “thoughtful and able to learn and to think critically, and can communicate information from a broad knowledge base; are capable of making independent decisions; co-operative, principled, and respectful of others regardless of differences; are aware of the rights of the individual and are prepared to exercise the responsibilities of the individual within the family, the community, Canada, and the world” (Curriculum Overview, the Educated Citizen).

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