Below you'll find the definition of global thinking as determined by the two teams from the April 1 meeting along with ideas about how that capability might translate to the workplace, higher education and community life.
After taking a moment to review the definitions, respond to the following questions:
- How important might this capability be for SPS students?
- What might be the implications if we don’t explicitly address the capability through curriculum, instruction, and assessment, i.e., if we maintain the status quo?
TEAM A, Definition/Description: Ability to comprehend how actions, ideas, and choices affect the world around us, either positively or negatively.
TEAM B, Definition/Description:
• Actions or inactions affect others• Big Picture
• Cultural understanding
• Global interactions
• Historical reflective perspective
• Resource minded
• Respect
• Understanding the needs of others
Business/Workplace
• Awareness, respect of other cultures
• Collaboration
• Consciousness
• Fair trade
• Flexibility
• Flexible work schedules
• Innovation
• Interdependence
• Market demand
• Processes
• Product development
• See/seize opportunity
• Social responsibility
• Sustainability
• Workplace
• Workday
• Workforce development
• Being resource-minded
• Communicating with other cultures for business; language, social norms.
• Cultural influence on business
• Evaluating cause and effect of decisions/actions
• Financial impact without multicultural acceptance
• Global consciousness-business impact on the world
• Helping students develop global thinking skills
• Identify new markets and audiences
• Maintain and expand existing markets and audiences
• Promoting positive images, ideas of difference
• Seeking solutions across the globe not just nationally
Higher Ed
• New majors
• Workforce requirements
• On-line learning
• Study abroad
• Increased marketability
• More opportunities
• Global companies-such as car dealers, Pampers, or McDonalds-have to relate to each culture
• Broader cultural understanding and sensitivity
• Career preparation
• Come into higher education experience with a big picture perspective
• Study of languages-study abroad and before they get there
Community/Life Experience
• Better work/life balance
• Collaboration
• Equity
• Acceptance of other cultures
• Empathy
• Experience provides relevance
• Open-mindedness
• Less prejudice, more tolerance
• Being mindful of others
• Being reflective on own experience as it relates to others
• Bridging cultural gaps
• Promoting knowledge to decrease prejudice and increase understanding and acceptance
• Think “green” global awareness - pollution
• Using digital/technology to give students diverse experiences will give a global/big picture perspective
I think one of the things we are not placing enough emphasis on in our lists (and I certainly did not think in these terms) is the financial impact that individuals and communities will have (in fact, are having) if they - we - do not have an international/global viewpoint. Like it or not, we are in a global economy and our current students will be interacting with people of other cultures much more than previous generations. The good thing about this for us, as educators and people interested in education, is that it may convince some of the movers and shakers who only see the bottom line that we need to emphasize more multicultural and global educational practices, along with problem-solving, and technical literacy.
ReplyDeleteObviously, I am obsessing in this - but after looking at the other school models, I also do like the term "global awareness" or "global perspective" rather than "global thinking" - what do you think?
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