The Globally Competent Teaching Continuum

Longview Foundation and LEARN NC

As our world becomes increasingly interconnected and interdependent, student must graduate with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills to live and
work in a global society. Classrooms are also becoming more global. Therefore, there is a growing need for educators to develop global
competencies in themselves and their students.

Global competency is the set of knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to live and work in a global society. The Asia Society and Council of
Chief State School Officers define global competence as “the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance.” The
Longview Foundation adds that “a body of knowledge about world regions, cultures, and global issues, and the skills and dispositions to engage
responsibly and effectively in a global environment” is also needed. Global competence shares commonalities with intercultural competence,
multicultural education, and international education; however, it is distinct in that it combines elements such as communicating effectively with
people from other cultures and valuing multiple perspectives with elements such as knowledge of current global conditions and the
interconnectedness of local and global issues, and a commitment to promoting equity worldwide.

Globally competent teaching requires teachers to translate their personal global competence into professional classroom practice. A globally
competent teacher must not only develop global competencies in themselves, but also possess the skills to instill global competency in their students.
Such skills specific to educators include: to create a classroom environment that values diversity and global engagement, to integrate learning
experiences that promote content-aligned explorations of the world, to facilitate international and intercultural conversations and partnerships, and to
assess students’ global competence.

The Globally Competent Teaching Continuum (GCTC) is an online interactive tool to help educators develop global competence and globally
competent teaching practices (available at: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/global-continuum/). The GCTC provides 12 concrete global
competency elements for teachers with definitions of what each looks like at different levels of development. The GCTC also contains resources to
help educators move along the continuum, including videos of globally competent K-12 teachers in action, lesson plans, websites, books, and
professional development opportunities.

This exercise introduces the 12 global competence elements and asks you to consider where in the preparation of teachers they might be
addressed.
 The Globally Competent Teaching Continuum

Teacher Dispositions

Teacher Dispositions
ELEMENT Nascent Beginning Progressing Proficient Advanced
I understand that my beliefs I recognize biases and
I can identify my
and experiences are not limitations of my own I challenge my personal
personal beliefs and
universally shared. I can perspective and those of others’ assumptions to understand
I have not yet explored experiences and
1. Empathy and identify the influences that perspectives. I recognize how viewpoints that differ from
how my personal recognize how they
valuing multiple shape how others and I view my personal beliefs influence my own. I value diverse
beliefs have shaped my shape my view of the
perspectives the world. I am willing to my decisions as a teacher. I perspectives, including
worldview. world. I recognize that
explore the experiences and empathize by seeking to those that challenge my
I might hold
perspectives of people who understand the perspectives of own.
stereotypes.
challenge my beliefs. others.
I care about the well I engage in opportunities that I actively seek to
being of others. I I understand that there are address particular issues of local understand why inequities
2. Commitment to I have not yet recognize that barriers to equity locally and and/or global inequity (e.g., exist and challenge those
promoting equity considered local and inequities exist locally globally. I seek opportunities poverty and discrimination). I underlying causes. I lead
worldwide global inequities. and globally (e.g., to contribute to efforts to take responsibility for helping students and others in my
poverty and address inequities. my students and others in my school to act on issues of
discrimination). school to recognize inequities. equity locally and globally.

Which of the above can be developed in the teacher education curriculum? Where and how?

Which of the above can be developed elsewhere in the general education curriculum? Where and how?

Can you think of any additional elements that should be added?

 The Globally Competent Teaching Continuum

Teacher Knowledge
Teacher Knowledge
ELEMENT Nascent Beginning Progressing Proficient Advanced
I regularly seek resources
I have a basic I can articulate geographical, from varied perspectives and
I seek out multiple sources to
3. Understanding I do not yet have understanding of world historical political, economic, opportunities to stay informed
understand contrasting
of global knowledge of world geography. I have a social and/or cultural influences on local and global issues. I
perspectives on an issue. I stay
conditions and conditions and basic understanding of on current events. I can access think critically about the
informed on current local and
current events current events. current local and/or multiple resources that portray potential impact of current
global issues.
global events. current events. events on future conditions,
both locally and globally.
I recognize that our I can critically analyze ways
world is interconnected I understand ways that a global I can explain ways that global that global interconnectedness
and interdependent in issue impacts my local context issues impact my local context contributes to inequities
4. Understanding I have not yet
multiple arenasand (including myself, my students, and individuals in other within and between nations. I
of the ways that considered the ways
environmentally). I and my local community). I nations. I can explain global can explain how actions I take
the world is the world is
recognize that the ways understand ways that a global influences on local issues and at the local, national, or
interconnected interconnected.
in which the world is issue impacts cultures or nations local influences on global international level address
interconnected are aside from my own. issues. inequities related to our
constantly changing. interconnected world.
I critically relate multiple
I demonstrate knowledge of
I am aware of my own cultural immersion experiences
I have not yet I understand differences in various cultures through
cultural practices, to each other and to my own
reflected on my own practices, values, and norms cultural immersion
values, and norms in perspectives and practices. I
5. Experiential cultural values and across cultures. I understand that experiences (e.g., study abroad
relation to other modify my educational
understanding of norms. I have not yet multiple perspectives exist and local immersion). I reflect
cultures. I am practices and/or advocate for
multiple cultures considered within and across cultures. I seek upon the immersion experience
interested in changing educational policies
experiencing other opportunities to experience other in relation to my own cultural
experiencing other and practices based upon
cultures. cultures. constructs, perspectives, and
cultures. immersion experiences and
educational practices.
multiple perspectives.
I critically reflect on how
I am aware that I can use strategies to particular languages and modes
different cultures may I can identify strategies that effectively navigate of communication are valued
I am not yet familiar
6. Understanding have different ways of enhance intercultural intercultural interactions. I more than others and the
with cultural
of intercultural communicating (e.g., communication. I can explain the understand that learning effect that this has on
differences in
communication differences in language, relationship between language, languages has social, identity. I can help others
communication.
gestures, and norms for communication, and identity. emotional, and cognitive navigate the social, emotional,
communicating). aspects . and cognitive aspects of
intercultural communication.
Which of the above can be developed in the teacher education curriculum? Where and how?

Which of the above can be developed elsewhere in the general education curriculum? Where and how?

Can you think of any additional elements that should be added?

 The Globally Competent Teaching Continuum

Teacher Skills
Teacher Skills
ELEMENT Nascent Beginning Progressing Proficient Advanced
I am proficient in at least two
I speak one I am pursuing or I am fluent in at least two
I can have basic conversation in languages (including my own). I
7. Communicate in language and have have pursued a languages and seek
two languages (including my can effectively communicate
multiple languages not yet pursued language other than opportunities to use them in
own). with students and families in at
another. my own. schools and communities.
least two languages.
I teach my students to respect and
I engage students in learning about
learn from diverse perspectives I help my students develop a
I discuss global other cultures by emphasizing the
I do not yet consider and cultures. I provide concern for global issues, an
8. Create a classroom engagement and relevance of global issues to
global issues or opportunities for students to interest in learning more
environment that valuing of diverse students’ lives. I teach my students
diverse perspectives collaboratively discuss global about diverse cultures, and
values diversity and perspectives and to respect diverse perspectives
and cultures in my issues. I consistently encourage a desire to take action.
global engagement cultures in my and cultures. My classroom
classroom. students to use resources in my
classroom. contains resources that represent
classroom for global learning.
multiple perspectives.

I reflect on my students’
9. Integrate learning
I do not yet include I regularly integrate real-world global learning experiences
experiences for I can identify global I integrate into my instruction
global learning and challenging global learning and revise my teaching
students that learning experiences global learning experiences
experiences aligned experiences aligned with my accordingly. I support the
promote content- that align with aligned with my students’
with content students’ interests and content school community in
aligned explorations content standards. interests and content standards.
standards. standards. integrating global learning
of the world
experiences.

10. Facilitate intc’l I provide I provide opportunities for I provide ongoing opportunities My students initiate
I do not yet provide
and int’l dialogue opportunities during students to converse with for students to converse with communication with
opportunities for
that promotes active the school year for individuals from other cultures or individuals from other cultures or individuals from across
students to converse
listening, critical students to converse nations, in which students nations, in which students cultures and nations, in which
with individuals
thinking, and with individuals from demonstrate active listening, demonstrate active listening, they demonstrate active
from other cultures
perspective other cultures or critical thinking, and/or critical thinking, and perspective listening, critical thinking, and
or nations.
recognition nations. perspective recognition. recognition. perspective recognition.

11. Develop local, I do not yet create I present students an I guide my students to
national, or opportunities for my opportunity to develop local, national, and
I present students with I develop local, national, and/or
international students to engage in global international partnerships,
opportunities for short-term international long-term
partnerships that communicate with learning experiences direct their own
collaboration with local, national, partnerships that allow my
provide real world local, national, or with local, national, communication with these
or international organizations to students to learn about the world
contexts for global international or international partners, and develop their
learn about the world. with diverse communities.
learning organizations or organizations or own global learning
opportunities individuals. individuals. opportunities.
 I develop and use frequent,
12. Develop and use I develop and use appropriate authentic, and differentiated
I am not yet familiar I am familiar with
appropriate methods assessments of students’ global assessments of students’ global
with how to assess resources to assess I guide students to evaluate
of inquiry to assess competence development. I can competence development. I can
students? global students’ global their own global competence
students’ global provide students feedback and provide students with
competence competence development.
competence analyze students’ global constructive feedback and
development. development.
development competence development. analyze students’ performance to
inform subsequent instruction.

Which of the above can be developed in the teacher education curriculum? Where and how?

Which of the above can be developed elsewhere in the general education curriculum? Where and how?

Can you think of any additional elements that should be added?

Modified from: LEARN NC and The Longview Foundation

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/global-continuum/