How to become a globally competent teacher?

(in 5 steps)
1. Follow the news, be knowledgeable about what is happening in the world – locally
+ globally (=you have to become a globally competent citizen first; if you don’t
like reading depressive news, you have to develop coping strategies)
2. Teach your students by example, be authentic in your role
3. Be brave and bring in real-life issues into your classes (experiment and fail
sometimes)
4. Try to make them interesting for your students through learner-centred methods
5. LLL/CPD: always develop yourself and learn from your intercultural experiences
(e.g., at teacher conferences) (CPD: Continuous Professional Development) (constant
self-development)
A Global Teacher… (Pike & Selby, 1988)
1. is ‘global centric’ rather than ethnocentric or nation centric (=global
mindset);
2. is concerned about culture and perspective;
3. is future-oriented;
4. is a facilitator;
5. has a profound belief in human potential;
6. is concerned with the development of the whole person;
7. employs a range of teaching/learning styles in the classroom;
8. sees learning as a life-long process;
9. tries to be congruent (=balanced);
10. is rights-respectful and seeks to shift the focus and locus of power and
decision-making in the classroom (=involves the students in the decision-making,
creates a democratic atmosphere);
11. seeks functional interdependence across the curriculum (=willing to cooperate
with other teachers in order to create a good learning experience);
12. is a community teacher (=believes their role is beyond the classroom) (pp. 272-
274).