Global Competence in Teacher Education

Project Description

In a shrinking, more connected world where we all face common challenges, such as those posed by economic recessions, conflicts or climate change, the acquisition of Global Competencies has become increasingly important (OECD, 2018 & 2009; EU, 2018; Picardo, 2012; Facer, 2011; Clifford and Montgomery, 2011). Countries across Europe face increasing challenges, for example the integration of newly arrived peoples through the migration crisis, the rise in nationalism, preparing our youth for life in a digitally interconnected global society, where they face uncertain futures as we enter what some argue is the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Schwab, 2016). Such challenges require people to become Globally Competent, developing skills, knowledge, values, attitudes and understandings that enable us to live and work effectively in diverse societies.

However, Reimers (2009) suggests that the teaching of Global Competency is hindered from becoming a reality through what he terms as “an obsolete mind-set” where the compartmentalization of curricula prevents teachers from approaching their subject from an interdisciplinary perspective. Moreover, if educators themselves are not Globally Competent, it is unlikely that they will be able to develop this in their students (Gaudelli, 2016).

Although there has been some work done in schools around Global Competency, this has not been effectively addressed within Higher Education programmes (Gaudelli, 2016; West, 2012; Zhao, 2010; Longview Foundation 2009) so that new teachers leaving university are both unaware of the need for Global Competency, nor have the skills to integrate the teaching of such competencies within the curricula.

This project directly addresses this challenge by working with Teacher Educators and Trainee Teachers across the EU to achieve its key objective: to develop future cohorts of teachers who are both Globally Competent themselves, but also have the skills to develop Global Competency in their students.