Cultivate Students’ Global Competence:Foreign Experience And Inspirations

Global competence is an integrated competency that combines knowledge,skills,attitudes and values.It refers to the ability to critically analysis global and cross-cultural issues from multiple perspectives,to communicate honestly with people from different backgrounds with an open and inclusive mind,and to take strong action for collective well-being based on respect for human dignity.With the increasing international interaction and the country’s urgent need for international talents,international education has become an increasingly important part of the overall education system.Global competence as a product of international education is being taken up by an increasing number of countries.With the inclusion of global competence in PISA 2018,the development of global competence has become a much-needed focus in education.This paper introduces the dimensions and framework of global competence and the advanced experience of foreign countries in global competence development,and provides successful experiences and valuable insights for global competence development in China in the light of the actual educational situation in China.The research questions in this paper cover the following areas:1.What are the definitions of global competence by the major international organizations?2.What are the dimensions and frameworks of global competence?3.What policies have been developed abroad for global competence development?4.What are the implications for our global competence development? Based on the above research questions,this paper covers the following five main sections.First,advocating the need for global competence development.Global competence as a forward-looking competency is particularly important in today’s internationally connected and engaged world.First,Economic globalization requires young people to remain viable in a changing labour market;Secondly,Universalization of immigration requires young people to live in harmony in a multicultural society;Again,environmental issues require young people to work towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals;Finally,Being a "global villager" requires young people to make efficient and responsible use of the resources around them.Second,The construction of a global competence framework by international organizations.The Asia Society defines and expands the definition of global competence in four dimensions: exploring the world,discerning perspectives,exchanging ideas,taking action,and a "scaffolding" of disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning.The OECD proposes four categories of competence: the ability to analysis regional,global and cross-cultural issues;the ability to understand and appreciate different perspectives and world views;the ability to interact openly,appropriately and effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds;and the ability to act constructively for collective well-being and sustainable development.Third,foreign initiatives to promote global competence development through multiple channels.Many useful explorations have been made abroad on global competence development and a wealth of practical experience has been accumulated.For example,The development of global competence is complemented by the development of related competencies;the development of a curriculum that is both specialized and interdisciplinary;and the development of global competence for teachers.Fourth,foreign projects for global competence development.Here are two of the more representative programs: Global Competence Education program and Harvard Project Zero.The Global Competence program is a problem-solving-based learning embedded in research-based classrooms in secondary schools,using technology to enable exchanges between schools in different regions.Harvard Project Zero focuses on implementing the development of several sub-competencies of global competence through a global competence inventory.The cross-cultural communication project aims to cultivate students’ cross-cultural understanding and cross-cultural communication skills.For example,exploring the positive and negative impacts of job migration on labor-transporting countries such as China,Mexico,and India;Explore the different interpretations of humor in the United States and Afghans,etc.Fifth,implications for our global competence development.Develop cross-cultural exchange programs and collaborative distance learning courses suitable for all academic levels;permeate the subject curriculum and establish an interdisciplinary curriculum system;accelerate the development of the teaching force and raise the level of teachers’ global competence;emphasize relevant competencies and position global citizens;strengthen policy leadership and co-ordinate the task of global competence development.