Me, me, me

Marilyn Leave a comment

The recent call for hunkering down, closing borders, keeping out the other is contrary to the global citizen’s position on collaboration, understanding the other and how to disagree with another person’s view. In a world of over 7 billion people the requirement to establish a harmonious and workable relationship with the other at a time of extreme stress on world resources is paramount to well being, productivity, and even survival. From a global perspective this is about interconnection, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, empathy, the value of diversity and peaceful outcomes to conflicting ideas.

 “Do unto others as they would want done unto them.” This seismic shift in perspective—from inward out to outward in—has profound implications. Globally competent students recognize that they have a particular perspective that others may or may not share. They are able to articulate and explain the perspectives of other people, groups, or schools of thought; identify influences on their own and others’ perspectives; and understand how differential access to knowledge, technology, and resources can affect people’s views. Globally competent students can compare and contrast their perspectives with others’, and integrate their own and others’ viewpoints to construct a new one, when needed.  Understanding global competence and its value 
Let me introduce you to a favourite resource NEWSELA.  The exceptional focus in this resource for stimulating interest in non fiction texts is its variable settings for reading ability. Although it comes from a USA perspective, many of the writings have global significance.
In a Newsela article Government agencies speak out on hate crime and in this instance, a wave of antisemitism in the USA
Here are some questions to promote deep learning in a globally oriented classroom-
  • What challenges do communities face in preventing hate crimes?
  • What can students do to resist hate crimes?

Also from Newsela is a set of texts which contains articles that touch on racial discrimination, segregation, feminism and the space race, perfect to pair with the book or movie, “Hidden Figures”

  • Can you find any texts with a case on racial discrimination, segregation or denial of rights from another location or another time?

Acceptance of the other is an important part of being, a part of identity. For if you are proud of who you are shouldn’t the next person have that right too?

Also from my archives:

They thought they would be hailed as heroes-connecting health, history and culture

Should we apply the system of Gacaca to bullies in schools?

 

 

 

Leave a Reply