Reaching Global Competence
This position statement does not attempt to create a single definition for global competence; rather the
focus is on identifying common goals and the means to achieve them. Agreeing on an (educational) goal
of cultural understanding or sensitivity is not sufficient; such broad goals need to be described in ways
that people (learners) can demonstrate. Then various means to reach global competence can be
identified.
This position statement highlights commonality from the various descriptions of this goal and some of
the means to achieve them. Language learning contributes an important means to communicate and
interact in order to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world. Developing
global competence is at the heart of the motivation to learn languages.
Feedback/Comments:
The Need for Global Competence:
Global competence is applied to interactions in the economy, defense/diplomacy, or local heritage
communities: One never knows the situation in which one will need to communicate with someone of a
different language or culture; all citizens need to be prepared to interact with “global competence.”
Need in the Global Economy: Trade data demonstrates the interconnectedness of the economies of
countries across the globe; jobs increasingly depend on working with clients/customers who speak other
languages and think through diverse perspectives; employers identify culture and communication skills
as increasingly important in their hiring.
Need in Defense/Diplomacy: The military identifies its mission balanced between defense/peacekeeping around the world and building connections with citizens in areas facing unrest or war; training
of service personnel includes cultural sensitivity, understanding of diverse perspectives, and strategies
for communicating with local populations speaking other languages.
Need in Heritage Communities: Citizens do not need to go abroad to interact with people who speak
other languages and who have different cultural practices, products, and perspectives; increasingly, the
world is present in each community; heritage communities are supported when their language and
culture are valued rather than eliminated.
Feedback/Comments:
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DRAFT – Position Statement – for Feedback and Comment – DRAFT
Describing Global Competence:
Many terms have been used to describe this broad goal, including:
Interculturality–In the Common European Framework of Reference and in the NCSSFL LinguaFolio®,
“interculturality” refers to the ability to function in different situations
Global Competence Matrix–Developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers for its EdSteps
project and adopted by Asia Society, the matrix identifies four ways of developing and
demonstrating global competence: Investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate
ideas, take action;
Rather than trying to agree on what to call the term, agreement centers on the commonalities in the
goals of global competence. The commonalities of goals for global competence include a readiness or a
disposition to:
1. Communicate in the language of the people with whom one is interacting
2. Interact with awareness and knowledge of the perspectives of other
3. Withhold judgment, examining one’s own perspectives as similar to or different from the
perspectives of people with whom one is interacting
4. Be alert to cultural differences in situations outside of one’s culture, including noticing cues
indicating miscommunication or lack of conformity to a situation
5. Act according to what is appropriate in the culture and the situation where everyone is not of
the same culture or language background, including gestures, expressions, and behaviors
6. Maintain curiosity about the products, practices, and perspectives of other cultures
Feedback/Comments:
Means to Achieve Global Competence:
Individuals will follow different pathways to reach global competence. Identified by the various
initiatives around this common goal, effective practices include:
1. Reflect on one’s personal experiences across cultures to evaluate personal feelings, thoughts,
perceptions, and reactions
2. Investigate and explain cultural differences as well as similarities, looking beneath the surface of
stereotypes
3. Identify the point of view of a speaker, writer, producer, beyond just one’s culture or language,
to consider factors such as young-old, male-female, native-born or immigrant, and other
experiences and influences
4. Examine events through the lens of media from different countries and cultures
Feedback/Comments:
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