Lisa Petro of Know My World visited the GlobalMindEd conference last week and we thank her for sharing her experience here on the One Globe Kids blog!
“Global Learning is about understanding your place in the world as an equal.” – Dr. Tonya Muro, i-EARN Executive Director, Global MindEd Conference 2016
On June 9th and 10th, 2016, the third annual Global MindEd Conference in Denver, Colorado brought together educators and global entrepreneurs with first-generation college students to promote opportunities for workplace success. Organizations and thought-leaders worked alongside students to share strategies for overcoming obstacles and gaining access to the world. A variety of panel discussions led by industry, academic and non-profit experts expressed a collective viewpoint emphasizing that all students have the ability to create and contribute powerfully.
Why is this important for all educators and learners, not just Higher-Ed?
GlobalMindEd addresses the kinds of attitudes, knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the global workforce. With the internet of things, students all over the world are in front of a dually competitive and collaborative society. Increasingly, students everywhere are affected by globalization in both positive and negative ways including access to information and wage gaps.
What obstacles exist for students in gaining access to joining the global workforce?
First and foremost:
Social Inequity and Inequality—Power Differentials—Poverty
All deny students access to a variety of opportunities, and it doesn’t always look like quality education. The cycle of inequity and power continues through formative years and prohibits access to networks, job opportunities, and resources for innovators to grow ideas. GlobalMindEd asks, “How can we dismantle institutional inequity and promote fair and equitable opportunities for all?”
Secondary to this:
Whereas educational systems all over the world favor quantitative data (subject-oriented) as means to prepare globally competitive students, participants in GlobalMindEd seek pathways that support equity, inclusion, creativity, global competence, and entrepreneurship. Panels were constructed of participating schools and organizations that integrate global competence into preparatory programs, and find ways to leverage global learning as a means for cultivating a more just and equitable world.
How can we support students in growing the necessary attitudes, skills and abilities?
Conferences like GlobalMindEd bring together all stakeholders to collaborate, build solutions, and integrate global learning for sustainability. Initiatives like One Globe Kids and Know My World rely on student experiences, relationship building, and critical thinking to prepare globally competent students, beginning at a very young age. Educators can review their own practices in the classroom to favor creativity and problem solving as the catalyst for entrepreneurial thinking, and as ways to develop collaborative and fair dynamics among students. If each key player reflects on how they are impacted by and contribute to the world, connections can be made. Whether through a conference, story share unit, or digital cross-cultural exchange, we can all connect to fulfill the true meaning of global learning: Inclusion, Equality, Equity and Access.
This is a guest blog post by Lisa Petro, the co-founder of Know My World and a curriculum development consultant, specializing in multicultural education and global competence. She attended Global Mind Ed in Denver last week. Next year we will join her!
