The educator identifies a discussion protocol appropriate to the classroom context and one that will engage students in recognizing and considering multiple viewpoints. The educator facilitates student participation in a whole-class discussion of various perspectives on a global topic, concept, or issue, and facilitates a reflective debrief of the experience.
In class discussions where each student has the opportunity to contribute to the conversation, everyone benefits by hearing various perspectives from their classmates. Whether students are collaboratively building on one another’s ideas or respectfully disagreeing, gaining multiple viewpoints helps students see the topic in a more complex, authentic way. Carefully selected discussion protocols give students the opportunity to consider and incorporate multiple viewpoints as they develop greater understanding of a global issue. See “Tell Me About a Discussion Challenge You Overcame” and “Group Work and Group Discussion” in the Resources section.
Given the complex and interdependent nature of world events and global issues, a key aspect of global competence involves weighing and evaluating multiple perspectives, including one’s own. By valuing multiple viewpoints and seeking out various perspectives on an issue, students are better able to understand and apply different perspectives to problem-solving and decision-making (see the Resources section for more information.)
When facilitated so that all students are fully engaged and participating, whole-class discussions are an active-learning strategy that promotes collaborative and constructivist learning. When students are engaged in participating through meaningful contributions to a whole-class discussion, they are more actively involved in thinking and learning. Thus, the effective use of whole-class discussion is an instructional best practice (Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde, 2005) and one that has been shown to have a positive impact on student achievement (Hattie, 2012).
Global competence refers to the knowledge, skills, and dispositions individuals need to be successful in today's interconnected world and to be fully engaged in and act on issues of global significance. The Global Competence Task Force defined globally competent individuals as "those who use their knowledge and skills to investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, recognize their own and others' perspectives, communicate their ideas effectively with diverse audiences, and translate their ideas into appropriate actions" (see link below).
Example Global Competence Frameworks
Example Global Issues
The discussion strategies below are widely used by educators across the field. The following organizations provide helpful explanations of how they work through written descriptions and illustrative videos:
Whole-Class Discussion Protocols
For asking students to taking a stance or position:
For engaging students in silent written conversation:
For getting students to move around and exchange ideas:
For engaging students in a sustained, often text-based, discussion:
The items in this following section detail what must be submitted for evaluation. To earn this micro-credential, you must receive a passing evaluation for Parts 1 and 3 and a “Yes” for Part 2.
(500-word limit total):
Please submit a video or audio recording of students participating in the reflective debrief at the end of the discussion (maximum length: three minutes) OR written reflections from three to five different students that demonstrate how the discussion helped them understand the global issue from multiple perspectives (maximum length: three pages).
(750-word limit total):
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