discussion board analysis
successfully educating tomorrow’s global citizens
In today’s world, engaging in constructive dialogue and addressing complex global issues are clearly important priorities. How can we teach these competencies to children from a young age? Our new report, Successfully Educating Tomorrow’s Global Citizens, shares an original methodology to assess global learning based on student in digital discussion boards, and critical findings about what and how students are learning through the Global Scholars program.
Global Cities, Inc., a program of Bloomberg Philanthropies, conducted this research with Out of Eden Learn (OOEL), a digital exchange provider and active research project at Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero. The research produced a codebook—a comprehensive reference that educators can use to identify evidence of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors that contribute to global competence learning.
This novel approach, which examined cross-cultural interactions between students ages 10 to 13 participating in the Global Scholars program, found empirical evidence of progress on all four global learning outcomes:
Global Engagement: Our students acknowledged their ability to change the world and demonstrated that they were willing to do so.
Appreciation for Diversity: Thousands of students from dozens of cities worldwide were learning to interact with one another in ways that were respectful, inquisitive, and substantive.
Global Knowledge: Starting with a foundation of geographic knowledge, students both grasped the complexities of global issues and recognized their importance.
Cultural Understanding: These 10- to 13-year-olds, who are just beginning to develop a sense of self and their own culture, were understanding and appreciating cultural differences.