1

Republic of the Philippines

MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY
Fatima, General Santos City
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Bachelor in Secondary Education Department

CPE 109: Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the

Curriculum

Module 5
Multicultural and Global Literacy

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students should be ble to:
- discussa global and multicultural literacy;
- illustrate the Global Competence Framework;
- explain the dimensions of multiculturism; and
- draft relevant policy in addressing multiculturalism in school.

As schools cater to diverse students in class, be it in terms gender, colour, race, nationality,
religious affiliations, cultural beliefs, ethnic groups, socio-economic status, etc., teachers need to
understand the concept of multicultural literacy to come up with appropriate approaches in class.

I. Multicultural Literacy

Multicultural literacy consists of the skills and ability to identify the creators of knowledge and
their interests (Banks, 1996) to reveal the assumptions of knowledge, to view knowledge from
diverse ethnic and cultural perspective, and to use knowledge to guide action that will create a
humane and just world (Boutte, 2008).

Multicultural literacy then, brings attention to diversity, equity and social justice to foster cultural
awareness by addressing difficult issues like discrimination and oppression towards other
ethnicities (Boutte 2008).

Accordingly, education for multicultural literacy should help students to develop the 21" century
skills and attitudes that are needed to become active citizens who will work toward achieving
CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum
Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos
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social justice within communities. Because of the growing racial, language and ethnic diversity in
the country, multicultural literacy needs to be transformed in substantial ways to prepare students
to function effectively in the 21st Century (Boutte).

Boutte (2008) reiterated that making small changes within the classrooms can create big changes
globally. As diversity grows, there is a need for the emergence of multicultural education that is
more representative of the students in today's classrooms. Banks (2003) asserted that teaching
students to be advocates of multiculturalism is also a matter of sending a message of empathy
and tolerance in schools to develop a deeper understanding of others and appreciation of
different cultures. Developing these attitudes and skills requires basic knowledge prior to teaching
students how to question assumptions about cultural knowledge and how to critique and critically
think about these important cultural issues, which is what essentially makes multicultural literacy
a 21" Century literacy (Banks, 2003).

The OECD Global Framework

The framework depicts the four dimensions of global competence encompassing the
development of knowledge, values, attitude and skills that flow along parameters of attaining
such competency.

II. Global Competence

The desire to participate in interconnected, complex and diverse societies has become a pressing
need Recognizing the roles of schools in preparing the youth to participate in the world the
CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum
Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos
 3

OECD's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA developed a framework to explain,
foster and assess students global competence. This design serves as a tool for policymakers
leaders and teachers in fostering global competence among students worldwide.

Global competence is a multidimensional capacity. Therefore globally competent individuals can

analyze and rationalize local global and intercultural issues, understand and appreciate different
perspectives and worldviews, interact successfully and respectfully with others, and take
responsible action toward sustainability and collective well-being (OECD publication).

Global competence refers to skills, values and behaviours that prepare young people to thrive in
a diverse, interconnected and rapidly changing world. It is the ability to become engaged citizens
and collaborative problem solvers who are ready for the workforce.

Promoting global competence in schools. Schools play a crucial role in helping young people to
develop global competence. They can provide opportunities to critically examine global
developments that are significant to both the world and to their own lives. They can teach students
how to critically, effectively and responsibly use digital information and social media platforms.

Schools can encourage intercultural sensitivity and respect by allowing students to engage in
experiences that foster an appreciation for diverse peoples, languages and cultures (Bennett, 1993;
Sinicrope, Norris and Watanabe, 2007). Schools are also positioned to enhance students' ability
to understand their place in the community and the world and improve such ability to make
judgments and take action (Hanvey, 1975 in PISA, 2018).

III. The Need for Global Competence

The following are the reasons why global competence is necessary.

1. To live harmoniously in multicultural communities. Education for global competence can

promote cultural awareness and purposeful interactions in increasingly diverse societies
(Brubacker and Laitin, 1998; Kymlicka, 1995; Sen, 2007) People with diverse cultures are
able to live peacefully, respect differences, find common solutions, resolve conflicts and
learn to live together as global citizens (Dolors. et al, 1996, UNESCO. 2014b). Thus,
education can teach students the need to address cultural biases and stereotypes.

2. To thrive in a changing labour market. Education for global competence can boost
employability through effective communication and appropriate behavior within diverse
teams using technology in accessing and connecting to the world (British Council, 2013).

CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum

Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos
 4

3. To use media platforms effectively and responsibly. Radical transformations in digital

technologies have shaped young people's outlook on the world, their interaction with
others and their perception of themselves. Online networks, social media and interactive
technologies give rise to new concepts of learning, wherein young people exercise to take
their freedom on what and how they learn (Zuckerman, 2014).

4. To support the sustainable development goals. Education for global competence can help
form new generations who care about global issues and engage in social, political,
economic and environmental discussions.

IV. Dimensions of Global Competence: Implications to Education

Education for global competence is founded on the ideas of different models of global education,
such as intercultural education, global citizenship education and education for democratic
citizenship (UNESCO, 2014a; Council of Europe, 2016a).

Despite differences in focus and scope, these models share a common goal of promoting
students' understanding of the world and empower them to express their views and participate
in the society. PISA proposes a new perspective on the definition and assessment of global
competence that will help policy makers and school leaders create learning resources and
curricula that integrate global competence as a multifaceted cognitive, socio-emotional and civic
learning goal (Boix Mansilla, 2016),

This definition outlines four dimensions of global competence that people need to apply in their
everyday life just like students from different cultural backgrounds are working together on school
projects.

Dimension 1: Examine issues of local, global and cultural significance

This dimension refers to globally competent people's practices of effectively utilizing knowledge
about the world and critical reasoning in forming their own opinion about a global issue. People,
who acquire a mature level of development in this dimension, use higher-order thinking skills,
such as selecting and weighing appropriate evidence to support arguments about global
developments. Most likely, globally competent students can draw on and combine the disciplinary
knowledge and thinking styles learned in schools to ask questions, analyze data and propositions,
explain phenomena, and develop a position concerning a local, global or cultural issue. Hence,
globally competent people effectively use and create both traditional and digital media (Boix
Mansilla and Jackson, 2011),

Dimension 2: Understand and appreciate the perspectives and world views of others
CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum
Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos
 5

This dimension highlights that globally competent people are willing and capable of considering
other people's perspectives and behaviours from multiple viewpoints to examine their own
assumptions. This in turn, implies a profound respect for and interest in others with their concept
of reality and emotions. Individuals with this competence also consider and appreciate the
connections that enable them to bridge in differences and create common ground. They retain
their cultural identity while becoming aware of the cultural values and beliefs of people around
them (Fennes and Hapgood, 1997).

Dimension 3: Engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions across cultures

This dimension describes what globally competent individuals can do when they interact with
people from different cultures. They understand the cultural norms, interactive styles and degrees
of formality of intercultural contexts, and they can flexibly adapt their behaviour and
communication manner through respectful dialog even with marginalized groups. Therefore, it
emphasizes individuals capacity to interact with others across differences in ways that are open,
appropriate and effective (Barrett, et. al., 2014).

Dimension 4: Take action for collective well-being and sustainable development

This dimension focuses on young people's role as active and responsible members of society and
refers to individual's readiness to respond to a given local, global or intercultural issue or situation.
It recognizes that young people have multiple realms of influence ranging from personal and local
to digital and global. Globally competent people create opportunities to get engaged to Improve
living conditions in their communities and build a just, peaceful inclusive and an environmentally
sustainable world.

V. The Assessment Strategy for Global Competence

The PISA 2018 assessment of global competence contributes development, while considering
challenges and limitations. It has two components: 1) a cognitive test exclusively focused on the
construct of salobal understanding": and 2) a set of questionnaire items collecting sol-reported
information on students' awareness on global issues and cultures, skills (both cognitive and social
and attitudes, as well as information from schools and teachers on activities that promote global
competence (OECD, 2018).

VI. Curriculum for global competence: Knowledge, skills, attitudes and values

Schools can provide opportunities for students to explore complex global issues that they
encounter through media and their own experiences. The curriculum should focus on four
CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum
Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos
 6

knowledge domains: (1) culture and intercultural relations: (2) socio-economic development and
interdependence; (3) environmental sustainability, and (4) global institutions, conflicts and human
rights. Teaching these four domains should stress on differences in perspectives, questioning
concepts, and arguments. Students can acquire knowledge in this domain by reflecting on their
own cultural identity and that of their peers by analyzing common stereotypes toward people in
their community or by analyzing related cases of cultural conflict. Acquiring knowledge in this
aspect is important in developing values, such as peace, respect, non-discrimination, equality,
fairness, acceptance, justice, non-violence and tolerance (OECD, 2018).

VII. Skills to Understand the World and to take Action

Global competence builds on specific cognitive, communication and socio-emotional skills.

Effective education for global competence gives students the opportunity to mobilize and use
their knowledge, attitudes, skills and values together while sharing ideas on global issues in and
outside of school or interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds.

A school community that desires to nurture global competence should focus on clear, controllable
and realizable learning goals. This means engaging all educators to reflect on teaching topics that
are globally significant, the types of skills that foster deeper understanding of the world and
facilitate respectful interactions in multicultural contexts, and the attitudes and values that drive
autonomous learning and inspire responsible action (OECD, 2018).

VIII. Knowledge about the world and other cultures

Global competence is supported by the knowledge of global issues that affect lives locally and
around the globe, as well as intercultural knowledge, or knowledge about the similarities,
differences and relations among cultures. This knowledge helps people to challenge
misinformation and stereotypes about other countries and people, and thus, results in intolerance
and oversimplified representations of the world.

This can be done through the following strategies (OECD, 2018):

Perspective-taking refers to the cognitive and social skills of understanding how other people think
and feel

Adaptability refers to the ability to adapt systems thinking and behaviours to the prevailing
cultural environment, or to situations and contexts that can present new demands or challenges

IX. Openness, respect for diversity and global-mindedness

CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum

Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos
 7

Globally competent behaviour requires an attitude of openness towards people from other
cultural backgrounds, an attitude of respect for cultural differences and an attitude of global-
mindedness. Such attitudes can be fostered explicitly through participatory and learner-centered
teaching, as well as through a curriculum characterized by fair practices and an accommodating
school climate for all students.

Openness toward people from other cultural backgrounds involves sensitivity towards curiosity
about and willingness to engage with other people and other perspectives on the world (Byram,
2008; Council of Europe, 2016a).

Respect consists of a positive regard for someone based on judgment of intrinsic worth. It assumes
the dignity of all human beings and their inalienable right to choose their own affiliations, beliefs,
opinions or practices (Council of Europe, 2016a).

Global-mindedness is defined as a worldview, in which one sees him/herself connected to the

community and feels a sense of responsibility for its members (Hansen, 2010).

X. Valuing human dignity and diversity

Valuing human dignity and valuing cultural diversity contribute to global competence because
they constitute critical filters through which individuals process information about other cultures
and decide how to engage with others and the world. Hence, people, who cultivate these values,
become more aware of themselves and their surroundings, and are strongly motivated to fight
against exclusion, ignorance, violence, oppression and war

Clapham (2006) introduced the four aspects of valuing equality of core rights and dignity. To wit:
(1) the prohibition of all types of inhuman treatment, humiliation or degradation by one person
over another: (2) the assurance of the possibility for individual choice and the conditions for each
individual's self-fulfilment, autonomy or self-realization; (3) the recognition that protection of
group identity and culture may be essential for that of personal dignity; and (4) the creation of
necessary conditions to have the essential needs satisfied.

XI. Global understanding

Understanding is the ability to use knowledge to find meaning and connection between different
pieces of information and perspectives

The framework distinguishes four interrelated cognitive processes that globally competent
students need to use to understand fully global intercultural issues and situations (OECD, 2018).

CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum

Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos
 8

1. The capacity to evaluate information formulate arguments and explain complex situations
and problems by using and connecting evidence, identifying biases and gaps in
information and managing conflicting arguments
2. The capacity to analyze multiple perspectives and worldviews, positioning and connecting
their own and others' perspectives on the world
3. The capacity to understand differences in communication, recognizing the importance of
socially appropriate communication and adapting it to the demands of diverse cultural
contexts
4. The capacity to evaluate actions and consequences by identifying and comparing different
courses of action and weighing actions on the basis of consequences

Thus, globally competent students should be able to perform a wide variety of tasks utilizing
different cognitive processes, such as: reasoning with evidence about an issue or situation of local,
global and intercultural significance; searching effectively for useful sources of information;
evaluating information on the basis of its relevance and reliability: synthesizing information to
describe the main ideas in an argumentative text or the salient passages of a conversation; and
combining their background knowledge, new information and critical reasoning to build multi-
causal explanations of global or intercultural issues (OECD, 2018).

XII. Integrating Global and Intercultural Issues in the Curriculum

For global education to translate abstraction into action, there is a need to integrate global issues
and topics into existing subjects (Klein, 2013; UNESCO, 2014). In practice, content knowledge
related to global competence is Integrated in the curriculum and taught in specific courses.
Therefore, students can understand those issues across ages, starting in early childhood when
presenting them in developmentally appropriate ways (Boix Mansilla and Jackson, 2011; UNESCO,
2015).

Therefore, Gaudelli (2006) affirmed that teachers must have clear ideas on global and intercultural
issues that students may reflect on they also need to collaboratively research topics and carefully
design the curriculum while giving students multiple opportunities to learn those issues. Teachers
may also engage in professional learning communities and facilitate peer learning

More so, teaching about minority cultures in different subject areas entails accurate content
information about ethnically and racially diverse groups and experiences. Curricula should
promote the integration of knowledge of other people, places and perspectives in the classroom
throughout the year (UNESCO, 2014a), rather than using a "tourist approach", or giving students
a superficial glimpse of life in different countries now and then.

CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum

Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos
 9

Textbooks and other instructional materials can also distort cultural and ethnic differences (Gay,
2015). Teachers and their students should critically examine textbooks and other teaching
resources and supplement information when necessary.

Connecting global and intercultural topics to the reality, contexts and needs of the learning group
is an effective methodological approach to make them relevant to adolescents (North-South
Centre of the Council of Europe, 2012). People learn better and become more engaged when they
get connected with the content and when they see its relevance to their lives and their immediate
environment (Suárez Orozco and Todorova, 2008).

Pedagogies for promoting global competence. Various student-centered pedagogies can help
students develop critical thinking along global issues, respectful communication, conflict
management skills, perspective taking and adaptability.

Group-based cooperative project work can improve reasoning and collaborative skills. It involves
topic- or theme-based tasks suitable for various levels and ages, in which goals and content are
negotiated and learners can create their own learning materials that they present and evaluate
together. Learners, participating in cooperative tasks, soon would realize that to be efficient, they
need to be respectful, attentive, honest and empathic (Barrett, et. al., 2014).

Class discussion is an interactive approach that encourages proactive listening and responding to
ideas expressed by peers. By exchanging views in the classroom, students learn that there is no
single right answer to a problem, understand the reasons why others hold different views and
reflect on the origins of their own beliefs (Ritchhart, et. al., 2011),

Service learning is another tool that can help students develop multiple global skills through real-
world experience. This requires learners to participate in organized activities that are based on
what has been learned in the classroom and that benefit their communities. After the activities,
learners reflect critically on their service experience to gain further understanding of course
content, and enhance their sense of role in society with regard to civic, social, economic and
political issues (Bringle and Clayton, 2012). Through service learning, students not only "serve to
learn," which is applied learning, but also learn to serve (Bringle, et al., 2016).

The Story Circle Approach intends students to practice key intercultural skills, including respect,
cultural self-awareness and empathy (Deardorff. n.d.). The students, in groups of 5-6, take turns
sharing a 3-minute story from their own experience based on specific prompts, such as "Tell us
about your first experience when you encountered someone who was different from you in some
ways. After all students in the group have shared their personal stories, students then, share the
most memorable point from each story in a flash back" activity.

CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum

Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos
 10

Other types of intercultural engagements involve simulations, interviews, role plays and online
games.

Attitudes and values integration toward global competence. Allocating teaching time to a
specific subject that deals with human rights issues and non-discrimination is an important initial
step in cultivating values for global competence

Values and attitudes are partly communicated through the formal curriculum and also through
ways, in which teachers and students interact, how discipline is encouraged and the types of
opinions and behaviour that are validated in the classroom. Therefore, recognizing the school and
classroom environments' influence on developing students' values would help teachers become
more aware of the impact of their teaching on students (Gay, 2015).

Reference:

De Leon, E. (2020). Building and enhancing new literacies across the curriculum. Quezon
City, Metro Manila: Lorimar Publishing.
CPE 109: Building & Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum
Module 5: Multicultural and Global Literacy
Prepared by: Ricky Bustos