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
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).

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.

Global Literacy

Global literacy addresses issues of globalization, racism, diversity and social justice (Guo, 2014)

It requires awareness and action, consistent with a broad understanding of humanity, the planet,
and the impact of a human decision on both. It also aims to empower students with knowledge
and take action to make a positive impact in the world and their local community (Guo, 2014).

According to the Ontario Ministry of Education (2015), a global citizen should possess the
following characteristics:
(1) respect for humans regardless of race, gender, religion or political perspectives;
(2) respect for diversity and various perspectives;
(3) promote sustainable patterns of living, consumption, and production; and
(4) appreciate the natural world and demonstrate respect on the rights of all living things.

Interconnecting multicultural and global literacy

Every classroom contains students of different races, religions and cultural groups.
Guo (2014) averred that students embrace diverse behaviors, cultural values, patterns of
practice, and communication, yet they all share one commonality, which is their educational
opportunity. Therefore, teachers should teach their students that other cultures exist and that
these deserve to be acknowledged and respected.

Integrating a variety of cultural context into lessons and activities teaches students to view the
world from many angles, creates respect for diversity and enables students to learn exciting
information.

As classrooms become increasingly more diverse, it is important for educators to analyze and
address diversity issues and integrate multiculturalism information into the classroom curriculum
(Guo, 2014).

The OECD Global Competence 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.

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 OECD's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) developed
a framework to explain, foster and assess students' global competence.
-​ 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 behaviors 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 readymfor 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).

The Need for Global Competence

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 (Delors, et. al., 1996; UNESCO, 2014b). Thus, education can teach
students the need to address cultural biases and stereotypes.

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

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.

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).

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
-​ This dimension highlights that globally competent people are willing and capable of
considering other people's perspectives and behaviors from multiple viewpoints to
examine their own assumptions. This in turn, implies a profound respect for and interest
in others with their ccncept 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
culturel identity while becoming ware of the cultural values and belieis 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 behavior and communication
manner through respectful dialog even with marginalized groups. Therefore, it
emphasizes individuals' capacityto 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.