QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY

DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

MODULE 5
MULTICULTURAL AND GLOBAL LITERACY

A. OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Discuss global and multicultural literacy
2. Explain the dimensions of multiculturalism
3. Analyze research abstract on global and multicultural literacy and its implication to
teaching-learning process

B. TOPIC GUIDE

1. Multicultural Literacy
2. Global Literacy
3. Dimensions of Global Competence: Implications to Education
4. Knowledge about the world and other cultures
5. Valuing human dignity and diversity
6. Integrating Global and Intercultural Issues in the Curriculum

C. KEY TERMS:

 Multicultural Literacy, Global Literacy, diversity

D. LECTURE DISCUSSION:
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 21st century skills and attitudes that are needed to become active citizens
who will work toward achieving social justice with 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 classroom can
create big changes globally. As diversity grows, there is a need for the emergence of

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 1 of 10
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

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 21st century(Banks, 2003).

Global Literacy
Global literacy aims to address 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 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).

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. This design serves as a tool for policymakers, leaders and teachers in
fostering global competence among students worldwide.

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 2 of 10
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

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 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
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 Ccltural 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 competence can
boost employability communication and appropriate behavior within diverse
teams using technology in accessing and connecting to the world (British
Council, 2013). through effective
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).

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 3 of 10
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

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 (UNESC0, 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 makers
and school leaders create learning resources and curricula that integrate global
competence as a multifaceted cognitive, soci0-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, develop 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 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

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 4 of 10
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

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 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 of influence 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.

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 global understanding"; and 2) a set of
questionnaire items collecting self-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).

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 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).

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 5 of 10
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

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).

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 behaviors to the
prevailing cultural environment, or to situations and contexts that can present new
demands or challenges .
Globally competent behavior requires openness towards people from other
cultural backgrounds an attitude of respect for cultural differences and 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 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, 2016).

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 6 of 10
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

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).

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-fulfillment, 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.

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 or intercultural issues and
situations (OECD, 2018).

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

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 7 of 10
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

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.

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 learning 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.

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

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 8 of 10
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

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 earn to serve" (Bringle, et. al., 2016).

The Story Circle Approach intends students to practice key intercultural skills,
including respect, Cultural self-awareness and empathy (Deardorf, 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.

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.

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 9 of 10
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

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 behavior 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).

E. REFERENCES:
1. De Leon, Elmer. Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the
Curriculum. LORIMAR Publishing Inc. Metro Manila. 2020.
2. Lim, L, Caubic, R, Casihan, L. The Teaching Profession. Adriana Publishing
Co. Inc. Manila. 2014.
3. https://www.worldsavy.org?ourapproach/global-competence/

4. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1099450

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

Page 10 of 10