Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
By Various authors
09 April 2014 - 14:13
'Today’s technologies could be used to get students from different countries working
together.' Photo ©
Michael Wyszomierski, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 and adapted from the original.
How important are intercultural skills and proficiency in foreign languages to
compete in the modern world? An essay competition, sponsored
by Generation UK, invited UK students to tackle the question: How can our
education better prepare us to compete in an increasingly globalised
world? Read extracts from the winning essays below.
While practical considerations may not make study exchanges viable, today’s widely
accessible e-communication technologies could be used to get students from
different countries working together. For example, getting pupils working with their
foreign counterparts on projects would teach them to accept and understand other’s
perspectives. Another example would be creating buddy systems, whereby children
could learn about another culture through friendships outside of the classroom.
Awareness can be encouraged at all stages of education and involves much more
than just geography classes. Students should be exposed to global current affairs,
have opportunities to travel and learn foreign languages throughout as much of their
education as possible. Students who have a knowledge and understanding of the
world around them can be more competitive at a global level. While those only aware
of what goes on at home may be less likely to take advantage and interact with
global opportunities and issues.
The ‘ripple effect’ of the financial crisis has been seen across the globe, proving that
the connection between countries and continents is significant. Therefore, when
entering globalised workplaces, our basic skill-set must include cross-cultural
competencies and communication. Comprehension and experience of social,
cultural, historical and economic diversity is paramount, as is an understanding of
human conflict, climate change, poverty, famine and disease.
There is a huge impetus to modernise current school systems; the ‘education race’
will undoubtedly be the biggest competition of the 21st century. The titanic
technological developments all around us will force countries to either adapt or
languish. Yet, unlike previous global races, this race is not limited to superpowers;
emerging economies such as South Korea and Hong Kong are challenging
standards once set by Scandinavia and the U.S. The superpowers of the future will
be neither those countries with the highest GDP nor the largest armies — rather, the
hubs of innovation and advancement will be the ones exerting the greatest influence
in the global sphere. For this, education is the key to success.