# data[].attributes.body
"In teaching for social justice as well as Intercultural Citizenship, the teachers must reflect deeply on their own perceptions, values, and beliefs as well as on those underlying assumptions fosters through the curriculum and teaching materials"

(Wagner, Cardetti & Byron, 2019. p22)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a languages teacher, it never ceases to astound me to think that the rasping, whistling and vibrating sounds emanating from our mouths and noses when you talk can be effortlessly decoded by our interlocutors as meaningful language, allowing us to communicate with one another in astonishing levels of complexity. Language is a defining feature of people.

In many western societies we might be tempted to assume that being able to speak and understand more than one language is the exception. However, it is estimated that between half and three quarters of the world's population is bilingual to some degree. That's more than four billion people who understand that with different languages come different ways to interpret the world.

Marcel Proust, the French novelist, observed that "the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new lands but in seeing with new eyes". He realised that by working with other people we learn about their cultures and become able to explore new ideas and prospects. Options that would not have occurred to us before stand out as obvious if we understand how other people experience the world. This is why, I believe, it is so important for students to have a deeper global awareness and understanding of other cultures.

In my own experience, leaving my small town in southern Spain to explore Italy for two weeks during my sixth form opened up a whole new world. As I found myself immersed in a different culture, it struck me that Italians, previously perceived by myself as peculiar beings, were in fact the norm in their context and that I was the stranger. Students nowadays are more likely to have travelled abroad by age of 16 and have easy access to a world of information through the internet. However, they still need to be guided through the process of discovery so that a deeper understanding of their own place in the word is developed.

This is why fostering global awareness and international collaboration in our classrooms are so beneficial to our students. Schools understand this and have traditionally encouraged the need to put learning into context. The history trip to Berlin, the French exchange, the cultural visit to Andalucía, pen pal writing schemes and foreign language assistants who bring a little bit of abroad into our classrooms are just a few of the many examples of contextualised learning that we provide our students. At my school we have three foreign language assistants and hold four foreign exchanges each year - in addition to a range of cultural trips abroad.

The moment in which a cohort of year 8 pupils land in Seville and realise that Spanish has a life beyond the textbook, the year 7s visiting Normandy and noticing that people behave and react in familiar ways but the small differences are what really matters. The awkward dinner conversations of foreign exchange students with their German host families, the sudden realisation that Dubai is such a long way away on so many different levels. These are character building experiences that bring out the best and worst in all of us and from which we learn so much.

However, in today's increasingly interconnected and globalised world, tradition is being supplemented by new and exciting ways to bring the world into our classrooms. Modern means of communication such as social networks and video conferencing can ensure that our students experience foreign cultures with unprecedented ease.

Class Twitter accounts link students in real time across the face of the planet with projects devised around common academic subjects and cross-cultural understanding. Skype allows us to converse face-to-face with people from other countries, allowing us to knock down classroom walls and hear it direct from the source. Google Maps lets our pupils take a walk down the streets of every major town and city in the world, allowing them to sight-see and get a sense of other cultures from the comfort of their own classroom. And blogs provide geographically distant schools with the means to partner together so that their pupils can interact in a safe virtual environment, contributing a valuable international dimension to peer assessment.

Both Britain - through the British Council - and the EU - through the Comenius and eTwinning programmes - are actively encouraging international partnerships between schools. These projects also promote the sharing of their resources so that, not only students, but also teachers can benefit from the exchange of practices, knowledge and expertise, with welcome positive implications for teacher training and professional development.

Global awareness and international collaboration during the formative years results in more rounded individuals, encouraging our pupils to see things from different perspectives and helping them to make informed decisions, acquiring transferable skills that will be useful to them and will remain with them for life. According to the Association of Graduate Recruiters companies cannot find enough applicants with the requisite skills to operate in an international market place, indicating that greater efforts by schools in fostering global awareness and international collaboration are needed to best prepare our students - and ourselves - for life in the 21st century.

José Picardo is head of modern foreign languages at Nottingham High School. He is also a languages and educational technology consultant and can be found on Twitter @josepicardo.

This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Sign up to the Guardian Teacher Network to get access to more than 100,000 pages of teaching resources and join our growing community. Looking for your next role? See our Guardian jobs for schools site for thousands of the latest teaching, leadership and support jobs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why students need a global awareness and understanding of other cultures

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From trips to Normandy beaches to language blogs, José Picardo explores the growing importance of offering students international experiences

# data[].attributes.body
Cultural awareness is all about recognising and understanding that we all have different values shaped by our diverse cultural backgrounds. What we consider to be 'normal' behaviour in one country can be entirely different in another.

- Macmillan English

# data[].attributes.body
According to the National Education Association (NEA), cultural awareness or cultural competence is “understanding your own culture, other’s culture, and the role of culture in education.”

# data[].attributes.body
Cultural awareness is key when we communicate with people from other cultures. Since we use language to communicate, our knowledge of foreign languages gives us ‘access’ to different societies and cultures. We become mediators between cultures.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Global awareness in the classroom involves teaching students about different nations and cultures, as well as their civic duties and rights both locally and globally. An ability to understand, respect and work well with people from diverse cultures is increasingly important for social and academic success in an interconnected world.

The idea behind global awareness is to create global citizens who are open to those raised in different countries, cultures and religious settings. For teachers, it's an opportunity to open students' eyes to how everyday decisions in their own lives can impact the lives of people around the globe.

Why Is Global Awareness Important?

The world is as big as it ever was, but it certainly can feel smaller-especially to the new generation of students-because of the power of the internet and global communications. What happens in faraway countries can seem as close as what happens across town.

The guiding principle behind global awareness is to create a more peaceful and just society. Doing so requires an understanding of people from other backgrounds and cultures. Teachers can have one of the strongest impacts on young people in achieving that goal.

Global Awareness in the Classroom

Global awareness has become such an important issue that teachers now have the opportunity to learn about it in formal classes.

For example, Fresno Pacific University, which offers hundreds of continuing education and independent studies courses for teachers, has many courses for teachers that incorporate global awareness. They indicate not only the importance of global awareness but its widespread adoption in many different areas of education.

For example, global awareness is a part of the following diverse courses for teachers. In each case, the idea is to support teachers in developing models that teach cultural understanding and global awareness and "promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility."

Elementary Curriculum on the Web

The STEM course 3D Modeling for Educators

Excel - Ultimate Information Tool

History/Social Science Curriculum on the Web

That's just a sample. The point is, global awareness, particularly as it relates to web-based learning, is a key factor when teaching students across a wide variety of subjects.

Ways to Incorporate Global Awareness in the Classroom

Part of the focus on global awareness springs from the fact that in the past, it hasn't always been done well in the U.S. A Rand Corporation survey conducted a decade ago found that international corporations felt that U.S. college graduates were "strong technically" but "short-changed" in a cross-cultural experience.

Now, the emphasis is on starting students while they are young in their understanding of the interlocking nature of cultures around the world. While teachers can't do the job on their own, they certainly can have a strong, positive impact.

These are just some of the educational areas where global awareness can be incorporated.

Literature

Reading is one of the best ways to immerse students in another culture. A diverse set of American authors is an important part of this process. Another is incorporating literature that is written by authors from other countries or set in those countries.

Foreign Language Skills

Even if they cannot speak a second language fluently, it's important for students to develop some skills in at least one language other than English. Learning a second language opens students to see the world from a different point of view.

Knowledge in Comparative Fields

Teaching students in comparative fields such as world history, anthropology, political science, economics, and trade offers them a chance to understand issues that have international implications.

Openness and Positivity

To learn about other cultures, students must have an open mind and a positive attitude. At the very least, students should have a tolerance of other cultures. Better yet, they develop deeper understanding that allows them to both overcome cross-cultural differences and develop empathy and trust for those from other cultures.

Global awareness will continue to gain importance as the world "gets smaller" and more people of diverse cultures migrate around the world. Given that reality, it's a key area for teachers to build strong skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is Global Awareness and Why Does it Matter? - FPU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Global awareness in the classroom involves teaching students about different nations and cultures, as well as their civic duties and rights both locally and globally. An ability to understand, respect and work well with people from diverse cultures is increasingly important for social and academic success in an interconnected world.

# data[].attributes.body
Being culturally aware helps us recognise and have an appreciation for other’s values, customs and beliefs and meet it without judgement or prejudice.

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/EsPCkRzB6vg