Pisa Tests to Include “Global Skills” and Cultural Awareness

Cross-border transactions – knowing how to deal with people of other cultures in equitable, sustainable ways – contribute to prosperity and security. The Pisa tests from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development may add global skills to the tests in math, reading and science by 2018. Education can help “children develop a reliable compass, the navigation skills and the character qualities that will help them find their own way through an uncertain, volatile and ambiguous world,” explains Andreas Schleicher, OECD education director. “Schools need to prepare students for a world where many will need to collaborate with people of diverse cultural origins.” The OECD defines competence in global skills as “the capacity to analyse global and intercultural issues critically and from multiple perspectives, to understand how differences affect perceptions, judgements, and ideas of self and others, and to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with others from different backgrounds on the basis of a shared respect for human dignity.” Many schools already have programs aimed at developing global skills. To prepare for the highly competitive 21st century, students must excel in communication, assessment of multiple perspectives, critical thinking, and awareness of global news and issues. – YaleGlobal