The Importance of Teaching Global Perspectives in the 21st Century

As a faculty member of global perspective, I am frequently asked one particular question: what exactly do you teach in Global Perspective? After responding to this question approximately 454 times, today I will share the same information for everyone to read. Hopefully, this will eliminate the need for any further inquiries to any global perspective mentor.

So, I am taking one for the team. We often hear about the significance of youth in shaping societies and nations. Youth is undoubtedly the most valuable asset for any nation. However, just like any other asset, if not properly utilized, it can quickly become a liability.

So, how do we make the most of our invaluable asset, which is youth? The answer is quite simple: youth development! But how does that happen exactly?

Youth development goes beyond merely providing opportunities to students, it involves creating platforms where they can explore new opportunities for themselves. Such platforms which harness lifelong skills among students which help them in becoming not just better students at any specific institute but active citizens of the world.

These citizens actively participate in nation-building, take responsibility for their societies, and possess a comprehensive understanding of their rights and duties. While these ideas may sound impressive on paper, executing them requires genuine intent.

Global Perspective is a testament to such intent. It instills in student’s essential skills such as research, analysis, communication, collaboration, and evaluation—skills that are paramount in today’s ever- evolving world.

With the demands of the new age being distinct from the past, where information is readily available at our fingertips and technology continues to advance, humanity must play to its strengths, which lie in the combination of intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional quotient (EQ).

Global Perspective, a subject that enhances critical thinking and perspective-building among students, provides the answer. It prioritizes new-age skills over rote concepts, encourages individuality through opinions and perspectives, and emphasizes rationality and reasoning.

Engaging in discussion-led sessions: In a class where students come from diverse backgrounds, differences are bound to arise—and that’s perfectly alright. Global Perspective provides a platform for students to openly discuss and debate these differences, fostering reason and rationality.

Acceptance over tolerance! Swami Vivekananda once said, “Acceptance is always better than tolerance.” You have your truth, and I have mine. I may not agree with your truth, but I respect your right to have one. Later on, this concept became known as “agreeing to disagree,” an idea that should be instilled in students from a young age. Through Global Perspective, students are exposed to a variety of opinions, some agreeable and some disagreeable. This exposure teaches them to accept diverse perspectives, even if they do not personally subscribe to them.

Exploring the dimensions of learning: For a long time, school education revolved around academic textbooks. However, in the 21st century, learning has taken on a whole new form. Subjects like Global Perspective utilize various mediums available in our technology-driven society, such as newspapers, blogs, movies, documentaries, interviews, and research reports. While content learning still holds importance, the primary objective is to practice research, analysis, communication, collaboration, and evaluation skills through these sources.

A subject like Global Perspective is the perfect solution to meet the needs of students in the 21st century.

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Mr Nikhil Pant, is an academician with 5 years of experience in teaching design thinking and perspective building. He started his teaching career with Teach for India. He worked with a Delhi government school for 2 years expanding his self-designed curriculum around critical thinking and perspective-building among high school students.

Recently he became an honorary advisor to Ladli Foundation (a national award-winning non-profit organisation) for his contributions towards new age education methodology.

Nikhil also carries a varied interest in cinema which is visible through his dual certification in film appreciation from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).