Globalization is complex. It is complex because it has created interdependence at all levels of society. At economic level it refers to multinational companies of developed nations using labor from developing countries, hence creating a shift in types of jobs and productivity in the US; at political level these big companies have been accused of gaining power beyond boundaries of nation states hence threatening the nation state power structure; and at cultural level it refers to mixing of cultural values of people across the globe.
Although there is much dialog over the Web about positives and negatives of globalization, I believe globalization is about us – the people. I do not want to give into the fear of unknown outcomes of this global revolution; rather I want to focus on what I can do to deal with it. With Internet connectivity, people can communicate with other people anywhere, seek out relationships at all levels, and exercise individual freedom of expression and influence masses if they want to. That is empowering and at individual level I want to center on that.
Furthermore, a study, done in 1999, to generate curriculum recommendations from multinational perspective, reported the following challenges that we should monitor as we teach:
- The economic gap among countries and between people within countries will widen significantly. This means the gap between rich and poor will widen.
- Information technologies will dramatically reduce the privacy of individuals.
- The inequalities between those who have access to information technologies and those who do not will increase dramatically. This refers to digital divide that is already dividing people in the US.
- Poverty in developing countries will increase. Poverty and homelessness is at rise in the US as well.
- Conflict of interest between developing and developed nations will increase due to environmental deterioration.
- The cost of obtaining adequate water will rise dramatically due to population growth and environmental deterioration
- Deforestation will dramatically affect diversity of life, air, soil, and water quality (Parker, Ninomiya, and Cogan, 1999, p.125)
I believe that these trends are interdependent and have direct implications for educators in the classroom:
- Students and teachers need to view all areas across the curriculum from a global perspective. Connecting the dots from events in one country to the events in our country.
- All students should have the access to technology in school and also should be taught to solve problems in meaningful ways. Thinking critically and strategically is the key here.
- Students should be taught social skills to deal with cultures other than our own, and to maintain a proper conduct while communicating with people across the globe via technology.
- Students should be made aware of the issue of equality and inequality and critically examine their civic responsibility as citizens living in their local communities and the global community.
- Last but not the least, students should be taught to see connections between the world problems and our citizenship in terms of environment and use of natural resources. (More on this later)
Interdependence suggests that we must accept that we are not alone. What would I say to a parent who feels the same as my neighbor Gloria does? I would say, old jobs are not coming back, and if they did we would not be able to afford basic necessities of life today. However we can embrace it; we can read, we can learn, we can understand the economic, social, and political forces in this new global world, and use our freedoms to help prepare our children to live in it successfully.
Reference
Parker, W. C., Ninomiya, A., and Cogan, J. (1999). Educating world citizens: Towards multinational curriculum development. American Research Journal 36,(2) 117-148.
7 comments:
The Wal Mart example is interesting. Many accuse Wal Mart not only of wiping out small businesses but also of lowering common wages and benefits while increasing reliance on welfare programs, all for the sake of low prices. Perhaps Wal Mart is about competition as well as globalization.
Globalization of food also seems to be leading to a reduction of healthy eating. Eating locally-grown produce is healthier & better for the environment, but such choices don't often line Wal Mart's aisles.
Hello Jason,
Wonderful point you make about the food. Last week at my local supermarket I saw a pack of fresh Garlic labeled 'Made in China'. I was surprised; do we not grow Garlic here in America? I thought. Frankly I opted to choose the locally grown garlic for 15 cents more. If enough people got together and communicated that we want locally produced goods when it comes to food, I think it would make a difference. Our freedom to speak does carry power. Our children should learn that through knowledge action. Thanks for reading my article. Anju Jolly
I really enjoyed your example of Gloria, as I am also interested in the effects of globalization on individuals in their daily lives.
The Wal-Mart issue is a tricky one, and one that still troubles me. While Wal-Mart may put some U.S. owners out of business, it benefits U.S. consumers by offering low prices on a range of goods. Many might even argue that Wal-Mart has done more than other companies and organizations to lift Americans out of poverty. Wal-Mart can be quite valuable to local economies--building stores provides temporary construction jobs, employment (if full time) includes health care + benefits and Wal-Mart stores can attract other businesses to the community.
However, I also find that the greatest beneficiary is U.S. corporate interests while the American middle-class is left with little choice.
Hello Laura, Thanks so much for your comment. I appreciate you reading my posts. I have the same concernes as you do. Right now I agree with what you said "the greatest beneficiary is U.S. corporate interests while the American middle-class is left with little choice". However I hope that will change as we prepare our children to figure out ways so they do have choices. Anju Jolly
I feel we can make statements about our needs without ignoring globalization. The issue of locally grown products is a larger one of safety and economics as well. We can grow much of the produce we need ourselves and process it, however, we have created a catch 22 of not having time for such things anymore because we must work. And often our work takes further from home thus stealing more time from fulfilling needs and caring for family. We must work to be able to afford to spend that extra fifteen cents to buy that locally grown produce. We have created a monster in many ways.
I agree that we need to prepare our children for a swiftly changing world. Unfortunately I see many parents working long and hard to "provide everything" for their children so "they don't have to suffer like we did". To me this is a dangerous contradiction. Todays child will have much more to cope with and needs to be taught much more about different cultures than we were.
Social skills are given the weight they deserve when compared to all the other areas of learning. Often just sharing of ourselves, our time and experiences can assist in life long learning.
Globalization has transformed the way we live. Imagine how few of us would own computers, dvd players and even cars if not for the global economy. My first computer, a lowly 286 with 20-mb hardrive, was built in the USA. Today I can buy a powerful Dell built in Malaysia for under $1000. I can buy a quality Toyota car for under $13K. Good for me, bad for the American worker.
It is hard to understand globalization as it crosses political and consumer territories. It will force US workers to accept lower salaries and less benefits to stay competitive but at the same time foreign companies will build new plants and expand the US workforce.
Politically, the US government trade and foreign policies take away jobs (e.g. Brach's candies closed its Michigan plant because of the tariffs on sugar; it moved to Canada). Imagine how hard it would be for Iran to ignore the US if both were trading partners. Instead of restricting trade with Iran, put every Iranian teenager into a pair of US made blue jeans!
I think this is an area ripe for teaching at the secondary level. I recommend the following books to any teacher interested in learning how to develop a globilzation curriculum:
The Lexus and the Olive Tree and The World is Flat (2nd edition) both by Thomas Friedman.
The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman
The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink and,
Futuring by Edward Cornish
One final point: as long as we have uncontrolled greed as evidenced by mortgage bankers that led to this economic downturn and that leads to foreign capital investments as bailouts, we may want to include Chinese language and understanding Muslim religion as mandatory K-12 courses!
I just read an NYT article that immediately made me think of this blog entry. The article discusses how Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, has discovered that doing good is good for business. In some ways Wal-Mart has assumed the role of the government on issues like enviromentalism and public health, and this new role has proved successful for their global image.
I would be interested to know if Wal-Mart has reached out to public education at all--funding programs or specialized curriculums. As the nation's biggest retailer, perhaps consumers should demand more from Wal-Mart in terms of helping to support local schools. Clearly our federal and state governments have not done enough to address our nation's public education crisis--maybe demanding more from the private sector is an option?
Wal-Mart: The New Washington
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/weekinreview/03barb.html?ref=weekinreview
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