This document discusses several challenges facing secondary education in preparing students for a globalized world. It argues that deeper learning focusing on critical thinking, collaboration, communication and self-motivation (#1) is needed to develop competent graduates ready for college, careers and lifelong learning. It also emphasizes the importance of multicultural education (#3) and multiliteracy (#4) to understand diverse cultures and communicate effectively across different media. Finally, it notes that providing resources for teachers to address these issues is a challenge (#5) due to limited funding.

1. Globalization
Education

2. A Challenge-Deeper Learning
• Deeper learning will prepare students to know, understand, apply material
for critical thinking, collaboration, communication and will be self
motivated. Deeper learning will develop competent graduates who will be
ready for college and careers and be life long learners.
• This is ranked #1 as having the most influence on secondary students
because PISA results measure 15 year old students knowledge and their
ability to apply that knowledge in real-world situations.
• US trails in other developed countries in reading, math and science. In a
global workforce, it is imperative that our students are able to compete in
the job/labor market. (Education Digest, 2011)
• One of my previous students is now in his second year at UNB in a
computer science program. Without the ability to think on his
feet, collaborate, communicate and have a deep understanding of the
subject areas taught in high school, he would not be successful in the
course, nor at obtaining a job post graduation.

3. A trend-Preparing our students
to become world citizens.
• High schools are now multiethnic, multicultural and
multilingual, according to an article in Educational
Leadership (Stewart, Vivien 2007)
• Being equipped with the knowledge of the many cultures
will help students understand and respect their classmates
from other cultures and in turn promote effective leaders.
• This is ranked #2 because today’s graduates will sell and
buy from the world, work for international companies with
those from other cultures and countries. They will work
collaboratively with people world wide. They ill be
competing with people from all over the world for jobs and
work to address global issues such as disease control and
disaster relief.

4. Issue-Multliteratacy
• Multiliteracy is a broadening of the term literate. Because of technology
the world is becoming smaller, with communication between cultures
occurring more often and throughout various media. Students must be
competent in using and understanding the various types of literacy as
diverse as technology, multimedia, relationships, and culture.
• This multiliteracy is ranked 4th. The literacies needed for the 21st century
learner will aide them in their understanding of the worlds increasing
globalized societies. It will also aide students in effectively communicating
and collaborating globally (Shoffner, M., DE Oliviera, L. C., & Angus, R.
2010).
• Most secondary students in my high school classes are texting constantly.
This texting is a form of literacy. It is not the traditional English language
but has its own language. Students type lol, referring to “laugh out
loud”, which, whether I like it or not, is a type of literacy. Universities and
workforces use similar methods of communications and it is essential that
students are able to communicate effectively in various methods.

5. Challenge-Multicultural Education
• Multicultural education refers to the fact that all students should
have equal opportunity to learn, regardless of
race, ethnicity, socioeconomics, or gender (Eunhyun, K. 2011).
• This is ranked #3 influencing secondary students because students
need to better understand their own, as well as other cultures, to
participate effectively within their own, others and the global
economy. Facebooking, Twittering, texting is very important in
education today.
• All of the students I teach are white Caucasian students. Some of
these students are off to university in the fall, where they will sit in
class alongside others from various ethnic
backgrounds, race, socioeconomic status and gender. It is
imperative that they are ready, willing and able to accept these
students. It is through multicultural education that these areas are
addressed.

6. Problem-Economy
• In order for teachers to provide rich, meaningful, lessons that
include the multicultural, multiliterate ideas discussed
previously, resources need to be abundant. There also needs to be
time for teacher training. With more and more expectations on
teaches and less and less funding educators are finding this to be a
huge problem.
• This is ranked as #5 because I believe that if a teacher is creative
enough, they will be able to get the lesson through. Without proper
funding, it can occur, it is just going to much tougher, and not all
students will have equal opportunity.
• Students in my high school are faced with this on a daily basis. We
are a very small school and funding from our district is based on
numbers. There are times students from the larger high school
within the district are given more opportunities, more updated
computers, more presenters and this is all based on funding.

7. References
• Eunhyun, K. (2011). Conceptions, critiques, and challenges in
multicultural education: Informing teacher education reform in the
U.S. KEDI Journal Of Educational Policy, 8(2), 201-218
• SHOFFNER, M., DE OLIVEIRA, L. C., & ANGUS, R. (2010).
Multiliteracies in the secondary English classroom: Becoming
literate in the 21st century. English Teaching: Practice &
Critique, 9(3), 75-89
• Stewart, Vivien, (2007) Becoming Citizens of the World. Educational
Leadership, 00131784, Apr2007, Vol. 64, Issue 7
• Education Digest (2011) A Time for Deeper Learning Preparing
Students for a Changing World., 0013127X, Dec2011, Vol. 77, Issue
4