Raising Global IQ
Book

Raising Global IQ

Preparing Our Students for a Shrinking Planet

Carl F. Hobert
Beacon Press, 2013
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Editorial Rating

7

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Recommendation

As national economies become increasingly interwoven, intercultural awareness grows ever more important. Educator Carl F. Hobert explains the necessity of raising students’ “global IQ” and shares a number of clear, straightforward ideas. Though most of his ideas are fresh, much of what he says about learning languages will be old news to Europeans: No one has to suggest to, for example, the French school system, that it should teach more than one language. The helpful “what we can do now” bullet lists ending each chapter almost balance out the strain of dealing with the book’s hard-to-read visual design. getAbstract recommends Hobert’s philosophy and pragmatic, workable suggestions primarily to educators and parents, as well as to trainers in the business of preparing employees for international assignments. These insights and proposals will also intrigue anyone concerned with nurturing and guiding better-informed global citizens.

Summary

“Global IQ”

The global economy is increasingly interwoven. Threats that arise in one country pose risks for others across the world: Think of the public health risks posed by the H1N1 virus. America needs to become more aware of other nations and deal with them more productively. To do so, Americans must develop “global intelligence,” or “global IQ.”

Children are biologically prepared to learn about multiple cultures. Children learn foreign languages much more readily than adults. Educational theorist Maria Montessori’s research argued that learning passes through broad stages common to all children and cultures, and that children naturally “absorb” culture. Brazilian educator Paulo Freire’s model of democratic education proposed educational systems in which everyone is a learner and education reaches everyone in a country. Developmental psychologist Howard Gardner’s model of “multiple intelligences” works well to describe how minds function in a multifaceted multicultural world. The concept of global IQ arose from these theories. Educators must prepare students to be “global citizens.”

Global IQ has five major components: “communication (in other languages),” “...

About the Author

Carl F. Hobert directs the Axis of Hope Center for International Conflict Management and Prevention, and teaches at Boston University’s School of Education.

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