Journal of International Social Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2013, 67-68.

Media Review

Lipovsky, M. What’s your global IQ?: A review of Hobert, C.F. (2013), Raising Global IQ: Preparing
Our Students for a Shrinking Planet.

Raising Global IQ: Preparing Our Students for a Shrinking Planet. Carl F. Hobert. Boston, MA:
Beacon Press, 2013. (ISBN 978-0-8070-3288-6)

Technology has changed how people learn, think, create, and communicate. You can travel to the
other side of the world to observe the weather, make friends, communicate face-to-face with
someone on a different continent, read the news from the perspective of different cultures,
countries, and religions, all in your own home. According to Carl F. Hobert, the planet is shrinking
and we need to prepare students to be able to succeed in a global society. Hobert is a professor of
education at Boston University where he directs the Axis for Hope Center. This non-profit center
focuses on teaching middle school and high school students about conflict resolution through
simulation workshops. Conflict resolution is one of Hobert’s key strategies for building a student’s
global intelligence (IQ), along with language and cultural fluency, technology and media literacy,
extracurricular activities, foreign travel, and service learning. Students need opportunities to think
globally, but service learning allows students to put what they have learned into action locally,
regionally, and nationally.

Grounding his work in the theories of Howard Gardner, Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori, John Dewey,
and Paulo Freire, Hobert concludes that “these theories describe, in essence, how we can best help
our children develop the intellectual flexibility, cross-cultural skills, and moral and ethical grounding
to become responsible global citizens” (p. xxv). Becoming global citizens is not a new idea, and it is
not going to take educational reform to build it into our official curriculum. It is through more
purposeful teaching with a global focus that students can learn to problem solve, to be empathetic,
and to have an international sense of the world.

Professor Hobert focuses on five areas to build international-mindedness in students. These areas
are language and cultural fluency, technology and media, exchange programs and cross-cultural
engagement, problem solving and conflict management, and service learning. It is through these
areas of focus that students learn about cultures around the world. Along with becoming fluent in
language they become “fluent” in culture. This is best achieved by cultural immersion and
interacting directly with people of other cultures through international exchange programs and
relationships fostered by technology. Participating in such programs allows students opportunities to
exchange ideas and thoughts with people whose cultural backgrounds are different from theirs.
Technology and media are utilized, so students have opportunities to observe, interact, and research
the world even if they cannot travel.

Once students begin to embrace other cultures teachers can begin the action work. This simply
starts with building conflict resolution skills. Instead of waiting until students leave school to begin
applying problem-solving skills, they begin practicing them in the classroom. Hobert calls this
preventative diplomacy. In preventative diplomacy activities students utilize their “fluencies” in
language, culture, technology and media. These conflict resolution activities include putting yourself
in the shoes of people with other perspectives. Understanding both sides of a conflict will not only
help students with negotiating. It builds understanding of the concept of conflict and compassion

Corresponding author email: LipovskyYM@mps.k12.mi.us
©2012/2013 International Assembly Journal of International Social Studies
Website: http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585

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Journal of International Social Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2013, 67-68.

for people whose positions differ from each other. Another activity is learning to separate the
people from the problem. Look at the facts and be hard with the facts, but stay compassionate
towards the faces you look at as you try to resolve conflicts. Focus on interests, not just positions.
Focus on the interests of the groups; for instance, what are their goals? What do they want to have
as a result? This may help avoiding the “I say yes” and “you say no” wall. Observe and evaluate
body language. Knowing how everyone feels can help you determine how to react. This leads to
learning to speak to others in a way they will listen. Yelling and arguing back and forth will not lead
to a resolution. Your goal is not to get your point across and win. Your goal is to negotiate in order
to obtain a resolution. Knowing how to speak to others can get you further in the game. Keep in
mind your tone and word choice, and know when to be quiet and listen. When you respect the
perspectives of others, you can go for the win-win. Try to find a solution that will allow both parties
to win in some way. This may involve knowing the BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated
agreement) of all sides. Everyone cannot always have everything they want. Know what your
alternative or Plan B is before you begin discussions. Finally, do not forget that peace is a process.
It does not just happen in a day or after a discussion. It is a process with steps and obstacles that
never end. It is a continual process of communication and interaction.

The final step to building Global IQ is to allow students opportunities to apply what they have
learned. We can read, write, and think all we want in the classroom, but it is through the application
of skills that we truly show understanding. To those naysayers that feel it is a waste of time to think
outside of a student’s immediate world, service learning gives students opportunities to apply what
they have learned to their own world. Students may travel to help build homes in a south Pacific
country devastated by a tsunami, or they can work in their neighborhood food pantry. Solving
problems can be done locally, regionally, nationally, or globally. The same background of knowledge
will be helpful in all situations.

Professor Hobert has created an informational guide to help any educator enhance his or her
curriculum with a focus on global awareness. His clear text and the book’s sections make it easy to
use. He also incorporates examples and stories to give you a better understanding of how you can
raise your school’s global IQ.

Although the concepts of this book are not new, it is an important topic to revisit. Hobert himself
states that these ideas are all seen in classrooms today but not often enough. Teachers, parents,
and administrators all want students who have knowledgeable minds and empathic hearts. We
want our students to learn to solve problems, resolve conflicts, and negotiate in life. We give them
opportunities to practice and apply what we teach them to be good citizens of the world. We just
may lack the consistency and deliberateness necessary to make it successful. Raising Global IQ:
Preparing Our Students for a Shrinking Planet is a great tool to remind, or to inform, teachers of the
importance of creating a learning environment that nurtures international-mindedness.

Author Note: Maryanne Lipovsky is currently a teacher of fourth and fifth graders at Adams School
in Midland, Michigan. Growing up an “Army Brat” she has traveled around the world and feels it is
important to cultivate international-mindedness in all students. She is currently enrolled in the
Graduate Certificate in International Baccalaureate Education program at Oakland University and is
on the committee to facilitate implementation of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years
Programme for Midland Public Schools. She can be contacted at LipovskyYM@mps.k12.mi.us.

Corresponding author email: LipovskyYM@mps.k12.mi.us
©2012/2013 International Assembly Journal of International Social Studies
Website: http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585

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