Which skills does the Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives cover and how are they measured?

Which skills does Global Perspectives cover? Why did Cambridge choose these skills in particular?

We have identified six skills, which are important for success in school and later life. Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives provides learners with the opportunity to develop these skills:

• Analysis
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Evaluation
• Reflection
• Research

These skills are assessed at Upper Secondary and Advanced levels providing progression through the Cambridge Pathway in Cambridge Global Perspectives

Why isn’t ICT and technology included as one of the skills?

Technology is an integral part of all our lives. We expect that in delivering Global Perspectives, technology will be used both in and out of the Global Perspectives classroom wherever it is appropriate to do so.

We provide Computing and Digital Literacy as part of the Cambridge Lower Secondary programme. Find out more about here.

How can teachers measure the development of skills?

Measuring skill development is very different from measuring subject knowledge. The best way to support learners in developing their skills is through Assessment for Learning. We recommend regular communication with learners to help them to see where they are doing well and what they can do to improve. Learning objectives provide a structure for teaching and learning and a reference against which learners’ attainment and skills development can be checked. We provide suggested success criteria in the Challenges. You should refer to the relevant Learning Objectives and Success Criteria in every lesson.

Should we benchmark learners in Stage 7 when they start? If we don’t, how will we evidence their skill development and the value of Global Perspectives?

It is important that class teachers can show that learners have made progress in their learning during their school year. However, when the focus is on skills development, the evidence for progress will not be marks on a written test. Regular summary of a learner’s skills as a grade or number is not the most useful way to demonstrate skill development.

Instead, learners demonstrate their skills developments in a range of ways. For example, a learner may communicate more confidently, listening and taking turns to speak and reflect on what others say. Or they may demonstrate their evaluation skills in another subject such as science. Parents might comment that learners are asking them thoughtful questions at home about some of the topics that the Challenges cover. These are the kind of ways schools have told us that they see the programme supporting and developing learners.

These are skills that we all learn and practise throughout our lives. For example, no-one has ever ‘finished’ learning to communicate.

We provide assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives on our support site.