Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 1 Globalization and Education Chapter Eight

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 2 Trends That Affect Students Globalization: Increasing global interdependence in economic, cultural, social, & tech spheres Knowledge economy: Dominated by exchange of knowledge –Knowledge is an important asset and a product of major economic & cultural value –There exists a fiercely competitive global work force Online Education: Making diverse courses and student populations accessible

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 3 What Students Need to Thrive Skills that must be taught in school: –Technological –Collaborative –Creative problem-solving –Fluency in languages besides English Personal traits that are important: –Flexibility, comfort with change –Curiosity, passion for learning

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 4 How do we prepare for change? Learn how to learn –Students need to understand their cognitive styles so they can approach a learning task effectively Students need more depth, less breadth –What we learn could quickly be outdated –A solid understanding of current events is vital

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 5 Metacognition Students with metacognitive skills know how to approach a learning task. They have good learning strategies. Being reflective about learning: knowing what you know and what you do know understand Students develop critical thinking, make connections between ideas and events, and learn how to keep on learning

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 6 21st Century Job Requirements Knowledge of the world Creative problem-solving skills Ability to manage new information sources –Sort, interpret, validate, and act on vast amounts of fast-changing information Collaboration skills –Cultural sensitivity and fluency in other languages are important skills for global teams

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 7 Online Education Fully online Blended learning Online courses; Online High Schools Over 275,000 students are said to be enrolled in full time online programs Access to courses otherwise not offered, esp. for students in rural areas Opportunity to collaborate cross-culturally

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 8 Crosscultural Learning ePals Global Community –Links students in 200 countries –Teacher can choose match by type of school, age range of students, languages spoken Example of cross-cultural science project –By high school students from three countries –They describe collaboration process

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 9 Support for Crosscultural Education Intercultural Class Connections International Ed. and Resource Network United Nations programs Lesson plans & videos on global issues Information about educational videoconferencing

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 10 NASA Videoconferencing Part of the pre-conference materials sent to help teachers prepare their students for a discussion about asteroids Source: NASA Digital Learning Network, Asteroids PowerPoint Presentation,

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 11 Skype and Videoconferencing Real-time audio & video communication that allows people in different locations to “meet face-to face” –“Virtual field trips” to museums, zoos –NASA scientists and engineering experts videoconference with students –Students interview authors, scientists

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 12 Serious Games: Digital Learning Games Serious games are those that are designed for a primary purpose other than our entertainment Video game culture is a form of new media that has enormous potential for teaching and learning When developed correctly, games can engage players in learning that is specifically applicable to school curriculum Research suggests that playing video games affects brain function and plasticity

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 13 Online Classes (Distance Learning) Students and teachers in different places Increasingly common at high school level How they work: –Students communicate daily with teacher –Counselor tracks students’ progress –Student needs maturity, motivation, and good work habits to succeed –High school students who cannot find courses offered in their own schools can now take these courses online; Especially important in rural areas

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 14 Online Learning and Equity Especially important in poor and rural pre-K–12 schools that… –May lack resources for advanced classes –Can provide cultural enrichment in schools with limited diversity In all schools: –Can provide classes that would be otherwise unavailable to students –Opportunity for international study, cross-cultural experience

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 15 Online Teachers Your job is to help students: –Make meaning of information –Develop skills for polite crosscultural communication –Collaborate in a productive manner This teaching environment changes: –Teacher-student interactions –Peer communication –Assessment and accountability

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.8 | 16 Conclusion It is hard to predict what the world will be like when your students become adults Connectivity, communication, and collaboration are the new “reading, ’riting, and ’rithmetic” We need the “three Rs” to master the “three Cs” To teach today, we must keep pace with rapid change and understand how people learn Global communication challenges us to expand our vision and work for positive change