Research In Global Learning

Through rapid developments in commerce, transportation and communication, people once separated by space, language and politics are now interwoven into a complex global system (Friedman, 2005). With the rise of new technology, local populations, businesses and states are better equipped to participate and act in a thriving international environment. Rising instability in the Middle East is immediately reported to oil and gas brokers in the U.S. Within seconds cable channels, iPods, social networking sites, and cell phones are relaying how protests in Egypt and Libya give hope to citizens around the world yearning for freedom. As events like 9/11 and the 2008 Financial Crisis have demonstrated, there is no retreating from the interconnectedness of the global system. As societies strive to empower citizens with the skills, understandings and dispositions needed to operate in an interconnected global age, teachers are being encouraged to help students use technologies to develop new knowledge and foster cross cultural understandings. As pressures mount for society to equip today’s youth with both the global and digital understandings necessary to confront the challenges of the 21st century, a more thorough analysis must be undertaken to examine the role of technology on student learning (Peters, 2009). This work will highlight the complex, contested, and contingent ways new technologies are being used by today’s youth in a digital and global age. This text will present audiences with in-demand research that investigates the ways in which student use of technology mediates and complicates their learning about the world, its people, and global issues.

Young people around the world are calling ever more urgently on policymakers to address today’s global challenges of sustainability, structural inequality and social justice. So it is little surprise that learning in a global society, understanding sustainable development and being active global citizens are increasingly popular themes for education at all levels. Educational research makes a crucial contribution to knowledge that can address the great questions of our time, with evidence from diverse studies vital if we are to build a clear picture. Research in Global Learning showcases methods and findings from early career researchers who conducted illuminating studies around the globe, specifically in Brazil, China, Ghana, Greece, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom. The studies in this volume investigate four important themes: the relationship between policy and practice; opportunities and constraints in the education system and for the role of teachers; challenges for higher education; and the perspectives of young people and students. Flexibility of approach is crucial for successful educational research in varied environments, and is on show throughout this book. Depending on context, authors used case study, quantitative and qualitative research, participatory action research, longitudinal studies and analysis of textbooks through critical discourse analysis to demonstrate how learning about global learning and sustainability can inspire learners and contribute to quality education.

This volume offers a wide range of approaches for framing and addressing issues which currently shape global education. The discussions here are constructed around four research themes which reflect current strategic research priorities in Australian education. Together, they form a more rounded framework for approaching and evaluating educational changes and developments. The collection is made up of collaborative research that emerged between researchers and Masters coursework students in the Department of Education at Charles Darwin University, Australia. The original approach this collaboration of research adopted was developed in response to the challenges currently being experienced by higher education institutions both in Australia and around the world, which are now redesigning research and coursework programmes to address the quality of the services that they provide. This book will appeal to educators, researchers and postgraduate students.

What is globalisation? How are its effects felt by different people across the world? How can we help young people flourish in a world characterised by globalisation? Conflict, poverty, breaches of human rights, and environmental sustainability are everyday issues for global citizens today, old and young. Global Learning and Education presents a detailed and challenging introduction to a central concern facing education systems and curricula around the world: How young people understand and experience globalisation and how meaningful global learning can be developed. Encouraging a critical and reflective approach in order to advance understanding of a range of theoretical and practical factors, it considers the meaning and definitions of globalisation, global citizenship and global education. Global Learning and Education explores key issues including interconnectedness and interdependency, cultural diversity, social justice and sustainable development. It considers how global learning should and can imbue all aspects of education, within curriculum subjects, through project based learning, and through extra-curricular activities that help students participate and engage in global issues. It argues the importance of the mission and ethos of a school itself, of shaping global learning for different educational contexts, and of ensuring teaching and learning meets the needs of individual learners. Global Learning and Education is a comprehensive, thought-provoking - sometimes contentious - introduction for educationalists concerned with what globalisation means for our young people. Illustrated throughout with case studies that seek to inspire creativity and hope, and including questions and suggested reading for further investigation, it is essential reading for all those involved in the teaching and learning of young people, as well as those studying this vital topic on Education Studies and Masters level courses.

In this 21st century, technological and social changes have never been as rapid as before, and educative practices must evolve and innovate to keep up. What is being done by educators today to prepare future global citizens? What are the skills and competencies that will be required by our students? What changes in how we approach education might need to be made? This book presents a modern focus on some significant issues in teaching, learning, and research that are valuable in preparing students for the 21st century. The book discusses these issues in four sections. The first section presents contemporary, innovative curriculum and pedagogical practices that are relevant for the 21st century. This also includes how social networking has an integrated role within current educative practice. The next section then explores issues and current research around motivation and engagement, and how these are changing in this era of technological and social change. The third section presents debates around inclusion and social contexts, both global and local. Finally, the fourth section explores current discourses in regard to internationalisation and globalisation and how these are being considered in educational research. The book is an important representation of some of the work currently being done for these rapidly changing times. It will appeal to academics, researchers, teacher educators, educational administrators, teachers and anyone interested in preparing students for a modern and globally interconnected world.

A diverse collection of global educational research. Young people around the world are calling ever more urgently on policymakers to address today's global challenges of sustainability, structural inequality, and social justice. It is little surprise that learning in a global society, understanding sustainable development, and being active global citizens are increasingly popular themes for education at all levels. Educational research makes a crucial contribution to knowledge that can address the great questions of our time, and evidence from a diversity of studies is vital if we are to build a clear picture. Research in Global Learning showcases methods and findings from a range of early career researchers who conducted illuminating studies located around the globe, specifically Brazil, China, Ghana, Greece, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Flexibility of approach is key to successful educational research in differing contexts. The studies in this volume use a range of approaches to investigate four important themes: the relationship between policy and practice, opportunities and constraints within the education system and the role of teachers, challenges and opportunities for higher education, and the perspectives of young people and students. Case studies, quantitative and qualitative research, participatory action research, longitudinal studies, and analysis of textbooks through critical discourse analysis are all used to demonstrate how learning about global citizenship and sustainability can inspire learners and contribute to quality education.

This book examines teaching practices in international education, focusing on two significant meanings of the notion of 'practice' the concrete activities used by university lecturers and the role of education as a platform for transferring particular skills or approaches. In addition to discussing techniques involved in programme design, curricular development, course activities, multicultural teamwork and examination, the author explores the idea of the lecturer as an actor communicating practices, considering the role and responsibility of academic staff in the development of successful international education. With attention to the importance of the context of internationalisation, the book draws on research from two major research projects, presenting extensive interview material with teaching staff engaged in international education and projects of internationalisation. Combining the approaches of 'pragmatism' and practice theory, as developed by Bourdieu and Schatzki, among others, Teaching Practices in a Global Learning Environment addresses themes including the international-ness of academic disciplines, the biographies of international educators, and language issues emerging in international education. As such, it will appeal to scholars across the social sciences and policy makers with interests in pedagogy, internationalisation and higher education.

This edited book is the first full-length volume exclusively devoted to new research on the challenges and practices of teaching global issues. It addresses the ways that schools can and do address young people’s interest and activism in contemporary global issues facing the world. Many young people today are passionate about issues such as climate change, world poverty, and human rights but have few opportunities in schools to study such issues in depth. This book draws on new research to provide a deeper understanding and examples of how global issues are taught in schools. The book is organized in two sections: (1) contexts and policies in which global issues are taught and learned; and (2) case studies of teaching and learning global issues in schools. The central thesis is that global issues are an essential feature of democracy and social action in a world caught in the thrall of globalization. Schools can no longer afford to ignore teaching about issues impacting across the world if they intend to keep young people engaged in learning and want them to make their own communities—and the greater world—better places for all.