EDU5594 Comparative and International Education: Issues for Teachers (OISE)

Course Outline, Fall 2007Lead Instructors:Professor Ruth Hayhoe, TPS Professor Karen Mundy, AECP rhayhoe@oise.utoronto.ca kmundy@oise.utoronto.ca

Teaching Assistants: Caroline (Carly) Manion & Sameena EidooIn this course, pre-service students will be introduced to the field of Comparative and International Education. Each week will be lead by a different faculty member at OISE/UT, and will focus on international research on a theme relevant to teachers. Weekly sessions will combine lectures, small group discussion and the viewing of a documentary on education in comparative perspective. 1. Course ExpectationsStudents will be expected to attend weekly classes and to read one chapter of the course textbook. In addition, students should have read and be ready to comment on the one supplemental reading each week. This reading will be the focus of small group discussions in the second half of each class. Once during the term, each student will be asked to lead their small discussion group by preparing a short summary and set of questions related to the supplemental reading. There will also be two short written assignments: a small two page paper on one of the class articles or films, due on October; and a short reflective essay of approximately 10 pages on one of the weekly themes from the course.

2. Organization of the Course: Weekly ThemesDate TitleSeptember 12 Introduction to Comparative and International Education: Why Study

Comparative Education?Lecture: Ruth Hayhoe and Karen Mundy

September 19 Philosophy and Comparative Education: What Can We Learn from East Asia? Lecture: Ruth Hayhoe

September 26 “Education for All,” Africa, and the Comparative Sociology of SchoolingLecture: Karen Mundy

October 3 Teaching and Learning to Teach: Successful Radical Alternatives from the Developing WorldLecture: Joe Farrell

October 10 Gender and EducationLecture: Vandra Masemann, Kara Janigan

November 21 Comparative Perspectives on School ImprovementLecture: Stephen Anderson

November 28 International Educational Indicators and Assessments: Issues for TeachersLecture: Karen Mundy and Joe Farrell

December 5 Comparative Indigenous Ways of Knowing and LearningLecture: Kathy Madjidi, Jean-Paul Restoule

December 12 Educating for Global Citizenship in Schools: Emerging UnderstandingsLecture: Mark Evans

3. EvaluationStudents will be evaluated on three distinct components of their work. The Table below describes each component, its due date and its weighting in the overall evaluation scheme. Each component will be evaluated using letter grades (see p. 65 of the Initial Teacher Education Calendar).

Component Description Date Due Weight

Class Participation Weekly attendance Participation in discussions Completion of readings Preparation of one page outline for

leadership of small group discussion

Ongoing 20%

Short-reflection paper(Max. 2 pages/800 words)

Short essay on one reading or class video, which relates this with your own views and questions about education or teaching.

October 12 30%

End of term essay(10 pages; 3-4,000 words)

Essay on one of the weekly themes. Should demonstrate careful reading of the assigned papers and review of assigned video; and include reflection on their relevance to your role as an educator.

Dec. 17 50%

4. Policies and ProceduresAcademic Integrity-PlagiarismAt the University of Toronto it is an offence for a student to knowingly represent as one’s own any idea or expression of an idea or work of another in any academic work (i.e. to commit plagiarism). Whether quoting from an original work or adapting it, always cite the source. For reference see “How Not to Plagiarize” and “Standard Documentation Formats” at www.utoronto.ca/writing/plagsep.html and www.utoronto.ca/writing/document.html respectively.

Complete Course Syllabus

Week 1 - September 12

Topic: Introduction to Comparative EducationLecture: Ruth Hayhoe and Karen Mundy

Chapter 1: Introduction to Comparative Education: Why Study Comparative Education?

Discussion Questions: 1. What experiences of cross-cultural learning are you aware of from ancient or

medieval history? In what ways is comparing a natural aspect of human learning? Compare this to the ways cross-cultural learning might arise in today’s classrooms and news media.

2. What role has human immigration played in comparative education? What role do you think it plays in the present period? Why or why not?

3. Which names of educators and educational issues in this chapter were already familiar to you? Which of those new to you attract your interest, and why?

ReadingsArnove, Robert F. “Comparative Education and World Systems Analysis.” Comparative Education Review 24, no. 1 (1980): 48–62.Le, Than Khoi. “Toward a General Theory of Education.” Comparative Education Review 30, no. 1 (1986): 12–29.Mundy, Karen. “Globalization and Educational Change: New Policy Worlds.” In International Handbook of Educational Policy, Volume II, edited by Nina Bascia, Alister Cumming, Kenneth A. Leithwood and David Livingstone. Netherlands: Springer, 2005, 3–17.

Film: Going to the Sea, (48 minutes) by Jocelyn Cullity and Prakash Younger

Discussion Questions1. Although the film is over a decade old, did you see any similarities between the

students’ experiences and yours?2. What is the philosophy of education at Liaoning Normal University? How does

this philosophy differ from yours? How is it similar?3. Dalian made many changes during the time of this documentary. Can you identify

social, civic, economic, or educational policy changes in your local area, province, or country that could affect your profession as a teacher?

4. What can Canadian teachers learn from China? What can Chinese teachers learn from Canada?

Week 2 – September 19

Topic: Philosophy and Comparative EducationLecture: Ruth Hayhoe

Chapter 2: Philosophy and Comparative Education: What Can we Learn from East Asia?

Discussion Questions: 1. How do the ideal types of Platonic, Deweyan, Marxist, and Confucian values

stimulate you to reflect comparatively on learning in Canadian schools?2. What was the most significant new fact you learned about education in East Asia

in this chapter, and why? What aspects of education in East Asia do you see as similar to and different from your own education?

3. Compare/contrast the development of education in various Confucian-heritage societies, in light of the educational theories discussed in Chapter One. Which

framework for comparative education best explains East Asian schools? Discuss the relevance of these understandings for teachers’ work in Canadian schools.

Group Readings: Group A: Biggs, John B. and David A. Watson. “Insights into Teaching the Chinese Learner.” In Teaching the Chinese Learner: Psychological and Pedagogical Perspectives, edited by David A. Watson and John B. Biggs. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, University of Hong Kong, 2004, 277–300.Group B: Hayhoe, Ruth. “Teacher Education and the University: A Comparative Analysis with Implications for Hong Kong.” Teaching Education 13, no. 1 (2002): 5–23.Group C: Kennedy, Kerry. “Searching for Citizenship Values in an Uncertain Global Environment.” In Citizenship Education in Asia and the Pacific: Concepts and Issues, edited by Wing On Lee and others. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, University of Hong Kong, 2004, 9–24.

Film: Preschool in Three Cultures: Japan, China and the United States, (53 minutes) by Joseph Tobin

Questions for Reflection and Discussion1. Did anything surprise you about the conduct in the preschool classrooms? Which

preschool experience resonates with you? Why?2. Using Chapter Two as your resource, please explain the different philosophical

underpinnings you observed between the Japanese, Chinese, and American classrooms.

3. How would preschool lessons learned in each culture affect the child’s concept of schooling?

Week 3 – September 26

Topic: Comparative Sociology of SchoolingLecture: Karen Mundy

Chapter 3: “Education for All,” Africa, and the Comparative Sociology of Schooling

Discussion Questions: 1. What drives the demand for and expansion of schooling at basic and at higher

education levels? Are the drivers in Kenya and Tanzania similar to or different from those in your own cultural context?

2. How do you view the chances of success for recent international efforts to achieve “Education for All”?

3. What can experiences of schooling in the South teach us about benefits and challenges within our own educational systems?

4. How does schooling in Canada “sort” children into different kinds of life chances? How does this compare with educational life chances in countries such as Tanzania or Kenya?

Group Readings:

Group A: Anderson-Levitt, Kathryn. “The Schoolyard Gate: Schooling and Childhood in Global Perspective.” Journal of Social History 38, no. 4 (2005): 987–1006.Group B: Lewis, Stephen. “Education: An Avalanche of Studies, Little Studying.” Chapter 3 in Race Against Time. Toronto: Anansi Press, 2005.Group C: Serpell, Robert. “Local Accountability to Rural Communities: A Challenge for Education Planning in Africa.” In Education, Cultures, and Economics: Dilemmas for Development, edited by Fiona E. Leach and Angela W. Little. London: Routledge, 1999, 111–42.

Film: Back to School, (90 minutes) part of Wide-Angle Series by PBS

Discussion Questions:1. Why do these children want to attend school?2. Is schooling “sorting” these children into different kinds of life chances?3. What kinds of variation in the seven school experiences portrayed most surprised

you?

Week 4 – October 3

Topic: Educational Innovation Lecture: Joseph Farrell

Chapter 4: Teaching and Learning to Teach: Successful Radical Alternatives from the Developing World

Discussion Questions: 1. In your experience as a learner, have you experienced learning opportunities that

approximate some of the characteristics listed in Figure 4.2? What did it feel like, how did it “work”. Consider your formal schooling and informal educational experiences such as a sport, music lesson, Boy Scouts or Girl Guides. Note down your experiences and thoughts, as you understood it as a learner, and share them with your classmates.

2. The models described in this chapter suggest that multi-graded classrooms may promote better learning than in age-graded classes. As a teacher you are likely to spend some of your time teaching multi-graded classes, such as split-level classes. Have you had, as part of your teacher education, any preparation for that? Why do you suppose that may be?

3. This chapter argues that the forms of formal schooling are usually very difficult to change. From your own experience as a teacher or learner, have you ever tried (successfully or not) to change some aspect of those forms of formal schooling—for example, trying to get some rule or regulation changed? If so, how did this work (or not), and what did you learn from the experience? Have you ever had much time for reflection and problem-solving with other teachers/facilitators/stakeholders, as in the alternative education cases profiled in this chapter? If so, what difference did this make?

Group Readings:

Group A: Farrell, Joseph P. The Egyptian Community Schools Program: A Case Study. Washington, DC: Academy for International Development, 2004.Group B: Haiplik, Brenda. BRAC’s Non-formal Education Program (NFEP). Washington, DC: Academy for International Development, 2004.Group C: Pitt, Jennifer. Case Study for Escuela Nueva Program. Washington, DC: Academy for International Development, 2004.

Film: Education Through Imagination, (17 minutes) by Antonia Antonopoulos

Questions for Reflection and Discussion1. Song, dance, and role-playing are important to Bengali culture and are used as

learning tools in BRAC programs. What other arts-based teaching techniques may be appropriate to teaching in Canada? Do you know of other societies that use culture specific methods of teaching?

2. If you had only 15 days of teacher training, what would important lessons you would need to learn?

3. If you were to become a teacher in your hometown, what would non-traditional schooling look like?

Week 5 – October 10

Topic: Gender and EducationLecture: Kara Janigan and Vandra Masemann

Chapter Five: Gender and Education

Discussion Questions: 1. Think about your own family’s experience of gender and education. Describe

your own educational background, and trace your parents’ and grandparents’ experience of education in their lifetimes. What role did gender play in the educational experiences of the three generations of your family? (For example, discuss access to education, reasons for attending and/or dropping out, gender roles, academic ambitions or frustrations, and economic considerations.)

2. Compare the educational experiences of the female students in the Eritrean and Ontario examples presented in this chapter. What factors were similar in shaping their education, and which were different? How do you think some of those factors operate in your local school system today?

3. Compare this chapter’s international perspectives on gender and education with some present-day gender issues that may affect: your life as a teacher, the experiences of your various students (e.g., wealthier and poorer, young and old, culturally diverse), interactions in your classroom, your future career trajectory.

Group Readings:

Group A: Stromquist, Nelly P. (1990). Gender Inequality in Education: Accounting for Women's Subordination. British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 11, No. 2. (1990), pp. 137-153.Group B: Raynor, Janet (2005). “Educating Girls in Bangladesh: Watering a Neighbour’sTree.” In Beyond Access: Transforming Policy and Practice for GenderEquality in Education, edited by Sheila Aikman and Elaine Unterhalter. Oxford: Oxfam, pp 181-195. Group C: Coulter, Rebecca P. (1996). Gender Equity and Schooling: Linking Research andPolicy. Canadian Journal of Education 21, no. 4, 433-452.

Film: Girls’ Education in India, (30 minutes) by RCN Entertainment and the United Nations

Discussion Questions:1. Identify what you think are the most important issues raised in this film. What

other things would you have liked to have known about these girl’s lives? 2. What links can you make between this film and this chapter? Issues to

consider include girls’ access to schooling, prevailing social attitudes, and the importance of rural/urban differences.

3. How will insights you have gained from this film affecting your teaching?

Week 6 – November 21

Topic: Educational Reform Lecture: Stephen Anderson

Chapter Seven: School Improvement in Comparative Perspective

Discussion Questions:1. What do teachers and administrators in schools that you are familiar with say

about current needs for improvement?2. How do the various school improvement processes discussed in this chapter

compare with those that you have witnessed as a student, citizen, or educator? How do you explain the similarities and differences among contexts?

3. How do school improvement needs and processes reported by teachers in today’s schools relate to the major approaches to school improvement described in this chapter?

Group Readings:

Group A: Farah, I. (2002). Enhancement of universal primary education in Kampala of the Aga Khan education service, Uganda: Mid-term evaluation report. Karachi, Pakistan: Aga Khan University, Institute for Educational Development. Group B: Anderson, S. (2002). Building professional community at Mzizima Secondary School, Tanzania. In S. Anderson (Ed.), Improving schools through teacher development. Lisse, Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger. 47 - 82.Group C: Anderson, S. (2002). Decentralized partnerships for school-based teacher development in Mombasa, Kenya. In S. Anderson (Ed.), Improving schools through teacher development.  Lisse, Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger. 137 - 184.

Film: Managing Change, (30 minutes) by Drs. Michael Fullan and John R. Champlin

Discussion Questions: 1. Do you feel that the principles of change management presented in the film would apply in a Canadian classroom today? 2. How do you think the concept of change management varies depending on the cultural context of a school system? Draw on your own personal experiences.

Week 7 – November 28

Topic: Educational AssessmentLecture: Karen Mundy and Joseph Farrell

Chapter 8: International Educational Indicators and Assessments: Issues for Teachers

Discussion Questions:1. Why have governments become so interested in participating in efforts to compare their educational

performance?2. What kinds of limits should we be aware of when assessing information from international assessments

and indicators? 3. Why are teachers skeptical about international assessment research? 4. In your view, do international assessments and indicators have offer valuable information for educat-

ors? Explain.

Group Readings:

Group A: UNICEF. “Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child-Well-being in Rich Countries.” Innocenti Report Card 7. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2007. www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc7_eng.pdf. Group B: UNESCO. Education for All Global Monitoring Report: Executive Summary. Paris: UNESCO, 2007. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001477/147794E.pdfGroup C: OECD. “Draft Briefing Note for Canada.” Education at a Glance 2006: Paris: OECD, 2006. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/52/1/37392733.pdf.

Audio-Visual Resources:

1. Explore PISA questions and questionnaires:http://pisa-sq.acer.edu.au/; http://www.pisa.oecd.org/document/38/0,2340,en_32252351_32236173_34993126_1_1_1_1,00.html.

2. Review a short study, “Highlights from the TIMSS 1999 Video Study,” with its video clips, from classrooms in Japan, the Netherlands, the United States, and Hong Kong:

3. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/timssvideo/Index.asp?nav=1.4. Explore and manipulate performance data from the TIMSS and PIRLS studies.

This website allows users to ask their own questions of TIMSS and PIRLS datasets, creating simple charts and tables comparing various aspects of several countries’ performance.

5. http://lighthouse.air.org/timss/.6. Instructors may also wish to use selected footage from the TIMSS 1999 Video

Study: Science Public Release Lessons or TIMSS 1999 Video Study: Mathematics Public Release Lessons funded by the National Center for Education Statistics. This two five-CD sets present video footage from the math and science classrooms of grade eight students in Australia, Czech Republic, Japan, Netherlands, and the United States. Distributor: Pearson Achievement Solutions

7. www.lessonlab.com/bkstore/index.cfm/action/displaybycategory

Further Questions:1. How could the research data in these websites support understanding educational inequality?2. What can Canadian teachers learn from international assessment research?3. Can international tests be used for educational policy decisions? Under what circumstances?

Week 8 – December 5

Topic: Indigenous Ways of Knowing and LearningLecture: Katherine Madjidi and Jean-Paul Restoule

Chapter Nine: Comparative Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Learning

Discussion Questions: 1. Which characteristics or examples of Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy do you

think fitin with typical educational practices in your teaching context? How might you use Indigenous Knowledge and Pedagogy in your teaching?

2. How do you think the need to incorporate/recognize Indigenous worldviews in the classroom

can be reconciled with the need to respect the context, rights, and responsibilities associated with that knowledge?

3. What do you consider to be the relevance of Indigenous and local approaches to learning in

the context of global educational movements such as Education for All?

Group Readings: Group A: Cajete, Gregory. “Indigenous Knowledge: The Pueblo Metaphor of IndigenousEducation.” In Reclaiming Indigenous Voice and Vision, edited by Marie Battiste.

Vancouver,BC: University of British Columbia Press, 2000, 181–91.Group B: Hampton, Eber. “Toward a Redefinition of Indian Education.” In Battiste and Barman, First Nations Education, 5–46.Group C: Lertzman, David. A. “Rediscovering Rites of Passage: Education, Transformation, and the Transition to Sustainability.” Conservation Ecology 5, no. 2 (2002): 30, http://www.consecol.org/vol5/iss2/art30/.

Film: The Learning Path, (30 minutes) by Loretta Todd

Questions for Reflection and Discussion1. Share your reactions to the experiences of the residential schooling system portrayed by the individuals in this film. Thinking back to Chapter Nine, compare some of the differences in ways of knowing and learning that Aboriginal children would have experienced in those schools. Have you had any experiences where you felt that your formal education contrasted with your own personal educational values or ways of knowing? 2. This film highlights the work of three Aboriginal women educators, and shares their educational experiences as young girls both in schools, in their families, and communities. Thinking back to Chapter Five in this volume (Gender and Education), can you identify any similarities with the themes raised in that chapter? Why do you think women were chosen as exemplars for “the learning path” that this film describes?3. This film focuses on efforts to transform or regain control of Aboriginal education within the formal school system. What are some of the ways this is happening, both as described in the film and in Chapter Nine, and in your own experience? Did you find any limitations or points of contestation with the idea of introducing Aboriginal ways of knowing in the historically “Western” contexts described in the film?

Film: Rediscovery—The Eagle’s Gift, (29 minutes) by Peter Prince

Questions for Reflection and Discussion1. How do the educational experiences and “ways of knowing and learning” presented in this film compare and contrast with those highlighted in The Learning Path. Which pedagogies presented appeal most to you, as both a teacher and a learner?2. A common Rediscovery saying is, “I hear, I forget. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.” Considering your own learning experiences, both formal and informal, is

this statement true for you? If so, can you see yourself implementing this educational philosophy in the classroom as a teacher, and in what ways? 3. From the beginning of the Rediscovery program, Haida Elders insist that non-native children, including children of logging families (with whom the Haidas were in dispute at the time) be included in the camps. What do you think the value might be in this, for both the native and the non-native children? How does this relate to the discussion in Chapter Nine on the potential implications of Indigenous ways of knowing for all children?

Week 9 – December 12

Topic: Issues in Global Citizenship EducationLecture: Mark Evans

Chapter 11: Educating for “Global Citizenship” in Schools: Emerging Understandings

Discussion Questions:1. Review the three perspectives offered as “Evolving Understandings of Global

Citizenship,” and consider the following questions:a. What key themes of citizenship education and global education are

foregrounded in each perspective?b. In what ways are the perspectives similar and in what ways are they

different?c. Which perspective do you find most appealing, and why?

2. Review the four vignettes that characterize curriculum directions in Canada, England, Pakistan, and South Africa and consider the following questions:

a. What are the main attributes associated with educating for global citizenship in each context?

b. How do you account for the apparent similarities and/or differences (e.g., historical, geo-political, philosophical/religious)?

c. What are some of the key challenges that teachers face as they attempt to educate for global citizenship?

3. As a teacher, what do you see as being some of the more significant opportunities and/or roadblocks for infusing understandings of global citizenship into your own day-to day teaching? What types of support do you think would be helpful?

Group Readings:

Group A: Davies, Lynn (2006). Global Citizenship: Abstraction or Framework for Action. Educational Review 58, no.1, 5–25.Group B: Pike, Graham (2000). Global Education and National Identity: In Pursuit of Meaning. Theory Into Practice 39, no. 2, 64–73.Group C: Mundy, K. & Manion, C. (forthcoming) Charting global education at elementary level: A cross-Canada study. Canadian Journal of EducationFilm: Citizenship Uncovered, sponsored by the Department of Education and Skills

Questions for Reflection and Discussion:1. What sort of activities could you implement to encourage global citizenship awareness in your classroom?2. Does global citizenship education conflict with national citizenship education? Why or why not?3. Identify how the key citizenship themes in the film relate to the case studies in the chapter.