Schooling The Citizens Of Tomorrow: The Challenges For Teaching And Learning Across The Global North/south Divide

Abstract

Drawing on examples from a range of contexts, this article explores some of the challenges for schooling in the 2lst century from the vantage points of both resource rich and developing countries, suggesting that schools on each side of the global North/South divide have much to learn from each other. It offers an inclusive framework for schooling for the 21st century, identifying the foundations which need to be put in place to establish that framework, as well as the options along the way. The core challenges are seen as how to prepare our young people -the citizens of tomorrow -for an increasingly uncertain and technologically orientated world; how to equip them to assess the relevance of a vast array of facts and information and discriminate between competing ideologies; and how to encourage them to relate to each other in a fragmented, although globalised, world.

Education Reform for Raising Economic Competitiveness

“…Many countries are reforming their education systems to provide their citizens with knowledge and skills that enable them to engage actively in democratic societies and dynamic knowledge-based economies (OECD, 2000;Riley, 2004). The fundamental requirement for this is that everyone has sufficient knowledge and skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technologies (ICTs).…”

The school improvement policy context in Trinidad and Tobago

“…It focused on structure and political policy, or "distil" variables rather than "proximal" variables, such as psychological, instructional, and home environment (Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1993). Riley (2004) referred to these variables fitting into two black boxes, respectively, the structural reform box and the cognition and learning box. She posited: "that while most of the time and energy goes into the structural reform box, the decisions made in the cognition box are more likely to have the greatest impact on teaching and learning" (p. 13).…”

“…These conditions stymie improvement efforts, no matter how well intentioned the motives or programme for change and development (Day, 2004;Hadfield, 2003;Halsall, 1998;Harris, 2009). Riley (2004) stated: "reforms fail for a number of reasons, lack of trust being one of these…" (p. 13). Additionally, policy cannot mandate what actually happens in schools and classrooms; the critical site of change is the classroom and the teacher (Dalin et al, 1994;Dimmock, 2000;Hargreaves, 1994;James, 2008).…”

“…There is the possibility that it could have been the overcomplexity of the change (Morrison, 1998). It is also possible that the reforms did not focus enough on relationships, teacher commitment, parent involvement, and student enthusiasm (Riley, 2004). Whatever might have been the reason for this gap, teachers were held accountable as part of the system (Campbell, 1992).…”