What is the fourth way of global education? 

Education and its development dramatically have been changed across the world over the last four decades. Unsatisfying with the status quo brought to bring changes in educational context, reform educational policy, and innovate new ways of teaching especially after II World War. However, each country was in the way of developing its own practices and building own traditional system. Also, the need of looking around at “neighbors’ backyard” was emerged within education. The countries started to ask: How others work on growing the tree? What methods they use to cultivate? What`s the secret of getting fully-repined fruit? What can I learn from them in order to experiment in my own backyard? This was the process of rethinking and comparing own system of growing to other countries` development and striving even to make better. This post is based on Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley`s book “The Global Fourth Way” which gives alternative explanation for global education.

Hargreaves and Shirley (2012) divided the period of educational development into four ways of educational change: The First Way is innovative and inconsistent (1960-1970). It was a decade of innovation and investment in education although it was not considered as real depth change in society, curriculum and teaching methods were designed freely and there was little engagement of community and parents in schools.

The Second Way is markets and standardization after 1970 to 1990. This was decade of competitiveness in education, promoting salaries and   resources, parents get more involved and made choice of schools. Also, the term “costumers” “consumers” appeared in educational sphere such as opening private higher educational institutes. Authors explained it as “customized learning pathways”.

The Third Way is performance targets after 1990s. In these last decades, the attention was paid to targeting the literacy and mathematics, working in collaboration, supporting teachers with resources, professional trainings, importance of student achievement and school moral and so on.  Moreover, authors were looking forward to the future by explaining the The Fourth Way which is inspiring, inclusive, innovative mission.  What they are hoping is that there will be public engagement and community development; investment in moral economy and students will enunciate their voice freely, teachers will be high qualified and remain at their jobs. In order to realize the fourth way, Hargreaves and Shirley (2012) proposed to develop education via comparison based on analyzed experience. In other words, successful achievement of education will be reached by learning and comparing with other countries` best practices. Fulfillment of comparative education bases on study of policy borrowing and lending which transfers the best educational practice from one country to another (Steiner-Khamsi, 2014).

To conclude, this is great opportunity to develop education by learning from other countries` best experience and exchange the best practices. I really hope as these authors do that the global education goes further with its innovative mission to bright development of future.

References

1.      Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. L. (2012). The global fourth way: The quest for educational excellence. Corwin Press.

2.      Steiner-Khamsi, G. (2014). Cross-national policy borrowing: understanding reception and translation. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 34(2), 153-167.