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This Issue Author(s): Graham Pike Source: Theory into Practice, Vol. 39, No. 2, Global Education: Viewed from around the World (Spring, 2000), p. 63 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1477278 . Accessed: 21/06/2014 13:42 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Taylor & Francis, Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Theory into Practice. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 62.122.79.78 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 13:42:22 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Page 1: Global Education: Viewed from around the World || This Issue

This IssueAuthor(s): Graham PikeSource: Theory into Practice, Vol. 39, No. 2, Global Education: Viewed from around the World(Spring, 2000), p. 63Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1477278 .

Accessed: 21/06/2014 13:42

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

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Taylor & Francis, Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Theory intoPractice.

http://www.jstor.org

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Page 2: Global Education: Viewed from around the World || This Issue

This Issue

FROM HIS RECENT SURVEY OF GLOBAL EDUCATION

in 52 countries, Tye (1999) identifies the re- lationship between global education and national- ism as a major theme. As we enter the 21st century, schools around the world find themselves caught in a paradox: In an era of increasingly pervasive global- ization, schooling clings tenaciously to one of its pri- mal functions as a purveyor of national culture and values. Educational policy is replete with the con- struction of national standards, national goals, and national curriculums. Furthermore, cogent and per- suasive arguments are offered for the special needs of regional and ethnic groups within nations and for curriculums that are culturally relevant and sen- sitive to the minority experience.

What, then, is the place of global education, a social movement directed at the promotion of uni- versal human values? (Tye, 1999). In this issue, authors from several countries discuss the present and future role of global education within their national education systems. It is not their intention to provide comprehensive reports on the "state of the art" of global education in the respective coun- tries but rather to highlight the particular contribu- tions that global education makes to educational discourse and practice.

A quick glance at the articles will suffice to confirm that interpretations and perceptions of the nature and purpose of global education differ from one country to another, and sometimes within coun- tries. In the first article, I suggest that the influ-

ence of national culture on dominant characteriza- tions of global education may be at odds with a movement that attempts to portray the borderless world in which we live. The articles that follow illustrate some of the strands of national distinc- tiveness to be found in Australia, Canada, Japan, Jordan, and the United Kingdom.

Certainly, some dominant themes common to several countries emerge. Both Hasan and Holden, in Jordan and the United Kingdom respectively, suggest that the major impact of global education practice has been on the development of innova- tive pedagogy, while Asano and Calder also refer to its influence on teaching methodology in Japa- nese and Australian classrooms. The relationship between global education and school reform is a key thrust of the initiatives described by Selby in Canada, Asano in Japan, and Hasan in Jordan.

The underlying principles of reformist thinking may vary, from biocentrism in Canada and human rights in Japan to personal and social empowerment in Jordan, but the rootedness of effective change with- in the everyday thoughts and actions of classroom teachers is a common argument. The instigation of such change, many authors suggest, demands sub- stantive reconsideration of personal beliefs and val- ues. Hewitt describes how the validation of Aboriginal culture and experience in an Australian teacher edu- cation program has enriched the worldviews of fac- ulty and students alike. Indeed, the affective goals of global education-its commitment to fostering

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Page 3: Global Education: Viewed from around the World || This Issue

democracy, justice, peace, respect, and responsibili- ty-are evident in all articles, though authors differ in the emphasis and profile given to these concepts.

The variety of models and conceptualizations of global education that appear in this issue can be viewed as a strength, an embodiment of the value that global educators generally accord to diversity within natural and human systems. Few would ar-

gue for a common global curriculum or a single approach to educational reform. Insularity within the global education movement, however, should be regarded as a serious weakness that both under- mines the central notion of interconnectedness and

also obscures valuable opportunities for educators to learn from each other's triumphs and tribula- tions. The persistent influence of nationalism does not negate the importance of cross-national debate. The articles that follow are offered as a contribu- tion to the nascent-and necessary-global dia- logue among global educators.

Graham Pike Guest Editor

Reference Tye, K.A. (1999). Global education. A worldwide move-

ment. Orange, CA: Interdependence Press.

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