Jason Ralph’s on global learning

The effect of local and global learning on the cost of renewable energy in developing countries

The implementation of global education in schools has, despite the plethora of differenttermsusedtodescribeit, beendefinedbyanapproachthatensuresglobal issuesareembedded(1)inthecurriculum(asubject-specificapproach),(2)across all subject areas (an interdisciplinary approach), and (3) in the school's ethos (a 'whole-school approach'). The means by which each of these three approaches has been implemented, however, have been far less cohesive. This paper will argue that one potential tool is extending the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model to focus on the global (i.e.creating a Global Professional Learning Community [GPLC], also known as a Networked Learning Community). We suggest that this form of collaborative working is a vital tool in creating effective policy and shared practice for global learning. Moreover, its methods incorporate the key values of the global learning ethos: participation, inclusion, and critical and creative thinking. The paper explores this premise through the analysis of Sazani Associates' GPLC, established over a period of ten years and incorporating approximately 40 schools in both Wales and Zanzibar. It focuses on how the GPLC has developed through peer exchange, skill sharing, continuous professional development, and a critical learning approach to evaluation in both localities. This paper explores how this GPLC contributes to the quality of education from a Northern and Southern perspective, and how it counters the tension between the aims of global learning approaches and their more prescriptive means. It also considers the role of critical reflection in measuring a transformative approach to learning, where both educators and pupils are able to explore the global in a structured yet holistic way.

This case study addresses gaps in the global learning, transformational learning, and professional development literature. Research is lacking on the questions of if and how university faculty members view global learning curricula as transformational learning as a result of professional development and how this transformational learning applies to their teaching of global learning curricula. This study’s purpose is to explore whether university faculty members who have attended global learning professional development workshops perceive global learning as transformational learning and if they do, how they see global learning as transformational, and how this transformational learning informs their teaching. Research questions were answered by using a survey and interview guide developed by the researcher. All faculty members at FIU who have attended a global learning professional development workshop were invited to take the survey to identify faculty members who have had a transformational learning experience related to global learning. Thematic analysis of the survey and interview questions helped describe how faculty members perceived global learning as transformational learning and how faculty members applied this transformational learning to their teaching of global learning curricula. The study found that many university faculty members who have attended a global learning professional development workshop report a resulting transformational learning experience. These university faculty members perceive global learning as individual and collective opportunities and challenges. They apply this transformation to their teaching of global learning curricula through conceptual and individual instructional changes that facilitate and inform systematic awareness and systematic change. This study is significant because how a global learning curricula is viewed by a faculty member affects how it manifests in the curricula, how it is taught, and what students glean from it. How FIU explores this topic could be adopted by other institutions. This study also builds on the work of Dr. Jack Mezirow in transformational learning.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between undergraduate student performance on an information literacy assessment activity and their performance in global learning assessment activities for three global learning outcomes: global awareness, global perspective, and global engagement. Global learning is the process whereby people from varied backgrounds collaboratively analyze and seek solutions for complex problems that go beyond borders. Important components of global learning are the acquisition, analysis and use of information, relating to complex problems which may include, but are not limited to, poverty, environmental protection and food security. These components of global learning are analogous to information literacy, which represents skills that students apply to recognize, access, evaluate, and use information for decision making. Students enrolled in global learning courses, at Florida International University, participated in this investigation during the fall of 2016. Data from an 18-question information literacy assessment survey, and results of three global learning assessment activities were collected. Instructors teaching the global learning courses scored the global learning assessment activities. Information literacy and global learning data for 43 students were analyzed using multiple regression correlation methods. Research findings indicate no significant relationship between information literacy and the three global learning outcomes: global awareness, perspective and engagement. Descriptive data analysis show that over 79% (n=34) of participants reported having never received information literacy instruction from a librarian. Curricular implications include exploring opportunities for exposing students in global learning courses to information literacy processes either by adding information literacy to the general education core curriculum or by integrating information literacy into these courses. Recommendations for future research include replicating this study with a larger sample of students and conducting a study involving an information literacy intervention with pre- and post-test components.

Learning about global issues and themes has become an increasingly recognised element of education in many countries around the world. Terms such as global learning, global citizenship and global education can be seen within national education policies and international initiatives led by the UN, UNESCO, European Commission and OECD. The Bloomsbury Handbook of Global Education and Learning brings together the main elements of the debates, provides analysis of policies, and suggests new directions for research in these areas. Written by internationally renowned scholars from Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, UK and the USA, the handbook offers a much needed resource for academics, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners who need a clear picture of global learning.

As classrooms in the United States grow more culturally and linguistically diverse, schools of education are challenged to prepare more culturally responsive, globally minded educators. International student teaching (IST) programs provide a unique opportunity for pre-service teachers to develop cultural competencies in a global context. However, in order for these programs to effectively meet ambitious global and intercultural learning objectives, multiple curricular and programmatic components must be considered, and on-going research exploring individual student experiences must be conducted. The present collective case study explored the experiences of five, pre-service teachers during a semester-long, IST program at Florida International University. A reentry interview took place after participants returned home from their IST placements in Ecuador. Participants were asked to describe their overall experience of the program, and share stories about their teaching experiences, living with host families and engaging with the host community. Reflective assignments completed throughout the semester were also collected and analyzed. These included visual stories, written and video reflections, pre-departure surveys and other cultural learning assignments. Data collected from both the reentry interviews and reflective assignments were explored on an individual case basis and then across cases to collectively analyze emergent themes. Findings revealed both the similarities of student experiences across cases, as well as the nuances that make an experience like international student teaching unique to each participant, particularly diverse students. This supports the experiential/constructivist paradigm which posits that an individual creates their world both individually and with others, and learning occurs through the individual’s transactions with a culture and with others. Further findings illustrated the connection between critical reflection and intercultural and global learning. It is intended that the findings of this study will serve as valuable insights for study abroad stakeholders to develop programming more intentionally, with critical reflection and cultural learning as a design framework. Additional program recommendations include providing ample preparation for both participants and faculty, a structure of support that facilitates intercultural and global learning throughout the study abroad cycle, and curriculum that elevates and leverages student voice.

Endogenous implementation of technology gap in energy optimization models—a systematic analysis within TIMES G5 model

In common binary classification scenarios, learning algorithms assume the presence of both positive and negative examples. Unfortunately, in many practical areas, only limited labeled positive examples and large amounts of unlabeled examples are available, but there are no negative examples. In such cases, the algorithm that only exploits positive and unlabeled examples is needed. Such learning is termed as positive and unlabeled (PU) learning. In this paper, a novel classifier called global and local learning classifier (GLLC) for PU learning is proposed. The advantages of GLLC are as follows: (1) both intrinsic geometric structure and accurate positive information of PU data are exploited from global learning. (2) The smoothness and manifold of data are reflected sufficiently from local learning. (3) The algorithm of GLLC has faster training speed because the linear equations are solved. (4) The experiments on both synthetic and real datasets verify the above opinions and show that the classification result of GLLC is much better than those popular methods, such as LUHC, Pulce, BSVM, NB and so on.

This article introduces Agnes Scott College’s model for a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to global (service) learning and leadership in the liberal arts. We outline strategic perspectives and a specific toolkit for developing holistic global learning frameworks and we detail how this approach integrates local community-campus partnerships, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between the humanities, social sciences, and STEM disciplines, and foregrounds an intentional and inclusive approach that provides access to global learning experiences for traditionally under-represented groups. The authors share their experiences in the co-construction of programs with full participation and inclusion of diverse and diffuse stakeholders.

This article investigates the cooperation between schools and development-oriented non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the context of education for sustainable development and global learning. It focuses on the potential and challenges of such partnerships for fostering meaningful social learning in a global context. It also draws on two empirical studies based on the documentary method: one analysing the orientations of NGO professionals involved in school cooperation; the other examining student learning outcomes in charity-based NGO–school settings. The findings highlight how different orientations among NGO professionals shape their approaches to school cooperation, ranging from normative messaging to action-based engagement. On the student side, charity-based learning settings often foster personalised or generalised understandings of global inequalities, which may reproduce asymmetries and hinder reflective engagement with complex global issues. Three key tensions are identified and discussed: the challenge of balancing authenticity with abstraction, the influence of NGO positionality on educational content and the risk of reinforcing simplified, rather than reflective and complex, understandings of global challenges. Based on these findings, the article argues for learning settings that critically contextualise NGO contributions, support abstraction and reflexivity and address power asymmetries to enable more nuanced global social learning. Implications for cooperation practice and future research are discussed.

Third sector organisations have been providing continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in the UK in the field of global learning over decades. Given the patchy provision within initial teacher training, these organisations are the main source of support for teachers in helping their pupils engage with and respond to global issues. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from the Global Learning Programme in England (GLP-E 2013–18), this article investigates what teachers identify as valuable from the global learning CPD they received from organisations on the programme. Teachers value the specialist expertise, both in terms of global learning knowledge and pedagogy, the relationships they develop with global learning organisations, and the willingness of these organisations to collaborate for the benefit of schools. The findings demonstrate that there is potential for a greater contribution to teachers’ global learning professional development within schools, but this requires more consistent, engagement with global learning organisations over the longer-term. To facilitate this, policymakers need to ensure a sustained funding environment both for schools and the global learning sector if teachers are to be sufficiently supported for working in an increasingly global and rapidly changing world.

This paper reports upon a multi-agency approach to measuring attitudes towards global learning among future educators at a university in the north-west of England. This study provides a response to concerns that global learning research and evaluation of global education interventions tend to focus upon short-term, observable outcomes rather than longer-term changes in behaviour, attitude, and practice. It is based upon the assumption that global learning in teacher education must focus upon the development of who the educator is as a person, including his or her values, attitudes, and associated dispositions. This paper will outline the process of constructing an attitude inventory, based upon Thurstone scaling, by a range of professionals working in local government, teacher education, and non-government organizations that promote global education. It reports upon the use of this survey at the beginning, middle, and end of a compulsory course completed by a cohort of 154 undergraduate students of primary teacher education. The findings show positive changes in attitudes towards global learning among females and eradication of the most negative attitudes towards global learning during the course of study. Causal factors relating to cultural practice are suggested. The limitations of this particular tool for researching global learning are discussed alongside the insight gained from this collaborative process of evaluation.

Global learning and global citizenship education (GCE) continue to be integrated as co-curricular and curricular components in US higher education. Many institutions have linked their mission and values statements to global learning. However, their efforts fail to reflect a single shared understanding or philosophy of global learning or GCE. While scholars continue to discuss and debate the substance of these frameworks, few studies have analyzed perspectives of curricular global learning and GCE requirements. Three hundred fifty-four undergraduate students attending a university in the Southern US completed questionnaires assessing their attitudes towards global learning, international issues, and global citizenship, as well as their attitudes toward the college’s required global perspectives curriculum. Results indicate that students feel generally positive towards global learning and issues, believe global learning should be required at this and other institutions, and have high perceptions of faculty performance.

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.

This article explores the extent to which it is possible to incorporate global learning within the further education (FE) curriculum, drawing on the findings from the ‘Global Learning for Global Colleges’ (2009–2012) research and development project, funded by the Department for International Development (DfID). Against a background of increasing pressures on the FE sector, the project worked with six colleges in England to develop initiatives to promote global learning in the curriculum. Qualitative data were collected through observations, interviews, questionnaires and phone or email conversations with staff. The research defines global learning as not just a focus on developing skills for responding to an increasingly globalised world, but an approach to learning based on a concern for social justice, developing learners who see the relevance of their learning about global issues for their everyday and future lives. A number of factors are identified as having an influence on the process of incorporating global learning: existing institutional priorities and overseas partnerships; personal experience and enthusiasm of staff; level of subject and profile of students; exam and syllabus requirements. The findings illustrate both an enthusiasm for global learning, with colleges developing creative ways of exploring global issues with learners, and numerous challenges. The research suggests that local factors are critical and that, in the absence of a national policy requirement for global learning, these local factors need to be supported if colleges are to develop their approaches still further.