Facilitator:

Anna Batchelder, Chief Education Officer and Co-Founder Bon Education (United Arab Emirates)

Course description: 

This 1-month virtual seminar is for educators, learners and parents who are keen to discuss and compare education systems from around the world. 

The course is divided into 4 modules each containing 1-2 online short videos, an optional reading, asynchronous discussions and an optional synchronous discussion (via Skype) around the following topics:

• Global definitions of learning and education (June 4-10, 2012)
• Cross-country education borrowing and lending (June 11-17, 2012)
• Educating the whole person (June 18-24, 2012)
• Creating sustainable education systems (June 25-July 1, 2012)

Learning objectives:

Participants will:

• Build a personal definition of learning and education after viewing a number of education case studies from around the globe.
• Discuss the merits and drawbacks of borrowing and lending education policies, procedures and curriculum across countries, relating what is learned to their personal education contexts.
• Define what it means to educate the "whole person" and discuss how to integrate more holistic teaching and learning practices into their own lives.
• Think about how to create and promote more "sustainable" learning ecosystems around the world.
• Share their own personal education experiences, ideas and questions related to international and comparative education.

Pre-requisites:

None.

This course welcomes any and all people excited to share their ideas, experiences and questions in a global and comparative context. 

Format:

The emphasis of this seminar is on dialog and exchange between participants (written and via Skype).

Assignments will be light (watching videos and reading blogs/articles from key thinkers and doers in a variety of education contexts around the globe). 

The goal of this seminar is to provide a forum where key issues in international and comparative education can be raised, discussed and explored openly and with respect.

Timing: 

June 4-July 1, 2012

Participants are requested to participate in weekly online discussions at their own pace. Optional Skype discussions will be on the following dates:

• June 10th (Sunday): 11:30am Eastern Standard Time
• June 17th (Sunday): 12:30pm Eastern Standard Time
• June 24th (Sunday): 1:30pm Eastern Standard Time
• July 1st (Sunday): 11:30am Eastern Standard Time

Above image available under CC license by joone4u via Flickr Creative Commons. Course image images available under CC license by brianglanz, sanjoselibrary and jcrojas.