GLOBALISATION

• Globalisation refers to the increasing interconnectedness between societies across the globe
• Three dimensions of Globalisation:

  • Economic globalisation: globalisation of trade, production and consumption
  • Cultural Globalisation: rapid spread of ideas and values around the globe
  • Increasing migration: more people moving around the globe for various reasons
• Economic globalisation:

  • Most of what is consumed in the UK is produced and manufactured abroad
  • Decline in manufacturing jobs in recent years, with most jobs in the service and leisure sectors
• Cultural Globalisation:

  • Spread of music, fashion, consumer products, culture, political and religious ideas
  • Mainly brought about by the growth of ICT
• Increasing migration:

  • Voluntary and involuntary movement of people around the globe
  • UK is now a much more multicultural society than in the past
• Five ways in which globalisation has affected education in the U.K.:

  1. Increased competition for jobs abroad led to increased spending on education by the New Labour government

  2. Global ICT companies like Google and Apple are involved in shaping curriculums and online learning materials

  3. Education is now more multicultural due to increasing migration

  4. Cultural globalisation challenges the relevance of a 'National Curriculum'

  5. Growth of global ICT companies challenges traditional schooling and teachers' authority
• The globalisation of education refers to how a 'global system' of education is emerging, beyond the level of individual countries
• Three examples of the globalisation of education are:

  • PISA tests and league tables
  • International companies providing education services in more than one country
  • Private schools and universities expanding into more than one country
• PISA International Tests:

  • PISA stands for the Programme for International Student Assessment
  • Conducts standardised tests in dozens of different countries every three years in reading, literacy, maths, and sciences
  • Produces league tables ranking countries based on average student performance
  • Conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• International Companies and the Globalisation of Education:

  • Companies like Apple and Microsoft provide educational software to schools worldwide
  • International exam boards offer assessment services and textbooks to different countries
• Private Schools and Universities setting up abroad:

  • UK private schools and universities are attracting more students from abroad and setting up campuses in foreign countries
  • According to a recent article in the Economist, Britain's 136 universities have 39 campuses abroad educating 26,000 students
• Digital Education and Globalisation:

  • Digital education has seen significant growth over the last two decades
  • Online learning platforms like Udemy and TED talks offer global access to educational resources
• Globalisation of education analysis:

  • The globalisation of education can be seen from both global optimist and global pessimist perspectives
  • Global optimists view the process as benefiting everyone, while global pessimists see it as spreading Western market ideologies into the developing world