Watch How the World Learns: Comparative Educational Systems

2015
1 Season

How the World Learns: Comparative Educational Systems is a comprehensive course from The Great Courses that explores education in different cultures around the world. The course is divided into 24 lectures that provide an in-depth look at the educational systems of countries such as Finland, Singapore, Japan, China, the United States, and many others.

The course is led by Professor Alexander W. Wiseman, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Florida State University. Professor Wiseman draws on his vast knowledge and extensive research to provide a thought-provoking and engaging series of lectures that are both informative and accessible.

The first lectures of the course provide an overview of the education systems in different parts of the world and establish a framework for comparison. Professor Wiseman examines the factors that contribute to the success of different educational systems, such as the role of the government, the quality of teachers, and the cultural values of the society.

The course then delves into the specifics of each country's education system, providing a detailed analysis of the different approaches to learning and teaching. For example, in the lecture on Finland, Professor Wiseman explores the country's highly-regarded education system that emphasizes student-centered learning, and in the lecture on Singapore, he examines the country's rigorous approach to education that prioritizes memorization and testing.

The lectures are rich with examples and insights from educational experts, policymakers, and educators from around the world. Professor Wiseman draws on a range of sources to illustrate his points, including academic research, interviews with educational leaders, and first-hand observations of classrooms.

Throughout the course, Professor Wiseman explores the advantages and disadvantages of different educational systems and offers insights into how they could be improved. He also highlights the challenges that each system faces, such as issues of equity, access, and funding.

The course is highly engaging and thought-provoking, providing a wealth of information about the education systems of various countries. For anyone interested in education, the course offers a comprehensive overview of different approaches to learning and teaching and provides insights into what makes each system unique.

In addition to the lectures, the course includes a range of resources to enhance the learning experience, including recommended readings, study questions, and exercises to help students apply the concepts they have learned.

Overall, How the World Learns: Comparative Educational Systems is an excellent course that provides a fascinating look into education around the world. Professor Wiseman's expertise and engaging teaching style make the course both informative and enjoyable, and it is sure to be of interest to anyone interested in the subject.

How the World Learns: Comparative Educational Systems is a series that ran for 1 seasons (24 episodes) between July 24, 2015 and on The Great Courses

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Seasons

24. How to Fix Education: Heart, Head, Hands

July 24, 2015

Assuming something is "wrong" with schools, how might they be fixed? Analyze how the larger forces of imposition, invitation, and innovation can lead to change through examples from Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and Myanmar, where Buddhist monks have established non-religious schools at their monasteries to remedy the poor quality of government-provided education.

23. The Rich-and-Poor Learning Cycle

July 24, 2015

How should we measure academic success? By standardized tests and school grades? By transition and mobility within an education system? See how true success in education is a delicate balance between school factors and non-school factors, which can look quite different depending on the context.

22. A School inside Your Phone?

July 24, 2015

New technologies are being implemented as teaching tools, combining traditional teaching methods with more self-directed learning. Consider efforts such as the One Laptop per Child organization, and see why even when such technology does exist, its use is not always sustainable.

21. The Problem with Teaching's Best Practices

July 24, 2015

Explore ways that teachers and students behave in classrooms across the globe, focusing on what seems to work in a few key systems. Discover why practices that produce a great outcome in one place--such as lengthening the school year--don't necessarily lead to success in another.

20. From National Student to Global Citizen

July 24, 2015

Explore how education in countries around the world develops global citizens by imparting a combination of identity, knowledge, skills, and action--both explicitly and implicitly--to engender concern for making the world a better place. Examine curricula designed to focus on global citizenry, including the International Baccalaureate and instruction created by Oxfam.

19. The Foundations of Civil Society

July 24, 2015

Think critically about political socialization and why it plays such a large part in education worldwide by looking closely at the various ways students are politically socialized, the results of these efforts, and who realistically--rather than ideally--benefits.

18. Turning a Good Teacher into a Great One

July 24, 2015

Think about what constitutes good teaching, and look at the ways teachers teach in the U.S., Finland, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. Begin your comparison by looking at some of the school factors that influence teaching, including how teachers are trained and the degree to which they routinely collaborate.

17. International Test Scores: All and Nothing

July 24, 2015

Most educational systems around the world have four general goals. Explore each of them here as you get a framework for finding what works to improve student achievement on standardized tests in countries worldwide. Also, look closely at some of the chief concerns regarding these tests.

16. Reading, Writing, and Religion

July 24, 2015

Think about how educators and students in systems around the world decide what to teach and learn, and consider how this decision is largely a product of context. Start with an examination of national curricula around the world, where you'll find commonalities in content matter and cognitive skills, as well as key differences.

15. How Parents Shape Student Outcomes

July 24, 2015

Explore how parental involvement aligns with socioeconomic status and influences student achievement and education worldwide. See the role "cram schools" in Korea and other private tutoring play in education and the importance of early childhood education on child literacy. Finally, learn how the Japanese system fosters ties between schools and employers.

14. Who Is Accountable for Education?

July 24, 2015

Accountability culture varies from country to country and region to region, but three common elements appear in most educational systems. Compare and contrast how access, achievement, and a combination of standards and assessments play out in the U.S. and Finland, and look at one notable exception--the consensus culture of Japan.

13. Gulf Schools: The Non-National Advantage

July 24, 2015

Look at the "insider" versus the "outsider" in national education systems such as Saudi Arabia to see how education bridges political citizenship, academic performance, and economic productivity. Examine how education is a means for producing citizens who reflect the desired image of a nation's population and its government.

12. Gender Pipeline Lifts Equality Dream

July 24, 2015

The U.S. and other countries may not be able to replicate Finland's educational system, but they can level the playing field by making adjustments that contribute to equality in policies, curricula, and pedagogy. Focus on gender-based equity, looking at areas where real progress is being made as well as institutionalized gender inequalities masked by egalitarian values.

11. Why Blame the Teacher?

July 24, 2015

Is low student performance the fault of teachers? Consider this question as you study characteristics of students, teachers, curriculum, and culture in the "model" educational systems to see what makes them different (or not) from the U.S. and other middle- or low-performing countries. Look at the elusiveness of quality teachers in the Gulf region.

10. The Value in Linking School to Jobs

July 24, 2015

Many business and industry leaders say there is no connection between formal school education--which teaches information, but not skills--and what is needed in the world of work. Investigate renewed global efforts to test whether vocational training can better prepare youth to participate in the emerging technology-driven knowledge economy.

9. Borrowing Foreign School Cultures

July 24, 2015

Why are educational comparisons so popular? Should educational reform be driven by economic competition? Think critically about these questions as you examine which countries and cultures are and aren't comparable, and consider the United Arab Emirates' unique strategy of importing 50 Finnish teachers to reform two schools based on the Finnish model.

8. Germany and Japan's Shattered Expectations

July 24, 2015

Thanks to the PISA and other internationally comparative data, each nation's policymakers, educators, and the public know exactly how well their students perform compared to their peers. Consider why Finland sits at the top of these rankings, and examine reforms countries such as Indonesia and Japan have implemented in response to their results.

7. When Culture Invades the Classroom

July 24, 2015

Investigate the idea that "non-school factors" such as student poverty are among the strongest predictors of learning. Examine how two of the largest of these factors--culture and economics--play out in South Africa, which is experiencing an HIV/AIDS crisis, and in China, where test scores and national economics are thought to go hand-in-hand.

6. The World Learns from Horace Mann

July 24, 2015

Trace how the ideologies of mass education emerged in the U.S. and became central tenets of education around the world. Survey the ideas of key educational thinkers such as Horace Mann and James Bryant Conant, then consider why, despite its strengths, the U.S. might be ranked low relative to international standards.

5. What Should We Compare about Education?

July 24, 2015

Do the achievement rankings paint an accurate picture of what's happening in schools, or is the crisis politically manufactured? Get answers as you analyze common criticisms of national education systems through the lens of three recurring phenomena--achievement envy, the accountability expectation, and access entitlement--and look at approaches to shifting school culture.

4. Evidence-Based Policy Making in Education

July 24, 2015

Delve into the question of why evidence-based educational policymaking has become a global phenomenon by looking at the way data is used to shape what teachers and students do in the classroom. See how governing bodies can bureaucratize the ways data is collected, presented, and interpreted--or manipulated.

3. Education Is Life

July 24, 2015

Which is more important--gaining knowledge or new skills? Is standardized testing the best measure of what someone knows? What is the purpose of going to school--to prepare for college or a career? Address such questions as you probe Americans' views on education and how it can be improved using internationally comparable information.

2. Sputnik Launches the Science-Math Race

July 24, 2015

Dating back to Sputnik in the 1950s, education culture has been driven by anxiety. Learn about the history of "crisis" in U.S. education before investigating how America's educational system compares with schools and students in other countries. Focus on TIMSS in particular, which tracks mathematics and science achievement in about 70 countries.

1. The Global Challenge to Educate

July 24, 2015

Borrowing or benchmarking one national education system against another is not necessarily a remedy or the most useful analytical tool for educational reform, yet these are among the most common approaches. Begin to understand why this approach falls short as Professor Wiseman lays out his general thesis for the course.

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Where to Watch How the World Learns: Comparative Educational Systems

How the World Learns: Comparative Educational Systems is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch How the World Learns: Comparative Educational Systems on demand at Amazon and Hoopla.