Educating for the 21st Century

"This book richly captures valuable and relevant insights into the local and global complexities of 21st century education and school practices. It is a fi ne and scholarly book that addresses current and signifi cant comparative issues in education and policy research. It contains a number of interesting and timely chapters on various aspects of pedagogy and education policies, offering a new perspective on pedagogy and schools. The strongest aspects of the book are its diversity of perspectives and innovative approaches to educational theory and practice." (Professor Joseph Zajda, Australian Catholic University, Australia) "The world is smaller; the pace of living is faster; and communities are more diverse than ever before. What would help people to cope and succeed within these complexities?Education. It is clear by now that no country alone can design its education system to meet these expectations that characterize the 21st century. This book with its chapters written by scholars and practitioners from diff erent parts of the world provides rich new perspectives to those who are interested in educational improvement. Whether you are system leader, policymaker, researcher or teacher, this must-read volume inspires you to think deeper about what is possible in your own work." (Pasi Sahlberg, author of Finnish Lesson 2.0)

All over the world, governments, policymakers, and educators are advocating the need to educate students for the 21st first century. The third part, “Practices: Enacting the Future in Local Contexts,” discusses on-the-ground initiatives that schools in various countries around the world enact to educate their students for the 21st century.All over the world, governments, policymakers, and educators are advocating the need to educate students for the 21st first century. This book provides insights into what this means and the ways 21st century education is theorized and implemented in practice. The first part, “Perspectives: Mapping our futures-in-the-making,” uncovers the contradictions, tensions and processes that shape 21st century education discourses. The second part, “Policies: Constructing the future through policymaking,” discusses how 21st century education is translated into policies and the resulting tensions that emerge from top-down, state sanctioned policies and bottom-up initiatives. The third part, “Practices: Enacting the Future in Local Contexts,” discusses on-the-ground initiatives that schools in various countries around the world enact to educate their students for the 21st century. This volume includes contributions from leading scholars in the field as well as educators from schools and those working with schools.