Essay Example on Globalization of Teaching and Learning

Personal Experience at the University

When I enrolled at the University at the first time for my undergraduate studies, I was happy but had no idea on how to go about it. I thought I would never graduate at the same time with my colleagues. Finishing my university education was a big goal growing up, but it was my biggest fear as well. I had to stay active for the whole period, remain dedicated to my plans so as to graduate successfully. Getting to the point to graduate is not easy, apart from personal dedication, I took encouragement from my friends and family, and assistance from other people like my supervisors and career mentors to reach this position (Lopatto, 2007).

Many times I felt broken down with all the assignments and classwork commitment. When I complained, my parents could tell me that I had to graduate no matter what. They always said that for me to get their full support I had to stick in school, or otherwise I could not be left to live at home. In the beginning, my grades were poor as I found it troubling concentrating on things that I considered challenging but I had to study in my latter university years to pass the examination (Austin, 1993). My interests were in the sports, gym and music clubs. Class work wasnt that interesting to me. However, I had to grab the opportunity or else it would pass me.

I had to overcome several obstacles to obtain a degree as this was the critical journey in my life. Through my university education, I have gained the knowledge and skills to be successful in the outside world. I acquired the foundation and tools needed to shape my career. My university education fueled me to a personal and ethical evolution that transformed my outlook on life (Bui, 2002). The pursuit of my education was deeply a personal experience that contrasted with my initial perceptions about my university studies. It is through my challenging college education that I have evolved to who I am and able to interact and make meaningful connections with several people and help many young people as well.

Impact of globalization on teaching and learning

Globalization is a process which affects many areas of the human life, one being education. In the twentieth century, several developing nations have had a growth in the school system resulting from the entry of the Western institutions. According to Nicholas & Carlos (2000), people view globalization in education systems differently, some as an invaluable opportunity to raise the standards and training skills, and others fear that globalization is a current form of cultural imperialism that leads to the creation of universal, ultimately western society.

Through educational globalization, the skills and capabilities of students from different parts of the world are improving. Globalization replaces the original forms of teaching and learning with modern forms preparing the students to urban existence. Consequently, there is a loss of social worth as the modern western education style focuses mostly on the creation of money with little attention on preserving of cultures. According to (Bergmann &Sams, 2012), globalization also results to the educational institutions recognizing the importance of mechanisms and structures that accommodate diverse cultures as well as students with different needs, taking into account also those students with different challenges.

The effects of globalization on educational institutions is the rapid technological and communications developments that are changing the school systems, knowledge and values, as well as the roles of teachers and students in the learning process. Globalization is shifting the society from industrialization to an information-based society. The global society, driven by communication and technology developments is shaping learners, the future citizens to be global citizens (Green & Baer, 2000). Globalization makes teaching and learning lifelong processes to develop transferable knowledge and skills to apply in competitive markets. The mode of delivering education to students is changing gradually, giving room for electronic literacy as more training materials and programs are today available in the electronic form; teachers preparing course modules and assignments in electronic form, and the students generating tasks and projects electronically (Tikly, 2001). Digital libraries are a result of globalization and issuing of grades and examinations is electronic as well. The regular face to face lecturer-student encounters is changing to online tutorials and examinations on computers. The emergence of the internet and video conferencing breaks the barriers of distance learning at a rapid rate due to globalization effects (Green & Baer, 2000). Communication technology offers students of all abilities with new challenges as they can discuss matters of concern with other students around the world.

Globalization has brought modes of knowledge delivery that allows learners to discover new learning and thinking styles that are impossible with paper and pen. The students seek and discover knowledge through experimentation and inquiry unlike memorizing the teachers dominated facts. The learning responsibility is now on the individual instead of being solely on teaching staff (Lee, 2006). Lack of supportive infrastructure hinders this. Learning is becoming highly invaluable to individuals. Education is providing people with better chances of employment and consequent better lifestyles, status, and power. The institutions of higher learning are subject to international trends.

Globalization creates opportunities and challenges to the learners and learning is the only solution to these difficulties. Accessibility problems are also evident in globalization teaching as many people are illiterate. As the globalization pace accelerates and its impact expands, learning institutions are seeing the number of students increasing from beyond the national borders and offering some different courses in the broad range of common subjects so as to meet the world's needs of the new era of teaching and learning (Green & Baer, 2000).

Effective response to globalization challenges

No single learning institution can address the globalization challenges entirely on its own. An effective response is dependent on the establishment of a new global alliance of the academic and private sector associates with an ordinary means to carry out multidisciplinary research. Intellectual collaboration on some new scale is also necessary (Tikly, 2001). There is the need to come up with new models of learning institutions and the training sectors to work for the good of the public.

In developing a new paradigm for the university, the application of the global model of engagement used by the American universities is necessary (Takooshian, 2006). The school establishes a comprehensive campus at home (locally) and have the leading universities in the world, and the high-tech companies work side by side within the academic setting. Working for the public good means that the university has to develop the capability and will to broaden its conception of the right of the public especially during the new global age (Annabi & Muller, 2016). The university has a responsibility to the public good and an understanding that the public is global. There is a need for a wider range as well as changed compositions of partnerships.

Conclusion

People have diverse experiences in learning, but one can always become what they want by learning to overcome the obstacles in the journey to success. Globalization has effects on how institutions deliver education and roles played by teachers and students. Learning and teaching should not be the means of world westernization but should recognize that each culture is unique and treated with due respect, understanding that global education is not learning the West alone but different cultures using various approaches and teaching ways as well as diverse media.

References

Annabi, C. A., & Muller, M. (2016). Learning from the Adoption of MOOCs in Two International Branch Campuses in the UAE. Journal of Studies in International Education, 20(3), 260-281.

Austin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college.

Bergmann, J. and Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. Orlando, FL: International Society for Technology in Education.

Bui, K. V. T. (2002). First-generation college students at a four-year university: Background characteristics, reasons for pursuing higher education, and first-year experiences. College Student Journal, 36(1), 3-12.

Green, M., & Baer, M. (2000). What does Globalization mean for teaching and learning? CHET Transformation Debates. Centre for higher education transformation. Wynberg, South Africa.

Lee, H. L. (2006). Speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Teachers Day Rally, the Max Pavilion, Singapore Expo. Singapore: Ministry of Education.

Lopatto, D. (2007). Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 6(4), 297-306.

Nicholas, B. and Carlos, A.T. (2000). Globalization and education Critical perspectives. Carlos Alberto Torres and Raymond A. Morrow (eds.). Social Theory Education & Cultural Change. New York: Routledge. p. 22.

Takooshian, H. (2006). How Are Universities Adapting to Globalization? Psyccritiques, 51(50).

Tikly, L. (2001). Globalization and education in the postcolonial world: Towards a conceptual framework. Comparative education, 37(2), 151-171.