Global Learning Collaborative

EDU 517: Fall 2015

Directions:
Watch the Best Education in the World Learning Curve video and determine
what makes an educational system a success!
Look at the resources in the Global Education Series folder and choose a
country highlighted in the video as having a model educational system.
Watch the video particular to the country of your choice to determine at
least 3 main reasons for their success. Post your findings on a new slide. Be
sure to give the name of the country, your name, at least 3 bullet points and
any additional details you care to add.
Be sure not to duplicate a country on more than 2 slides.

Singapore- 21st Century

Teaching Strategies
Jessica Janus
Singapore has developed one of the worlds top educational systems and its successes are due to:

The extreme importance in making school fun by embracing technology that helps to make learning more
engaging and interesting.
Maintaining student interest. One must be savvy with technology.
The emphasis on the use of technology, digital media, and integration of 21st century skills.
The role of the teacher is being a facilitator. Facilitating students on where they can get the right knowledge
and how to synthesize and discern information.
Looking at technology meaningfully. Students using tools that they are good at using (instant messenger,
Facebook, Wikis, etc.). Facebook is not a distraction when used as a way to engage students.
Students are not just becoming consumers of knowledge, but also producers of knowledge.
Teachers scanning the globe for best practices (ongoing professional development in their own school and
around the world).
Teachers watching model lessons to gain important points, to provide feedback, to share, to communicate,
and to make improvements.
The mindset that there is always something new to learn and discover. New ways to connect with kids and
challenge them.
Teachers are not teaching the same way that they were taught (they are being adaptive in methods).

Germany
Responsible Schools Program:
1. Teachers Work in Teams
2. Contract Agreement with Students
3. Focus on Strengths of Students
4. Encouraged to work on Parent/Student Relations
5. MENTALITY: SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER!!!

Michael Cummings

Canada (Ontario)
Every school in Ontario has a full time success coordinator so there isn't any
students that are overlooked.
Immigrant students typically perform as well as Canadian born students on the
PISA assessment because of working with the success coordinator.
All educators have a weekly meeting to track student success in and outside of
the classroom. (Collaboration for student success)
Teachers make connects and look holistically of how they can support the
student.
Make sure the classroom environment is as comfortable as possible. If students
feel comfortable in the classroom then success is up.
Hillary Zacharyasz

Donna Gutschmidt
In Finland, Special Education
is the norm, not the exception,
and is received by 90% of the
students.
Special Education teachers
evaluate each student and
design an individual learning
program based on their needs.
90% of students are then
placed in a regular classrooms.

Subject Teachers and

Special Teachers work
together to ensure that
each student is
progressing appropriately
based on their individual
needs.

Each school has a Student

Welfare Team that is
comprised of the Principal,
Special Education Teachers,
Classroom Teachers, School
Nurse, and Psychologist.
They meet 2x per month to
discuss each students
difficulties and progress.

Early detection and

intervention of any
student concerns is the
foundation of their effort.
Finland has changed its traditional
education system into a model of a
modern, publicly financed education
system with widespread equity, good
quality, large participationall of this at
reasonable cost.
Source: http://www.nea.org/home/40991.htm

Eric Tepfenhart
Shanghai School
Systems
3 Main Reasons for Shanghais Success
1. They pair high performing schools with
underperforming schools to help each other create
better teachers, schools and classes.
a. Help underperforming teachers provide better
lessons, analyze teaching styles based off of
best practices, help in classroom management
and discipline.
2. Chinese culture values education.
a. Parents push students to be the best and
smartest student that they can be because it is
a direct reflection on them.
3. Teachers are very engaging with the students and
truly care about their education and truly care about
their students learning and succeeding.
. Change can be drastically quick or happen over a
period of time when working together to create better
teachers, classes and education for the students.

Finland
Jillian (Bray) Lackey

1. Early Intervention: early detection

of any learning difficulties and
provided help and support very
early.
2. Student Welfare Team- a
team of professionals comprised
as the principal, special
education teacher, school nurse,
psychologist and classroom
teachers meet weekly to discuss
students needing extra help.

3. students who need

extra help receive special
education and are
assigned a special
education teacher who
helps identify student
needs and provide
assistance.
4. Finland educators
believe that 90% of
students can succeed in
regular classrooms if they
get emotional, academic, or
health and medical help
they need.

Ashley Swaney: Japan

The reforms that Japan has made has increased their scores on the
PISA tests, have encouraged more students to read for pleasure, and
have earned them a spot in the top 8 educational systems of the world.

Japan focuses on fostering

students creativity instead of
educating them to all work in a
uniform manner.

Japan uses a system called integrated

learning to help develop critical thinking
and problem solving skills. Here
students look at different viewpoints on
the same topic and draw links between
them.

Japan shifted its educational

focus from the acquisition of
knowledge to the application of
knowledge.

Japan has a program called Education

for Sustainable Environment where
students respond to global trends by
combining critical thinking, creativity,
and problem solving skills.

South
Korea
By: Deborah Moosbrugger

Students attend regular

schooling during the day
and additional private
schooling at night, getting a
double dose of learning each
Extreme focus on
day.
student
Many school and
In just two
achievement
educational
generations, the
success is
country has
solely the
come from mass
result of
With this much practice, they are
illiteracy to
effective
fantastic at test taking
technological
teaching
powerhouse