Course:EDCP333/2013Groups/globalization

Group Members

1. Alasdair: alasdairphillips@hotmail.com
2. Adel: agasmi@hotmail.com
3. Megan: megtolliday@gmail.com
4. Michael: myang117@gmail.com

Globalization Defined

Globalization, in common terms:

What is globalization? It is when an English Princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel in a German car with a Dutch engine driven by a Belgian who was high on Australian beer, Scottish whiskey, and Burmese dope whilst being followed by Spanish paparazzi on Italian motorcycles with Japanese cameras, and who was treated by an American doctor using Swiss drugs based on Brazilian medicines and medical technology that uses Bill Gates’ software that he stole from the Taiwanese and which was loaded on hardware based on IBM clones that use Phillipine-made chips and Malaysian-made monitors, clones which are assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by lorries made in Korea and driven by Indians, shipped by the Vietnamese crew of ships built in Northern Ireland but owned by Greeks and registered in Panama, ships hijacked by Indonesian pirates with guns made in Israel and smuggled by Africans and finally sold by an Arab salesman working through a Hong Kong front!

Widest Definition:

The significant increase and organization of flows of ideas, goods, capital, people and power across national borders, leading to greater global integration of economics, politics and culture.

First Recorded Definition

The emergence of global markets for standardized products on a previously unimagined scale of magnitude (1983).––Theodore Levitt

Economic Definition:

Whereby a handful of private interests are permitted to control as much as possible of social and economic life, in order to maximize their personal profit.

Scholarly Articles and Critique

"No Child Left Behind" –– P. Lipman

by Adel Gasmi

The “No Child Left Behind” policy is nothing but an extension of the neoliberal policies to the domain of education. After putting control on the economy they are extending their hands to a domain considered so far as protected. The idea of reforming schools goes back to the 1960s to Milton Friedman’s free market proposals. Since then, there has been a constant call to regulate schools, teachers, and students. However, the interests that corporates were going to reap from that policy was not hidden, but, on the contrary, it was well established. A new vocabulary full of semantic gymnastics such as efficiency, performance standards, and redefinition of education is also the same language used in education policy. The NCLB succeeded in redefining education reform, because there is a problem of education in the United States. Also, there is this neoliberal understanding and logic that the market can do all things better than public institutions even running prisons. The work of educators has been reduced to nothing and business needs to take schools over.

refer to: Lipman, P. (2006). No Child Left Behind: Globalization, privatization and the politics of inequality. In E. W. Ross & R. Gibson (Eds.), Neoliberalism and education reform (pp. 35-58). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

“The New Right Agenda and Teacher Resistance in Canadian Education” –– L. Kuehn

by Alasdair Phillips

Kuehn’s article is a criticism of not just the school system but the entire political system in Canada subscribing to neo-liberal, neo-conservative, authoritarian and new managerial practices. This “new right” is affecting countless other industries, which Kuehn mentions, but his focus is on the impact they are having on Canadian school systems. It should be noted that Kuehn makes no attempt to mask his own political alignment and some of his utterances of his opposition border on derogatory. According to Kuehn, the role of neo-liberalism in the school system is keeping those who are at the top at the top. The programs in education systems that are currently run by the government will be privatized, where possible, and self-regulated in order to reduce government spending and create more private markets. This means that schools will only get the services they can afford to pay for out of school or community funds. This would likely not be an issue for schools in wealthy neighbourhoods - particularly since the majority of such schools are already independent and largely funded by the community. Middle and lower class schools, however, would likely not be able to afford the same services as their wealthy counterparts and thus would be put at an advantage - even more so than before. The role of neo-conservativism, similarly, is to maintain the class imbalance but through social means rather than economic. Equity and equality programs will be scrapped in favour of a meritocracy (which most often values wealth above all). The new managerial aspect is something that can easily be seen in schools today and most of us probably saw in some form during our short practicums. This idea of authoritarianism, in tandem with the meritocracy, is to recognize what is valued in schools and then to create a means by which to measure it. This measurement can then be used to check any student’s standing in comparison to all other students in the community, province, country and (coming soon) world. Measurement is done through testing but also on areas like attendance and work habits and all measurements are recorded in a web-based system through the classroom computer. Academic measurements can be based on the PLOs but Kuehn stresses not everything that is important can be measured. There is no record of how a student thinks or what may be inhibiting a student from reaching the desired measurement. The only consideration is the final product. The globalized side of this situation is that, while these policies are beginning in “developed” countries, they are then being distributed to “under-developed” nations. And this distribution is not accidental or even through the motivations of the adopters. Kuehn points out that the IMF and World Bank, in exchange for funding a country’s education, impose particular criteria on the development of the education system. Criteria, Kuehn says, that force these new systems to emulate those of the “developed” world. This can be seen in the implementation of private schools in rural India in the overtly leftist film “Schooling the World: The Last White Man’s Burden”. There is a common belief, particularly amongst “developed” nations’ peoples, that the developed world got to where it is by doing everything better than everybody else. For this reason, “developed” nations have been more than willing to aid in other nations’ adopting their systems of government, economics and now education

refer to: Kuehn, L. (2006, Spring). The New Right agenda and teacher resistance in Canadian education. Our Schools/Our Selves, 15(3), 127-141.

"Introduction: What is Neoliberalism?" -- Ross and Gibson

by: Megan Tolliday

As an introduction to a book of essays, Ross and Gibson set up the reader for an understanding of globalization and neoliberalism and an exploration of Marx’s theories through the lens of educational discourse. This feeds into some examples of how globalization and neoliberalism are having negative consequences on the education system and explores quickly some ideas about incorporating Marxist ideologies to help improve on the current systems. This introduction is a scathing critique of how little money is invested in the education system and our youth, even at times of low unemployment and high governmental returns. The example that they use in this situation is the British Columbia (BC) government’s surplus in the year 2004 and the still lacking support that was offered to the educational system. According to the BC Teacher’s Federation (BCTF), BC’s students are some of the worst off in Canada based on class sizes, citing that BC’s are the largest of any province in the country and another 6600 teachers are required in order to bring class sizes down to the national average. The problem with the article is not the information that is presented, but who it is presented to. The audience of this article are teachers who are likely already aware of challenges in the funding of the education sector, both in Canada and with the No Child Left Behind program in the United States. Where this information would be best served is on the doorsteps and TVs of voters, especially around election time. If a province is feeling the successes of a strong economy, the citizens likely assume that the extra money that they are receiving is going to bolster the public services of the province. Sadly, these assumptions are incorrect. Somehow we have to get these details into the public eye so that they can know that while BC has a huge cost of living, the teachers living in the province are leaving to find jobs that will offer them smaller class sizes and higher salaries. The goal of this book appears to be to analyse neoliberalism and to try to reform some of its practices. While this is a great discourse and a conversation that needs to be had, it would be more effective if all of the people who could make these changes would come to the table, especially those who have the money. Instead, as teachers, we continue to try to fight for what is right for us as employees and for the future of the students of BC. Hopefully that argument will sooner rather than later bring us up to par with the rest of Canada and the western world.

refer to: Ross, E. W., & Gibson, R. (2006). Introduction: What is neoliberalism? In E. W. Ross & R. Gibson (Eds.), Neoliberalism and education reform (pp. 1-14). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.'

"The Iron Cage" –– G. Martell

by: Michael Yang

George Martell argues that neoliberalism is targeting the public school system and placing it within an “iron cage.” The cage is made of “functional rationality” and “instrumentality.” Which essentially means there is a systematic structure of coercive economic and psychological relationships whose central function the creation of human capital. Therefore there is no greater place to do this than in the education system, because this is where the future of society and capitalism lies –– our students, our youth. Right now the education “market” (and Martell argues that it is indeed a market) is focusing on Outcomes Based Education (OEB). The OEB approach is the most recent and visible expression of the iron cage at work. What this means is that our schools and education systems are turning our students into human capital, basically resources that can be used, traded, and ultimately burned out. For many, this is a growing concern as students may not longer be actually learning or receiving an education that opens their minds and makes them more compassionate and healthy/whole people. Instead, they are being pushed and tracked along a path that is dominated by a production-focused, bottom line, and outcomes based “education.”

Yet, Martell leaves room and offers three major avenues for dismantling the iron cage. The first is working together. In this context, it involves building powerful coalitions between students, parents, teachers, administrators, education workers, and communities. This organizing has to also reach out on two fronts: to impact political institutions on all levels (for they make the overall decisions on the system) and to those in local schools (where real change can take place with real people in a real place). The second is through the linkages of money, power, and curriculum into one platform. This is because often in the educational reform discourse, we have sacrificed one for the sake of the power. Therefore whenever we talk about money, it must be linked to how it is spent and the type of curriculum that may result from new funding if any. But also, with investments into new curriculums, how does that change the political and societal power dynamics if at all? These are all questions that arise when linking these things together, especially in a way that expands the singularity of a neoliberal OEB approach to education. Lastly, there is the discernment and will power necessary to say no and to say yes. In the words of Martell, we are to “say No to human capital production in our schools as we say Yes to program that fits all our students for the task of building a genuine home for themselves in communities and countries they can call their own.” This means the insistence that students see, understand, and treat one another as full human beings. By taking such measures, the dismantling of the iron cage is possible. As cited in Martell, the Argentinian journalist Claudia Korol once said: “Believe what is necessary is possible. Accomplish what is possible.”

refer to: Martell, G. (2006). Introduction: Education’s iron cage and its dismantling in the new global order. Our Schools/Our Selves, 15(3), 1-13.

Courtesy of Vancouver Archives

Examples of "Globalization"

"Globalization" as a term was first coined in 1983 by Harvard Economics Professor Theodore Levitt. As an idea, its history is recorded to as early as the third millennium BCE by some (Andre Gunder Frank, "Reorient: Global economy in the Asian age" U.C. Berkeley Press, 1998). While some critique this early dating for resting on an over generalization of the idea, most historians place the origins prior to European discovery of the new world. There are three generally recognized "periods" of globalization: archaic, proto-industrialization and modern.

Archaic globalization

The earliest stage of globalization, archaic globalization originated prior to industrialization and the nation-state. During this time, the creation of far-reaching trade networks like the Silk Road as well as the growth of imperialism led to the spread of not only material goods but also values, ideas and religion. While this did not lead to a homogenized global population, this period is understood to be the "big bang" of modern globalization.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Proto-industrialization

This stage, chronologically placed between 1600 and 1800, is marked by the rapid growth of traditionally organized but market-oriented rural industry. This led to regional specialization of goods production and subsequent surplus which merchant capitalists took advantage of in order to facilitate trade with other regions.

Globalization 3.0

First coined by New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, this latest definition of globalization refers to the updates in technology leading to faster and more robust global telecommunication systems. This is affecting economies on a massive scale by deporting jobs and resulting in huge savings for international corporations. It is also shifting the job markets at home, where workers have increased demands on their skills and creativity. For more information on this concept, see Friedman's Book The World Is Flat.

Why is Globalization important in Social Studies?

For Teachers

Globalization is a great angle to use to have students think about its impact on their worlds. Often perceived to be a twentieth century phenomenon, teachers can travel back centuries and millennia to show students the origins of this idea with a surprising long history. These histories can be used to draw a line between what globalization was then and what it is today giving students real world examples of their studies.

For Students

Being such a polarizing subject with strong evidence both for and against, globalization can be seen from a variety of perspectives. To consider both sides and ultimately choose only one requires gathering of evidence and critical thinking.

Common Criticisms of Globalization

The Simpsons Intro: Dark Side of Globalization http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX1iplQQJTo#t=68

Globalization Animation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeXvtz0_Ex0

Critical Questions

How does the neoliberal agenda affect access to education?

How can educators effectively teach such a complex issue so that students can come to their own conclusions about the benefits and consequences of globalization?

Some Positive Aspects of Globalization

Easy access to products, information and ideas that span across the globe.

Economic profits, especially for countries with manufacturing resources.

Ability to immigrate to other countries and send money home to support the family.

Rapid response of international relief programs in times of crisis.

Some Negative Consequences of Globalization

Exploitation of countries and workers who are less financially independent.

Economic collapse by one nation affects the economies of countries around the world.

Formation of an international "monoculture".

Commodification of staple crops creates disparity in access to food.

Workshop

Workshop Presentation Slides:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1t9X1UywdT6J6NReGr6rgYAmKSGmoho9dC8G7BjcZ0J8/edit?usp=sharing

Workshop Presentation Notes:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17mbn_8f5DJkIIDlVvG8G-t5yNJ7Ow4jtGbB-3IDiQLY/edit?usp=sharing

• all materials and slides are reusable and free to be adapted, if given proper credit.

Teacher Resources

PLO's, Curriculum, Lesson Plans

Social Studies 8/ "You and the World –– A Look at World Demographics (by Michael Yang) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzB_lyZkR0WOdGtrOFhCSWpfUHM/edit?usp=sharing

Social Studies 8 / "The Silk Road: Globalization’s Infancy" (by Alasdair Phillips) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l_LZiDwhzLVKxmWBuBAjDnWBG517drGlPCNXGjsgAjE/edit?usp=sharing

Social Studies 9 / "Introduction to Industrial Revolution" (by Adel Gasmi) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KCQdlsV37rqmcFJv4qQBKMZsDWzV6dEeMWIA2EI0U0c/edit

Social Studies 10 / "An introduction to a unit on Laurier and immigration: what is globalization and how did it impact 19th century Canada?" (by Megan Tolliday) https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzB_lyZkR0WONFhJc0luTjZQRk0/edit

Activities to do with a class

Global Supply Chain Lesson Plan http://www.nationalgeographic.com/illicittrade/pdf/Illicit_LPlan3.pdf

Interdependency Game: http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/Resources/Traidcraft/Documents/PDF/General/schools_game_interdependency_game.pdf

Unfair Game: http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/Resources/Traidcraft/Documents/PDF/General/schools_game_unfair_games.pdf

Orange Game: http://www.traidcraftschools.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/D053DD1F-38DE-4A48-8A7B-54196A7D970B/0/schools_game_orange_trading_game.pdf

Video Resources

Globalization I: The Upside: Crash Course World History #41 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SnR-e0S6Ic

Globalization II: Good or Bad?: Crash Course World History #42: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_iwrt7D5OA

Critiques of Provincial IRPs and Textbooks

Horizons: Canada Moves West, 1st edition – a book review

by Megan Tolliday

If you’re looking for a book that outlines the history content of Canada around the time of confederation and into the beginning of the 20th century that is written at a high school level, you likely won’t find a lot of options. The book that has been chosen by many high schools in British Columbia is Horizons: Canada Moves West. While this book has a lot of information on the formation of Canada and its provinces, it also leaves a lot to be desired.

Missing from this book are important players in our history such as women, immigrants and aboriginals. It also relies on the teacher of the subject-matter to offer the critical eye whereas it draws the majority of the information from sources and allows the reader to interpret it. And while the book does offer activities, they are quite high-level and do not require a lot of depth or background knowledge. I suppose that this makes the book more accessible and allows for teachers to use their imagination with the content.

On that note, I can’t say that the entirety of the book is awful It does present the information in an easy-to-read fashion (even if some key details are missing) and I like that there are times when they present primary source documents such as the Metis List of Rights drawn up by Louis Riel’s provisional government (again, the activity that accompanies it is somewhat bland, but teachers can work to perk that up). The textbook, as noted in the title, is the first edition and was published in 1999. It is my understanding that the authours have heard similar criticisms of the book and have enhanced some of the information in their latest version, but I unfortunately have not had a chance to see it yet.

I expect that textbook authours must often find themselves in this position: that no matter how hard they work to create material that is all-encompassing and inclusive of all levels of learners, they often fall short. And, as will all textbooks, the information is quickly dated. Unfortunately in these cases, the education system does not allow for a textbook upgrade very frequently (hence why I am critiquing a book that is almost 15 years old), so it is often up to teachers to make due with the resources that they have.

Social Studies 8 British Columbia IRP

by Alasdair Phillips

Being one of the oldest curricula (1997) still in use in British Columbia, the Social Studies 8 IRP shows its age both positively and negatively. Entitled “Civilizations From 500-1600,” the course covers a very large period of time and consequently is rather vague in establishing what should or must be taught. Broken into four separate categories (Society and Culture, Politics and Law, Economy & Technology and Environment) the only mention of particular events is that of The Renaissance under the PLO “identify periods of significant cultural achievement”. The exclusion of other events is likely due to an assumption that teachers would turn to events in European history in order to bring to life the ideas in the PLOs.

While newer IRPs are becoming more and more specific in order to reduce the number of PLOs students are expected to learn, the number and breadth of the PLOs in Social Studies 8 allow teachers to teach the required skills through nearly any society existing within the prescribed period. Again, the PLOs are probably vague due to assumption that all teachers would use European content but this vagueness can also be exploited in order to teach ideas through means outside of the “Grand Narrative”. Globalization is not a “west only” phenomenon and so it can be approached from the perspective of one of a countless number of groups. An example of this could be the PLO that expects students to “identify factors that influence the development and decline of world civilizations,” would traditionally be experienced through the Roman Empire. The vagueness of the vocabulary used in the PLO, however, would allow for it to be taught through the Huron, the Aztec, the Mayans, the Visigoths or any other civilization so long as there is ample content with which to work. The rise of these groups may or may not have been affected by global interaction and the fall most certainly was. If a teacher wishes to go deeper into the effects globalization had on these or any other groups, the particular PLO “describe how societies preserve identity, transmit culture and adapt to change” allows for the freedom to look at what changes within groups when they come into contact with others.

General Resources

Videos/Movies/Documentaries

1. "Schooling the World: The White Man's Last Burden" (2010)
2. "Darwin's Nightmare" (2004)
3. "Inside Job" (2010)

Texts

1. “Introduction: What is neoliberalism?” (Ross & Gibson)
2. “No Child Left Behind: Globalization, privatization, and the politics of inequality" (Lipman)
3. “The New Right agenda and teacher resistance in Canadian education” (Kuehn)
4. “Introduction: Education’s iron cage and its dismantling in the new global order” (Martell)
5. Stay Solid! (Hern et al.)
6. The World is Flat (Thomas Friedman, 2005)
7. The End of the Nation State (Kenichi Ohmae, 1995)
8. Rethinking Globalization: Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World (Bigelow & Peterson, 2002)

References

References: