Programme 398, Yong Zhao on Globalisation, Technology, Entrepreneurship & Education (25-4-20)

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's episode I speak to Professor Yong Zhao from the School of Education at the University of Kansas. Among the topics we discuss on the episode are the following: We currently have the opportunity to reimagine education without schools: Do we have to do these subjects? Do we have to teach this much? A good time to teach global understanding, empathy and competency Innovation in education The importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset The Digital Pencil Alternative ways of organising the education of young people Difficulty of finding like-minded people in a small school Globalisation as the “death of physical distance” Globalisation is localisation of global forces Implications of globalisation for teachers Why everyone should have a local identity and affirm the identities of others Your uniqueness can only become valuable when it’s valuable to others Why schools encourage people to be independent and selfish rather than interdependent Schools as a place to bring about a better society Students as job creators versus job hunters Enhancing entrepreneurship in students Unintended consequences of education policies PISA test scores and the illusions of excellence, science, progress. His experience of being educated in China The impact of technology on education To compete with a machine, a person must avoid becoming one! Be unique and great in your own way; understand yourself, your talents and virtues. "Creative" means identifying problems worth solving Empty creativity versus good creativity – the need to have a domain to excel in What schools should be for: a place to equalise community resources David Berliner and Bruce J. Biddle The Manufactured Crisis. David Berliner as a former guest on the podcast Diane Ravitch’s blog: https://dianeravitch.net/ If we want a better life in the future, we need to help our children create a better life for us