World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students

Yong Zhao

Corwin Press, Jun 26, 2012 - Education - 271 pages

Prepare your students for the globalized world!

In the new global economy, the jobs that exist now might not exist by the time today′s students enter the workplace. To succeed in this ever-changing world, students need to be able to think like entrepreneurs: resourceful, flexible, creative, and global.

Researcher and Professor Yong Zhao unlocks the secrets to cultivating independent thinkers who are willing and able to use their learning differently to create jobs and contribute positively to the globalized society. World Class Learners presents concepts that teachers, administrators and even parents can implement immediately, including how to:

• Understand the entrepreneurial spirit and harness it
• Foster student autonomy and leadership
• Champion inventive learners with necessary resources
• Develop global partners and resources

With the liberty to make meaningful decisions and explore nontraditional learning opportunities, today′s students will develop into tomorrow′s global entrepreneurs.

"In this important book, Yong Zhao demonstrates persuasively that the race for higher test scores is harmful to our society. What is needed most now, he reminds us, is freedom to think, freedom to invent, and freedom to differ from bureaucratically devised norms."
--Diane Ravitch, Author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System

"In his latest book, Yong Zhao forcefully challenges us to focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. Zhao has established himself as one of the most compelling voices in 21st century education. He is not an education reformer, trying to improve our performance within the old system. He is truly an education transformer, trying to articulate the outcomes that will matter most to our 21st century students."
--Ken Kay, CEO of EdLeader21
Founding President of Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Contents

• TO CREATE IS HUMAN: 1
• The Redefinition of Entrepreneurship: 3
• The Missing Link: 5
• Its Not About Teaching Entrepreneurship: 6
• To Enterprise Is Human: 9
• The Decline of Creativity and Education Reform in the United States and NCLB: 13
• The Future of Education: 15
• Plan of the Book: 17
• References: 20
• THE WRONG BET WHY COMMON CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS WONT HELP: 23
• National Homogenization: 27
• International Benchmarking: 31
• Placing the Bet: 35
• Questioning the Bet: 41
• References: 45
• THE CHANGED WORLD THE NEED FOR ENTREPRENEURS: 49
• No Jobs: 50
• Increased Productivity: 52
• More People and Longer Work Life: 53
• Global Redistribution of Jobs: 54
• Not a ZeroSum Game: 57
• Potential for New Jobs: 59
• Previously Unmet or Unrecognized Human Needs: 60
• Emerging Needs: 61
• Global Customer Base: 62
• A Global Capital Pool: 63
• A Global Workforce: 64
• A Shift of Mindset: 66
• The Missing Link: 69
• References: 71
• WHAT MAKES AN ENTREPRENEUR THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT: 75
• Redefining Entrepreneurs: 76
• Social Entrepreneurs: 77
• Intrapreneurs: 78
• Policy Entrepreneurs: 79
• What Makes an Entrepreneur: 81
• Where Do Entrepreneurs Come From?: 82
• The Entrepreneurial Activity GAP: 87
• The Entrepreneurial Spirit Gap: 90
• Entrepreneurship Education?: 92
• References: 96
• ACHIEVEMENT GAP VS ENTREPRENEURSHIP GAP THE MYTH OF EDUCATION GIANTS: 99
• Education Giant Entrepreneurial Dwarf: 103
• The Inverse Relationship Between Test Scores and Entrepreneurship Activities: 105
• Could Schooling Harm Entrepreneurship?: 107
• One Cost of High Scores?: 112
• References: 116
• CHINA VS THE UNITED STATES HOW THE BEST EDUCATION STIFLES THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT: 119
• The Case of China: 122
• What Happened to the Creative and Entrepreneurially Talented?: 125
• Chinas Admiration of American Education: 130
• A Sausage Machine that also makes Bacon: 133
• No Free Lunch: 138
• References: 140
• FROM ACCIDENT TO DESIGN A PARADIGM SHIFT: 143
• The Dominant Paradigm: 146
• Executing the Curriculum: 147
• A Master Plan for Success: 148
• A Necessity That No Longer Works: 150
• The Alternative Paradigm: 151
• Follow the Child: 152
• An Old Idea That Gets a New Life: 153
• How Children Learn: 155
• Grand Experiments: 156
• One Step Forward Two Steps Backward: 157
• Evolutionary Hangovers and The Challenges of Change: 158
• Evolutionary Hangovers: 159
• Appeals of the Traditional Paradigm: 160
• References: 163
• FREEDOM TO LEARN STUDENT AUTONOMY AND LEADERSHIP: 165
• Engagement: 171
• Initiative and Creativity: 173
• Strength and Exceptional Talent: 175
• The Environment: 176
• Diversity: 177
• Structure and Organization: 180
• Agency: 182
• Summary: 184
• References: 185
• PRODUCTORIENTED LEARNING WORKS THAT MATTER: 189
• Learning by Making: 194
• The Good The Bad and The Ugly: 195
• The Academic Model: 199
• The Mixed Model: 200
• The Entrepreneurial Model: 202
• The Process of ProductOriented Learning: 204
• Identify Needs: 205
• Come Up With an Idea: 206
• Convince Someone: 207
• Market the Product: 208
• Summary: 209
• THE GLOBE IS OUR CAMPUS GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURS AND ENTERPRISES: 213
• Opportunities Provided by Globalization for Jobs and Entrepreneurs: 217
• A Global Market With Local Needs: 218
• A World of Investors: 219
• A World of Partners: 220
• Elements of Entrepreneurial Global Competency: 221
• Global Problems as Enterprising Opportunities: 223
• Having a Global Network of Friends: 224
• Cultivating Entrepreneurial Global Competency: 225
• Make Products and Create Services for Others: 226
• Build a Global Network of Partners: 227
• Provide Foreign Experiences and StudyWork Abroad: 229
• Schools in the Age of Globalization: 232
• CREATE A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION PRINCIPLES AND INDICATORS: 235
• The Triad Model of Education For Global Creative Entrepreneurs: 238
• The How: 239
• The Where: 241
• A World Class School: 242
• Governance and Environment: 245
• Personalization and Mentoring: 246
• Personally Meaningful or Useful for Others: 247
• Unique and Local: 248
• Foreign Languages and Cultures: 249
• Creating a World Class Education for the World: 250
• Obstacles: 251
• Opportunities: 253
• The End of Education: 255
• References: 257
• INDEX: 259

About the author

Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas and a professor in Educational Leadership at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education in Australia. He previously served as the Presidential Chair, Associate Dean, and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon, where he was also a Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership. Prior to Oregon, Yong Zhao was University Distinguished Professor at the College of Education, Michigan State University, where he also served as the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Technology, executive director of the Confucius Institute, as well as the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and a fellow of the International Academy of Education.

Bibliographic information

• Title: World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students
• Author: Yong Zhao
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Corwin Press, 2012
• ISBN: 1452203989, 9781452203980
• Length: 271 pages
• Subjects: Education / Administration / General; Education / Aims & Objectives; Education / Curricula; Education / Educational Policy & Reform / Federal Legislation; Education / Educational Policy & Reform / General; Education / Leadership; Political Science / Globalization; Reference / General