Learning as Development: Rethinking International Education in a Changing World

341 Pages·2017·3.372 MB·English

by  Daniel A. Wagner

LEARNING AS DEVELOPMENT
Learning is the foundation of the human experience. It is the common thread
across cultures and geographies and forms a continuous and malleable link
across the life stages of human development. Disparities in learning access and
outcomes around the world have real consequences for income, social mobility,
health and well-being. This book traces the path of international development
from its pre-colonial origins, through the rise of economics, to the emergence of
a learning equity agenda. Today’s unprecedented environmental and geopolitical
challenges compel us to invest in learning—our most renewable resource. Learning
as Development asks us to rethink international education in a changing world.
Daniel A. Wagner (Ph.D. University of Michigan) is the UNESCO Chair in
Learning and Literacy, and Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.
He is Founding Director of the International Literacy Institute and Director of
Penn’s International Educational Development Program. A former Peace Corps
Volunteer and Fulbright Scholar, he has served as an advisor to UNESCO,
UNICEF, World Bank, USAID, DFID and other agencies, governments, and
civil society organizations. He was elected Fellow of the American Educational
Research Association and was the recipient of the 2014 UNESCO Confucius
International Literacy Prize. He is the author or editor of more than 25 books
and many other publications. See www.danwagner.org.
“This book greatly advances our knowledge and understanding of how to improve
learning for all—especially for those who have been most marginalized, such as the
poor, girls and women, indigenous populations, migrants and those impacted by cli-
mate change. It is especially welcome as the world moves towards implementing the
United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.”
—Irina Bokova, Director-General, UNESCO
“Dan Wagner’s magnum opus covering learning and development (both international
and life course development) is unparalleled in scope and depth and with case material
from numerous cultures in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. The book is
full of new ideas to improve education, and reduce poverty and inequality in low-
income countries. Its comprehensive treatment of issues in international development
guarantees its permanent value to experts or novices alike. This is a long-awaited book
on educational development.”
—Robert A. LeVine, Roy E. Larsen Professor Emeritus
Harvard University, USA
“Learning as Development is a great read. The depth of discussion and the literature it
draws on has a wealth of resources. My students really need this in order to critically
refl ect on what we can (and cannot) achieve through the SDGs. Thumbs up for this
excellent book!”
—Moses Oketch, Professor, Institute of Education,
University College London, UK
“As Pope Francis has stated, the fate of the world today depends on how we support
the needs of the most disadvantaged among us, particularly those affected by migration
and climate change. Dan Wagner has written a well-researched and comprehensive
volume with critical insights on improving education that will help make a difference
in the world today and tomorrow.”
—Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, Chancellor,
Pontifi cal Academy of Sciences, The Vatican
“This is a refreshing, accessible volume that combines scholarship with thoughtful
descriptions of learning from many cultures; it humanizes and broadens the discussion
of education and development.”
—Marlaine Lockheed, World Bank and
Center for Global Development
“Excellent! It is time to walk the talk! The time has come for rethinking and rebuilding
the learning process worldwide. This incisive and thoughtful book strikes an important
balance between research and practice, and should be read by policy makers as well as
those who engage in the everyday critical work of education and development.”
—Adama Samassekou, Minister of Education, Mali
LEARNING AS
DEVELOPMENT
Rethinking International
Education in a Changing
World
Daniel A. Wagner
First published 2018
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Taylor & Francis
The right of Daniel A. Wagner to be identifi ed as author of this work has
been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without
intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Wagner, Daniel A., 1946– author.
Title: Learning as development : rethinking international education
in a changing world / Daniel A. Wagner.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2018. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2017026751| ISBN 9781848726062 (hb : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781848726079 (pb : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780203115305
(ebook : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Education—Economic aspects—Developing countries. |
Learning—Developing countries. | Economic development—
Developing countries.
Classifi cation: LCC LC67.D44 W34 2018 | DDC 370.116—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017026751
ISBN: 978-1-84872-606-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-84872-607-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-11530-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
For Mary

CONTENTS
Foreword by Irina Bokova xi
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xiv
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms xvi
I ntroduction: Toward a New Understanding
of Development 1
Lessons From a Spring Day in Al-Kataba 1
Learning and Society 3
Structure of This Book 4
Evidence 5
Advancing the Social Good 6
PART I
Development 7
1 International Development 9
Izel: The Legacy of Colonialism in Yucatan 9
Colonialism and Early International Development 10
Bretton Woods and the Origins of Economic Development 11
Culture and Poverty 14
The Social Sciences of Development 17
The Arc of International Development 25
2 Human Development: A Life-Span Approach 34
Sangay: Well-Being in Bhutan 34
Defi ning Human Development 35
Human Development and International Development 41
United Nations Development Goals 45
An Expansive View of Human Development 49
viii Contents
3 Learning as Development 54
Naima: The Kuttab and the Souk in Morocco 54
What Is Learning? 55
Learning Contexts and Practices 57
A Framework for Learning 57
Learning Curves: Time, Responsive Environments, and Opportunity 61
Education and Learning 63
Language and Learning 65
Gender and Learning 69
The Education Crisis Is a Learning Crisis 71
PART II
Learning 79
4 Learning in Early Childhood 81
Illa: Early Learning in Peru 81
Early Child Development Programs 82
Cultural Differences in Child Rearing 84
Methods for Studying Early Childhood 86
Intergenerational Learning and the Home-School Transition 89
Interventions in Early Childhood 90
New Directions in Early Childhood Policy 93
Preparing for the Future 95
5 Children and Basic Skills 100
Assiatou: Aspiring to Read in Guinea 100
Learning the Basics 101
Early Grade Reading 104
Language of Instruction 105
Learning Environments and Resources 110
Out-of-School Children 112
Basic Skills Are the Foundation 114
6 Youth and Adult Learning: Beyond the Classroom 122
Zeynep and Azra: Women’s Literacy in Turkey 122
Literacy, Adult Education, and Empowerment 124
Youth Education Programs 129
Learning and Agriculture 131
Learning and Health 132
Learning and Employment 133
21st Century Skills 134
Building Support for Lifelong Learning 135
Contents ix
PART III
Educational Institutions 141
7 Schools and Schooling 143
Salah: Dreaming of City Life in Tunisia 143
Schools as Institutions 144
Hidden Costs of Schooling 146
Private Schools 147
Islamic Schooling: A Case Example 149
Investing in Schools 151
Schools Offer Learning Pathways 153
8 Teachers and Pedagogies 157
Rachel, Kebe, and Chinelo: Teacher Training in Nigeria 157
The Role of Teachers in Society 158
Teachers as Learners 159
Teacher Motivation 161
Investing in Teachers 162
Pedagogies 164
Appropriate Curricula 166
Instructional Time on Task 168
Teaching for Learning 170
PART IV
Trends and Challenges 175
9 New Technologies: Problems and Prospects 177
Vijay: Playing Computer Games in Mumbai 177
The Growth of ICTs in Developing Countries 178
ICTs, Learning, and Education 180
An ICT4E Conceptual Framework 183
ICTs for End User Groups 189
Digital Dilemmas in the Road Ahead 193
New Opps for New Apps 196
10 Globalization and the Environment 203
Matheus: Environmental Change and Migration in Brazil 203
Globalization 204
Population Growth and Urbanization 205
Migration and Civil Confl ict 207
The Environmental Imperative 210
Growth Is Not the Answer 213