Developing and supporting global initiatives in education is the theme of the Midwest Regional Comparative Education Conference, which will be held at Illinois State University from November 1–3. The conference will promote the cultivation and stewardship of international partnerships that inform comparative educational studies and provide perspectives on the connections between local, regional, and national educational issues and those in the broader global context.
Keynote speaker, Ali Abdi will present “Global Citizenship Education: Multicentric Perspectives” on Friday, November 1 at 3:30 p.m, in the Prairie Room, Bone Student Center. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Abdi is a professor of international development and education and is the co-director of the Centre for Global Educational Policy Studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education, and co-founding editor of Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry. A Canadian-Somali, Abdi recently co-authored the book Citizenship Education and Social Development in Zambia.
Jari Lavonen will present “The outcomes of Finnish education: Science and science teacher education in Finland” on Sunday, November 3 at 11:00 a.m. in the Felmley Hall Room 133. Students may attend the keynote presentation free of charge.
Lavonen is the chair of the Department of Physics and Chemistry and director of the Finnish Graduate School for Research in Science and Mathematics Education at the University of Helsinki. His research interests are science and technology teaching and learning and science teacher education.
Other presentation topics will include:
- Student teaching placement and teacher candidates’ conceptualizations of, experiences with, and attitudes towards global education
- Educating global citizens and the civic mission of higher education
- Creating authentic personal and global learning experiences for students
- International short-term educational seminars for teachers
The conference is co-sponsored by the College of Education, Department of Educational Administration and Foundations, School of Teaching and Learning, Office of the Provost, and the Muslim Student Association. Faculty, staff, students, and local educators are encouraged to attend the three-day event. For more information and to register, visit the Midwest Regional Comparative Education Conference website or contact the conference organizers Mohamed Nur-Awaleh or Eurvine Williams.
