Reflections on Comparative and International Education, Teacher Education, and the Middle East

Abstract

In this chapter I address three questions, posed by the editors of the Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2014, drawing from my research and practitioner work in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Sudan, Palestine, and Qatar. The questions dealt with international education, teacher education, and the Middle East. First, I set the context of the region before delving into the answering the questions. In examining how comparative and international education (CIE) research has influenced policy reform of teacher education and professional development, I touch on three main trends taking place in the region whose influence is double-edged: positively influencing policy and reform on the one hand, but also resulting in negative consequences on the other hand. I then discuss how CIE research has influenced the ability of teachers to promote youth citizenship by discussing my own experience as teacher. Understanding the history of a country or a community is important to inform the development of an education system, especially in the development of its cadre of teachers. In conclusion, I argue that the region needs to take control of its own reforms and fully understand what works and does not work in its own community. The region should better understand where it wants its own citizens to be within a globalized society and let that inform its own policies and reforms. There is no “one size fits all” approach as the region is littered with examples of how such reforms do not and cannot work.

Citation

Allaf, C. (2014), "Reflections on Comparative and International Education, Teacher Education, and the Middle East", Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2014 (International Perspectives on Education and Society, Vol. 25), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 93-98. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-367920140000025009