Systems Thinking in International Education and Development
Unlocking Learning for All?
Moira V Faul editor Laura Savage editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Published:20th Jan '23
Should be back in stock very soon
The global education crisis is a complex problem that requires change from teachers, school managers, civil society, implementers, planners, governments and donors. Addressing the issues that lie beneath this crisis requires new ways of working. Systems thinking is a suite of approaches to grappling with complex problems that is beginning to gain traction in international education. This book brings together new research in the nascent field of systems thinking in international education.
Outlining the implications that systems thinking can hold for future research, practice and progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4, a diverse range of leading scholars, policymakers and practitioners present novel research to encourage the shift from a linear view of change to a systems view. Chapters present diverse approaches to applying systems thinking in education across middle- and low-income countries, alongside research on how this has changed mindsets more widely. Questioning notions such as scaling and the universal applicability of ‘what works’, authors here suggest that locally relevant evidence and systemic rewards for using it are necessary to achieve SDG 4. This innovative book exemplifies how systems thinking offers the tools, frameworks and concepts to improve outcomes in education systems.
With the education crisis further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this timely book is essential reading for all those concerned with education and sustainable development goals. This thought-provoking book should be read by all those working to achieve SDG4; those whose day jobs inspire them and who look to their bookshelves for new ideas.
‘Systems thinking has been successfully applied to address service delivery challenges in many sectors, especially health. While it is a relatively new approach in education, systems thinking will become a commonly used tool in delivering quality education post the ravages of covid. This book, consisting of 11 chapters and authored by a wide range of reputable practitioners on the topic, will become a valuable companion to donors, policymakers and implementers down to the classroom level striving to provide quality learning for all children.’ -- Dzingai Mutumbuka, First Minister of Education of Independent Zimbabwe, former Chair of ADEA, former Sector Manager at the World Bank and currently serves on numerous education boards
‘Given what we know about complexity theory and the insights it offers into how we might go about initiating and sustaining change in education, it's hard to imagine taking on the perennial challenges in international education and development without first understanding what dynamic systems approaches have to offer in this domain. Perhaps the biggest of those challenges lies in enabling quality learning for all – and this volume takes that on through a systems approach, considering examples of such thinking and practice from across the globe and asking how systems thinking might help in the design and implementation of interventions aimed at realizing Sustainable Development Goal Four. It's hard to imagine how we've done without this book for so long.’ -- Mark Mason, The Education University of Hong Kong
‘The language of change is often slippery, nowhere more so than discussing “systems”. Is “system” merely a synonym for bureaucracy, or a non-linear, unpredictable and constantly evolving network? When advocates of change use the term interchangeably, confusion is the inevitable result. In this book, Faul and Savage disentangle the two, show how the broader understandings of “systems thinking” apply to the education sector, and explore a series of case studies for additional insights. A valuable contribution.’ -- Duncan Green, author of How Change Happens; Professor in Practice, London School of Economics, UK; Strategic Adviser, Oxfam GB
ISBN: 9781802205923
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
260 pages