Professor Yong Zhao

Yong Zhao is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education at the College of Education, Michigan State University, where he also serves 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. Zhao is also associate director of the International Network for Educational Transformation, a U. K.-based organization that promotes global exchanges of educational innovations. He is a fellow of the International Academy for Education.

His research interests include diffusion of innovations, teacher adoption of technology, computer-assisted language learning, globalization and education, and international and comparative education. Zhao has published extensively in these areas. His articles have appeared in American Educational Research Journal, Educational Leadership, Kappan, Education Week and Teachers College Record. He received the 2003 Raymond B. Catell Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association.

Zhao has extensive international experiences. He has consulted with government and educational agencies and spoken on educational issues in many countries including Australia, Chile, China, England, Ireland, Singapore, Sweden, The Netherlands, Thailand, and Vietnam. His current work focuses on the impact of globalization on education and the integration of Eastern and Western educational practices.

What Knowledge is of Most Worth:
Implications of Globalization and Digital Revolution for Education

"What knowledge is of most worth?" asked the British philosopher Herbert Spencer about 150 years ago when science and technology were rapidly transforming the society as a result of the industrial revolution. His answer "science" challenged policy makers and educators to replace religion, Latin, and Greek, which had been the primary subjects in schools for hundreds of years, with modern sciences.

Today, we are in the midst of another societal transformation that is at least as profound and far reaching as the industrial revolution. Globalization and the digital revolution have already resulted in significant changes in how we live, work, and entertain. The emergence of new industries and disappearance of old ones, the reconfiguration of world politics and economics, and the increasingly global nature of our daily living compel us to ask the question again: what knowledge is of most worth in the 21st Century? What should schools teach to prepare our children for the future?

In this presentation, Dr. Yong Zhao tries to address this question through an analysis of education reforms around the globe, the implications of globalization, and the consequences of the digital
revolution. He will discuss what new skills, knowledge, and abilities we might need to cultivate in our students to prepare them for the "flat" and "digital" worlds.