The pedagogical challenge of the Arab countries of the Gulf. The impact of the Anglo-Saxon model of education (second part)
Simona Savelli
The short essay that follows, aims to provide a clear picture, with no claim to completeness, of the impact is having the import and implementation of the Anglo-Saxon model of education — with reference to the BANA countries (Britain, Australia and North America) — on the Arab countries of the Gulf (GCC). The rapid spread of the model at all levels of education introduces radical changes in the entire system and is matter of debate and mixed reactions. The work is dived in two parts. In the first part I try to identify the main issues that revolve around the Anglo-Saxon model of education and that are affecting the entire region: the driving forces of globalization and knowledge economy; the functional need for critical thinking and constructivist practice; the necessary relationship with the English language; the fear of a new colonization of a cultural nature; the search for a fruitful balance between western and eastern roots; the sensitive issues that need to be addressed in classroom dynamics. In the second part, in line with the identified issues, I try to briefly decline in the contexts of the individual countries of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council).
Keywords
Education, the Arab world, the Arabic Gulf, english L2.