Paris, October 25-26 – The UNESCO Expert Meeting on Learning Sciences convened at the UNESCO headquarters, orchestrated by the Education Policy Department of UNESCO. This prestigious gathering aimed to foster interactive exchanges between academic researchers and policymakers, leveraging research outcomes in learning sciences to propel policy development, catalyze educational transformation, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals in education.
The meeting commenced with an opening address by Stefania Giannini, the Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO. Over 40 global experts in the realm of learning sciences actively participated in the discussions. Noteworthy outcomes of the meeting included the launch of the Global Alliance of Networks on Learning Science and the compilation of the “Compilation of Educational Innovation Perspectives.”
Nominated by the Permanent Delegation of China to UNESCO, Prof. HUANG Ronghuai, the UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence and Education, Co-Dean of the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, attended the meeting and delivered a specialized presentation titled “New Modes of Teaching and Learning for Digital Transformations” during the deliberative sessions. The presentation underscored the escalating attention from diverse sectors towards technology enabled education, transformative teaching models, and enriched learning experiences in recent years.
Drawing upon empirical research, including behavioral analysis in informationized classrooms, a visible learning pilot study in K12 schools in Qinghai, and an analysis of the impact of technology applications on the learning strategies of university freshmen, the Beijing Normal University team proposed three significant frameworks: the influence of Digital Pedagogy on the digital transformation of education, Active Learning with Technology in learning, and Sustainable Digital Transformation (SDT) in teaching. These frameworks offer innovative paradigms for the evolution of teaching models in the digital age.
The meeting also marked the establishment of the Global Alliance of Networks on Learning Science. This alliance is dedicated to advancing the development and application of research outcomes, promoting the optimization of educational policies, and fostering the development of educational practices. Through initiatives such as cultivating communities of practice, establishing an international platform for collaboration in learning science, organizing forums to enhance policy dialogue in educational transformation, driving innovation in education policy and practices, and conducting teacher training in underdeveloped regions, the alliance aims to address educational challenges. Institutions and individuals involved in the field of learning science can apply for membership through a review process. By participating in the annual conference and various activities organized by the alliance, members will collectively contribute to the advancement of learning science.
UNESCO Alliance on the Science of Learning for Education
The world has made progress on getting more children into school, however, the issues of quality, equity and relevance, together with the subsequent questions of whether and how effectively students are learning are becoming an increasing concern. Therefore, it is crutial to take action towards safeguarding the rights to education and addressing the persistent global learning crisis.
The overarching aim of the Alliance is to serve as an international community of practice to influence and inform global and national policy discourses on transforming education and learning which are currently taking place in both political and education development fora. To this end, the Alliance will work closely with the HLSC’s Functional Area 1 on evidence-based policy formulation and implementation to inform these debates.
the objectives of the UNESCO Alliance on the Science of Learning for Education as an international community of practice are as follows:
- Foster a community of practice and provide a platform for international cooperation, knowledge exchange, consensus, and networking, seeking synergies among the multiple existing networks working independently.
- Broaden the understanding of what it takes to truly transform teaching and learning in scientific ways through scientist-policymaker-practitioner-community collaborative enquiries, investigations, experimenting on the application of findings from scientific studies.
- Develop a consensus and peer-reviewed harmonization and synthesis of scientific knowledge about how people learn and teaching-learning processes for the implementation and uptake by education policymakers and practitioners.
- Promote systems thinking, interdisciplinary approaches and innovation in education policies and practices.
- Provide evidence-based tools and strategies to promote improvements in teaching and learning.
- Strengthen capacity, especially in the global south for research and action to address the multiple crises and challenges in education and learning that transcend borders and require not only local but global solutions.
- Leverage UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks, who act as producers of ‘local’ knowledge, for strengthening cooperation on global activities related to SDG 4.