6th IOCES International Conference (Virtually through Zoom)

The advent of several online learning institutions is challenging the conventional role of a teacher, who hitherto acted as a “sage on the stage”. Information is literally at the fingertips of learners, nevertheless the challenge of converting it into actionable knowledge still remains. Even artificial intelligence systems today are not advanced enough to replace the human teacher. It is highly likely that several components of teaching delivery may be taken over by technology in the times to come. However, the role of a human teacher as a mentor, guide, and researcher is hard to be replaced.

In the current global crisis of Covid-19 pandemic, teachers at all levels of the education systems across the globe face formidable challenges, such as whether to continue in this profession or not, the need to help future generations of citizens develop humanist values, dealing with rapid technological changes that affect their roles, identities and work, freeing themselves and their students from the grip of consumerism fueled by world markets. In the framework of comparative education, this symposium aims to attract views, experiences and insights from research on the teaching profession from different parts of the world, with an eye on these challenges. It would indeed help in understanding the multi-faceted role of a teacher today and tomorrow (during and after the Covid-19 pandemic) from varied cultural, linguistic, political and geographical perspectives.

Questions for Consideration

A number of questions, including (but not limited to) the following are raised as the guiding threads for this conference:

· How can the teaching profession rise to the call in the SDGs towards the promotion of the idea and requirements to nurture shared values caring for our local and global, social and physical environment in recognition of our common humanity?

· How can the teaching profession and teachers in the framework of comparative education promote and uphold common values recognizing our mutual dependence?

· What processes are taking place and/or can be envisioned to leverage the constructive impact of the education systems in different parts of the world during and post the Covid-19 pandemic?

· How can the technology be conceived as an effective tool that can help achieve the humanistic values and goals?

· What role can comparative education/educators/researchers play in protecting and fostering teachers’ freedoms when these are threatened?

· How can autonomous and critical thinking be applied in teaching and research to promote and sustain academic freedom?

· What cross-national comparisons of values education be conducted from the lower to higher levels of education systems?

· What are the implications for gender equity and values education as in many national contexts there is a gendered structure of the teaching profession characterized by a feminization of the lower levels while the upper levels, especially in the universities, are dominated by the male teachers and researchers?

Deadline for 300 words abstract (in Microsoft Word) submission in any of the following languages: English, French, Portuguese or Spanish: October 31, 2020. Submit through this link (you will need to open a new free Easy Chair account as an author even if you used Easy Chair for other conferences earlier). The symposium will be held virtually through Zoom. Presenters will be invited to revise and submit their papers to one of the three WCCES publication outlets (each with its rigorous peer-reviewed process): 1) Papers of 6000 words in Global Comparative Education: Journal of the WCCES 2) Short papers of 3000 words in World Voices Nexus: The WCCES Chronicle 3) Papers of at least 6000 words as chapters in one or more edited volumes in the WCCES-Brill | Sense book series. Full papers must be sent for review latest by 31 March 2021 to publications@wcces-online.org

Thanks to our sponsors, the registration fee has been waived off for participants hailing from low and lower-middle income countries (World Bank List of Economies, June 2019) and students from anywhere in the world. For other participants, the registration fee is Euro 40. Donations to support the symposium will be much appreciated and acknowledged.

6th IOCES International Conference is being held in conjunction with 3rd WCCES Symposium. For more updates and announcements, please visit the Conference/ Symposium webpage and WCCES main website: www.wcces-online.org