102 Global Education Review 4 (4) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Global Education Review is a publication of The School of Education at Mercy College, New York. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: DeJesus, Olga (2017). Preparing Learners for the Future. [Review of the book Teaching in a Globally Connected World by Ervin F. Sparapani and Pamela L. Ross McClain]. Global Education Review, 4 (4). 102-103. Book Review Preparing Learners for the Future “Teaching in a Globally Connected World” by Ervin F. Sparapani and Pamela L. Ross McClain By Olga DeJesus Teaching in a Globally Connected World examines the current social, political, economic, and religious climate of the world. It makes projections for the future and subsequently makes suggestions for what the editors and contributors believe educators need to contemplate in order to adequately prepare young people to successfully navigate that future. We live in a globally-connected world, and young people, as they move into the future, need to be prepared to live in that future. Schools (and teachers) tend to focus on the present. While this not necessarily a problem, schools (and teachers) must decide what is important to know in the present in order for young people to be successful in the future. Ervin Sparapani and Pamela Ross-McClain’s volume presents a strong case as to why the responsibility of education today must be to prepare learners to live in an unknown future that is global and not as focused on an uncertain present. The authors do a magnificent job in their attempt to (1) provide an assessment of important world issues that are affecting society now and possibly in the future; (2) provide recommendations for transformational school leadership in which all stakeholders are empowered; and (3) subject-specific examples of what teachers can do in their classrooms to prepare learners. The book consists of 17 chapters totaling 218 pages, which are broken up cleverly into three major sections. Section one, “A Global Society: Socially, Politically, Economically, and Religiously,” explores the significance of several world issues. The second section, “Visionary Leadership and Parent, Student, and Teacher Empowerment,” addresses the importance of a curriculum supported by educators, students, and parents. Section three, “Teaching with a Future Orientation: Moving Learners to the Future,” addresses how teachers Preparing learners for the future 103 can use current knowledge to navigate through future situations. Sparapani and Ross-McClain state that the 21st-century United States, in addition to being globally connected, is populated with a wide variety of cultural groups; because of this, it is the most diverse country in history (p. xvi). The editors emphasize that culture builds personality, which leads to emotions, attitude, motivation, self-esteem, self-concept, behavior, etc. These personality traits will manifest in schools and classrooms. Educators and educational leaders must provide a global perspective that will enable the students to become productive members in future society. As an educator of over 20 years, I can affirm that cultural and linguistic diversity have a strong impact on the teaching and learning dynamic in the classroom. I strongly support and share the perspective of these editors and contributors that the curriculum in teacher education programs must be aligned to reflect a cultural responsiveness curriculum in a globally connected classroom. Overall, Teaching in a Globally Connected World is a great resource guide for the reflective educator who understands the profile of today’s learners and that of the future and who wants to empower students to be lifelong learners. “Teaching in a Globally Connected World: Preparing Learners for the Future.” Edited by Ervin F. Sparapani and Pamela L. Ross McClain. Lanham, MD: Hamilton Books, 2016. ISBN: 978-0-7618-6814-9 About the Editors Ervin F. Sparapani is a retired professor of secondary education at Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI. He earned a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction at The University of Michigan—Ann Arbor. He believes that teachers, educational leaders, and parents have the responsibility to prepare young people to be critical thinkers and flexible learners that can adapt readily to a global world both now and in the future. Pamela L. Ross McClain is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan—Flint, where she directs the Educational Leadership Doctor of Education program. She earned a Ph.D. from MSU in curriculum instruction and educational policy with a cognate in teacher and staff development. She has been a professional educator for nearly two decades and remains dedicated to supporting educational professionals at all levels in experiencing success in schools. About the Reviewer Olga De Jesus, Ed.D., is an assistant professor in the Literacy and Multilingual Studies Department in the School of Education at Mercy College. An educator for over 20 years with expertise in bilingual and special education, she is an active member of the New York State Association of Bilingual Educators (NYSABE) and is on the NYSED committee designated to establish the standards for the New York State Seal of Bi-Literacy Initiative. Her most recent publication, English Language Learners: International Undergraduate English Language Learners' Perception of Distance Learning, has gained international interest. In the summer of 2017, as a Fulbright Scholar, she presented in Vienna, Austria on the impact of migration on education and the classroom experience.