Towards an Asia-Europe education dialogue: Learning communities for the future

Europe and Asia represent between them a significant land mass and population density as well cultural traditions and historical connections that highlight the diversity and the commonalities of their constituent nation states. The European Union has recognized the importance of Asia in its policy priorities and Asian leaders increasingly look to Europe not just for investment opportunities but also cultural contacts with a special focus on encouraging mobility in the field of education. This paper examines the rationale for greater Asia-Europe dialogue especially in the field of education. It locates the basis of dialogue not just in high stakes international assessments of student performance but also cultural traditions that focus on deliberation and cooperative learning. Copyright © 2012 Faculty of Education. University of Alicante- Spain.