Monthly Archives: October 2020

Beware the blood-curdling perils of academic research

Beware the blood-curdling perils of academic research

The age of Covid has conjured up strange, uncanny new creatures. Think of the “anti-maskers” and assorted “Covidiots” seemingly lurking about every street corner and shopping centre queue. There are good reasons to be wary of venturing outdoors. Yet many traditional sanctuaries of learning (and social distancing) have been closed off for much of the […] … learn more→

Video games in the classroom to learn music: is the end of the master class approaching?

Video games in the classroom to learn music: is the end of the master class approaching?

Teaching the new generations of digital natives who are currently being trained in schools and institutes requires integrating participatory methodologies that allow them to enhance their interests and hobbies. Aware of this reality, the educational community has been debating in recent years the role that video games can play within the didactic gamification process. The teaching […] … learn more→

Some ideas to make children want to read

Some ideas to make children want to read

How to arouse a taste for books in children? This is a question that many professionals and parents ask themselves and to which there is not just one but a multitude of answers. Indeed, each child is different and will need various incentives in their journey towards reading. The first recommendation of specialists is not to be […] … learn more→

Want to teach kids about nature? Insects can help

Want to teach kids about nature? Insects can help

Insects are everywhere – in backyards, balconies and the park down the street. In fact, numerically speaking, insects dominate the Earth with more than 5.5 million species. An estimated 10 quintillion – or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 – individual insects are alive at any given moment. Because insects are small and readily available and can easily be kept in the classroom […] … learn more→

Universities enrich communities, as well as educating students – new research

Universities enrich communities, as well as educating students – new research

Education helps us share knowledge, develop understanding, and supports our connection with each other. As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued, governments have been preoccupied with how to re-open schools. However, there has been more doubt about universities. Discussions about the rise in COVID-19 infections in student populations have often raised the question as to why […] … learn more→

This is how language classes should be, according to science

This is how language classes should be, according to science

In these days when a new educational reform looms over us (and it doesn’t matter when you read this), linguists, physicists, biologists, mathematicians and other scientists wonder if this time those who design the content will stop think about what children really need to learn and how they learn. This article presents some ideas about what is taught, […] … learn more→

School chaplains may be cheaper than psychologists. But we don’t have enough evidence of their impact

School chaplains may be cheaper than psychologists. But we don’t have enough evidence of their impact

The Australian government committed more than A$247 million over 2019-22 to continue funding chaplains in Australian schools. The National School Chaplaincy Program aims to “support the well-being of students through pastoral care services and strategies”. Schools are eligible for $20,280 per year year ($24,336 for remote schools) to appoint a chaplain. Since its inception by the Howard government in […] … learn more→

Academic mobbing is even more damaging than you think

Academic mobbing is even more damaging than you think

We have all heard about social media’s creation of the frightening new phenomenon of “academic mobbing”. Yet it never dawned on me how serious this could get until I became a victim of it, obliging me to devote much of my professional time to monitoring my accounts for reputational damage and libel. After I was […] … learn more→

Industry cadetships: a good but small step to tap the talents of women in STEM

Industry cadetships: a good but small step to tap the talents of women in STEM

An overarching criticism of the recent federal budget is that it overlooked the workers hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, namely women. However, the budget includes one promising, albeit small, initiative that focuses on this group. The government announced a cadetship program to help women to upskill in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), or to build a STEM […] … learn more→