Monthly Archives: September 2021

Education debates are rife with references to war – but have they gone too far?

Education debates are rife with references to war – but have they gone too far?

As President Joe Biden oversaw the transfer of the remains of the U.S. soldiers killed in a suicide bomb attack at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021, former Education Secretary Arne Duncan took to Twitter. Appearing to weigh in on the controversy over mask mandates in public schools, Duncan compared “anti-mask and anti-vax people” with “the suicide bombers at […] … learn more→

A good induction is important for all new jobs. So why are teachers being left behind?

A good induction is important for all new jobs. So why are teachers being left behind?

Australian schools are struggling to recruit and keep teachers. Low wages, overwork, difficult student behaviour, lack of support and stress are some of the reasons teachers leave the profession or have periods of sick leave. More than half of teachers with a current teaching qualification are not working in education. States such as New South Wales are facing major difficulties in […] … learn more→

‘Fifty Shades of Grey,’ 10 years later: Self-publishing wasn’t novel then, but now it’s easier to reach a niche audience

‘Fifty Shades of Grey,’ 10 years later: Self-publishing wasn’t novel then, but now it’s easier to reach a niche audience

It has been 10 years since E.L. James decided to self-publish her first novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. The plot of the story centres on a college student who enters a relationship with a wealthy businessman involving BDSM practices — bondage, dominance/submission, sadism/masochism —  and becomes his submissive. The story was first developed as a fan-fiction project […] … learn more→

Are we targeting children after school or not?

Are we targeting children after school or not?

Now that the beginning of the school year is approaching, it is time for parents to decide what extracurricular activities our children will do. Will they continue with the swimming lessons? Or do we better target them for math reinforcement? It is normal that, in these circumstances, we doubt if we are not saturating the little ones […] … learn more→

A day in the life of a Gordonstoun pupil

A day in the life of a Gordonstoun pupil

Find out what makes a Gordonstoun education so special. Pupils from around the world enjoy an unrivalled education at Gordonstoun, the co-independent school that was famously home to Prince Philip and several other members of the royal family. It’s no wonder that young people travel from all corners of the globe to study here; each […] … learn more→

State efforts to ban mask mandates in schools mirror resistance to integration

State efforts to ban mask mandates in schools mirror resistance to integration

When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision that struck down segregated public schooling, white Southern politicians responded to the decision with ferocity. Although preservation of states’ rights was at the heart of their resistance claims, it was the racist practice of segregation that they sought to uphold. U.S. Senator Harry Byrd of […] … learn more→

Does competition have an educational virtue?

Does competition have an educational virtue?

The observation of the deleterious effects of a financial capitalism favoring individual success today challenges us to “go beyond the limits of the performance society”. However, should we throw out the competition with the capitalist bathwater? Isn’t the pursuit of performance a powerful motivation for development, both for individuals and for societies? And, in particular, isn’t competition an educational tool, if not […] … learn more→

COVID-19 back to school Q&A: Is it safe for unvaccinated children to go to school in person? Is the harm of school closures greater than the risk of the virus?

COVID-19 back to school Q&A: Is it safe for unvaccinated children to go to school in person? Is the harm of school closures greater than the risk of the virus?

Back-to-school is here again. While we might hope that beginning the academic year with schools open for in-person learning would set the trend for the rest of the year, the presence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, makes everything less certain. Some parents have already made decisions to keep their children home for […] … learn more→

What’s the point of homework?

What’s the point of homework?

Homework hasn’t changed much in the past few decades. Most children are still sent home with about an hour’s worth of homework each day, mostly practising what they were taught in class. If we look internationally, homework is assigned in every country that participated in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2012. Across the […] … learn more→

Lessons about 9/11 often provoke harassment of Muslim students

Lessons about 9/11 often provoke harassment of Muslim students

Near the start of each school year, many U.S. schools wrestle with how to teach about 9/11 – the deadliest foreign attack ever on American soil. In interviews I conducted recently in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area – one of three places where hijacked planes crashed on Sept. 11, 2001 – I found that Muslim students are often subjected to ridicule and […] … learn more→