The term “learning loss” – referring to what pupils are judged to have failed to learn as a result of the pandemic lockdowns – has been used widely in the media as well as in government documents. However, labelling a generation of school pupils as having suffered “learning loss” is likely to affect their self-esteem and self-belief. They will leave […] … learn more→
Monthly Archives: May 2022
It’s not helpful to talk about children’s ‘learning loss’ during lockdown – they and their parents learned a great deal
Dumbed-down curriculum means primary students will learn less about the world and nothing about climate
Revisions to the Australian primary school curriculum for geography mean children will learn much less about the world and its diversity than they do at present. They will learn nothing about some significant concepts such as climate. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) launched the new version of the Australian Curriculum on May 9. ACARA described it […] … learn more→
19 children, 2 adults killed in Texas elementary school shooting – 3 essential reads on America’s relentless gun violence
At least 19 children and two adults were killed when a teenage gunman shot them at a Texas elementary school on May 24, 2022 – the latest mass shooting in a country in which such incidents have become common. A lot remains unknown about the attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a small, predominantly Latino town […] … learn more→
What is the PISA report for?
The field work that will lead to a new PISA report is now underway . The last one published, which corresponds to the seventh edition, was published in 2018 . It is common for political representatives, as well as the media, to focus on the ranking of the countries , but, from a psychological perspective, these reports offer much more juicy evidence […] … learn more→
Why do high-risk sports attract young people so much?
The changes associated with puberty generally cause adolescents to question their identity and to question things they have taken for granted. Practicing a sport intensively is a way for some young people to protect themselves from heavier questions around these upheavals. The quest for sensations and self-control, the repetition of training are accompanied by a distancing from an […] … learn more→
Writing for our (digital) lives: war, social media and the urgent need to update how we teach English
The war in Ukraine is being described as the first social media war, even as “the TikTok war”. Memes, tweets, videos and blog posts communicate both vital information and propaganda, potentially changing the course of history. This highlights the importance of agile and critical social media use. English in schools, in contrast, still focuses on […] … learn more→
Five digital games to help your child’s development
Recent research has linked playing video games in childhood with an increase in intelligence. While parents and carers may be pleasantly surprised by these findings, they are less unexpected for many researchers of children’s digital play. Studies have previously shown that playing digital games is associated with a wide range of benefits for children, even […] … learn more→
The challenge of getting excited in another language
Is it more difficult for us to express emotions when we speak in another language? Are we more talkative when we tell an unpleasant fact or when we are overwhelmed by a positive emotion? What resources do we use to transmit intensity in our emotions? Do we use these resources according to our level of proficiency in a […] … learn more→
Do we need time to get bored?
The issue of boredom has been worrying humanity since ancient times. The warriors of the Homeric deeds suffered from it in the periods between battles. Plato was afraid of being boring to others, as his teacher was rumored to be. Seneca tortured himself thinking about the possibility that boredom would unleash a wave of suicides among the Romans. […] … learn more→
How well does the new Australian Curriculum prepare young people for climate change?
You’d be forgiven for not having heard about the long-awaited new Australian Curriculum, which was released with little fanfare in the midst of the election campaign. But this update to the national curriculum (9.0), for foundation to year 12 students, is hugely significant. It will guide the education of young Australians for the next six years, […] … learn more→