Advances and research in the field of education do not usually have as much impact or be as immediately useful as those that occur in the fields of health, science, technology and engineering. Education is not an exact or experimental science, and although neuroscience has a lot to say about how our brain assimilates information , the truth […] … learn more→
Monthly Archives: December 2023
Education 2023: teaching with science
How to get the most out of a visit to an art gallery with kids
In our house we have a favourite story about the time our toddler was dragged from the National Portrait Gallery kicking and screaming “I want to see more paintings!!!” She needed lunch, we had to go, but she really loved the “Nick Cave Gallery”, as she called it, with his luminous portrait by Howard Arkley on display. […] … learn more→
ChatGPT doesn’t do magic
ChatGPT has become popular throughout the year 2023. Its ability to generate content, with a series of prior textual instructions, not necessarily very extensive, has caused both astonishment and despair in the educational environment. In the academic world (schools, institutes, vocational training centers and universities) there has been concern when thinking that a generative chatbot could replace […] … learn more→
The curious joy of being wrong – intellectual humility means being open to new information and willing to change your mind
Mark Twain apocryphally said, “I’m in favor of progress; it’s change I don’t like.” This quote pithily underscores the human tendency to desire growth while also harboring strong resistance to the hard work that comes with it. I can certainly resonate with this sentiment. I was raised in a conservative evangelical home. Like many who […] … learn more→
What is ‘speedwatching’ and what are its effects?
Surely we have all heard an audio message sent by a messaging service like WhatsApp at a higher speed than normal. Maybe we were in a hurry, the message was long or the person sending it spoke slowly. It is also possible that we have advanced a fragment of a movie or series at a higher speed to be […] … learn more→
Relax – having different sleeping arrangements over the holidays probably won’t wreck your child’s sleep routine
Sleep, along with diet and physical activity, is one of the three pillars of good health. Good sleep makes it easier to grow, learn, perform, be happy, stay in our best weight range and generally be in the best mental and physical health. This is true for all humans but is particularly important with children. […] … learn more→
Top ways to create a more enjoyable lfestyle
Want a more enjoyable lifestyle? Most people do, but they tend to get caught up in the work-eat-sleep cycle of daily life. They neglect to put their own well-being and happiness first. With all the talk about work-life balance, it seems as if the vast majority of working adults emphasize the first half of the […] … learn more→
I’m an expert in slang – here are my picks for word of the year
As a linguist who specialises in tracking slang and language change, there’s one holiday tradition I always look forward to: the annual selection of the word of the year. Dictionary publishers and linguistics associations choose a word or expression – usually a new term or one that has taken on new meaning in the past […] … learn more→
Are all teenagers addicted to social media?
The penetration of technology into our lives is undeniable, and perhaps this is especially noticeable in adolescents. According to the National Institute of Statistics (2022), 94.9% of minors between 10 and 15 years old have used the internet in the last 3 months and 69.5% of them have a mobile phone. Furthermore, according to a recent UNICEF report (2021) , 98.5% […] … learn more→
AI could improve your life by removing bottlenecks between what you want and what you get
Artificial intelligence is poised to upend much of society, removing human limitations inherent in many systems. One such limitation is information and logistical bottlenecks in decision-making. Traditionally, people have been forced to reduce complex choices to a small handful of options that don’t do justice to their true desires. Artificial intelligence has the potential to […] … learn more→