The pandemic forced many educational institutions to move to online learning. Could the rise of chatbots, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, now further improve the accessibility of learning and make education more obtainable for everyone? Chatbots are computer programmes that use artificial intelligence to simulate conversation with human users. They work by analysing the context of a […] … learn more→
If AI is to become a key tool in education, access has to be equal
Arts activities can provoke empathy and inspire youth action on urgent UN global goals
Young people have a vital role to play in addressing global crises today. Around the world, arts education is helping youth understand the issues, connect with them emotionally and take action. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals identify some of the most critical challenges confronting humanity. These include taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Goal 13), promoting just, […] … learn more→
Australia’s Year 4 students have not lost ground on reading, despite pandemic disruptions
Australia’s Year 4 students have not lost ground on their reading skills, despite all the disruptions to schooling during the pandemic. A major international test has found about 80% of students have “more than elementary” skills in reading comprehension. This is the same result Australian students recorded in the last round of PIRLS testing in 2016. But reading […] … learn more→
ChatGPT can’t think – consciousness is something entirely different to today’s AI
There has been shock around the world at the rapid rate of progress with ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence created with what’s known as large language models (LLMs). These systems can produce text that seems to display thought, understanding and even creativity. But can these systems really think and understand? This is not a question that can […] … learn more→
Attacks on ‘segregated’ graduation ceremonies overlook the history of racism on campus
For most college students, graduation is a one-time event. But for a growing number of students from various groups, such as students of color or LGTBQ students, there might be multiple graduation ceremonies to attend. These special graduation ceremonies for certain groups are known as “affinity graduations.” These ceremonies are drawing the ire of conservatives, who […] … learn more→
Is it beneficial to read aloud in class?
Our cultural tradition gives more weight to individual reading and writing than to the art of oral discourse. In schools and institutes, the teaching of written communication prevails over oral text or reading aloud. In fact, it seems that, as a classroom activity, listening to a person (student or teacher) read aloud is an outdated or boring […] … learn more→
AI: evolution is making us treat it like a human, and we need to kick the habit
The artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer Geoffrey Hinton recently resigned from Google, warning of the dangers of the technology “becoming more intelligent than us”. His fear is that AI will one day succeed in “manipulating people to do what it wants”. There are reasons we should be concerned about AI. But we frequently treat or talk about AIs […] … learn more→
Esol English classes are crucial for migrant integration, yet challenges remain unaddressed
In the year ending September 2022, more than 70,000 people had claimed asylum in the UK. The vast majority were from countries that do not use English as a first language. Being able to communicate in English is essential for newly arrived migrants. People who have gone through traumatic experiences are, understandably, often desperate to build new […] … learn more→
Maths for boys, French for girls? How gender stereotypes are perpetuated in school
Do gender stereotypes enter the school preferences of French pupils? A study conducted in 2005 showed that they strongly influenced the perceptions that CM2 pupils (10-11 years old) have of school subjects . Thus, boys tended to value mathematics and physical education and sports lessons, while girls valued French lessons and reading and written expression work. How have things evolved […] … learn more→
It’s important to rethink the purpose of university education – a philosopher of education explains why
Most philosophers of education or philosophically inclined scholars of education in the past century and a half would agree with the claim that, ideally, education should be the practice of freedom. That is, it ought to cultivate the ability to intelligently decide how we want to shape our lives. The aim of education should be […] … learn more→