In news many probably never expected to see, no-frills, outdoorsy, animal behaviour expert and conservation activist Jane Goodall has become a Barbie doll (accompanied by her famous chimpanzee, David Greybeard). As the latest member of toymaker Mattel’s “Barbie Inspiring Women Series” honouring historical and contemporary heroines, she joins aviator Amelia Earhart, NASA mathematician and physicist Katherine Johnson and […] … learn more→
Jane Goodall joins Barbie’s ‘inspiring women’ series: the strange evolution of an iconic doll
Students returning to campus want the ‘university experience’ missed during COVID-19
Universities are implementing COVID-19 safety plans to maintain safe and healthy environments — through protocols like enhanced cleaning or a focus on ventilation and air quality — for the imminent return of students to in-person learning on campuses. While these plans include extensive efforts to help students safely return to pre-pandemic learning, focused attention should also be given to “university experience” […] … learn more→
How PhD busy work is like vegan junk food
Hello dear reader! It’s been a busy winter and I am suffering a bit of post-election exhaustion. Last month, For the first time in 12 years, I did not get around to doing a Thesis Whisperer post. While I felt bad about breaking such a long streak of self-imposed discipline, I consoled myself that the previous […] … learn more→
As another elite boys’ school goes co-ed, are single-sex schools becoming an endangered species?
One of Australia’s most prestigious boys’ schools has just announced it will go co-ed. Last week, Sydney’s Cranbrook School – whose alumni include Kerry and James Packer and Atlassian founder Mike Cannon-Brookes – announced it will be fully co-educational by 2029. Cranbrook joins a growing list of private schools around the country that are either considering going […] … learn more→
Breakthrough Junior Challenge overview and past winners
A structured competition can be a useful tool to motivate young children. This is exactly what the Breakthrough Junior Challenge achieves, which is an initiative of Yuri Milner. The idea behind this content is to enhance the learning abilities of students and promote their interest in science. Yuri Milner, a renowned investor and philanthropist, believes […] … learn more→
How some children prospered in pandemic online learning
For parents, children and teachers, one of the most striking memories of the pandemic will be the sudden transition to online learning. Many educators, parents and children struggled with online education when schools were closed, and were relieved when classroom instruction resumed. While media often seemed to report on negative aspects of online schooling, this was not a […] … learn more→
On vacation, do children really forget everything they learned at school?
Are you worried that your children will forget this summer what they have learned at school during the year? In any case, academics have been studying this question for more than a century. When William White, a mathematics teacher from New York State, set out to assess, at the beginning of the 20th century , what his students […] … learn more→
What does “being friends” mean in the age of Instagram?
Adolescence corresponds to a period of profound changes, both biologically and socially, during which young people gradually detach themselves from their family to build a more personal world, separated from their parents, by integrating a new group of peers. Friendship in adolescence is then made up of intimacy, sharing feelings, communion of ideas and no […] … learn more→
Impostor phenomenon: a matter of inclusion and representation
Note: Links in this post with ‘[$]’ beside them indicate a paywalled article. This blog discusses the impostor phenomenon (also known as impostor syndrome) not as an individual problem to overcome, but rather as a situational and structural problem in the workplace. It emphasises the need for representation and an inclusive culture to minimise the impostor phenomenon […] … learn more→
How do we teach journalism today?
Traditionally, knowing how to write and having a good agenda were the main skills that a journalist who started working in a newsroom had to prove. The context has changed. Active audiences and multiplication of offers characterize the market. Journalism tries to adapt to the demands of new audiences, increasingly more dispersed. The media wants to capture your […] … learn more→