The appalling assassination of Samuel Paty may lead one to think that professorial words are no longer authoritative in certain situations where teachers teach knowledge appearing in school programs, but contested by part of the social body. What are the causes and consequences of such a weakening? What resources can teachers draw on? But also, what limits to their […] … learn more→

Our recent survey found that schools can affect the mental health and well-being of not just students but their parents, too. From April through June 2020, we surveyed 152 parents – primarily mothers – in Detroit, Michigan, who were managing the new demands of remote schooling for their children. Not surprisingly, they reported high levels of anxiety […] … learn more→

Children are naturally inquisitive and tolerant. Many constantly ask questions. At some point, most of them – most of us – just stop. Why does this happen? It’s not as if the world starts to make perfect sense after several years of living. There are social pressures to stop. To succeed, to be recognized as smart, children typically feel pressure to stop asking questions […] … learn more→

Around the world, lots of researchers are currently at home, during a crisis, trying to work (as Parks Canada management so aptly said). The Australian Research Council, along with many other funding agencies, have released guidelines on responding to the impact of COVID-19 in grant applications (here is a UK version – 104 Kb PDF). I’d like to expand on their […] … learn more→

The pandemic year has been odd for open-access (OA) policy. The shutdowns of libraries worldwide illustrated brutally the fragility of our access to research but also the power of open access, with many publishers scrambling to “unpaywall” the research they publish. Open access looked like the future. At the same time, however, the plague gutted […] … learn more→

This post is co-written and simultaneously published with Helen Kara to coincide with the launch of the Insider Guides to Success in Academia book series. Helen: It’s interesting to reflect on how we do this co-editing thing. We’ve been working together on this series since May 2017, so that’s three-and-a-half years. You and I hadn’t worked together before, though […] … learn more→

It was following a moral and civic education (EMC) course on freedom of expression, where he had worked with his students from caricatures, including those of Muhammad published in Charlie Hebdo , that Samuel Paty , professor of history and geography in the Paris region, was brutally murdered on October 16, 2020, near his college, in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. This tragic event thus focused media attention […] … learn more→

What do you do if you’re a government minister sitting on two major reviews that could have huge consequences for the UK higher education system? The answer, it appears, is: launch a couple of minor reviews that could also have quite significant consequences. If they are ever completed and implemented, that is. Remember the Augar […] … learn more→

The age of Covid has conjured up strange, uncanny new creatures. Think of the “anti-maskers” and assorted “Covidiots” seemingly lurking about every street corner and shopping centre queue. There are good reasons to be wary of venturing outdoors. Yet many traditional sanctuaries of learning (and social distancing) have been closed off for much of the […] … learn more→

Teaching the new generations of digital natives who are currently being trained in schools and institutes requires integrating participatory methodologies that allow them to enhance their interests and hobbies. Aware of this reality, the educational community has been debating in recent years the role that video games can play within the didactic gamification process. The teaching […] … learn more→