For many children today, before they even start school they are already digitally literate. They know how to use a phone, make videos and take photographs. This is to be welcomed given government research has found that 82% of all advertised openings require some level of digital skills. But our new research with schools in the US and France […] … learn more→
Teachers less likely to take phones away from white, privileged children
Does it matter if more and more students are getting firsts?
The Times of London recently predicted that, on current trends, all students at some British universities will obtain first-class degrees by the end of this new decade. The 2:2 will become extinct across the whole sector by 2033. And in 38 years’ time we will get to the point where all students receive firsts. There are few topics […] … learn more→
Kids learn best when you add a problem-solving boost to ‘back-to-basics’ instruction
Last year there was substantial hand-wringing over Australia’s declining results in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests. Ideas for how to reverse this decline were coming from far and wide, thick and fast. Federal Minister for Education Dan Tehan declared Australian education needed to go “back-to-basics” while influential commentators pointed out PISA tests are focused […] … learn more→
From recognition to transformation: How digital technology can reduce mental illness stigma
When those with mental illness experience prejudice and discrimination in the form of stigma, it can make their suffering considerably worse. Spreading awareness and understanding through education is one of the strategies used to tackle the problem. Years of public education campaigns have helped open the conversation. Yet evidence suggests that stigma against people with […] … learn more→
‘Impostor syndrome’ trivialises the serious issue of feeling phoney in HE
Hardly a day goes by without the popular press featuring some celebrity or sportsperson recounting their supposed experience of “impostor syndrome”. Meanwhile, on social media, posting after posting suggests that “everyone has it” – but you can cure yours with this three-point action plan. Sadly, much of this material is both incorrect and belittling to those […] … learn more→
Culture will set us free: the value of the Humanities in a digital world
Having to explain the value of humanistic formation in our world and in our teachings – university or not – is already an indicator of the point we have reached. The dominant utilitarian reason and a kind of economic totalitarianism produce arguments that lead to relegating humanistic studies: their uselessness in terms of competitiveness in […] … learn more→
How sport for development and peace can transform the lives of youth
Thousands of young athletes have been competing at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, this month. But there are actually millions more young people participating in sports, and not just to bring home medals — but to bring peace. In December, the Peace and Sport Forum took place in Monaco to discuss the work of […] … learn more→
Academic publishing must better serve science and society
Writing has always been the storehouse of human knowledge and the backbone of civilisations. To this day, it carries our best hopes for building a better future. Within it is the potential to curb climate change, stave off drought and famine and cure diseases. However, the flow of information is stifled by the very means […] … learn more→
A math teacher’s plea: Let’s keep pi irrational
Computers have helped mathematical research accelerate in multiple directions and increased the presence of mathematics in everyday life. The role of technology in teaching and learning mathematics is increasingly on my mind as a math instructor who sees new students arrive at Simon Fraser University (SFU) every year. Both at SFU, and when I visit Canadian math classrooms […] … learn more→
Why it’s unclear whether private programs for ‘troubled teens’ are working
I first became interested in what I’ve learned is called the “troubled teen industry” more than 20 years ago, when my parents sent me away to a program they thought would help me finish high school. At that point I was skipping a lot of school and running away. Simply put, I was seeking emancipation, […] … learn more→