Blog Archives

Kids shouldn’t have to repeat a year of school because of coronavirus. There are much better options

Kids shouldn’t have to repeat a year of school because of coronavirus. There are much better options

Australian schools and teachers are preparing to shift classes online – some independent schools already have. Remote learning is likely to be the norm in the second term and possibly longer. Even if done well, there are still likely to be learning losses. Rigorous US studies of online charter schools show students learn less than similar peers in traditional […] … learn more→

Don’t worry about cancelled exams – research shows we should switch to teacher assessment permanently

Don’t worry about cancelled exams – research shows we should switch to teacher assessment permanently

The UK government recently cancelled GCSE and A-level exams. Instead, for this year only, teacher assessments will replace exam grades. These teacher assessments will be based on frequent low-stakes testing, performance in the classroom and homework or coursework. This is a dramatic change, from objective standardised tests to more subjective teacher assessments. The move might be distressing for […] … learn more→

5 ways to keep human connections when moving learning online due to coronavirus

5 ways to keep human connections when moving learning online due to coronavirus

Universities across Canada and the world have been working to rapidly move their face-to-face classes to remote delivery. While digital technologies enable people to work and learn from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, this huge task of seeking to meet particular learning objectives while going online ultimately falls to the people — the educators and students — who are behind the […] … learn more→

How many children should take the school lunch program?

How many children should take the school lunch program?

The question of how many children should be required to take the School Lunch Program is a very important one. Of course, the federal guidelines state that children must be taken for the program, but it can vary depending on the state. For example, many states require only small children to take the program and […] … learn more→

Learn math from home during confinement

Learn math from home during confinement

The consequences of the coronavirus epidemic forces us to confine ourselves to our homes, often with school-age children. They have been left without their usual classes for a period that can last from the fifteen days initially planned to more than a month. These unforeseen circumstances have caught the teachers by surprise, who are hardly trying […] … learn more→

3 smart ways to use screen time while coronavirus keeps kids at home

3 smart ways to use screen time while coronavirus keeps kids at home

1. Choose high-quality educational media Rather than handing over the remote or the iPad, parents can help young children by choosing media that’s worthwhile. By the time children are about age 3, high-quality media like “Sesame Street” can help them learn about words, numbers and even important facts about how to stay safe, research has shown. Kids can also learn from […] … learn more→

Homework in times of confinement: are they effective?

Homework in times of confinement: are they effective?

Due to the coronavirus, we are experiencing the most radical situation of educational exceptionality that the world has experienced since the great wars of the 20th century: closed educational centers, students and teachers confined to their homes, doubts and uncertainty about the usual processes in the educational system (evaluation of the second trimester, next year’s […] … learn more→

Violent behaviour shows up at primary school – and can end there too

Violent behaviour shows up at primary school – and can end there too

Schools should be safe places. Yet, throughout the world, violence in schools remains a problem. Girls and boys who are seen as ‘soft’ or ‘gay’ are the main victims of bullying, name-calling, physical violence and sexual violence. These experiences in schools affect children’s concentration and academic performance. In some instances girls drop out of school […] … learn more→