Blog Archives

Using AI in the classroom to recommend exercises to students: what is the benefit, what are the biases?

Using AI in the classroom to recommend exercises to students: what is the benefit, what are the biases?

Since the 1950s, computer-assisted instruction and then intelligent tutoring systems have helped improve learning experiences. Today, the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) opens up new perspectives, affirming the growing role of digital technology in education, as in other sectors. The arrival of generative AI , accessible to the general public from the end of 2022, is […] … learn more→

How our brain learns to read: from reading mechanics to comprehension

How our brain learns to read: from reading mechanics to comprehension

Reading is determined biologically, like speech. It is the result of a complex learning process. The first signs of language could have appeared with Homo Erectus around 1.9 million years ago . Instead, the first writings date back to around 4,000 years before Jesus Christ . The brain has had almost two million years to develop the neural network […] … learn more→

New research suggests girls in single-sex schools do slightly better in exams than girls in co-ed environments

New research suggests girls in single-sex schools do slightly better in exams than girls in co-ed environments

Students at all-girls’ schools do slightly better in their exams than girls at co-educational schools, according to new research from the United Kingdom. This goes against previous studies that suggest it does not matter if students attend single-sex or co-ed schools. What is the study? This research was done by FFT Education Datalab. This is an independent research team specialising […] … learn more→

Our research shows children produce better pieces of writing by hand. But they need keyboard skills too

Our research shows children produce better pieces of writing by hand. But they need keyboard skills too

Children today are growing up surrounded by technology. So it’s easy to assume they will be able to write effectively using a keyboard. But our research suggests this is not necessarily true. We need to actively teach students to be able to type as well as write using paper and pen or pencil. Our research Our research team has […] … learn more→

Billions are spent on educational technology, but we don’t know if it works

Billions are spent on educational technology, but we don’t know if it works

During the COVID lockdowns, schools and universities worldwide relied on education technology – edtech – to keep students learning. They used online platforms to give lessons, mark work and send feedback, used apps to teach and introduced students to programs that let them work together on projects. In the aftermath of school closures, the market […] … learn more→

New faith schools in England could soon allocate all their places on religious grounds – here’s why that’s a bad idea

New faith schools in England could soon allocate all their places on religious grounds – here’s why that’s a bad idea

The government has proposed dropping the cap on faith admissions for new and existing free faith schools in England. This would mean that oversubscribed faith schools in this category – those established as new academies, rather than converted from existing council-maintained schools – would no longer have to offer 50% of their places to children from outside […] … learn more→

“Ban screens” or “digital education”: the unsustainable alternative

“Ban screens” or “digital education”: the unsustainable alternative

At the end of April 2024, the “Screens Commission” submitted its report to the President of the French Republic to regulate the digital practices of young people. Entitled “Children and screens: In search of lost time” , the text has since provoked numerous reactions, particularly focused on health issues. The application of some of its recommendations, […] … learn more→

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without algorithms. So, we’ve all heard of them, but where does the word “algorithm” even come from? Over 1,000 years before the internet and […] … learn more→

Expelling students for bad behaviour seems like the obvious solution, but is it really a good idea?

Expelling students for bad behaviour seems like the obvious solution, but is it really a good idea?

Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. The two were part of a group of four high school students suspended from Yarra Valley Grammar last Friday, after sharing a spreadsheet of photos of female classmates, ranking them with terms including “wifeys”, “cuties” and “unrapable”. […] … learn more→