You may be familiar with the popular TikTok trend, #ATARreaction. You see the face of a Year 12 student logging on to their computer, then they wait a few moments before they collapse in tears, relief and celebration. You have just witnessed them receive their final results. It is Year 12 results season around Australia. […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
‘Practically perfect’: why the media’s focus on ‘top’ Year 12 students needs to change
Wales’s Pisa school test results have declined – but it’s not a true reflection of an education system
Every three years, an early Christmas gift arrives for the global education community from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Programme for International Student Assessments (Pisa) is an international test in which 15 year olds are tested on their knowledge and skills. It relegates those far below the Pisa top ten as […] … learn more→
We reviewed the arguments for and against ‘high-stakes’ exams. The evidence for using them doesn’t stack up
Across Australia, students are receiving and digesting important exam results. University students began receiving their semester 2 results at the end of November. This week and early next week, Year 12 students are also receiving their final marks. Love them or loathe them, exams have featured prominently in education for centuries. For almost as long, debate has raged about whether […] … learn more→
Additions to the dictionary: Why ‘big data’ and not big data?
The Royal Spanish Academy has just added to the Dictionary, among other terms, the English expression big data , despite the fact that it has a simple and obvious translation into Spanish. What reasons are behind this decision and others like it? As has been happening in recent years every December, the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), in collaboration with the Association […] … learn more→
AI can teach math teachers how to improve student skills
When middle school math teachers completed an online professional development program that uses artificial intelligence to improve their math knowledge and teaching skills, their students’ math performance improved. My colleagues and I developed this online professional development program, which relies on a virtual facilitator that can – among other things – present problems to the […] … learn more→
Are we managing to educate in equality?
Have you ever been surprised listening to two boys or girls having a conversation in which roles are differentiated by sex? How common is this in today’s society? Gender stereotypes and biases are built in childhood and limit the future of youth . Furthermore, they are intensified through study plans, teaching materials and practices or relationships with family and […] … learn more→
Australian teenagers record steady results in international tests, but about half are not meeting proficiency standards
Australian high school students have achieved steady results in a new round of international tests. The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, released on Tuesday night, show 15-year-olds have recorded similar results to 2015 and 2018 in mathematics, science and reading. But when looked at over the past 20 years, Australian students’ performance has […] … learn more→
Australia has its first framework for AI use in schools – but we need to proceed with caution
Federal and state governments have just released a national framework for generative AI in schools. This paves the way for generative AI – algorithms that can create new content – to be used routinely in classrooms around the country. This provides much-needed guidance, a full year after the launch of ChatGPT. Over the past 12 months, schools have had […] … learn more→
A participatory strategy to fight digital inequality
Amal has met with her friends in the neighborhood square, next to the social center. They know that during the day they have Wi-Fi open and they let them use it without problems. She recently ran out of data and at home the connection is not very good. While with her friends, she takes the opportunity to look […] … learn more→
Girls less likely to be diagnosed with special educational needs – new research
The point when a child with special educational needs (SEN) is diagnosed is an important moment in their lives. It allows schools to provide them with access to additional resources, such as assistive technology, specialised teaching programs or the services of professionals such as educational psychologists. These resources help to meet children’s academic, emotional or social needs. […] … learn more→
