Social mixing at school – that is to say the fact that children from the working, middle and upper classes attend the same establishments – is generally considered a desirable objective, capable of reducing educational inequalities and foster in students a form of openness to otherness. However, it is frequently feared that students from different social backgrounds, […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
In middle school, does social origin influence friendships?
Hybrid learning, a promise for education
Post-pandemic education has taken an important turn: the incorporation of technologies as part of the teaching and learning process is a reality that came faster than expected. Teachers, students and even parents had to learn and relearn in order to make use of the educational platforms through which the classes were being carried out. After the […] … learn more→
How to avoid annoying your kids and getting ‘stressed by proxy’ during exam season
I knew assessment season was upon us when my son frantically asked me one morning before school if I had any spare pens in my bag. Despite the fact most tests have moved online, it appears the fear of ink in a pen running out remains a timeless stress factor. This will likely be a […] … learn more→
How important are silence and order in a classroom?
Living in the society of immediacy, wrapped in the noise of superficial information, can lead us away from an attitude of growth and well-being. Group silence and mental silence are essential for coexistence both in class and in social groups. Although classrooms that are not well managed can be useful in giving us the opportunity to […] … learn more→
ChatGPT and cheating: 5 ways to change how students are graded
Universities and schools have entered a new phase in how they need to address academic integrity as our society navigates a second era of digital technologies, which include publicly available generative artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT. Such platforms allow students to generate novel text for written assignments. While many worry these advanced AI technologies are ushering in […] … learn more→
The female students manage and the male students shine: gender in group work
European, state and regional institutions make it a priority to guarantee teaching free of gender stereotypes. Despite the difficulties, progress is slowly being made , thanks to the commitment of thousands of teachers who try to incorporate the gender perspective in teaching and in the design and research process . In some disciplines, such as Political Science and Sociology, the incorporation of the […] … learn more→
School attendance rates are dropping. We need to ask students why
Today federal and state education ministers are meeting to talk about school attendance. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has repeatedly flagged this as a key concern. As he told Channel 7’s Sunrise last week: We’ve seen attendance at schools drop over the last ten years amongst boys and girls from five-year-olds to 15-year-olds. Whenever I […] … learn more→
ChatGPT could be an effective and affordable tutor
Imagine a private tutor that never gets tired, has access to massive amounts of data and is free for everyone. In 1966, Stanford philosophy professor Patrick Suppes did just that when he made this prediction: One day, computer technology would evolve so that “millions of schoolchildren” would have access to a personal tutor. He said the […] … learn more→
Learning from mistakes, the key to education
Change is something always present in our lives; perhaps, now more than ever before in history. In previous generations, a job or a relationship could last a lifetime. Today it is much less common. In the professional field , moreover, it is estimated that two out of three adolescents go to work in professions that do not yet exist. Given this context in […] … learn more→
How to teach the importance of democratic values in school
Living in a country with a democratic political regime, in which laws are approved in parliament after debate and discussion about their contents by the representatives freely chosen by the people, may have become something so obvious and everyday that we have ceased to be aware of the importance of this fact. It seems as if […] … learn more→