The connection between language and meaning has been well established. The language we use is directly related to the way we view and treat others. Inclusive language is imperative to achieve equitable change, grounded in human rights and social justice. Many countries today have laws protecting against the use of any language that incites or wilfully promotes hatred against […] … learn more→

Happy new year friends! They say how you spend NYE night sets the tone for the year. If that’s the case, I’ll be eating Indian takeaway with my girlfriends and going to bed at 9:30pm. I’m VERY ok with this plan after the eventful couple of years we’ve had. I followed up the quiet start with […] … learn more→

If you could redesign high school, what might you change? How could the schedule be more flexible? What if teachers worked together as teams? What if groups of students were combined based on interest and given the opportunity to connect learning to their everyday lives? Noel Burke, the founder of an educational reform initiative in […] … learn more→

What do we think when someone asks us how we write? Probably, if our handwriting is legible or if we follow the spelling rules… but writing goes much further. Writing is representing thought through graphic symbols in a coherent, orderly and meaningful way, following a common thread and using language appropriate to the reader. Thus, the difficult […] … learn more→

Science and maths skills are widely celebrated as keys to economic and technological progress, but abstract mathematics may seem bafflingly far from industrial optimisation or medical imaging. Pure mathematics often yields unanticipated applications, but without a time machine to look into the future, how do mathematicians like me choose what to study? Over Thai noodles, […] … learn more→

Have you played the puzzle game Tangram? I remember, as a child, being fascinated by how just seven simple wooden triangles and other shapes could offer endless entertainment. Unlike LEGO, the Tangram pieces do not snap together, and unlike the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, they do not form a painted picture. Instead, Tangram invites […] … learn more→

Teaching, in its broadest meaning, is a uniquely human phenomenon and linked to our nature as cultural beings. Natural selection shaped our cognitive structure so that we could take advantage of the knowledge possessed by our fellow humans. Humans are capable of generating a cumulative cultural inheritance system thanks to which we have managed to spread across […] … learn more→

Many parents want to encourage their children to be creative. This is not just about training the next Archibald Prize winner. Young people develop important emotional and cognitive skills when they make art. But at the same time, it can be tricky to know where to start. Or how to overcome the fear of a big clean […] … learn more→

In an episode of Abbott Elementary, the sitcom about a group of teachers in an under-resourced Philadelphia school, novice teacher Janine takes to TikTok. The joke is that she needs to use TikTok to fundraise to get her classroom much needed school supplies. Although played for laughs in this award-winning show created by Quinta Brunson, one education blogger wrote: “In […] … learn more→

Having a rich vocabulary, or “deep” in linguistic terms (a high knowledge of synonyms and antonyms), is essential for writing a text. We not only have to be able to select the most appropriate terms for the expression of that content, but also know what other meanings they may have depending on the context and how […] … learn more→