School Conditions Can Support More Effective Teacher Professional Learning
School leaders everywhere want to improve the quality of teaching and learning in their schools. Professional development for teachers is often seen as the best way to achieve these improvements. Yet much of the research on teacher professional development fails to demonstrate that it has an impact on teachers’ classroom practices or their students’ […]
Teaching Together in Changing Times
In a complex and rapidly changing world, our educational goals are becoming more sophisticated and demanding. Raising achievement scores in literacy and numeracy is not enough anymore. Economic prosperity and opportunity call for innovation and creativity. An international epidemic of mental health problems, violence and uncontained anger is making nation after nation, and more and […]
More wisdom, less knowledge? The changing role of the 21C teacher
In the past weeks I bet you have heard the following response to a question, “I dunno, wait let me Google it!”. In our permanently connected society, information is only a few characters and a click away. Our lives have been forever changed by this persistent information flow. Fast changing technological advances have also impacted […]
Five Reasons Why We Should Always Celebrate World Teacher’s Day
UNESCO proclaimed October 5th to be World Teacher’s Day. It is an annual occasion for us to celebrate the teaching profession and to acknowledge those who have been making tireless efforts to help generations of learners realize their hopes and dreams through learning. Indeed October 5th is a special day as it is also the […]
Why Teachers Matter in Humanitarian Emergencies
When I first arrived in Katsikas refugee camp in April as a volunteer teacher, I was yet to learn the weighty elements of this experience that no amount of information could have prepared me for. There was the immediate visual depression of the camp’s conditions; endless rows of floorless tents on a barren bed of […]
Teaching Arabic Language for Arabs: Challenges, Tensions, and the Way Forward
The challenge of teaching Arabic is significant, and is further intensified by a range of political and cultural debates in various Arab countries. Traditional practices in teaching, learning, and assessment are well-established, making change difficult to implement. Efforts to reform language teaching, particularly in conservative cultures such as the Arab world, have always faced opposition […]
Gender Gaps: a Paradox from Learners to Teachers
The question of women empowerment and gender equality is at the heart of the education debate worldwide: girls should be educated and empowered to have the same opportunities as boys. However, gender gaps are not limited to classrooms. In fact, they are surprisingly accentuated in the education job market. Two fields are representative of this […]
Tearing Down the Classroom Walls
This article is part of a special interview series featuring global innovators in education (part 4 of 5). Visit WISE ed.review regularly to read the upcoming articles. “I have a vision where companies, public sector entities, libraries, museums and more have a Skype Pod near their open spaces where employees or volunteers can connect with children around […]
Classroom of the Future: Leveling the Playing Field for All Learners
This article is part of a special interview series featuring global innovators in education (part 3 of 5). Visit WISE ed.review regularly to read the upcoming articles. “Each time we hit the publish button—three times a week—we marvel at the internet’s ability to consistently propel a master teacher’s reach from thirty students in a classroom to several […]
Embracing Empathy in Our Schools
Empathy sometimes has trouble making friends. She roams the playground day by day but rarely receives more than a wave or a glance. The adjacent swing remains empty and no sneakers mirror hers when she skips around the field. Empathy is a little different. She changes appearance depending on who she plays with and she’s eager to […]