What Happens when Children Engage with Art?
A reflective essay written as part of the WISE Emerging Leaders program. 5 years ago, while facilitating a poetry workshop, I met Supriya Kumari, a 16-year-old student poet who is now an active member of Slam Out Loud’s ‘Bol Poetry Crew.’ Not only was she frugal with her words and cautious of everyone around her, […]
STEM-minded Approach to Collaboration for the Future
If there was any silver lining to be had from SARS-CoV-2 (aka COVID-19), it would be how education has been forever disrupted or transformed as a response to the global pandemic. Since Friedman (2005) and Trilling & Fadel (2009), educators have been talking about changes that are needed in education to meet the demands of living and […]
The Air Between Two Hands: Parts, Wholes, and Holistic Wellbeing
A reflective essay written as part of the WISE Emerging Leaders program. The concept of holistic wellbeing, for me, is intrinsically linked with the concept of wholeness: bringing awareness to, and caring for the entirety of our being. The word holistic is derived from the Greek word holos, meaning all, whole, or entire, and is associated […]
All Emotions Are Information
We hear it every day, from every sector of society, and across the world. An engaged, friendly child becomes increasingly hostile. A child who was once bright and bubbly becomes lethargic and barely functional. A child who once had a sense of well-being now suffers crippling anxiety. And in the worst case scenarios, a […]
Putting on Our Own Masks First: Helping the Helpers
As many as nine in ten children are currently out of school as a result of the global novel Coronavirus pandemic, requiring millions of learners to make the transition to at-home learning. But it is not just the students themselves who need to make this adjustment – teachers need help too. At the two-day online […]
Ticking The Right Boxes: How Can We Better Measure Education For Good?
Co-authored by Ameena Hussain, Audrey Giacomini, Thana El-Sallabi, Chelsea Waite, Rebecca Warren, Jaya Ramchandani, and Shaun McInerney. Changes in education are taking place in response to the deepening challenges we see in the world: social division, accelerated globalization, ecological emergency, technological advancement, and increased knowledge in neurosciences. Job markets are less predictable and the economy is less stable. For young people today, […]
How Will The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact The Future of Education?
As schools around the world transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, students, parents, and educators are all wondering what this means for education in the future. While it may seem difficult to predict how the future will unfold during such uncertain times, some of the most pioneering work happening around us can guide […]
What About Teachers’ Learning During COVID-19?
“Don’t stress about schoolwork. When your daughters return to school, their teachers will get them back on track. We are teachers and that is our Superpower” (Victoria Bryne, Salerno Secondary School, Galway, 20 April, 2020) In many countries, Labor Day is a public holiday, and people enjoy their time off from jobs. But how many of […]
Why Most 40 Minute Lessons are Inefficient
Imagine a classroom of 45 students in Liberia. A teacher spends 5 minutes demonstrating 37 + 24 on the blackboard. She then leads students through a 10 minute guided practice of a similar problem, 44 + 19. Finally, students launch into a 25-minute independent practice solving problems aligned to today’s goal. All students work hard, […]
Why Most Textbooks are Broken
When a plane crashes, we examine every detail about the aircraft’s mechanics. When a building collapses, we examine every detail about the building’s construction. And when students fail to learn, we for some reason skip examining every detail about instructional design. If an education system fails to ensure that every first grader can read the simple sentence “The name of […]