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Printed books are quickly being superseded by digital books, but research has shown that the printed book is still valuable – perhaps more so than their digital counterpart. A study conducted in 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics has found that interaction with printed text was significantly greater when compared to reading / interactingRead more

For the third year running, an elementary school in Ireland is ditching homework for the whole month of December and assigning ‘acts of kindness’ instead. Each weekday, kids attending Gaescoil Mhichil Ui Choileain, in Clonakilty, are given a kindness task instead of the usual school homework. For instance, on Mondays they have to talk toRead more

More than half a million 15-year-old students across the world (36 OECD countries and 43 other countries or economies) participated in the 2018 PISA test, whose results were published in December 2019. The PISA test (Programme for International Students Assessment) measures thinking and problem-solving in three areas: Maths, Reading and Science. The test revealed thatRead more

Earlier this month, the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment, (PISA) report was released. Australia’s results certainly aren’t what we were hoping for. In fact, the results show that we as a nation are slipping further down the international ranks, and have been on this trajectory for the last 20 years.Recent HSC results, however, showRead more

According to a recent global survey, Australian students were ranked amongst ‘worst in the world’ for classroom discipline. Discipline levels in Australian schools are in fact below the OECD average, based on responses from students who took part in international tests. The OECD’s 2018 Program for International Student Assessment revealed that Australian students ranked 70thRead more

Australia is well above the global average when it comes to the number of 1:1 digital technologies that are available and used among its school students. Children as young as 4 years are using computers, laptops and hand held devices whilst in their classroom as a tool for learning. Yet while our digital tech usageRead more

In an article written by Jordan Baker in the SMH, August 4 2019, the topic of increasing the frequency of children’s play time at school was discussed. Two Sydney primary schools have followed Finland’s footsteps in increasing the frequency of free outdoor play time in an attempt to increase concentration and engagement, and the resultsRead more

The PISA results have come in, and for Australian schools, the outcome isn’t great. In fact, it may surprise you to learn that it’s the OECD countries, some of the wealthiest in the world, that are seeing a decline in results from previous years. New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Finland are some of the countries toRead more

Education Minister Dan Tehan admitted being very disappointed at last year’s poor student test results, and said that ‘alarm bells should be ringing’. Australian students have registered record low results in reading, maths, and science. These results were released on Tuesday by the PISA report, the Program for International Student Assessment, which evaluates educational systemsRead more

Italy will become the first country to make study of global heating and human influence on natural resources compulsory in state schools. Lorenzo Fioramonti, Italy’s Education Minister, announced that starting from September 2020, one hour a week will be dedicated to themes including global heating and humans’ influence on the planet. That could put ItalyRead more