The Global Search for Education: Knowledge
Oct12

The Global Search for Education: Knowledge

 “Schooling is a universal right.  It is about the right of all young peopleto have access to ‘powerful knowledge’… ” — Michael Young  Fueled by international test scores which indicate that the UK is lagging behind other nations in education, the British education debate has focused on a number of issues.  These include the nature of standardized exams and the weakness of the academic core...

Read More
The Global Search for Education: More from Canada
Sep27

The Global Search for Education: More from Canada

 “Good Teachers are critical.  It is an absolutely vital factor.” — Dr. Ben Levin  “The U.S. cannot improve its education system for all or even most children by keeping its present focus on charter schools, more testing, teacher evaluation and union bashing.  None of those feature in the best-performing countries.  There must be a focus on helping all schools improve, combining pressure with lots of...

Read More
The Global Search for Education: What Did You Learn Today?
Sep20

The Global Search for Education: What Did You Learn Today?

 “Children do not always learn what we teach. That is why the most important assessment does not happen at the end of the learning, it happens during the learning.” — Dylan Wiliam  “It is right that teachers and schools are accountable to those with a stake in public education, and this requires assessments that are free from subjectivity. So we do need some form of standardized assessment. However, the...

Read More
The Global Search for Education: How to Support Your Education System
Sep13

The Global Search for Education: How to Support Your Education System

 “70% of the variation in student achievement is accounted for by factors outside of the control of schools.” —  Charles Ungerleider  Professor Charles Ungerleider tells me he wrote his book, Failing Our Kids — How we are Ruining Our Public Schools (McClelland & Stewart, 2004), after he completed a term as Deputy Minister of Education for British Columbia.  For 40 years he had observed the Canadian...

Read More
The Global Search for Education: The Technology Connection
Aug09

The Global Search for Education: The Technology Connection

 Will Apple’s iPad 2 change the way we watch a book or appreciate nature? photo courtesy of Susan Leslie. “If you asked a parent they might call it intuitive. If you asked a musician they might call it inspiring. To a doctor it’s groundbreaking. To a CEO it’s powerful. To a teacher it’s the future. If you asked a child, she might call it magic.” …And if you asked the producers of the Apple...

Read More