What is the X-factor that helps schools through the current global health crisis? Lessons from around the world tell us that where schools have flexible curriculum arrangements, creative approaches to real problem-solving, and confidence in collective professional wisdom of teacher as leaders, navigation through the tough times gets easier. It is all about trust in teachers to do what is best for every child in their schools.…
read moreBy Pasi Sahlberg and Sharon Goldfeld, 17/9/2020 in The Conversation Many parents are worried the disruptions of COVID lockdowns and school closures may affect their children’s mental health and development. In the Royal Children’s Hospital’s National Child Health Poll in June 2020, more than one-third of parents reported the pandemic has had negative consequences on their children’s mental health. Almost half of parents…
read moreAn interview with Sarah Duggan in EducationHQ, Published Sept 10, 2020 Professor Pasi Sahlberg likens the new ANSA proposal – the latest NAPLAN reform being pushed by NSW, the ACT, Victoria and Queensland – as akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “You know, most people know that this is not the right way to go and that there's something bad waiting ahead,” the deputy director and research director of…
read moreBy William Doyle and Pasi Sahlberg When the novel coronavirus is no longer as great a threat and schools finally reopen, we should give children the one thing they will need most after enduring months of isolation, stress, physical restraint and woefully inadequate, screen-based remote learning. We should give them playtime -- and lots of it. As in-person classes begin, education administrators will presumably follow the safety…
read moreBy Lauren McNamara and Pasi Sahlberg School leaders globally are tasked with the unenviable challenge of planning for school reopenings after COVID-19 pandemic shut downs. Having experienced their own isolation, anxiety, exhaustion and challenges of taking schools online, they are now challenged to redesign their schools to mitigate the effects of a pandemic. Amid concerns about social distancing, it would be easy for education…
read moreSo much has been said already about teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic that it is hard to say something new. More focus on social and emotional learning, student and teacher wellbeing, authentic assessments, distance learning with technology, relationships in schools and recess during school days. Fewer high-stakes standardized tests, less unproductive consequential accountability, more direct instruction in school,…
read moreTeachers say most students have lost the ability to focus, are less empathetic and spend less time on physical activity. These are some of the results from our Growing Up Digital Australia study, in which we surveyed almost 2,000 teachers and school leaders across Australia. We asked them how students from primary school to year 12 have changed in the last five years, and what might explain these changes. Nearly four out of…
read moreIn 2015, a school district in New York State declared an educational revolution. Teachers and parents decided to rise up and liberate their schools and their children — by giving them more play. The revolution erupted at the Patchogue-Medford district on Long Island, which serves 8,700 K-12 students, over half of whom are economically disadvantaged, and it is being led by Michael Hynes, the athletic, passionate young district…
read moreBy Amy Graham and Pasi Sahlberg More than one billion young people around the world are now shut out of classrooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even in Australia where many schools remain open, many parents have chosen to keep their kids home. Some Australian non-government schools have already shut their doors and moved classes online. Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania have ended the term early so teachers…
read moreThis essay was written with William Doyle and originally published in Washington Post on April 8, 2020 The coronavirus crisis has shattered one of the most dysfunctional pillars of childhood education. On March 20, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos suspended the federal requirement for the mass standardized testing of children, announcing “Neither students nor teachers need to be focused on high-stakes tests during this…
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