By Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle Two decades ago, Finland made big news in international education circles. Against all odds it became a top-performer in OECD’s first PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) study that compared 15-year-olds’ knowledge and skills in reading, mathematical and scientific literacies. Since about 2010 education experts and pundits in the United States have debated whether there is…
read moreWhen my friends overseas ask me what I think about Australian education, I tell them that we have the best schools in the world – but not for everyone. Indeed, according to internationally comparative evidence, the learning gap between the lowest and highest performing students in Australia is huge. At the age of 15, this learning gap equates to three years of schooling. It is an inconvenient fact that one of the wealthiest…
read moreThis post is based on the submission to the Independent Inquiry on Valuing the Teaching Profession in NSW that was released on 20 February 2021. My full submission to the inquiry panel is here. ========= The teaching profession is facing considerable challenges from more directions than one. Public school teachers in NSW and other parts of Australia work longer hours than before. They are teaching more diverse students in their…
read moreAustralia has been ranked among the best places in the world to be during the coronavirus pandemic and to move to after it is over, according to international media. This is not by chance but a result of a particular way of dealing with the most dangerous global health crisis of the century.The key theory of managing the coronavirus crisis is simple: go strong early on with prevention and insist on active testing, contact tracing…
read moreBy Pasi Sahlberg & Saku Tuominen Many education systems aim to educate young people in how to flourish in an increasingly unpredictable world. Until early 2020 this goal remained an abstract idea without concrete examples in the real life. At best, students practiced creative thinking in imaginary exercises outside the school where the normal rules didn´t work anymore and new ideas were required to move on. At worst students…
read moreWhat 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…
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