A promise is a promise: PISA in the United Kingdom (what can we learn?)

Yesterday, I wrote about the new PISA 2025 results, and my post ended with a question to explore: what happens if, instead of looking at the United Kingdom (UK) as a whole, as reported in the OECD’s first Volume, we look at England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland separately? So, this post delivers on that… Read More A promise is a promise: PISA in the United Kingdom (what can we learn?)

And here it is… PISA (a slightly idiosyncratic dip into the grab bag)

As I post this, the embargo has been lifted, and articles about PISA 2025 are appearing on news websites around the world. And yes, there is plenty of bad news to report. In many education systems, the results are still moving in the wrong direction. A few years ago, it looked as if these results… Read More And here it is… PISA (a slightly idiosyncratic dip into the grab bag)

This blog is not about PISA… but about a (slightly smaller) study on money, worries and our brains

And no, this does not mean I will suddenly start writing about the big comparative study the OECD will publish today at 9.30 a.m. You will also be able to read all sorts of things about it here. By the way, it is just a little strange to be sitting here writing something when the… Read More This blog is not about PISA… but about a (slightly smaller) study on money, worries and our brains

Defending science means talking about its problems

These are difficult times for people who do science, blog about science, and defend science. I do all three. Daniel Muijs wrote this blog post over the weekend defending educational research. He starts by acknowledging that there are indeed problems (certainly), but that there is also a lot of good research being done (also certainly).… Read More Defending science means talking about its problems

A new APA report on technology in education: learning and wellbeing

Via Dan Willingham, I discovered this new report by the American Psychological Association on children, adolescents, and educational technology. Dan was one of the authors. Much of what is in the report will not surprise regular readers of this blog. Take e.g. the finding that engagement is not the same as learning. This reminded me… Read More A new APA report on technology in education: learning and wellbeing

Funny on Sunday: Vinyl

This one comes a bit too close to home… Check here for more Funny on Sunday.

An opportunity to think is not the same as thinking

There is a certain irony in the article and study I want to discuss with you today. I had to think pretty hard to understand it. No, really, this study by Sergiou and colleagues has proven to be an incredibly difficult read. However, it addresses something essential in the ongoing discussion of active and passive… Read More An opportunity to think is not the same as thinking

15 meta-analyses on project-based learning tell us… virtually nothing”

Yesterday, Paul Kirschner responded to my blog post discussing research I was critical of, ending with the words: “Again, lots of time and money invested to learn virtually nothing.” Paul has a point. And this new umbrella review will not make him, or you as a reader, feel any more hopeful. Imagine fifteen meta-analyses, together… Read More 15 meta-analyses on project-based learning tell us… virtually nothing”

Letting students assess each other’s work? The teacher remains crucial

This post is unique on this blog. Yesterday, I simply could not find anything ‘bloggable’ in my RSS feeds. There was nothing among my Scholar suggestions and nothing on EurekAlert that I had not already blogged about. So, in the end, for the first time I asked AI whether there were any new studies that… Read More Letting students assess each other’s work? The teacher remains crucial

Do We Know the Alpha and Omega of Alpha School?

A year ago, I wrote a rant about Alpha schools. A few times a year, I let myself go. No, this will not be a new rant. Sorry. But in my post and the follow-up post, I argued that we couldn’t separate Alpha School’s spectacular claims from the extraordinarily selective population it serves. Now we… Read More Do We Know the Alpha and Omega of Alpha School?