Is Evidence-Informed Education Left, Right, or Neutral? Spoiler: None of the Above

In debates about education policy, ideas are quickly sorted into ideological boxes. Left. Right. Centrist. The same increasingly happens with evidence-informed education. Is it progressive? Is it conservative? Or does it float above politics altogether? The question sounds simple. The answer is not. In 2024, I watched a debate in Paris between Paul Howard-Jones and… Read More Is Evidence-Informed Education Left, Right, or Neutral? Spoiler: None of the Above

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Why students struggle in school: beyond simple explanations

Students struggle in school.That is not new.What is less clear is why. The answers we tend to give are often simple. Too simple. Lack of motivation. Too little effort. Not enough talent. Sometimes, even the reverse. Schools are outdated. They use the wrong teaching methods. And students are getting bored. Sometimes there is a grain… Read More Why students struggle in school: beyond simple explanations

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Why 89% positive studies on AI in education actually tell us very little

I remain cautious about AI in education and, for now, also about the research around it. Not because I am against AI, but for a different reason. A recent review by Edison Marino Cerón Salazar and Diana Carolina Burbano González helps to explain why. At first glance, the conclusion looks impressive. As many as 89%… Read More Why 89% positive studies on AI in education actually tell us very little

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Is curiosity always good for learning?

Curiosity has an almost mythical status in education. We want to spark it, stimulate it, and place it at the centre of learning. That makes sense. If you are curious, you want to know, you seek information, and you learn. A lot of research supports that idea. But, as is often the case, the story… Read More Is curiosity always good for learning?

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Funny on Sunday: Sherlock Holmes is wrong

As always, fun by xkcd that forces you to think or rethink. Check here for more Funny on Sunday.

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Sometimes, Things Are Simply… Done

Last week I was staying in a hotel for work. The kind of hotel where everything feels right. Clean design, nice materials, everything neatly integrated. Until I took a shower. I wanted to turn the tap. Or rather, I tried to turn it on. Because there was no tap anymore. You can still adjust the… Read More Sometimes, Things Are Simply… Done

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Why MrBeast Gets Education Wrong (A Short Rant About a Familiar Myth)

I have to be careful now, as some of my kids used to be fans of MrBeast, but what he’s saying in this video, which I found in this tweet, is close to complete nonsense. I’ll ignore the learning styles claim he casually throws in. No, you are not a visual learner. That discussion is… Read More Why MrBeast Gets Education Wrong (A Short Rant About a Familiar Myth)

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What makes an expert teacher? Evidence from 45 studies

Experienced teachers and novices differ. That seems obvious. Experience must play a role. But how exactly do they differ? A recent meta-analysis and review study by Xiao and colleagues tries to answer precisely that question by bringing together 45 studies comparing expert teachers with novices. Importantly, this is not based on opinions or self-reports, but… Read More What makes an expert teacher? Evidence from 45 studies

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Smaller schools: solution or too simple? What new research shows

I’ve written about school size before, in talks and in books. About how some studies suggest there might be something like an optimal range. Not too large, because anonymity becomes a risk. Not too small, because it becomes harder to professionalise as a team, share expertise, and sustain a strong curriculum. And then there is… Read More Smaller schools: solution or too simple? What new research shows

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When parental involvement becomes performance management

It has been going on for some time. As a parent today, you can track almost everything about your child. Grades, feedback, assignments, deadlines, and sometimes even how often your child has revisited something. Through Smartschool, apps, emails and all kinds of dashboards. The stream of data and information never really stops, although some good… Read More When parental involvement becomes performance management

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