A teacher who stays does not always remain the same teacher

When discussing teacher shortages, we often focus on the reasons people leave the education profession. So let’s approach the issue from a different angle in this post by asking: why do teachers stay? This is the focus of a qualitative study by Wanyue Chen and colleagues. Qualitative research does not allow for causal claims and… Read More A teacher who stays does not always remain the same teacher

Funny on Sunday: My Favourite Coffee Shop Is Doing It Again

I’m not really a fan of YouTube Shorts, but this keeps me laughing every single episode! Check here for more Funny on Sunday.

When pedagogical dreams meet school reality

No, this won’t be yet another blog post in which I criticise open learning spaces (I rarely do that anyway). Instead, it is about a fascinating new Finnish study. It is in line with a previous study also in Finland.  What makes this study interesting is not so much the question of whether open or… Read More When pedagogical dreams meet school reality

Do we overestimate the effect of a good teacher-student relationship on learning performance?

Sometimes you read research that aligns beautifully with your vision. And sometimes it clashes with what you already knew, or thought you knew. For example, because it seems to contradict previous research you have read. Or worse, because it is not necessarily in line with… your own research. But that is precisely why I felt obliged… Read More Do we overestimate the effect of a good teacher-student relationship on learning performance?

US watchdog warns about ChatGPT for teens

Let’s be honest, young people are using AI chatbots en masse. Via Axios, I found this new assessment by the US organisation Common Sense Media. They discovered that 67 per cent of children aged 9 to 17 years old in the USA have used AI chatbots. 40 percent name ChatGPT as one of such tools.… Read More US watchdog warns about ChatGPT for teens

Another kind of study on homework

hIt is a complaint I sometimes make on this blog or on stage: quite a lot has already been written and researched about homework. Often, the discussion revolves around a fairly simple question: does homework work? Or, sometimes, a slightly more concrete one: how much homework should we assign, from what age does it make… Read More Another kind of study on homework

A parent program seemed to stop working after a few years. Until the schools closed.

Investing in early childhood education through various programs happens in many places, but thanks to James Heckman, we know that sustaining — maintaining — such investments is important, because otherwise their effects can fade. That already explains part of the title of this post, which almost sounds like the beginning of a riddle. It is… Read More A parent program seemed to stop working after a few years. Until the schools closed.

Inclusion Should Not Mean Lowering the Bar

Yesterday I wrote about high expectations and a new study suggesting that those expectations may become visible in something very concrete: the tasks you give your students. Teachers were much less inclined to assign cognitively challenging mathematics tasks when thinking about low-performing students than when thinking about high-performing students. Today I came across an inclusion… Read More Inclusion Should Not Mean Lowering the Bar

High expectations are also about the tasks we give students

Today, a study immediately reminded me of a classic, frequently cited study. Oh, and also of the importance of having high expectations in education. Of course, expectations are about what you think students can achieve. But perhaps you can see them even more clearly somewhere else: in the tasks you give your students. This is… Read More High expectations are also about the tasks we give students

Funny on Sunday: OpenAI Dots Failed Live on Stage

I do like the videos by Sam Tucker. Follow him for (almost) daily funny tech videos. Check here for more Funny on Sunday.