This year marked the tenth year of the Australian government reporting on targets made to close the educational gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian students. The report card showed some slow gains, but overall it was another national wake-up call. New policy approaches are needed to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous peoples. More...
21 juin 2018
In lab coats, students see themselves as scientists
In order to encourage more young people to choose to major in STEM fields and pursue STEM careers, we believe it is important to help them see themselves as someone who can be successful in those fields. One item often associated with scientists is the white lab coat. More...
How picturebooks disrupt language hierarchies
One reflection of the differential status of languages comes through in bilingual children’s picturebooks. Here I explore how te reo Māori (the indigenous language of New Zealand) is represented and argue that the way languages are displayed in bilingual picturebooks can disrupt the status quo. More...
How perfectionism can lead to depression
The pressures of young adulthood coupled with the demands of university leave undergraduates at risk for depressive symptoms. In fact, nearly 30% of undergraduates suffer from depressive symptoms, which is threefold higher than the general population. More...
How Russia is using international students as a weapon in the new Cold War
Russia is a top destination for international students and the most popular place for students from former Soviet countries to study. The country currently hosts more than 243,752 international students and considers international recruitment to be an important geopolitical goal. More...
Can you learn a language with an app? What the research says
Language learning apps are very popular in app stores worldwide – and are said to be revolutionising language learning. These apps offer opportunities to practise grammar and can be a very rewarding way to learn vocabulary. But there has been discussion about just how effective such apps can be – particularly when it comes to other skills such as writing and speaking. More...
Explainer: what’s the difference between STEM and STEAM?
STEM represents science, technology, engineering and maths. “STEAM” represents STEM plus the arts – humanities, language arts, dance, drama, music, visual arts, design and new media. More...
Why we need better, smarter, panic-free education on cannabis
This week, the third reading and vote on the bill to legalize cannabis will take place in Canada’s Senate. More...
How flexischools could help close the gap in Indigenous education
Moral development: children become more caring and inclusive as they age
Schools track and nurture the academic development of children, measuring literacy and numeracy against a bell curve. But what about children’s moral development? A new study has found this also develops over time, and there’s a lot parents can do to help it along. More...
How female protagonists have changed – and stayed the same – in young adult fiction
Strong female protagonists in young adult fiction are nothing new. From Nancy Drew to Annemarie Johansen – Lois Lowry’s selfless heroine in Holocaust-era “Number the Stars” – to a plucky young Lucy Pevensie in “The Chronicles of Narnia,” young adult fiction has always enjoyed a healthy share of women ready to figure it all out, enlighten, and sometimes literally save the day. More...
